It’s a week before the official Veterans Day holiday, but Bowling Green will honor those who have served in the military with a parade on Saturday, Nov. 4. The parade is scheduled so it doesn’t interfere with other activities by local veterans groups on Nov. 11.
One group coming out in force for the parade is Veteran’s Upward Bound. The organization is based at Western Kentucky University and helps veterans get into college and succeed in their studies.
Davy Stone is director of Veterans Upward Bound at WKU. He said the parade might inspire some veterans to go back to school.
“We support veterans every day in going to school and as the only Veterans Upward Bound in the state of Kentucky, we want to make sure we get our name out there. It’s a way for us to both support veterans, the students that we serve, and a way for us to get our name out to the veterans or to the people who may be watching the parade.”
Stone said the changing demands of the workforce can spur some veterans to go back to school because they need to upgrade their skills or even begin an education that will lead to a new career.
“They come from ages 20 to 75 and above because it’s never too late to go back to school, and that’s what we do. So we see a lot of younger veterans coming out of the service recently, but we also have plenty of veterans coming back say that they have exited the workforce for whatever reason, they may be Vietnam era veterans.”
Stone said Veterans Upward Bound at WKU provides assistance for those who want to attend WKU, South Central Kentucky Community and Technical College or another school..
The Veterans Day parade is sponsored by Bowling Green Parks and Recreation. It begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at 6th and College Streets and will pass by Circus Square and Fountain Square.
