The East Valley Veterans Parade is proud to announce the theme for 2024. “Arizona Heroes – Global War on Terrorism” in recognition of those who served in the 20 years long war and their families.

In celebration and thankfulness to our Veterans who served during the Global War on Terrorism, and in honor and memory of those who did not make it home, we salute the brave men and women who answered the call to serve our Country. Together as a community, we will remember their courage, and thank them for their service and sacrifices during the war. We will also thank them for their continued patriotism and support of our great nation in the time since their service has ended.

“Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.” – President George W. Bush

Many brave men and women served our country during the Global War on Terrorism. It was a time marked by events that we as a nation had never experienced at the level we did on September 11, 2001. Our country needed patriots like it never had before and these men and women answered the call to defend our way of life. Local hero, Pat Tillman, left the NFL to join the fight and ended up paying the ultimate price. The East Valley Veterans Parade is the living symbol of the pride and love we have for our Veterans and their families. Join us as we lift them in honor, remember their service and give them the Welcome Home they deserve!

After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, President George W. Bush announced a comprehensive plan to search for, find, and halt terrorists around the globe. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were part of the Global War on Terrorism, or “GWOT.” The actions taken to deny financing or safe harbor to terrorists were set in place knowing the task was not going to be easy. The Global War on Terrorism was fought by young men and women from across our great nation, at an average age of 33 years old with 43.2% of the force being deployed more than once. Just as Toby Keith famously sang, these young patriots went and put a boot in the asses of Osama Bin Laden and the rest of terrorism around the world. Together, they faced many challenges in the field that had never been experienced by previous fighting forces including the urban environment and an enemy force that didn’t wear uniforms.

The GWOT was a generational war. In some families, the parents who started their time at the beginning of the war found themselves serving with their children at the end of it. The war spanned four presidencies and proved to be a deadly conflict even up to the Afghanistan withdraw in 2021. Of the over 2.5 million veterans that served in the Global War on Terrorism, one third of them have disabilities as a result of their service. Many of them feel that they are misunderstood when it comes to the sacrifices they made for their country but they are still proud of their service. Not only are the visible wounds life changing but so are the invisible wounds. There are approximately 300,000 post-9/11 veterans living with the effects of psychological wounds like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and traumatic brain injuries.

Not all of the statistics from the aftermath of the war on terror are sobering. Since the horrible events of September 11, 2001, nearly one million service members have attended college and used their education to advance in their career and post graduate educational goals. The Global War on Terrorism has also boosted the entire defense industry, especially here in our home state. Companies such as Boeing, Honeywell, General Dynamics, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Bell, and others have heavily sought out our local GWOT Veterans and have put their skills to great use in the civilian sector through veteran hiring initiatives.

Many veterans of this war are still in the early stages of navigating their next steps in life and there are many about to join them as their military adventure is soon to come to its end. The East Valley Veterans Parade invites you, your family and friends to join us on Parade Day as we officially celebrate Global War on Terrorism Veterans, give them a proper homecoming and say the words they so deserve to hear from us, our communities and our Nation – “Welcome Home” & “Thank you!”

Participate, or join us on the sidelines. Bring your families & friends and be an active participant in history as we WELCOME HOME our Global War on Terrorism veterans during our “Arizona Heroes, Global War on Terrorism” parade celebration!

(The East Valley Veterans Parade Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and therefore a non-political organization. Please refrain from displaying flags that contain political messages or represent political parties, candidates, leaders, or office-holders.)