Tag Archives: ONEOK

2024 Tulsa Veterans Day Parade

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Monday was Veterans Day so I went to downtown Tulsa to see their annual Veterans Day Parade.

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The Tulsa Police Department opened it up with their motorcycles and right behind them was a Junior ROTC Marine Color Guard looking sharp in their uniforms.

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And then dignitaries in vintage military vehicles.

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And then the floats. This one was done by my former employer. ONEOK (pronounced One Oak) always shows up big for the Veterans Day Parade.

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And then a bunch of ONEOK employees followed the float. Other companies had floats as well.

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And then another JROTC color guard.

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The Booker T Washington High School Marching band shows up for the parade looking snappy in the uniforms.

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And the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Department shows up with one of their armored vehicles.

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And if you know tornado belt culture you know that Storm Trackers are celebrities. When they are not working they go to events and will sign autographs for you. Here is Van Castor’s pickup truck. These guys follow the storms and tornadoes as they develop. Here in Oklahoma we don’t run for shelter when the tornadoes come, we run outside to take a look at them.

One veteran didn’t make the parade. Here is my brother Bob.

Twenty years in the Navy and more afterwards as a civilian employee. This is his door wreath put together by our sister Ellen.

He is in assisted living here and living life. Left to right, Irv (Career Army Vet), his wife (and sister to Bob and I) Ellen, son to Heather and I, Logan, and kneeling my wife Heather.

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A photo I took of Bob several years ago when he turned 66.

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Here he is in Tulsa several years ago. He used to visit and run in our local half marathon. He’s run over a hundred half marathons and over fifty full marathons. He doesn’t run any longer but he gives life everything he has.

I’m linking with My Corner of the World

Marching in Tulsa’s 2019 Martin Luther King Parade

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Tulsa has a big Martin Luther King Day parade every year in the Greenwood Area north of downtown. I’ve known it was there and I’ve had a couple of employers who sponsor floats and encourage employees to march together but I had never done it mainly because it is dang cold in January, right!

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So this year I broke out of my comfort zone and signed up and got a nifty jacket with a hoodie to wear. I rode the shuttle bus from work up to the staging area and spent the next hour and a half freezing like a popsickle while talking with coworkers.

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I checked out Tulsa Health Department float while waiting.

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And here is the ONEGAS Float.

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Finally we went to get in position and off we went.

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And it was fun. Lots of people along the way waving so we waved back. Lots of kids were begging for candy and I guess that used to be done and the organizers ended the practice for some reason.

My employer had a drill team and they stopped it seemed about ever hundred yards or so and performed. I was much impressed, they were good! Above is a video of them practicing before the parade started.

I had a good time and will be back next year. I am not joining the drill team though.