DAVENPORT, Iowa — On the eleventh day of the eleventh month, you can find Richard Lowe in downtown Davenport, marching in the annual Veterans Day Parade.
He's one of many local veterans that turned out for the event on Thursday, Nov. 11, despite the wind and rain. Although he'll joke that he can't remember a year where the weather has been good, Lowe says it doesn't affect him.
"It's not that cold today," he said. "When you look at the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, that was cold. Those guys were cold. We're not cold today. We're al happy."
As Honor Guard Coordinator for American Legion Post 26, Lowe helped lead the parade through the city. He was followed by floats of vets from all eras, three different high school marching bands, motorcycles, ROTC groups and more.
The parade began at 10 a.m. and was lead by Lt. Gen. Antonio Aguto, Commanding General of the First United States Army.
Lowe says the bands were a welcome addition this year, after last year's cold kept the musicians away.
And in the wake of the country's withdrawal from Afghanistan, the veteran couldn't help but think of all the servicemen and women still being impacted.
"Those guys, for 20 years, they went over again and again. I know what it's like to leave my family and go overseas. I did it three time. It's not fun," he said. "We still have national guardsmen from Davenport that are deployed and their families are going to have a rather bleak Christmas. But it goes with the job, and we do it willingly."
Just one week prior, Lowe had flown to Washington D.C. with the local Honor Flight. He says he found six of his friends' names written on the walls of monuments. It was them, and all his fellow veterans, that he thought of, as he marched through the parade route.
"It's pretty moving. I knew (the names) were there, I knew where to look for them. But when I saw the names, it was still moving," he said.
Now, he encourages veterans of all ages to join their local VFWs and American Legions, saying it's where he finds much of his best support these days.
"I'm a widow. I live alone," said Lowe, seeming to get a bit choked up for just a moment. "When I'm with these guys, it's a lot of difference."
That comradery is partly why Elizabeth Rieck joined the Davenport Central Junior ROTC program. Now the group's Lieutenant Colonel, she hopes to one day join the National Guard.
On Thursday, she led the ROTC program through the parade, saying it was exciting, and a little nerve-wracking, to be marching in honor of so many veterans.
"They put their lives on the line for us and gave us freedom that we should be thankful for. And we should give them a day to appreciate them for what they do," Rieck said.
And she wasn't the only young face in the crowd. Nine-year-old Brighton Greim wanted to watch all the veterans pass by and listen to the bands play, so he asked his grandpa, Ted Brown, to take him.
"I thought it was very good," said Brighton. "(Veterans) are very important."
As the two watched the parade march by, his grandpa pointed out the different generals and groups.
"I'm very proud of him for wanting to come down and salute the veterans," said Brown. A Vietnam veteran himself, he says coming out to pay his respect to the servicemen and women was already an honor, but to do it with his grandson was even sweeter. "It's hard to explain, sometimes, to the younger kids, the service to the country that's needed, and that they need to be very aware of that and to be able to honor that and become part of it."
The event concluded with a laying of the wreath ceremony outside of the Scott County Courthouse, where Lt. Gen. Aguto gave brief remarks thanking both veterans and first responders.
"Recently in the last year or so, it's really come of light how important it is for the military to be connected to our communities, our first responders, our teachers, our civil servants," said Aguto. "So not only today do I ask you to thank a vet, but thank a first responder. Thank those that have stepped in the frontlines and kept our community safe."
He said the event's turnout was great, even with the miserable weather, and remarked on how wonderful it was to celebrate as a community once again.
"Happy Veterans Day to all the veterans out there, our first responders and our families," said Aguto. "We love you all."