World War II soldier says all veterans deserve parade

By Pashtana Usufzy

Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015 | 2 a.m.

It’s been 70 years since now-Las Vegas resident Frederick Giesz served in World War II.

Giesz, an Army National Guard veteran with the 120th Infantry Regiment of the 30th Infantry Division, spent more than a year in Europe and received awards including a Purple Heart, Bronze Star and the French Legion of Honor.

He was driving a colonel around to inspect outposts near the Elbe River in Germany when the officer broke the news that the war had ended in Europe.

“I looked at him, and I said, ‘You’re kidding,’” Giesz said. “That was about my biggest reaction.”

He remembers the expressions of the soldiers at the outposts when they heard the news.

“They would jump with joy, hug each other and stuff like that. I wasn’t going to hug any colonel,” he said with a laugh. “I’d have probably gotten shot.”

Now 93 years old, Giesz won’t be attending today’s Veterans Day parade in downtown Las Vegas — he prefers to stay away from the crowds — but he still praises the event for honoring veterans of all ages.

“The fellows from Afghanistan, today’s veterans, they deserve to see a parade. They deserve to be in a parade,” he said.

The Las Vegas Veterans Day Parade begins about 10 a.m. at Hoover Avenue and South 4th Street and continues to Stewart Avenue and North 4th Street, event Chairman Bill Stojack said.

Planning begins in February, and the days before the parade are hectic, full of meetings and ironing out last-minute details, he said.

“A couple of days before, it’s like herding cats,” he said.

Stojack, a Navy veteran who served in Vietnam, has been involved with the parade for more than 20 years. In earlier years, funds were tougher to come by and support was limited, he said.

“Veterans had to donate out of their own pockets to have their own parade,” he said.

Now, however, organizers work with government agencies, sponsors and politicians to develop the event.

This year, there are more than 100 participating organizations and 30 to 35 volunteers working behind the scenes, he said.

It’s not always easy. But, then again, “it wasn’t convenient becoming a veteran,” Stojack said.

“It’s the right thing to do,” he said. “The veterans, they should get the recognition.”

The parade happens every year, rain or shine, he said.

Temperatures in the valley are expected to reach a high of 59 degrees today, 10 degrees below the normal high temperature for the day, according to the National Weather Service. Luckily for the crowds, there’s no rain in the forecast.

Organizers are expecting 20,000 to 30,000 attendees, Stojack said.

“You get everything from the toddlers in the strollers to the geriatric senior veterans,” he said.

It’s unclear how many World War II veterans will be in the parade this year, the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, Stojack said. Many are unable to march or participate at all due to their health and age.

The older he’s gotten, Giesz said, the more respect he feels for his country. He sometimes thinks back to World War II and how horrible it must have been for the first group of young men who landed on the beaches of Normandy in France.

Giesz arrived in Europe about a week after the June 6, 1944, Normandy landings.

Veteran’s Day is a reminder of those days — the danger, pain, boredom, hilarity and confusion he experienced during his time in the service.

“When I was young, (Veterans Day) was a day off of work,” he said. “As I get older, it has become more and more popular, and you look forward to it.”

As the number of living World War II veterans continues to drop, Giesz said, it’s just a matter of time before memories like his are lost.

“I have talked to young people out in the street who don’t even know there was a war,” he said.

But for Giesz, the memories are etched deep. He can easily recall coming home.

“My mother met me at a railroad station. That was the parade,” he said. “Today, I think the fellows are more recognized, and I think they deserve to be more recognized.”

Stojack emphasizes that for veterans who never got a proper welcome back to the United States, the parade can be even more special.

“They consider this, being in this parade, is a welcome home,” he said.