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Scenic Roots
"Scenic Roots" offers conversations that matter in the heart of Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley.From the mountains to the river, our conversations are rooted deep within every corner of our community - reflecting who we are, who we were and who we can become.We engage with the news that affects our community, behind and beyond the headlines. We build bridges that span from creators and innovators to storytellers and the outdoors. We focus on our challenges as many communities in one - as we celebrate what inspires us. We resonate with countless voices - in words and spaces, sounds and songs.We are "Scenic Roots."Ray Bassett hosts and produces "Scenic Roots" at WUTC.

Seventy-Five Years For Chattanooga’s Armed Forces Day Parade

WUTC | By Ray Bassett
Published April 29, 2024 at 7:16 PM EDT
Retired U.S. Army Gen. B.B. Bell - on the UTC campus.
Angela Foster / UTC
Retired U.S. Army Gen. B.B. Bell - on the UTC campus.

Chattanooga is home to the longest, continuously staged Armed Forces Day Parade in this country.

The military co-chairs for the first parade in 1949: Tennessee’s Alvin York, this nation’s most decorated soldier in World War I - and Charles H. Coolidge, Chattanooga’s own decorated hero in World War II.

This Friday, the 75th annual parade will step off at 10:30 AM from the intersection of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Market St., travel down Market Street to West Aquarium Way, turn left and then finish at Chestnut St. - the same route as last fall’s parade for Capt. Larry Taylor, recipient of the Medal of Honor.

The grand marshal for this year’s parade: B.B. Bell, retired four-star U.S. Army General - also the keynote speaker for the luncheon after the parade, starting at Noon at the Chattanooga Convention Center.

I spoke with him - and a fellow alum of this campus: Mickey McCamish, retired U.S. Navy Captain with the Chattanooga Area Veterans Council, which hosts the parade.
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Ray Bassett
Ray is the host and producer of Scenic Roots, Mondays - Thursdays at 3 PM on WUTC.
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