SERVICES CELEBRATE VETERANS; PARADES, SPEECHES BEGIN THIS WEEKEND

Veterans, their families and citizens will pause this weekend to honor those who gave their lives in the defense of their country.

Veterans Day observances will be held at Sikeston on Saturday and Cape Girardeau on Sunday. Jackson will pay tribute to its veterans during a parade and program Monday evening.

Many of this year's Veterans Day observances will take note of the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1941 surprise attack by the Japanese Navy on military installations on the island of Oahu, including Pearl Harbor.

The sneak attack plunged the United States into World War II against the Axis forces of Germany, Italy and Japan.

In Cape Girardeau, Veterans Day activities begin at 3 p.m. Sunday, with a parade from the Common Pleas Courthouse Park, west on Broadway to Freedom Corner in Capaha Park, at the junction of Broadway and West End Boulevard.

The parade marshal will be U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, who will also present a new, congressionally authorized Battle of Pearl Harbor medal to 50 people survivors of the attack or their next of kin.

Leonard Webb of Cape Girardeau, past state chairman of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, said the authorization of the medal took three years. He said he was involved in the effort, along with Lee Goldfarb, the association's national vice president, and Gerald Glaubitz, the current national president.

Webb said Emerson cosponsored the bill authorizing the medals. The bill was approved by Congress and signed by President Bush earlier this year.

"The commemorative medal will be presented to all veterans, or their survivors, who were on Oahu or within a threemile radius of Pearl Harbor when the attack came," Webb said. "We now have 50 survivors, or their next of kin who will receive the Battle of Pearl Harbor medal on Sunday."

Veterans and others who want to march or walk in the parade should assemble at the Common Pleas Courthouse Park in Cape Girardeau at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Units in the parade will include the Missouri National Guard, the Air Force ROTC cadets from Southeast Missouri State University, the Central High School Band, and several floats.

Tom Baskette, state chairman of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, will be the guest speaker during the program at Freedom Corner. Tom Giles, chairman of the Joint Veterans Council, sponsor of the parade and program, will serve as master of ceremonies.

The third annual Veterans Day parade in Sikeston begins at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, starting at the Kingsway Mall.

Following the parade, there will be a ceremony in front of the old Methodist Church columns on New Madrid Street. The program will include a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps.

Capt. David S. Bill III of the United States Navy will be the parade marshal.

Bill commanded the Battleship Wisconsin during the Persian Gulf War. The first Tomahawk cruise missile was fired off the Wisconsin, signaling the start of the war.

During the Persian Gulf War, the Wisconsin fired 24 missiles and over 300, 16-inch artillery rounds in support of Desert Storm combat operations.

Bill is a career naval officer currently up for promotion to admiral. He is now director of Surface Combat Systems for the Navy at the Pentagon.

Jackson will observe Veterans Day with a parade starting at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Jackson High School. The parade will include units of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, as well as the Jackson, Puxico and Oak Ridge high school bands, members of the Missouri National Guard, and troops of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

The parade will wind through the uptown business district to the American Legion post home on North High Street.

Those who want to march in the parade should contact Earl Mouser or Tom Sperling.

Members of the American Legion and VFW will dedicate a memorial to veterans on the legion grounds prior to a ceremony in the legion building.

Following the dedication, Lt. Col. Jim Bland, commander of the 1140th Engineer Battalion, Missouri Army National Guard at Cape Girardeau, will speak at the Veterans Day program.

Since his graduation and commissioning from officer candidate school, Bland has served in many positions within the guard, including company commander of Company A of the 1140th at Jackson, and battalion training officer. He was appointed battalion commander on Sept. 1, 1990.