Santa Barbara’s Veterans Day Parade Salutes Those Who Served

Santa Barbara commemorated Veterans Day on Sunday with an annual parade down State Street accompanied by a flyover of more than a dozen military aircraft.

Sponsored by the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Museum & Library, the parade paid tribute to past and present members of U.S. armed forces.

Retired Air Force Col. John Fer served as the parade’s grand marshal. A native of Hemet and a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Fer was shot down over Vietnam on Feb. 4, 1967, and was held as a prisoner of war until his release on March 4, 1973.

During his six years in captivity, Fer sometimes shared a cell with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. He earned two Silver Stars, a Distinguished Flying Cross and numerous other honors for his service.

As a holiday, Veterans Day will be observed Monday. The following public services will be affected:

» Public elementary, junior high and high schools will be closed.

» Most government buildings will be closed.

» There will be no U.S. Postal Service delivery and post office branches will be closed.

» Santa Barbara County Superior Courts and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court will be closed.

» Major banks will be closed.

» All Santa Barbara MTD buses will operate on Saturday schedules Monday. Coastal Express Limited buses do not operate on Saturdays and will not run. Click here for more information, or call 805.963.3366.

— Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.

A military-issue motorcycle is a key component of the motor pool. (Garrett Geyer / Noozhawk photo)

Sunday’s military outreach included helmet candy. (Garrett Geyer / Noozhawk photo)

Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, was among the dignitaries participating in Sunday’s parade. (Garrett Geyer / Noozhawk photo)

An Air Force Color Guard flanks para-athlete Eric Edmonds at the start of Saturday’s Select Staffing Santa Barbara International Marathon. Combat veterans studying at Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara fanned out around the South Coast on Veterans Day weekend to photograph their brothers and sisters in arms as a way to honor the United States’ military traditions. Click here to view more photos. Photographer Danny Postawa is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War who served two tours of duty between 2007 and 2009. (Danny Postawa photo / lispystudios.com)