This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Nov. 5, 2009 - St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay is encouraging people shocked about Thursday's shootings at the Ft. Hood military base in Texas to consider attending Saturday's annual Veterans Parade and Ceremony.
"There will be plenty of people around who can share some insight — and who might need your comfort,'' the mayor wrote on his blog. "No political debates. Just honoring veterans."
The downtown parade starts at noon. The pre-parade ceremony begins at 10:45 a.m. on the steps of the downtown Soldiers’ Memorial.
Slay wrote that he "was just thinking about my remarks for the Veterans Day parade, when the news broke about the shootings at Fort Hood."
Although not all the details are known, he continued, "The bare bones are bad enough: soldiers shot by other soldiers."
