About 1,000 people turned out for Columbia’s first annual Gold Star Memorial Day parade downtown. It was Columbia’s first Memorial Day parade since 2019. The rain held off, and the parade and the wreath-laying ceremony happened in dry conditions.
American flags lined the streets of downtown Columbia as 93 entries made their way down the parade route. Parade founder Sherry Wyatt’s son, U.S. Army Specialist Sterling Wyatt, was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2012. The Gold Star Memorial Day parade featured Gold Star families of Boone County as grand marshals.
The U-S Exercise Tiger Foundation presented the Distinguished Patriot Award to Ms. Wyatt after the event. The Exercise Tiger Foundation also handed out medals to veterans during the parade.
