It was a beautiful day joining the Howard County Veterans and Military families for their 10th annual Veterans Day Parade and Celebration. Howard County is blessed to be home to more than 20,000 veterans.
Thank you to the Howard County Veterans Foundation, Commission for Veterans and Military Families, Office of Veterans and Military Families, and all the volunteers who helped celebrate our veterans. The Howard Country Veterans Foundation invited Gold Star Mothers MD Chapter members to participate in their annual Veterans Day parade and Ceremony. Gold Star Mother Paula Davis represented the chapter.
She participated in the parade and also attended the Veterans Day ceremony. Paula had the honor of walking with the Blue Star Families. The Veterans Day ceremony was held after the parade. The Howard County Veterans Foundation, along with the Veterans Day Parade and Ceremony Planning Committee, chose Tracy Adkins and Kelly Kesler as grand marshals. The 2024 theme “honoring our military families.”
Tracy Adkins has dedicated her life to supporting military families, including her own, which includes her husband, retired Col. Win Adkins, and son, Mitchell Adkins, a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. Among her roles, Adkins served as the family readiness programs manager for a special mission unit and Fort Meade chapter director of Blue Star Families, which strengthens military families and communities, as well as a volunteer for the Special Operations Command Care Coalition, Armed Forces Foundation, American Red Cross and the United Service Organizations at Fort Meade and Fort Belvoir. She has been recognized with civilian medals and awards for her efforts.
Kelly Kesler champions military families in Howard County. She served as the recording secretary for the Howard County Commission for Veterans and Military Families and as director of the Howard County Health Department’s Bureau of Population Growth and Local Health Improvement Coalition, where she brought in veterans to serve on the Behavioral Health Committee. As an advocate in Maryland schools, Kesler supports the state’s Purple Star School Program, which recognizes schools that support military-connected students and their families, and served on the Long Reach High School PTA, bringing the school’s band into the Veterans Day Parade. She also helped establish programs for veterans at the University of Maryland.
Alton High School JROTC Color Guard presented the Colors. Throughout the program, several students participated. Several elected officials were present and gave a short message of thanks to the Veterans, the attendees, and the event organizers. Dr. Calvin Ball, Howard County Executive, and Robert Gillette also spoke and honored Ms. Wanda Riddle, Vice President, Howard Co. Veterans Foundation. The Maryland Gold Star Mothers were recognized along with other Veteran organizations.
After the presentations, the Young Columbians singing group performed. Their grand finale was a medley of patriotic songs that received a hearty round of applause presentations.
