Sarah Morrison Stephens – Elmore Autauga News
Photos by Stephens and Amanda Pevey
See our full photo gallery below. Top photo: Veterans on Grand Marshal’s float.
A beautiful Saturday, a great Christmas festival and a parade? It was a good day in Millbrook as American heroes served as Grand Marshals for the annual parade.
This year, Millbrook welcomed the heroes in style, with limousine service picking them up from their homes and delivering them, along with family members, to Mill Creek Park. They were escorted onto the Marshal float and posed for photos.
The Hometown Heroes are World War II and Elmore County’s oldest known living veteran James Owen Dozier, along with Korean War Veterans Rex Keith Snider, Sr. and Robert J. Magdon, Sr.
A special guest was also Martha Poole Simmons, a volunteer for the American Red Cross. Simmons has spent years documenting the lives of veterans and has featured Dozier in her writings. She has a great story of her life as well, and hopefully we will be bringing that to you soon.
Millbrook Mayor Al Kelley greeted each of the special guests with a thank you, and said Millbrook is proud to have them join in the Christmas festivities.
“They just don’t make them like this anymore. These three are phenomenal. They’re nice, they’re humble, and they’re so happy and proud that they were able to serve our country,” Spirit of Christmas Committee member and Millbrook’s economic developer Ann Harper said.
Harper confirmed that Dozier was drafted at 18 years old and served in the Army as an ambulance driver and a gunman in combat or a cannon crewman where he saw active combat in the Battle of the Bulge. This was one of the most horrific battles for American forces on the Western Front during the war.
Dozier also served in the Korean War before enlisting in the Army Reserves.
Snider enlisted in the Air Force at the age of 20 after graduating from the University of West Virginia with a degree in Military Science in 1956. Once in the military, Snider’s specialty was radar control where he served for one year in the Korean War as well as the Vietnam War.
One of his assignments while in Korea in 1957 and 1958, was to direct a children’s orphanage for children displaced by the war. The orphanage was called the Garden of Children Orphanage. Harper stated that Snider is really proud of this feat. Snider retired as a Lt. Col. from his military career.
Magdon joined the army in 1960. He served Magdon three years active duty in the Army where his specialty was as a missile specialist. Because of his niche specialty, Magdon helped in the aftermath of the Korean War with his knowledge and expertise as a missile specialist.
The timeframe Magdon was in Korea was directly after the war had ended, where tensions were high, and Americans did not receive a warm welcome. After his active-duty service, Magdon then went on to serve for multiple years in the Army reserves.
As the Grand Marshal’s paraded up Main Street, thousands lined the street to catch goodies, wave and enjoy the splendid day.
Jamie Brown, with Heart of Alabama Food Bank, served as the emcee for the parade. This is her second year, and brought tremendous enthusiasm to the day.
Judges for the float contest were Nancy Cooper, Donna Pate and Amber Lovelady.
Winners in the Float Contest for best representation of Winter Wonderland theme were:
Business – 1st place to M&M Metal Shop, 2nd to Max Credit Union and 3rd to Gillespie’s Entertainment.
Churches – 1st to Real Life Church, 2nd to Drive in Park, 3rd to GodSpeed Biker Ministries.
Schools – 1st to Stanhope Elmore Fishing Team, 2nd to Lisa’s Dance Dimensions, 3rd to Coosada Elementary Student Council.
Clubs – 1st to American Heritage Girls, 2nd to Cub Scout Pack 19, 3rd to Millbrook Revelers.
In the park, a packed crowd shopped with the vendors, ate some great food and enjoyed the decorations.
Make sure to visit Village Green Park during this Christmas season. City employees and the Millbrook Cultural Arts and Special Events Department have worked overtime to create a true Winter Wonderland for the community to enjoy. After dark, the lights are synchronized to music. It is a great family outing and a wonderful time to capture some beautiful family photos.
