San Jose’s Veterans Day parade returning Friday
By SAL PIZARRO | spizarro@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: November 8, 2022 at 11:21 a.m. | UPDATED: November 9, 2022 at 4:35 a.m.
San Jose’s Veterans Day parade returning Friday
Rear Adm. Anne Swap will be grand marshal of city’s 104th annual celebration
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 11: (Right to left) Tom Hastings, of San Jose, Joe Garcia, of Gilroy, Charlie Philbrick, of San Jose, and Fernando Zazueta, of San Jose, ride a bus during The Veterans Day parade in downtown San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose’s Veterans Day parade will roll through downtown San Jose on Friday, continuing a 104-year tradition of honoring those who have served in the armed forces.
U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Anne Swap, a Fort Ord native, will serve as the grand marshal of the parade, which starts at noon near SAP Center and will finish at San Carlos and Market streets. Swap is the National Capital Region market director at the Defense Health Agency, which includes Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and the Naval Health Clinic Annapolis, and if her name sounds familiar that’s because she was the topranking officer here in August for the first-ever Navy Week in San Jose.
Rose Herrera — former San Jose City Council member and president of the United Veterans Council of Santa Clara County — met Swap back then and invited her to come back to the Bay Area for Veterans Day. The parade will be preceded by a ceremony, starting at 10:45 a.m., at the reviewing stand across from Plaza de Cesar Chavez.
“We’re trying to really bring in a new generation,” said Herrera, a U.S. Air Force veteran herself. “We want veterans from the 21st century to know this is their parade, too.”
Of course, the procession will include military units, elected officials, vintage vehicles and scout troops, along with marching bands and first responders. Herrera says she hopes residents continue to show their appreciation by attending in person Friday. But for those who can’t, it’s also being streamed by CreaTV on YouTube.
Ginger Jacobson, 90, holds a photo of herself taken in 1943 as a member of the Navy WAVES on Thursday, July 18, 2013 in Cupertino, Calif. Jacobson served on WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) during WWII at Moffett Field in Mountain View, Calif. (Gary Reyes/Bay Area News Group)
CENTENARIAN TO BE HONORED ON VETERANS DAY:
Cupertino resident Ginger Jacobson will get a special 100th birthday gift Friday, as she is honored with a special commendation during Cupertino’s Veterans Day ceremony, which is returning after a two-year absence. Jacobson served in the Navy WAVES at Moffett Field from 1943 to ’45 during World War II and was awarded the American Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.
Retired U.S. Marines Maj. Gen. Mike Myatt, who commanded the Marine 1st Infantry Division in Desert Storm, will provide the keynote at the 11 a.m. ceremony at Cupertino Memorial Park, 21121 Stevens Creek Blvd. The Cupertino Veterans Memorial was the first in the nation to honor veterans of the Afghanistan conflict and has as its centerpiece, “The Guardians,” a statue depicting two Navy SEALs, Cupertino resident Matthew Axelson and James Suh, his SEAL classmate, who were killed during Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan in 2005.
(Get more information on the ceremony or the memorial at www.cupertinoveteransmemorial.org.)
WALKING INTO HISTORY:
Santa Clara’s history was on display Sunday during an open house at the Headen-Inman House, which serves as the headquarters of the Santa Clara Arts and Historical Consortium, a collection of civic and history-related groups. Costumed docents provided tours of the house, which was built in 1913 and is named for two families that once owned it before it was moved to its current location at 1509 Warburton Ave. behind the Triton Museum of Art in 1986.
The Arts and Crafts house provides a fascinating look back at life in the Santa Clara Valley a century ago, with a player piano in the foyer and a number of historical items on display. It’s open most Sunday afternoons for tours.
And if you’re looking to see more vintage houses in the Mission City, the Santa Clara Historic Home Tour returns Dec. 2-3, with four private homes and the Peña Adobe — now home of the Santa Clara Woman’s Club — available for tours. Additionally, the Harris-Lass Museum, at 1889 Market St. in Santa Clara, will have a free open house Dec. 4 from noon to 2 p.m. with its Christmas decorations on display. Tickets for the home tour are $30 — $35 on the day of the events — and are available at www.sc-hometour.com.
Author
Sal Pizarro | San Jose metro columnist
Sal Pizarro has written the Around Town column for The Mercury News since 2005. His column covers the people and events surrounding the cultural scene in Silicon Valley. In addition, he writes Cocktail Chronicles, a feature column on Silicon Valley bars and nightclubs.
spizarro@bayareanewsgroup.com | Follow Sal Pizarro @spizarro
