Every year, 20,000 people come to Bremerton and line the streets to celebrate local armed forces with a parade to acknowledge their service and to say thank you. In 1948, the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce organized a parade honoring Bremerton’s own John “Bud” Hawk after he was presented with the Medal of Honor for his heroism in World War II.
The Bremerton Armed Forces Day Parade has been running ever since and is the largest and longest running Armed Forces Day Parade west of the Mississippi. Now led by the Greater Kitsap Chamber, this tradition carries on. Starting at 10am on May 18th at 6th and Naval Avenue and ending just after 8th Street on Pacific Avenue, the parade will be held as part of the area’s Armed Forces Day Festival.
Participating for the second year will be the team members of Bremerton’s Miller-Woodlawn Funeral Home & Memorial Park.
“Our entire fleet will be there honoring Veterans with military flags proudly displayed on our vehicles,” said Mindy Rocha-Barella, area general manager.
Miller-Woodlawn has been serving the Bremerton community for several decades. According to Rocha-Barella, whose husband served 22 years in the armed forces, “We are military families serving our military community. This is our passion, and this is what we care about.”
She added, “We do it with pride and passion every day because our hearts are in it for the right reasons.” Proof of this passion is their commitment to providing no-cost burial and funeral services to homeless veterans. “We lay them to rest at a National Cemetery with Military Honors, standing with them as their family to ensure they are recognized for their service,” said Rocha-Barella.
Rocha-Barella was recently honored with completing the proper and dignified burial process for EMC3 Cecile Barncord who was aboard the US Oklahoma when it went down in Pearl Harbor. Current DNA analysis techniques allowed for his identification more than 80 years later. With family in Mossy Rock, she coordinated his burial there.
Miller-Woodlawn Funeral Home & Memorial Park
5505 Kitsap Way, Bremerton
dignitymemorial.com
BY LYNN CASTLE