Las Vegas Veterans Day Parade Draws Crowds to Downtown Streets

Veterans and families lined the downtown Las Vegas streets on Wednesday morning for the annual Veterans Day parade. The event, organized by the nonprofit Veterans Action Group, kicked off at 9:30 a.m. with a procession that moved from Garces Avenue down 4th Street.

Sam Micco, 80, stood among the spectators near the barricades. Micco, a Navy veteran, returned from Vietnam in his mid-20s to a mixed reception. He attended the parade for the second time, watching floats and military trucks draped in red, white, and blue pass by. Micco noted that the current atmosphere feels very different from his return home decades ago. “This is very emotional for me,” Micco said. “I come down here, and everyone shakes my hand. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

The parade featured a strong military presence. Bikers from several veterans motorcycle clubs, including the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, led the route. Many motorcycles displayed flags honoring prisoners of war and those missing in action. Behind the bikers, dozens of uniformed Army soldiers marched in formation. Some soldiers handed miniature American flags to children watching from the sidewalks.

Local officials joined the procession. Sheriff Kevin McMahill waved to attendees while walking in front of a police Cybertruck. North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown rode at the back of a fire truck. Representatives from the Metropolitan Police Department and the city of Las Vegas were also present.

Lorenzo Stanley, a Las Vegas native and Navy veteran, watched the parade with his dog, Zoe. Stanley served for 10 years and wore a hat with the Navy seal. His dog wore an American flag tucked into her harness. “I’m here to salute my brothers and sisters,” Stanley said as he bobbed his head to the music of high school marching bands.

Bob Ain, an Air Force veteran and math lecturer at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, attended the event wearing a UNLV T-shirt. He hoped to see Air Force ROTC students, known as Flying Rebels, in the lineup. “This is Vegas,” Ain said. “We’re supposed to celebrate. It’s what we do.”

Synthia Stoddard, 43, came from North Las Vegas to see her son, a squad leader in Centennial High School’s Junior ROTC. Her daughter, Lola, 13, stood beside her. Stoddard said she was proud of her son’s dedication to the program. “He looks really great out there,” Stoddard said. “This is about American spirit and pride, people from so many walks of life coming together to celebrate one common theme.”