Passing the torch

When men and women in uniform march Wednesday through downtown Petaluma in the annual Veterans Day Parade, spectators may not notice a subtle changing of the guard.

Tanks and other armored vehicles will roll and planes will fly overhead, as they have for decades, but behind the scenes, the job of keeping the holiday observance alive is passing from generation to generation.

“A lot of the World War II veterans are disappearing. They’re in their 80s and 90s,” said Steve Kemmerle, 64, a Vietnam War era veteran who has organized the parade for the past five years.

Kemmerle predicts this year’s parade, sponsored once again by American Legion Post No. 28, will be bigger than ever, despite a last-minute rush for donors after budget cuts forced the City of Petaluma to drop its traditional contribution.

That left parade organizers to raise the $12,500 needed to cover the cost of police support at the event. The community immediately rallied, donating enough to keep the event on track.

“Instead of going to get people, I’m having people call me,” Kemmerle said.

Kemmerle is confident that, with hundreds of participants, the parade also will draw a good crowd.

“We had about 8,000 to 10,000 last year. I think we’ll have more this year,” he said.

But there are other concerns about the future of Petaluma’s Veterans Day Parade, billed as the largest in the North Bay and the only one left in Sonoma County.

Organizers say that veterans of more recent and current wars are more likely to network online than attend meetings of the veterans’ organizations that stage events like Petaluma’s parade.

“Our lifestyle has changed in this country. We’re not joiners,” said Paul Lewis, 77, a Korean War veteran and annual participant in the parade.

Kemmerle agreed that shifting demographics have affected veterans’ activities.

“The American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, unfortunately, are declining in size, because the younger guys from the Gulf War and the current conflicts, they don’t get involved,” Kemmerle said.

“After War World II, you had millions of guys all in the same boat. They all got together, like a fraternity,” he added.

But Lewis is confident that younger veterans will step up.

“The silent brotherhood of soldiers that exists is unreal,” he said. “There’s a very strong bond that people who haven’t been in the service really don’t understand.”

Another Petaluma parade supporter, World War II veteran Jack Wallace, 86, is openly optimistic.

“We’re starting to get some younger vets joining. I think we’ll find enough people that are interested in continuing the parade,” Wallace said.

“I think it would be unfair to the young people today that are in Iraq and Afghanistan to let it drop,” he added. “I think it’s going to grow.”

This year’s parade grand marshal, recently retired Army Lt. Col. Steve Countouriotis, 57, who served in the Gulf War as well as the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, believes younger veterans will ultimately seek out vets from other conflicts.

“The younger vets are not joining the veterans’ organizations — yet,” Countouriotis said. “The American Legion and the VFW are starting to reach out to younger veterans, and I hope they’re successful, because part of the healing process is the alility to talk with other vets.”

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. See his ARTS blog at http://arts.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.