Yesterday at my town’s Memorial Day parade WWII Veterans marched and rode alongside the latest model BMW’s from the local car dealership. Perhaps only in a fancy town like mine can BMW’s seem patriotic, or could Nazi-fighting WWII Veterans join ranks with automobiles manufactured by the Bavarian Motor Works. I personally don’t really care that German-made cars were accompanying these old flag-waving Veterans in the parade – heck, they probably run better than Fords, anyway. But I’m not quite sure why BMW’s from the local dealership or a line of Corvettes from the Corvette Club need to be in the parade in the first place. Is this a car show or a Memorial Day parade?
Regardless, the Veterans got the largest applause, and that’s the way it should be. Thank you, Vets, for your service to our country.
The Lutheran Zephyr 
In our small slice of suburbia, we have both a car show and a parade. Most of the cars are classics, though, and not these new fangled fancy ones.
No opportunity is lost to cash in. Even in honoring the veterans of this country we find ourselves trying to sell something.
Now I understand that it is a blessing to some of these people to not have to march any longer, especially at the age some of them have achieved despite their years of service, but can’t the churches, especially the ones to whom these men belong, provide some kind of transport? Annonymous cars, donated by friends and fellow congregants, showing love for them and their service, without making it a commercial. Even a BMW would be okay, so long as it didn’t have someone’s name on it, even the church’s.