On this day set aside to honor America’s veterans, the streets of Claremore were lined with people who turned out to cheer for them.
As the bands played and children waved American flags, the annual Claremore Veteran’s Day parade drew thousands of people from across Green Country.
They gather as families and alone to honor veterans.
A member of America’s Greatest Generation, Paul Perryman was named Grand Marshal of the Claremore parade.
“I was a T-5. Almost a corporal,” World War II veteran Paul Perryman said with a chuckle.
Now 101 years old, Perryman is one of the few remaining soldiers from World War II. He told 2 News Oklahoma’s Karen Larsen his brother enlisted a year before he did and was a paratrooper. Perryman served on the front lines in Germany.
“They was on the run and we were right after them. And I was there for 39 days,” said Perryman. “It took a lot of lives.”
No matter which war, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, to the Gulf War and Afghanistan; or how many decades have passed, these veterans all share a powerful connection.