Fort Carson veteran is St. Pat’s grand marshal
Sgt. Wong returned from Iraq in January
Sgt. Robert Wong, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, has been named grand marshal of the 22nd annual St. Patrick's Day
Parade Saturday, March 12 in Old Colorado City.
Fort Carson selected Sgt. Wong, who was the post's Soldier of the Quarter for 2004, at the request of the Parade Committee for O'Donnell & Associates, a promotional firm that org-anizes the annual parade. Hailing from Baltimore, Md., the sergeant is with the 759th Military Police Batallion, which returned from Iraq in January. A contingent of 10 soldiers, all sergeants, will escort him during the parade, according to Parade Committee Chair John O'Donnell. “We are delighted to have Sgt. Wong as the Grand Marshall,” O'Donnell said. “As a representative of all of the active duty troops at Fort Carson, he serves as a reminder of all of the active members of the armed forces here and abroad. By honoring Sgt. Wong, we hope to honor our military family and friends who can not be with us during this joyful family event.” To become Soldier of the Quarter, a soldier must be nominated by his own unit, and is then evaluated against nominees from other units, according to Lt. Justin Journeay of Fort Carson's public affairs office. More than 110 entries are scheduled for this year's parade, including bands, floats, dancers, politicians and riding groups. Starting at noon, the parade will go east on Colorado Avenue from 27th to 17th Street. The festivities will begin March 12 in Bancroft Park with the “5K on St. Patrick's Day” Race at 10 a.m. The Children's Fun Run will begin at 11 a.m. Runners can register online at www.csgrandprix.com, at the Runners Roost (107 E. Bijou) or on the day of the race at 9 a.m. Westside Pioneer article/press releases |