SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Nearly 200 active duty soldiers participated in the City of Sierra Vista’s Veterans Day Parade, Monday morning.
Veterans Day honors veterans for their service in any of the military branches. For some active duty service members, seeing and interacting with members of the military is what made them want to enlist in the first place.
“We try to keep on the legacy that they provided before us,” Drill Sergeant Michael Fouts said.
Fouts enlisted 12 years ago, following in his grandfather’s footsteps.
"I kind of grew up in a broken household, so I needed some type of structure, and he was that one person that provided that structure that I needed to ensure that I had some type of role model to follow,” Fouts said.
He says his grandfather was a "stoic" man, always leading with actions. It's something that he's hoping to achieve.
"He was an example for all people to follow, integrity-wise and honor-wise," Fouts said, "So that's something I wanted to emulate in my career and my life as a father, a husband and soldier in the United States Army.”
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The City of Sierra Vista celebrated Veterans Day with its parade, honoring all of the veterans in the community. During the parade, many of the veterans were taking time to thank the active-duty soldiers, cheering them on from the sidewalk.
"(We) thank them for their sacrifice, the level of patriotism that they have shown to defend this nation,” said Captain Marshall Shekib.
He says his pride for the uniform comes from being able to have freedom in the United States, after the US military liberated his home country of Afghanistan.
“The feeling of indebtedness is what I call it," Shekib said. "Even though I had a very cushy job in Washington D.C. for a year, upon our coming down to the United States, I felt indebted to this nation; but specifically to the army, for what it had done for me and for my family.”
He enlisted over 15 years ago, as a way of giving back to the country that made his life better.
"The fact that my son did not have to go through what I had gone through during my first 22 years of my life," was a debt Shekib wanted to pay back to the nation, he said.
"That's why I decided to enlist,” he said.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
