Tribute to Heroes Parade salutes veterans

The Tribute to Heroes Parade made its November debut on Main Street at Lakewood Ranch, and the veterans who participated in a pre-parade meal at Town Hall would argue that it was a successful one.

Several of those veterans noted on Nov. 9 that such events are important so this country's history can be told accurately.

That might have meant listening to the few remaining World War II veterans who served in the European or Pacific Theaters. It could have included stories about the Battle of Osan in South Korea or hearing what it was like for an Air Force pilot to fly along the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the Vietnam War.

There were plenty of other stories, too, which are not so familiar.

Take for instance Ron Hovington, a 10-year military veteran who served four years in the Coast Guard and six years in the Air Force.

While everyone knows about those branches of the service, they might not be familiar with the organization that became Hovington's main duty in the service — SAGE.

The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment system was an air defense system that utilized a series of radars and computers to track and intercept enemy or hostile aircraft. The system — developed by MIT's Lincoln Laboratory — went online in 1963 and was developed to guard from the threat of Soviet bombers.

Hovington, who was an E-6 (he called it a rank just before chief), was one of the soldiers who worked with computers and monitored the system in places such as the Topsham (Maine) Air Force Station that was closed in 1969 and the Charleston (Maine) Air Force Station, a radar station that was closed in 1980.

He also worked with SAGE on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

"You haven't been on a ship until you have been off the coast of Greenland in November," he said with a laugh.

The parade itself went smoothly down Lakewood Ranch Main Street with many veterans and other community groups participating. The parade always was held in May, usually on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, until the move to the weekend before Veteran's Day on Nov. 11.

Lakewood Ranch Communities took over the parade this year from Lakewood Ranch Community Activities.

While the crowd was sparse through a pre-parade block party, people packed along Lakewood Main Street by the time the parade began at 4 p.m.