Vettes of Atlanta Magazine Answering The Call To Serve In The Veterans Day Parade The call to serve seldom comes when it’s convenient. But it comes nonetheless. The only question is how you’ll respond when it does. For the...

Vettes of Atlanta Magazine
Answering The Call To Serve In The Veterans Day Parade

The call to serve seldom comes when it’s convenient.

But it comes nonetheless. The only question is how you’ll respond when it does.

For the 19 million men and women who have served in the U.S. military, when the call came, they served.

Veterans Day honors all of those who have served our country in war or peace, though primarily, it is intended to thank living veterans for their sacrifices. This is often confused with Memorial Day, which honors those who have given their life in defense of our Nation.

Veterans Days is a federal holiday set for November 11th, regardless of what day of the week it falls. And as many quickly learned, the parade happens rain or shine.

Now, you might assume this would be a problem for Corvette drivers. Especially given their well-documented proclivity for avoiding even the smallest chance of rain falling on their fiberglass fenders.

Unfortunately, rain was in the forecast leading up to this year’s event. We knew it for several days in advance, and for once, the prognosticators got it right.

Intermittent drizzle and rain with temps barely reaching 50 degrees.

The only question was whether enough Corvettes would brave the rain to transport military dignitaries from the staging area to the review stands on Peachtree Street in Midtown.

The call to serve had gone out to the local Corvette community, but who would answer?

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Honoring Korean War Veterans

As you can imagine, getting thirty Corvettes to come out in less-than-ideal weather would normally be a challenge. But, many Corvette drivers are veterans themselves and were eager to show their support for our armed forces.

Brian Bundesen from Corvette Atlanta did a masterful job of keeping everyone informed in the weeks leading up to the event. His tireless efforts paid off.

Rod Worley – Editor – Thank you for organizing the Corvette portion of this parade. What compelled you to do it, and what went into the planning?

Brian Bundesen – Veterans Day Parade – Corvette Organizer – I decided to do this because it’s the best way that I know to honor our veterans and the sacrifices they’ve made. 

The Georgia Veterans Day Association (GVDA) honors the service of all Veterans from all branches during peace and war. Each year, the GVDA selects one group of Veterans to pay special honors to. 

For 2023, we are honoring all who have served in defense of the Republic of Korea during the Korean War. As far as planning goes, I’ve been putting this together since July of this year.

We had Cecilia Miller, who is in the Georgia Veterans Day Association, and Kevin Miller, the President of the VA, come out to a Corvette Atlanta monthly meeting to speak to us about the event. 

I also want to thank every Corvette driver who came out under these conditions to transport our Veterans Day dignitaries. You’ve made this event successful.

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Sons Of The American Legion

It was certainly an honor to drive Eric Kinsey, Detachment Commander for the Sons of the American Legion, down this year’s parade route. In between waving to the crowd, the conversation turned to Eric’s service and his current position.

Rod Worley – Editor – Eric, thank you for your service to our country. Can you tell us more about service career and the Sons of the American Legion?

Eric Kinsey – Detachment of Georgia Commander for 2023 & 2024 – I served in the late 80s to the mid-90s during Desert Storm, Panama, and other conflicts as a member of the Army’s 82nd Airborne.

Currently, I’m the commander of the Sons of the American Legion. What that is, is the male descendants of a Legionnaire. 

And what classifies somebody as a Legionnaire is anybody who has been honorably discharged from the military. They’re eligible to be a Legionnaire, and your children can join under you. 

And that’s a good way for your children to honor you as the Legionnaire or a grandfather or somebody of the male descent in the family. They also have an auxiliary for the females and spouses of veterans. 

Now, it used to be called the ladies’ auxiliary, but because we have so many female veterans and some of the husbands didn’t have a military association, they were left out in the cold. So they’ve since changed it to be a spouse of a veteran is eligible to be an auxiliary member.

We’ve got posts all around the state of Georgia. In fact, some cities have two or three posts. As a member, you’re honoring your service or a loved one for their service. Also, each member has a voice and vote in Congress for veteran rights. 

We’re active in fundraising for children’s charities and child youth welfare. The Sons of the American Legion is a family-based, family-orientated organization. 

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Answering The Call

All told, 30 Corvettes lined up to carry military dignitaries down the soggy parade route.

Represented among the drivers were members of Amazing Corvettes, Classic Glass, Corvette Atlanta, Corvette Cruisers of Atlanta, Unique Corvettes, and Secret Society.

Also in attendance were several non-affiliated Corvette owners who learned about the event from Brian Bundesen’s flyers and extensive networking efforts.

All were welcomed because they answered the call to serve in the 2023 Veterans Day parade in Midtown.

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FEEDBACK – How can we improve the magazine? Drop us a line at editor@vettesofatlanta.com.

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