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As you drive through the streets of Andalusia, you can’t help but feel a sense of patriotism as you pass the more than 650 banners paying tribute to our Covington County veterans. This collaborative project is made possible through the hard work of the Covington Veterans Foundation and the City of Andalusia.

Each one of those banners represents someone, who at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America,” for an amount up to and including his or her life.

When those young men and women signed that those papers, they obligated themselves for a period of service to their country. Through the years, thousands of those service members found themselves in a foreign country, far from home, in a war where it was kill or be killed. Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to those combat veterans and its highest debt of gratitude to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. As you look at the banners this year, pay special attention to the lower right corner. If you see a small blue, starred triangle, that veteran died in combat. Those banners are located in and around court square.

We also owe our thanks to the families of those veterans. Each banner you see represents, not just that veteran, but a family that loaned one of their own to Uncle Sam.

Andalusia and Covington County can feel a sense of pride and thankfulness as we honor our veterans through this sea of banners. Find a veteran and thank them for serving our country.

The Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce will honor all veterans with its annual Veterans Day parade at 10 a.m. this Monday, Nov. 11.

All veterans and their family members are invited to ride in the parade on floats prepared by the Chamber. Lineup begins at First Baptist Church from 9:00 – 9:45 a.m. The parade will begin at 10:00 a.m. and will end at City Hall. ALL are invited to participate in this FREE parade, which is open to walkers, bikers, golf carts, trucks, trailers and floats. No pre-registration is necessary.

Immediately following the parade, the City of Andalusia will host a ceremony at the Covington Veterans Memorial, located behind City Hall. Lt. Col. [ret] George Judson [Jud] Whitlock, a former pilot of Marine One and Marine Two, will be the guest speaker.

Veterans are also invited to a reception inside City Hall following the ceremony.

John Vick