Petaluma honors veterans in hometown parade

PETALUMA, Calif. (KTVU) - Friday was the 97th Veterans Day, a national holiday declared just after the end of World War I.

KTVU's Tom Vacar went to Petaluma in Sonoma County for one of the state's largest parades. 

The 300 unit parade circled the small downtown area where thousands gathered under perfect weather conditions. It was no less than a slice of small town Americana. "I think it's just wonderful.  I think they had at least 15,000 people today. And, if you look around this parade route, there's every single type of person. Every nationality; everything, young, old and I think it was fabulous to see WWII guys 90 years old, all the way down to the new veterans," said Katherine Leonard of Petaluma.

Tom asked Army veteran Jared Vollmer, how he likes the way his hometown treats veterans. "It's unbelievable. You could be left of center, right of center and everybody comes together; it doesn't matter. You know, it's a lot of respect for each other, whether you're a veteran or not actually," he said.

I asked a retired veteran why Petaluma, a small farming town in wine country, takes the day so seriously. "Patriotism. It's just a home town feeling. The whole area just gets into it the way it should be," said Roger Appleby, a retired Army Sergeant Major.

The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that almost 45 million people have served in the military during wartime with some estimates suggesting 57 million serving in war and peace.

But, with the many veteran help and assistance groups marching, it is clear, we haven't done all would could to honor our commitment to take care of those who have borne the battles. "The veterans deserve a lot more, I think, as far as healthcare When they come back from the war, they need a lot of help.  And, I think, veterans, a lot of them, should get a lot more help than what the government gives them," said Wayne Munchiango, an Army veteran.

President-elect Trump says this will be one of his highest priorities.