For veterans, Myrtle Beach parade a time to reflect

As the float full of Vietnam vets drifted up Ocean Boulevard, Ed Ryan reached for the back of his chair.

His hands trembled slightly as he steadied himself, slowly lifting his 88-year-old body and shuffling over to pick up his cane.

He didn’t want to salute sitting down.

“I have to support these guys,” the World War II veteran said. “Not just Vietnam [vets] ... but all the guys that were in the service.”

Myrtle Beach’s Military Appreciation Days Parade didn’t fall on Memorial Day weekend this year. And Saturday’s crowd seemed smaller than usual, though it grew after a slow start.

But for many veterans and their families, the timing and size of the event didn’t matter. Like Ryan, they came to celebrate to those in the service, honor those who have been there and remember those whose final sacrifice was most precious.

“Especially the guys that never made it back, never had a chance to grow up and have a family,” Ryan, a U.S. Navy veteran, said. “These are important things to think about.”

Down the street from Ryan, Joyce Lincoln thought about her father. He lied about his age to enlist in the U.S. Army. Then he saw World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

Since the city started hosting the parade a few years ago, the Socastee woman hasn’t missed one.

“As an Army brat, I always go,” she said. “It’s important to honor our veterans.”

Her daughter-in-law, Jeanette Lincoln, is a regular, too. This year, she watched her husband, an Army veteran who served in Desert Storm, march with his fellow Myrtle Beach firefighters.

Both women were particularly pleased that the city recognized the 50^th anniversary of the Vietnam War during the festivities.

“Those guys got nothing,” Joyce Lincoln said. “They got spit on.”

Ryan agreed.

“They deserve to be praised,” he said. “They weren’t welcomed home 50 years ago. Hopefully this is going to put a bandage on the wounds.”

As the floats began rolling, Terrie Robertson noticed the crowd looked sparse compared to years past. She wondered if the date change affected the turnout.

Even though the celebration arrived a week early this year, Robertson knew her family wouldn’t be absent. She’s the wife of a retired U.S. Air Force officer, a man who served his country for 20 years.

“I love to support the veterans, the military, for all they do,” she said. “If it’s just us, we’ll be here.”

The floats, marching bands and convertibles have typically been seen along Ocean Boulevard on the Saturday morning before Memorial Day. But city officials in September announced they would move the parade up a week because police would be focused on managing crowds from Atlantic Beach Bikefest.

Although the change irked some veterans, others at the parade said the move was for the best.

“There’ll be no way they could have a parade next week,” said Billy Joe McAlister, an Army veteran from Lincolnton, N.C.

McAlister was new to the parade. He came to town for the the Harley-Davidson Cruisin’ the Coast Spring Bike Rally.

“I’ve been coming down here every bike week for years,” he said. “I didn’t know about the parade ‘til this weekend.”

On Memorial Day, a group of veterans does plan to march down Ocean Boulevard. They don’t want the significance of the holiday overlooked.

Ryan plans to be there, moving as much as an octogenarian’s frame will allow.

“Good Lord willing,” he said.

Ryan lost two cousins in World War II. Another perished in Vietnam. For them and others, Ryan hopes to make the trip from his Conway home next week and join fellow veterans in the remembrance.

“I’d be happy to see you,” he said. “May have a few tears in my eyes then.”

This story was originally published May 16, 2015 at 8:47 PM with the headline "For veterans, Myrtle Beach parade a time to reflect."