Grand Rapids parade salutes fallen soldiers

Under a clear late-May sky, hundreds lined the sidewalks along Division Avenue as marching bands and uniformed veterans stepped off for the city’s Memorial Day parade. Families set up folding chairs early, waving flags while the somber rhythm of a single drum echoed between the buildings.

At a wreath-laying ceremony outside the Kent County Veterans Memorial, local officials and Gold Star families stood shoulder to shoulder. The names of Grand Rapidians lost in conflicts from World War II to the present were read aloud, a quiet pause settling over the crowd with each one.

“We owe it to them to show up,” said U.S. Army veteran Marcus Rivera, who served two tours in Afghanistan. “These weren’t just names on a wall. They were neighbors, classmates, people who walked these same streets. Days like this keep their memory alive right here at home.”