Phoenix Veterans Day Parade

Event organizers estimate an attendance of more than 45,000 people at this year’s Phoenix Veterans Day Parade, scheduled for 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 11. This year’s Parade Grand Marshals continue honoring Veterans from every foreign war or conflict from World War II through Afghanistan.

The theme for this year’s parade is: Liberty, Honor, and Sacrifice – 2022 Parade Route.

Spectators can watch anywhere along the route. The parade begins at Montebello Street and Central Avenue, crosses East on Camelback, and turns South on 7th Street.


For the first time in the 2022 Phoenix Veterans Day Parade, spectators will see a brand-new eagle balloon with a wingspan of 25 feet which takes 35 cubic meters of helium to fill. A dozen volunteers handle it on the parade route.

“The best places to watch – with the most convenient parking area is on Camelback Road and 7th Street,” said Paula Pedene, Parade Coordinator. “This parade deeply touches the lives of our veterans as we remember and thank them for their sacrifice and protection of our freedom. The veterans tell us every year the healing they receive from the parade touches them differently than traditional therapies do. We never knew a thank you from us to them could mean so much. It truly is a healing event.”

The 2022 Phoenix Veterans Day Parade Grand Marshals in the Honor Our Heroes Program include:

  • Sam Weinstein (Scottsdale) took a bullet to the mouth while defending his stronghold in the Army in WWII.
  • Lew Bradley (Chandler) served in the Korean War when he put his life on the line to save downed pilots in the Korean War.
  • Ed McCourt (Florence) served in the Vietnam War, where he was awarded the Silver Star and the Vietnam Republic Cross of Gallantry with Palm.
  • Tom Tostenson (Phoenix) served in the Cold War as a chaplain in the Navy from 1985 to 1998.
  • Michael Quezada (Tucson) spent 30 years in the Air Force with service during Desert Storm.
  • Jonathan Rosenberg (Phoenix) spent 22 years in the Marine Corps and finished multiple combat deployments as a Force Recon Marine and Marine Scout Sniper supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
  • George Poppe (Tucson) served in Operation Enduring Freedom and was deployed three times to Afghanistan in support of OEF.

Honoring America’s Veterans added two levels of distinction to this year’s parade: a Business Community Grand Marshal entry and a Veterans Community Grand Marshal Entry. U-Haul, a 20-year parade sponsor, will pay tribute to  Hap Carty, a WWII veteran and the first employee at U-Haul. The other honor goes to David Carrasco, a Vietnam Veteran. Carrasco founded the Prisoner of War, Killed in Action, and Missing in Action (POW/MIA/KIA) Honor Guard to ensure veterans and their support groups receive military honors at their events, activities, and memorial services.

Operation Desert Storm veteran Chad Lares will join the GoDaddy Veterans group on parade day with his T-55AM2 tank, built around 1987.

2022 Veterans Grand Marshals
Sam Weinstein World War II

Samuel Weinstein’s courage and resolve epitomize America’s Greatest Generation.

He enlisted in the Army in 1943 at age 19, one of nine children raised during the depths of the Depression. He wanted to be a paratrooper but was denied because the gear he had to carry weighed more than his wiry 119-pound frame.

Instead, he became a rifleman and saw combat in France as a member of Company E of the 103rd Infantry Division. It didn’t take long for Weinstein to distinguish himself.

On Jan. 4, 1945, near Behren, France, heavy fire forced his patrol to withdraw. Weinstein, by that time a sergeant, dragged a wounded soldier to cover, where he administered first aid. He carried him over 200 yards of exposed terrain through small arms fire to safety.

Weinstein placed the injured soldier on a passing tank and directed it to an aid station. He then returned to the fight. Months of combat ensued, and on patrol near Offuviller, France, Weinstein was shot in the mouth by a German sniper.

He dropped his rifle and ran across the road. Remembering what he had learned in basic training to “keep your piece with you at all times,” he ran across the road, retrieved his rifle, and again found cover.

By this time his tongue was swelling, and he could not breathe. The medics got him to an aid station, performed a tracheotomy, and saved his life. Weinstein had a trachea tube for roughly six months. He was hospitalized in Europe and the U.S. He lost several teeth from the sniper’s bullet, and his wounds required reconstructive surgery.

