Thousands celebrate Veterans Day at parade in Palm Springs

Every year, one day in November, the streets of downtown Palm Springs are filled with red, white and blue. “For those like us, especially dealing with PTSD and everything, it helps to have the recognition,” U.S. Navy veteran Don Pageler said. Pageler and fellow Navy veteran Alan Easton, it’s a chance to share their story as brothers-in-arms on the U.S.S. Liberty. One story they said isn’t told too often. “It’s nice to open people’s eyes, because you talk U.S.S. Liberty, and they don’t know what you’re talking about. and you start relating to what happened, and they’re just aghast,” Easton said. But ultimately, Friday marked a day where everyone gave thanks to those who gave of themselves, and continue to give. “I think Palm Springs really does a bang-up job, hats off to the veterans,” Easton said. “We really feel welcomed here. We’ve been coming here, and we’ll be coming here every year as much as possible.” The parade also featured a flyover of various military aircraft.