At 1 p.m. Sunday, many in the community will gather for the 73rd annual V-J Day Parade celebrating and honoring some of our hometown heroes, especially those few World War II veterans who remain with us, including parade grand marshal Russell E. Byrkett.

The annual V-J Day Parade (short for victory over Japan) is sponsored by Leslie-Arbuckle-Zimmerman Post 1925 Veterans of Foreign Wars in Seymour and was first conducted Aug. 17, 1947.

That first parade was part of a larger event, known as the Ninth District V-J Day Observance. There had been celebrations in Seymour after Japan surrendered Aug. 15, 1945, to end World War II and again in August 1946.

Over the years, other communities, including Woodstock, Illinois, and St. Joseph, Michigan, conducted V-J Day parades and celebrations. Many of those events have fallen by the wayside, but at least one other community, Moosup, Connecticut, holds a V-J Day Parade. That parade, sponsored by the Moosup Masonic Lodge, didn’t begin until 1961.

In Seymour, thousands lined the 1947 parade route, which began on Bruce Street, moved north on Chestnut Street to Second Street, east on Second Street to Ewing Street and the north to Fifth Street, where it made its way to Shields Park where a program was held. The evening ended with a fireworks celebration.

While the parade route has changed many times over the years and the crowds may have dwindled some, the purpose of the parade remains the same — thanking those men and women who served their country during World War II.

In recent years, the purpose has been expanded to include veterans of all wars as the last members of the Greatest Generation have begun to fade into history.

Some people believe the parade is offensive to Japanese residents and shouldn’t be conducted at all. Others say history cannot be changed and the sacrifices of American veterans, both living and deceased, should be remembered and honored publicly.

Others still might argue that veterans are already honored Nov. 11 (Veterans Day) each year and what’s the point of doing it a second time.

We disagree. Veterans should be honored and thanked for their service each and every day of the year.

And besides, what’s wrong with a good parade anyway?