CHICAGO, 2015-5-11 — /Travel PR News/ — The City of Chicago and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events are pleased to announce the Grand Marshall and date for Chicago’s Memorial Day Parade and Wreath Laying Ceremony on Saturday, May 23. The Wreath Laying Ceremony will begin at 11am on Daley Plaza (Dearborn and Washington Streets). The parade will step off at noon and proceed south on State Street from Lake Street to Van Buren Street. Brigadier General Alicia A. Tate-Nadeau of the Illinois National Guard will serve as the parade’s Grand Marshal.
Parade Grand Marshal
On March 10, 2015, Brigadier General Alicia A. Tate–Nadeau was named Assistant Adjutant General, Army, becoming the Illinois National Guard’s first female general. BG Tate-Nadeau has 30 years of military service, including a tour in Iraq from 2005 to 2006. Currently she oversees the Illinois National Guard’s homeland security response. For the wreath laying ceremony and parade, she will join Mayor Emanuel along with service members, veterans and Gold Star families in remembering those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
The 2015 parade will mark the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII and the City of Chicago will give special recognition to the epic challenge faced by the “Greatest Generation.” Additionally, the City of Chicago will honor our fallen heroes and their survivors at the Wreath Laying Ceremony and during the parade. Gold Star family members are identified by the Gold Star Lapel Pin and the Next of Kin Lapel Pin that are presented to families who have lost a loved one in the United States Armed Forces to combat operations or while on active duty. Approved by Congress beginning in 1947, the Gold Star Pins are not an award, but symbols of honor worn by family members in remembrance of their fallen loved ones and the ultimate sacrifice they made.
Major General John A. Logan Patriot Award
Joe Bazil is this year’s recipient of the Major General John A. Logan Patriot Award for his leadership, patriotism and selfless devotion to serving veterans. Joe Bazil is himself an Army Veteran who retired earlier this year from Jesse Brown VA Medical Center after dedicating more than 40 years to assisting hundreds of local Veterans and their families with obtaining medical services, filing for VA claims and benefits, employment, housing Veteran resource and job fairs and other needs. Bazil continues to serve the veterans community as a member of the City of Chicago’s Veterans Affairs Advisory Council.
Cadet of the Year Award
The mission of the JROTC is to motivate young people to be better citizens. For the second year we will acknowledge the outstanding contributions of our cadets to our community by honoring a JROTC student with the Cadet of the Year Award.Gregory Holmes, a student at the Chicago Military Academy, has shown both leadership and enthusiasm as the Cadet Battalion Commander and president of the National Honors Society. Gregory Holmes will receive the Cadet of the Year Award at the Wreath Laying Ceremony for his commitment to scholarship and citizenship for the entire corp of cadets.
Memorial Day has a rich history. It began shortly after the Civil War ended when General John Logan proclaimed that the 30th day of May be designated for the purpose of decorating the graves of soldiers who died. The day, first observed on May 30, 1868, was called Decoration Day. The modern day event is similar, but the original idea has been expanded and now honors all fallen soldiers.
The Chicago parade is considered one of the largest Memorial Day parades in the nation. Participants in the parade include area high school marching bands, drum and bugle corps as well as many veterans’ groups, 6,000 JROTC cadets and the military.
The Chicago Memorial Day Parade and Wreath Laying Ceremony is presented by the City of Chicago. For more information about the Illinois Gold Star visit, goldstarpins.org and for more information regarding the parade, please call the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events at 312.744.3316 or visit cityofchicago.org/dcase
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated to enriching Chicago’s artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. This includes fostering the development of Chicago’s non-profit arts sector, independent working artists and for-profit arts businesses; providing a framework to guide the City’s future cultural and economic growth, via the 2012 Chicago Cultural Plan; marketing the City’s cultural assets to a worldwide audience; and presenting high-quality, free and affordable cultural programs for residents and visitors.
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Mary May mmay@cityofchicago.org, 312.744.0576
Christine Carrino christine.carrino@cityofchicago.org, 312.744.0573