“My father is a true patriot and loves his country,” said his daughter and nominator, Lori Bruggeman. “Family is the most important thing to him. He grew up during the Depression and learned great work ethic and passed that on to his children.”

After recovering from his wounds, Weinstein became a sheet metal worker and spent about 40 years in the heating and air conditioning business. He is a survivor of lung and prostate cancer and at age 98, recently recovered from a fractured pelvis and hip replacement.

Although he continues to battle lung cancer, Weinstein lives independently. He has high praise for the VA Hospital for taking care of him not just after World War II but throughout the years.

“If I had to sum up my father in a few words … he is a survivor and my hero,” Bruggeman said.


2022 Special Marshals
David Carrasco Vietnam Veteran, U.S. Air Force Founder, POW/MIA/KIA Honor Guard Veterans Community Grand Marshal

David Carrasco says he chose to enlist in the Air Force because his future as a teenager looked grim, and the Air Force gave him security and the chance for a brighter future. Upon enlistment, he was assigned as a Security Policeman, safeguarding B-47s and then B-52s. Other duties included the safeguarding of nuclear weapons. As time progressed, he was assigned to Law Enforcement and spent one year in Investigations. In the latter part of 1966, he was assigned to a K-9 Unit, and in December of that same year, he went to Vietnam.

During his time in Vietnam, he lost his best friend, and sadly an Army Military Policeman passed on as he held his hand, and he never knew his name. For many years he found it hard to deal with those losses in life and with people. In 2005 he joined the American Legion and volunteered on their Color Guard unit. Their duties included the rendering of full military honors, and they also gave support to other veteran organizations. Touched by this experience, he formed a Color Guard group of veterans attending many veteran functions. In September of 2008, they became an official veteran’s service organization. We were known as the POW/MIA/KIA Honor Guard, which stands for Prisoners of War, Missing in Action, and Killed In Action.

“At that time, we had no flags or dress uniform but wore camouflage clothing. Because of my personal experiences in Vietnam, I wanted to support the families who lost a loved one and the difficulty they sometimes face in never having closure with the loss of that loved one,” he said. For the past 17 years, their Honor Guard has rendered full military Honors at funerals and is part of many events and activities, including an award-winning Honor Guard entry in the Phoenix Veterans Day Parade.

Carrasco was awarded the Bronze Star for ignoring orders to stay clear of an area and instead going into harm’s way to ensure that each Sentry Dog Team was safe. No Sentry Dog team was injured, and he could account for all team members. He adds, “There is an old military saying: I left Vietnam, but Vietnam never left me. To me, that is so very true. The loss of my best friend and the unknown MP is always with me. For me to stand in a formation and to render military honors for those who have gone before me is an honor, and I feel it is my duty and responsibility to do so.” David Carrasco’s service to numerous military, veteran, and nonprofit organizations earn him this unique distinction as a Veterans Community Grand Marshal.

Parking

VISITOR PARKING is on a “first-come, first-serve” basis on the side streets around the parade route, so please come early and allow ample time to navigate crowds. (Click here for Google Maps.) Best availability for viewing? Camelback Road, East of Central Avenue and West of 7th Street. Second best availability is 7th Street just south of Camelback to Montecito.

To find out the “side streets” where you can park and weave your way towards the parade, please look at the route closure map. It will tell you where the parade is, what streets close at what times and lists the side streets for you to access to find parking and then make your way into the parade route.

The route map also shows where speaker towers are located, if you’d like to sit nearby and hear entries announced as they march by.

 

Phoenix Veterans Day Parade Street Closures

7:30AM

  • Close Central Ave, from Bethany Home Road to Missouri
  • Close Montebello, from Central to 2nd Street

 

10:00AM

  • Close Central Ave. between Missouri and Camelback Road
  • Close Camelback between Central and 7th Street
  • Close 7th Street between Camelback and Indian School Roads
  • Close Indian School Road, 3rd Street to 9th Street
  • Close 7th Street, Osborn to Indian School Road


10:45AM

  • Close Missouri Avenue East Bound and West Bound

Started in 1997, the Phoenix Veterans Day Parade honors the contributions of our United States Veterans. It helps build a patriotic Phoenix community spirit that recognizes veterans’ sacrifices for our country. The Parade couldn’t happen without the generous support of our community, the parade organizers, the Honoring Arizona’s Veterans board, and our parade participants.