ShawneeDispatch.com

A disagreement that led to the American Legion withdrawing from this year's Old Shawnee Days Parade has been put on the back burner, hopefully to be resolved before next year's event.

The Legion decided not to participate in the parade after the parade committee asked if another color guard could lead the parade this year. Glenn Wilson, spokesperson for the Legion, said the Legion felt the Old Shawnee Days Society was disrespecting veterans by making the request. But society representatives say they were only trying to get more people involved and recognized in the annual community event.

Wilson said the society first contacted Dan Land in the Legion's color guard about three weeks prior to the parade.

"They just said in no way were we going to lead the parade this year," Wilson said. "Dan asked if could talk about it, but they said they'd already made up their minds."

The Legion then met on June 2 to talk the matter over and decided not to participate in the parade.

"We just decided we couldn't participate if we weren't going to lead it," he said.

Ben Smith, spokesperson of the Old Shawnee Days Society board of directors - who also works for The World Co., the Dispatch's parent company - said the society was sorry the Legion did not participate but it did not mean any disrespect.

Smith said though the American Legion color guard traditionally has led the parade, the parade committee thought it might be nice to recognize the color guards of Shawnee's police and fire departments.

"The members of the Legion have obviously served their country with great honor, and we will always be grateful of that and recognize that," Smith said. "At the same time the members of Shawnee's fire and police departments serve their community in a selfless way, often putting their lives at risk to protect us."

So the committee originally invited the Fire Department color guard, consisting of five active-duty firefighters, to lead this year's parade. The American Legion would immediately follow behind them, and in subsequent years, the Legion, fire and police departments would take turns leading the parade.

"It was felt that it would be positive for the community and members of our fire and police departments to share that recognition, especially since Old Shawnee Days is an event where the focus is very much 'community,' not any specific organization," Smith said. "Of course it was never intended as a slight or any form of disrespect to members of the American Legion. We all recognize their service and have tremendous respect for them, would never ask them to march behind anyone other than rotating their color guard with those of our police and fire departments, and would never have asked them to move any further back in the parade than immediately behind the color guard."

Wilson said the Legion members were fine with following fire trucks and police vehicles as usual. They understood that it was just the firefighters' color guard that would be before them, he said, but they didn't find that acceptable.

Smith said after ongoing discussions between members of the parade committee and the American Legion to try to resolve matters, the parade committee ultimately offered to revert to the traditional arrangement of the American Legion color guard leading the parade. However, Wilson said by then it was too late; the Legion already had notified its members they were no longer participating and didn't have enough time to reorganize.

Wilson said he was to meet with the society within three weeks of this year's festival, and when that didn't happen, he decided to submit a letter to the editor of the Dispatch.

Now, the two groups are due to meet in January 2009, before planning of the 2009 Old Shawnee Days commences. Smith said the society "is committed to continued communication with the American Legion."

"While the board wants to use this major community event to include recognition of the vital roles the Fire and Police departments play in serving our community, we of course want to ensure the members of the American Legion understand the great respect we have for them and their service, as well as the position they hold in the parade itself," he said. "We very much hope they will participate in the 2009 Old Shawnee Days Parade. They were greatly missed this year."

Wilson said he thought Legion members would take part in the 2009 parade, so long as they were in their usual spot.

"We're not trying to muscle anybody out," he said. "We just want our place in the parade."