A March of Honor: One Marine’s Patriotism Inspires An Entire Community to Celebrate Our Nation’s Heroes

When veteran Don Pettigrew found out a National Medal of Honor recipient was scheduled to be in the north Texas town of Wichita Falls, he wanted to personally extend his hand of thanks. However, once he arrived he found the guest of honor was not there—unable to afford the travel costs. Frustrated, he determined that travel expenses should not be an issue for a recipient of our nation’s highest military honor. Then the former Marine decided to do something about it.
In the spring of 2001, upon returning to his hometown of Gainesville, Texas, he immediately scheduled a meeting with Mayor Kenneth Kaden. Together they assembled a committee to offer their town as a Medal of Honor “Host City” —where they would be treated like family and where their money was no good. Over time, this small group would rally their fellow townspeople into organizing a community-wide effort. They resolved to make a gesture designed to voice a sincere appreciation for these often overlooked individuals. On Veterans Day 2001, the first event was established. The town offered a $250 per diem stipend to any Medal of Honor recipient able to visit their town. Since then the festivities have grown in popularity and participation, resulting in USA Today naming Gainesville “The Most Patriotic City in America.”
This year’s event began with a long motorcade of motorcycles and public safety officers escorting the attending recipients 57 miles from DFW Airport to downtown Gainesville, where crowds of cheering citizens welcomed their arrival. The next day they visited local elementary, middle, and high schools in the hope that they might encourage and inspire the small community’s future leaders. Townspeople gathered to mingle and swap stories with the guests of honor during a casual fish fry on Thursday night, as well as a formal banquet held Friday evening. The festivities came to a head Saturday morning, as an impressive parade surrounded fourteen military Jeeps, each carrying a Medal of Honor recipient through the crowded downtown streets.
It was a celebration of honor, and more importantly of a few certain individuals most deserving of it. While marching bands played beneath several biplane and helicopter flyovers, hundreds of citizens dutifully line the streets to witness the cavalcade of veterans groups, community organizations, and law enforcement officers together with a marvelous array of military vehicles representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. As the slow procession of Medal of Honor recipients rode slowly by, many of the townspeople stood with full hearts, taking in the magnificent display of love and appreciation for these remarkable individuals.
And among the crowd, gazing quietly stood a stubborn old Marine whose personal appreciation and perseverance started it all. The still salute of Sergeant Don Pettigrew seemed to embody the sentiments of a small town community who has not forgotten what it means to be a hero.