BILLINGS— Hundreds honored the military and veterans in downtown Billings Saturday morning with a Memorial Day weekend parade.
It was the second annual Billings Rotary Memorial Parade, put on by the Downtown Billings Rotary Club.
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“The response from the city when we invited them to be a part of it was just humbling. They were so grateful to be a part of something like this because they know the seriousness of the nature that our veterans face and they are honored to be a part of something that is dedicated to remembering our fallen service members,” said organizer Jonathan Mauger.
“(We) want to remember those that have given their life the ultimate sacrifice and that's why we're free today,” said Ken Callahan, another organizer.
Callahan told MTN that he wanted the event to show support to nonprofits that help prevent veteran suicide. Montana consistently ranks high for veteran suicide rates in the U.S.
“Our goal is to reduce the number and get Montana out of the top ten,” said Callahan.
Organizers told MTN the parade grew by more than 200% from last year. It is a tradition they hope will continue to grow.
“The vision for this event is to tell the story of America's fighting forces through the years with this parade… and just an incredible tradition for families to kick off their summer with,” said Mauger, who hopes the parade will eventually bring crowds of 20,000 downtown.
“Next year's will be epic,” added Callahan.
