Veterans Day, 2011 was one for the history books, said Tom Sheahan, chairman of the Burlington Veterans Day parade committee.

“Veterans Day began as a commemoration of the 1918 Armistice, which was signed at the 11th hour, on the 11th day, of the 11th month,” said Sheahan. “It’s most rare to be able to celebrate it in a year that ends in ‘11’ as well.”

The 16th annual Burlington Veterans Day parade marked another first for some Naval Air Station Whidbey Island personnel, said Oak Harbor VFW Ladies Auxiliary member Diane Small.

“We have once again called on NAS Whidbey personnel to carry banners dedicated to service members across the state of Washington who have given their lives in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars,” said Small.

The Fallen Soldier Banner Project, which memorializes service members with a banner bearing their photograph, name, rank and service branch, hometown, and date of birth and death, has only been around a couple of years. Once permission is granted by family members, VFW Ladies Auxiliary units prepare the banners, which are displayed around the state at memorials and other appropriate venues, said Small.

A magnetic replica of the banner is also sent to the military member’s family, she said.

Some of the NAS Whidbey personnel who participated in Friday’s parade had marched in other parades before; for others, it marked their first. But it was clear that all the participants attached great significance to the banners they solemnly carried this day.

Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Andrew Umstead and AOAN David Olson both said it was a good way for them to be spending their Veterans Day holiday.

“I had not marched in a parade before, as a member of the military,” said Umstead. His friend and shipmate, Olson, said it was just the opposite for him:

“In high school, I marched several times in parades with my NJROTC unit,” he said. “This just seems to be the right way to observe Veterans Day.”

For Cryptologic Technician (Collection) Second Class Maxwell Crews, marching in a Veterans Day parade is a tradition.

“Even though I participated in parades for four years in high school, this is still very exciting,” said Crews. He, his wife, Katie, and son, Charlie, were enjoying a hearty breakfast at Oak Harbor’s VFW Post 7392 prior to the 10 a.m. rendezvous at the parade site line-up.

The Ladies Auxiliary national headquarters furnished the money for the breakfast, said Small.

“We wanted to host this gathering on Veterans Day for these active duty folks who are honoring their fellow soldiers and sailors in this way,” she said.

It seemed that many of those marching, as well as their family members, had chosen to partake of the breakfast of bacon, sausage, eggs, homemade biscuits and gravy, toast, and coffee served by the auxiliary members and other helpers.

Despite a steady downpour of rain, this year’s parade proved to be a very special one: Joe Moser, a United States Army Air Corps pilot, who flew a P-38 Lightning during World War II, and who survived the rigors of a German concentration camp, served as the 2011 parade grand marshal. (Read more of Moser’s story on page 3.)

And for the NAS Whidbey personnel who carried the Fallen Soldier banners, the memories of this year’s parade will always be carried with them as well. So it seemed with CTR2 Daniel Theisen.

“This has really meant a lot to me,” he said. “Even though I didn’t personally know him, I felt like I knew him. He gave his all for me, for all of us.”