City of San Marcos to Honor Veterans with Month of Service, Veterans Day Parade

Staff Reports

SAN MARCOS – The City of San Marcos Parks and Recreation Department, with assistance from the Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee, will host a month of community service opportunities in honor of Veterans Day. Residents are encouraged to decorate their home, vehicle, or business with patriotic items throughout the month of November. A different service activity honoring veterans will be promoted each week: 

Honor a Veteran (Nov. 1-7)
Submit the name, photo, and brief description of a veteran to be added to the San Marcos Veterans Story Map, an interactive map honoring veterans from all wars, available at sanmarcostx.gov/veterans. Submissions may be made online or by emailing lmorris@sanmarcostx.gov with the name and a brief description of that person. 

Veterans Day Parade (Nov. 6)
Join the annual Veterans Day Parade. Participation is free, but registration is required. The deadline to enter is Friday, Oct. 29. Entry forms may be found online at sanmarcostx.gov/parade.
 
The parade will begin at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Hopkins Street and CM Allen Parkway. The parade will pass the Hays County Courthouse, turn left onto Guadalupe Street, turn left onto San Antonio Street, turn left onto CM Allen Parkway, and then turn right onto Hopkins Street before disbanding at the line up area. 

Street closures for the parade will begin at 7:30 a.m. Pre-parade activities will take place on the lawn of the Hays County Courthouse beginning at 9 a.m., including the Kiwanis Club Kids Bicycle Brigade available to children age 5 and older. 

Limited accessible parking will be available at Veramendi Plaza. Vehicles with a valid disabled parking placard or license plate will be allowed through the barricade on CM Allen Parkway. 

The parade will be led by two Grand Marshals: Retired Air Force Lt. Col. George Carruthers and Marine Corps Sgt. Donald Dorsey. Both were selected to serve as Grand Marshals last year, but the honor was postponed due to the cancellation of the 2020 parade.

Carruthers was called to active duty in June 1942 and flew combat missions over Europe. While among the crew of the “Windy City Challenger,” Carruthers’ plane was shot down by a German fighter. He survived, but was immediately captured by German troops and spent two years as a prisoner of war. Upon the end of World War II, Carruthers returned to the United States and continued a distinguished 30-year career in the Air Force before he retired in 1972 and moved to San Marcos. 

Dorsey served in combat during the Vietnam War before he was honorably discharged in 1969 and returned to the United States. He suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and created the non-profit Texas Association of Vietnam Veterans in 1985 to help other veterans and military members. Dorsey later created the Texas Vietnam Heroes Exhibit and dedicated the Vietnam Veterans Monument at the Texas State Capitol. He currently dedicates his time to various veterans’ activist organizations and serves numerous state and local veterans committees. 

Donate to Wreaths Across America (Nov. 8-14)
Sponsor a remembrance wreath for gravesites of veterans buried in the San Marcos City Cemetery. Donations may be made at wreathsacrossamerica.org/tx0916. Wreaths will be placed on gravesites on Dec. 18, 2021.   

Write a Letter to a Veteran (Nov. 15-21)
Write a letter for a veteran living in Texas State Veterans Homes. Letters may be submitted and delivered through the Veterans Land Board Mail Drop Program.  

Prepare for Wreaths Across America Day (Nov. 20)
Volunteer to locate and mark more than 700 veterans’ graves in the San Marcos City Cemetery in preparation for Wreaths Across America Day. Volunteers will meet at the cemetery at 9:30 a.m. 

Donate to the Hays County Food Bank (Nov. 22-30)
Make a monetary donation or donate items for distribution to veterans through the Hays County Food Bank. A list of items and instruction may be found online at haysfoodbank.org.  

For more information about the Month of Service initiative and links to the partner organizations visit www.sanmarcostx.gov/parade.