Memorial Day Parade draws respectful crowd.

The skies over head were gray and the weather cool, but parade goers still came out to show their respect and support for the annual Memorial Day parade in Grand Rapids. Whether civilian or military, a small crowd of people gathered at the Veteran's Memorial Park located in downtown Grand Rapids. 

"My sister served in the Marines for 20 years at Camp Lejune, North Carolina which is a Marine Base for Marines," says Grand Rapidian Tom O'Brien. "I also have two sons from West Catholic participating in the marching band here today as well."

While Tom was waiting for his kids to march down Fulton Street, other on lookers clapped and waived their flags in support of our veterans marching by and to the memorial at Veteran's park.

"I served from1989 to 2010," says Peter St. Martin, a retired Navy Chaplain and Commander. "I served for all the branches of the military whether they were Navy, Marines or Coast Guard. I liked all the places that I served. I served as a Chaplain and the more I had the more I felt I had made the right decision to do this."

St. Martin now serves as a Pastor at Second Congregational United Church of Christ in Grand Rapids.

Many other distinguished guests were also up on the platform participating in the ceremonies. Such one guest was retired and wounded Army Captain Veteran James Van Thack.

"I entered the Army in 1994 because I wanted to give back some thing to our country," says Van Thack. "My father served in the army in Korea and Viet Nam, so I wanted to serve in the Army as well. I served for 11 years and I also served in Iraq before I became wounded in the Iraq war."

Sitting quietly and respectfully next to him was his companion service dog named Liz who, is only three years old.

"I got Liz from the nonprofit Canine Companions for Indepence, free of charge. She does things for me that I cannot do such as open/close doors, turn on/off lights and help pick things up off the floor that I cannnot do," says Captain Van Thack.

Now that he is medically retired from the U.S. Army, Van Thack volunteers for Fashion Has Heart in Grand Rapids, a local nonprofit organization that is trying to help wounded veterans who are discharged from the military. His main goal is to try and encourage those veterans when they are discharged with wounds and feel suicidal to seek help and counseling right away.