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North Texas Communities Honor Veterans

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Veterans Day is Sunday, but some communities in North Texas celebrated on Saturday.

The Tarrant County Veterans Day Parade rolled through downtown Fort Worth honoring the centennial of World War I and the establishment of Armistice Day.

Tarrant County Veterans Day Parade
Tarrant County Veterans Day Parade (courtesy: Bruce Zielsdorf)

The parade featured more than 5,000 participants, including veterans, active military, Junior ROTC groups, school bands and civic and patriotic organizations.

Tarrant County Veterans Day Parade
Tarrant County Veterans Day Parade (courtesy: Bruce Zielsdorf)

The Grand marshal was Jim Hodgson, a Texas World War I Centennial Commemoration director.

The opening ceremony was in Sundance Square.

Meantime, in Mansfield, hundreds of patriotic North Texans braved the early morning chill for that city's annual Veterans Day Parade and Patriotic Salute.

Mansfield Veterans Day Parade
Mansfield Veterans Day Parade (courtesy: Tim Roberts)

This year the parade's grand marshal was Mr. Elmer Ward, a World War II veteran who served as an army quartermaster and was involved in the D-Day invasion.

At 97 years old, he is the oldest veteran in Mansfield.

In Keller, adisplay of more than 1,400 American flags at Keller Town Hall will stay there through next Saturday, November 17.

The Red Oak PoliceDdepartment tweeted Saturday they, "honor our military veterans this weekend including our very own personnel who have previously served our country and continue to serve the Citizens of Red Oak.  While the uniform may have changed, the heart of a servant has not. #SelflessService"

Veterans Day originated as Armistice Day on November 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I.

Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and November 11 became a national holiday in 1938.

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