“In Your Honor”
The Waynesville-St. Robert Area Chamber of Commerce and the cities of St. Robert and Waynesville invite the community to line Route 66 for the 2025 Veterans' Day Ceremony and Parade on Tuesday, November 11th. The Parade Marshal is MSG (R) Gene Blount, 2025 Veteran of the Year.
The Ceremony will be held at 11:00 a.m. before the parade. We encourage participants to attend the ceremony, which will be held before the parade at 11:00 a.m. in the Municipal Center parking lot. The parade will start after the ceremony and will go from the Municipal Center, turn right on Missouri Ave., turn left onto Old Rt. 66, turn around at the Church of God and then end at the St. Robert Community Center.
The drop-off location for the parade will be at the St. Robert Municipal Golf Course on Duffer Ln., off of Marshall Dr. Drop-offs will not be allowed in the Municipal Center parking lot or Family Dollar Shopping Center. Parking will be available at Freedom Elementary School for anyone wishing to attend the ceremony or participate in the parade. If you have more than one vehicle in the parade you MUST arrive to the line-up together to be in the parade together.Line-up will be between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
You MUST register by November 7th to participate in parade, please visit https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/veterans-day-parade--2025.
The Chamber recognizes Gene Blount as Veteran of the Year
The Waynesville-St. Robert Chamber of Commerce is honored to present the 2025 Veteran of the Year at the Veterans’ Day Ceremony and Parade on Tuesday, November 11th at 11 a.m. to MSG (R) Gene Blount. Gene will be recognized at the ceremony and will lead the parade as the Parade Marshal.
Gene Blount was drafted in the U.S. Army in 1962 as a 12B Combat engineer from N01ih Carolina, he was sent to Ft. Jackson for basic/AIT training. After basic/AIT he went to Ft. Bragg for Airborne training. In 1965 PFC Blount landed in Vietnam in the Quy Nhon Province where he spent the next year. In 1967 Sgt. Blount went back to Vietnam for a 18 month deployment in the Binh Duong Province know as the Iron Triangle. Retired Master Sgt. Blount was a drill Sgt. on both Ft. Gordon and Ft. Bragg.
MSG Blount retired from 26 years of military service out of Ft. Leonard Wood in 1988. Upon leaving the military Mr. Blount went on to become a prison guard and ultimately a Captain at the Jefferson City Correctional Center maximum security prison. He retired after 18 years of faithful service.
Mr. Blount became the Commander of the Ozark Memorial VFW Post 3176 from 2012 to 2015 where he was awarded All-American Commander for 2 years in a row. In 2018 Commander Blount stood up and held command for another two years. In 2021 Past Commander Blount was elected to lead again, for a one year term. In total Past Commander Blount spent six years as Commander of the OM VFW 3176. Since 2021 he has continued to mentor and guide the incoming Commanders and other post officers.
Mr. Blount has given his 82 years of life in service arid support of those around him. For what he has done for the veteran community in Pulaski county and the community as a whole, the membership of Ozark Memorial VFW Post 3176 voted unanimously to put Past Commander Blount in for this distinguished award for all of his service.
2024 Veterans' Day Ceremony and Parade
Click here for pictures.