This year’s Pensacola Beach Veterans Day parade will be a homecoming of sorts for its Grand Marshal, Al Cisneros.
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Cisneros, a former Vietnam combat pilot and the first Hispanic pilot with the Blue Angels, has a soft spot for Pensacola, otherwise known as the Cradle of Aviation.
“I learned how to fly in Pensacola,” he said. “You know, the last time I served actively in the Navy was the day I flew my last Blue Angels air show.”
This year’s Blue Angels airshow, which is usually held around Veterans Day, was canceled due to the government shutdown. But Veterans Day events will not be deterred.
“We still are able to congregate, you know, to get together to celebrate, and to give honor for the men and women that have served,” he said.
Cisneros had a dream to fly the F4 Phantoms he would see fly over the church where he worked as a janitor near Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin, Texas.
“I would scramble quickly to go outside to see the airplanes go by just as a kid,” he recalled. “And lo and behold, honey, the dream came true.”
He realized his dream to fly when he enlisted in the Navy. During the Vietnam War, he flew 154 combat missions. During that time, he learned about the human spirit, he said.
Coming home after serving in the war, Cisneros said he gained a deeper appreciation for the military.
“I came to realize that serving in the military is an honor,” he said. “And when in time, you see how people are affected, or let's say impressed by the demonstration of battle, the demonstration of skill, then it influences young people to participate, to want to be patriots. And that's what Veterans Day is all about. Right?”
Becoming a Blue Angels pilot was another privilege. Cisneros said he has three brotherhoods: his Catholic school brotherhood, his combat brotherhood, and his Blue Angels brotherhood.
“I have those three gifts, you know, and every single one of those gifts keeps giving back to me.”
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During his time with the Blue Angels, and even after, he’s been a mentor to other young pilots and became part of the Blue Angels Foundation, a nonprofit that supports critical services for wounded warriors, from housing assistance to post-traumatic stress treatment.
Cisneros calls his Navy career a “privilege.”
“To be able to do that, those of us who did it, and it's ordained by God,” he said. “You know, God gives us a pathway and we do the best we can to do it well.”
While based in Houston, Texas, Cisneros is looking forward to spending time on Pensacola Beach, a place he calls “home.”
“When I get the privilege of going to Pensacola Beach and seeing those great Americans there, I feel like I'm at home. Because in a way, that is my home.”
Barbara Harris, a longstanding member of the Pensacola Beach Elks, has helped organize the beach parade for the past six years.
“People love it,” she said. “They come out and we hand out flags, and they can wave flags as the parade goes by.”
The Pensacola Beach parade began as a “simple march” organized by a retired Navy commander in 1988. Volunteers have kept it going and growing.
“We have 46 convertibles and go-karts, and each one has a veteran in it,” said Harris. “We have a placard on the side of each vehicle, with their name and the rank and the service (and) how long they were in the service.”
Some of the organizers are veterans themselves, like Mike Pitou, who served in the Air Force for 20 years and was a JAG lawyer.
“What Veterans Day means to me is a recognition of all these veterans (who) have served their country in a selfless manner,” he said. “I think it’s important for the youth today to see a parade so they can appreciate what the veterans have done for this country and what they continue to do, on our behalf.”
Harris recalls a quote from an unknown author each Veterans Day.
“For the veterans, thank you for bravery doing what you're called to do so we can safely do what we're free to do,” she recited. “And that is so true.”
With several Veterans Day events across Northwest Florida, Harris said the Pensacola Beach parade is another opportunity to show appreciation for those who have served. Following the parade, which begins at 2 p.m. on Via de Luna and Avenida 10, there will be a ceremony with music, posting of the colors, and speakers including Cisneros.
For Cisneros, Veterans Day is a time to reflect on that young boy who dreamed of flying.
“It means that my dreams were correct,” he said. “That the need I felt as a young boy to serve — those dreams did in fact come true.”
