Another hero will lead annual military appreciation parade
In selecting a grand marshal for the Military Appreciation Days parade in late May, committee members look for someone with a military background and some recognition as a celebrity. Alek Skarlatos, the 2017 parade grand marshal, quickly rose to the top of the list of candidates, Myrtle Beach public information officer Mark Kruea recalls.
In August 2015, Skarlatos and two childhood friends took down a gunman who was threatening passengers on a Paris-bound train in France. Their action was international news. Skarlatos, an Army National Guard specalist in the Oregon National Guard, was awarded the U.S. Army Soldier’s Medal and the French Legion of Honour.
Skarlatos later competed on “Dancing with the Stars” and finished third with professional partner Lindsay Arnold.
“He’s the kind of guy you’d like to shake hands with,” Kruea said. Following the parade on Saturday, May 27, Skarlatos will greet folks at the annual family picnic in Valor Memorial Garden on Farrow Parkway.
The parade again will be on Howard Avenue and Farrow Parkway in The Market Common on the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. Military Appreciation Days started several years ago to honor our men, women and families of U.S. armed forces. Events are held throughout May, including the second Horry County JROTC Drill Meet on Saturday, May 6 at Pelicans Stadium. Coastal Carolina Blue Star Mothers is sponsoring a Military Family Members Event in the stadium picnic area following the competition.
The annual Military Appreciation Dinner/Dance this year will be at a bigger venue, the Myrtle Beach Convention Center (Sheraton Hotel). The ticketed event is the official welcome for visiting, recovering combat veterans brought here for a holiday by the nonprofit organization Scents for Soldiers, started several years ago by Christina Shealy. Recovering veterans are picked up at military hospitals in the Washington area, Virginia and North Carolina and brought here for a weekend. Many businesses and nonprofit organizations, military and otherwise, have generously supported the trips organized by Shealy and others in Scents for Soldiers.
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans baseball game on Saturday, May 13 will honor military veterans. The Grand Strand Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) is holding its 4th Annual Golf Tournament Fund-raiser on May 25 at Heritage Golf Club in Pawleys Island. The outing has enabled the MOAA chapter to triple its annual donations to veterans and high school students. The chapter now awards $17,000 in scholarships for 10 Georgetown and Horry County JROTC students.
A couple of events are still to be settled, Kruea said, including a patriotic concert on May 20. Military Appreciation Days has grown into a month of various events honoring our military. One of the last events of the month is the Memorial Day Veterans March on Ocean Boulevard (16th Avenue North to Ninth Avenue North) on Monday, May 29.
Dinner/Dance details
What | Military Appreciation Dinner/Dance
When | May 25, 6 p.m. social hour (cash bar), 7 p.m. buffet dinner
Where | Myrtle Beach Sheraton Hotel
Tickets | ($30 per person) are available at Myrtle Beach City Hall or from organizations such as Vietnam Veterans of America.
Phone | (843) 918-1014
email | info@cityofmyrtlebeach.com
This story was originally published April 5, 2017 at 7:28 AM with the headline "Another hero will lead annual military appreciation parade."