I LOVE A PARADE!

   SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10TH., 2018
               I LOVE A PARADE!

       I've heard a lot of comments over the
past week or so about the idea of having a
big military parade.
       I was very hesitant to blog on the
subject for fear readers would take my
thoughts as a position for or against the
President who, I'm told, came up with
the suggestion
       My policy both when on and since
retiring from the daily news beat is to
maintain a neutral position with regard
to politics. So I'll just stick with the
subject of parades.
        I love parades! When I was a kid
in Hazleton my hometown used to host
the second largest Mummer's Parade in
the state! Second only to Philadelphia!
 A couple straight years of bad weather
brought that tradition to an end and I
always felt bad about that
        When I was the Program Director
of WBAX in Berwick I was working
on one particular parade day (I can't
even recall which holiday was being
celebrated) so I grabbed an extra long
microphone cord, walked to a window
in the hallway and literally covered the
parade without having it sold as a
sponsored program. I'll bet the sales
staff thought about it afterwards!
         I've ridden in and helped cover
the Scranton Saint Patrick's Parade
many times and, on one occasion,
Judge Tom Munley and I did recorded
coverage of the Veteran's Parade for
Electric City Television.
          Bands floats, and impressive
marching units make for a great
parade. That said, when I picture a
"Military Parade" my memory is
drawn to news footage of China,
Russia and, before them, Germany,
marching along with tanks and huge
rockets. And we thought of them
as "Military States"
         I would also note  the
Mummers and Saint Patrick's marches
always drew a lot more spectators than
the Veteran's parade. That's sad but true.
        I would hope if a National Military
Parade comes to be, it would feature our
Service Bands marching to their traditional
Service anthems. And lots of uniformed
service men and women rather than a
preponderance of rockets and tanks and
such. They're the heart of the military
whatever tools are at their disposal
         I don't need a march to believe
in the men and women who defend our
country but if there's to be one it's OK
by me because I love a parade.
          Hope you do to and that all
your NEWS is good.