16a The tenth annual Veterans Day Parade in downtown Fayetteville will kick off Heroes Homecoming week this year. The Cumberland County Veterans Council created Heroes Homecoming in 2011 as a way of showing all veterans that the community remembers and appreciates their courage, sacrifice and everything they did to defend our freedom.

Michele Harling, a committee chair for the parade says that this year’s theme for Heroes Homecoming Week is “Honoring the Heroes at Home.”

“We made the decision that we would like to honor the heroes that hold the home front. This includes the veterans who stay on post while their units are being deployed. This includes the family members that have to hold the homestead together while their family member is deployed. It's about the veteran community that comes and supports what happens at Fort Bragg,” Harling said.

The committee was looking for a family that would represent the heroes at home and found the Davis family. Harling said that their experiences as a military family and Fayetteville natives make them great representatives of the huge number of families in the community who have supported their family members' military career.

Chris Davis is a veteran, a Pastor of the Force of Life church in Fayetteville, and previously served as a Fayetteville council member.
His wife, Demetria, is the North Carolina Mother of the Year. She is the mother of five children and grandmother to one. Davis, also known as “Mama Dee” was awarded earlier this year by American Mothers Inc., a national nonprofit organization that provides mentoring, grants and other support for mothers and children.

The parade will feature several JROTC groups, multiple high school marching bands, military equipment, various organizations, color guards, churches and groups, such as Scouting and the Shriners. Local sports teams and their mascots will also be making an appearance.

The parade will especially feature members of the Fort Bragg community, including the 18th Airborne Corps and the U. S. Special Operations Command. According to the Cumberland County Veterans Council, there are about 52,000 veterans that live in Cumberland County. That doesn’t include the Fort Bragg population of 52,280 active duty soldiers and their family members.

The parade route has changed. It will start on Person Street, just after B Street, and then move down Person Street to Hay Street, ending just before Segra Stadium. Previously, the parade had to cross the train tracks in downtown Fayetteville, which was a safety hazard.

“We don't have to worry about slowing them down or stopping them on that Saturday, and it'll give everybody a chance to slow down and kind of take their time on the route. In years past, we have been trying to make sure that we got everybody across the road before the train came,” Harling said. “This year, we don't have to worry about the trains coming, so there will be opportunities for various groups to basically perform for the VIP grandstand along the route so that people can see what some of our organizations do.”

The parade will kick off on Nov. 5 at 10 a.m. The City of Fayetteville’s Veterans Day Ceremony will follow the parade at the North Carolina Veterans Park. The ceremony will feature a mayoral proclamation, county and city elected officials offering remarks, a keynote speaker, and a flag ceremony.

Spectators are recommended to arrive early to find parking.