It's not always easy to find proof of small-town community ties in a city of 600,000 people.
Paul Slyman thinks one of the best examples takes place Monday, at the Ross Hollywood Chapel's Veterans Day Parade in Northeast Portland.
"You won't see big out-of-the-area floats or anything," said Slyman, director of Metro's Parks and Environmental Services Department. "It's the local Cub Scout troop, the local police department, marching and waving at their friends and neighbors. It's charming."
On Nov. 11, Slyman and other Metro staff will march alongside elected officials in the parade – councilors Sam Chase and Bob Stacey and Metro Council President Tom Hughes – marking the agency's first year of official involvement with the event.
Slyman, who served in the Coast Guard, has been taking his kids to watch the parade for 15 years. This year will be his first time marching in it.
"It seems like people were just waiting for the opportunity to get involved," Slyman said. He reached out to coworkers inviting them to join Metro's parade contingent, and said the responses were overwhelmingly positive, with many sharing their stories of personal or family involvement with the armed forces.
Hughes shares in that enthusiasm. While Hughes has given speeches on the holiday in the past while serving as mayor of Hillsboro, Monday will be his first participation in a Veterans Day parade
For Hughes, Veterans Day serves to bring light to an important nationwide issue.
"We ask people to give up their day-to-day life," Hughes said. "We continue to engage in foreign policy that sends people off to conflicts. Yet as a country we are kind of miserable about taking care of them when they come home."
As an example, Hughes referenced the over-representation of veterans in the homeless population. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban development estimates that more than 60,000 veterans are homeless on any given night.
"I know it's a difficult, complicated issue," Hughes said. "I think the urge on Veterans Day is to honor the dead, but they don't make too many demands of us. It’s the people who come home who require our assistance."
Slyman agreed. "It's Veterans Day, not Memorial Day," he said.
Events like the parade "give people a reason to be proud of their service," Slyman said. "You don't always see vivid acknowledgement of that."
The holiday is for family and friends of veterans as well, Slyman added, referencing a woman he knows whose son just enlisted in the military.
"She needs to know as a mom that that support and community is there," Slyman said.
In Portland, the military community isn't overtly present. The Hollywood parade is one demonstration of its existence – a chance to celebrate and recognize the deeds and people behind the nation's military legacy.
The neighborhood parade, which runs from NE 40th and Tillamook to NE 48th and Sandy, was founded in 1974 by Vernon Ross. Ross purchased a small piece of land in front of his business, Ross Hollywood Funeral Chapel, and erected a flagpole, which serves as the terminal point for the parade.
Following Ross's death in 1983, Ross Hollywood Funeral Chapel has continued to host the Veterans Day Parade annually.
This year, the parade starts at 9:45 a.m. Parking is limited, and parade attendees are encouraged to consider carpooling and public transportation.
Other Veterans Day events in the region
- Sunday, November 10, Forest Grove: The Elks Lodge will host a free veterans lunch for veterans, their families, active military, National Guard and Reservists. Guest speakers include WWII veteran and Medal of Honor candidate, Lt. Col (ret.) Leonard DeWitt and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden. For information, call Jim Craigg at 503-357-3660.
- Monday, November 11, Gresham: The City of Gresham hosts its third annual Veterans Day Parade from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in downtown Gresham.
- Monday, November 11, Hillsboro: The Washington County Fairgrounds will hold a ceremony at the Veteran's Gateway to pay special recognition to the 60-year anniversary of the Korean War Armistice. For information, call Washington County Disability, Aging and Veteran Services, (503) 846-3060.