In a town well known for its support of veterans, the 2016 Carbon County Veterans Day Parade made its way through the streets of Palmerton on Sunday, honoring past military members.

The six-division parade featured veterans' groups, high school bands from each area of the county, fire departments, social clubs and more.The parade was hosted by the Palmerton United Veterans Organization, which consists of American Legion Post 269 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7134.Under a bright, sunny November sky, attendance was quite high along the parade route, much to the delight of organizers."I really thought it was a great day in Palmerton," said Ed Moyer, commander of the Palmerton American Legion Post 269. "We had a great tribute to one of our hometown heroes and the parade went extremely well. It was one of the largest parades I think we've seen in Palmerton. This is always a great place to have a parade."Serving as grand marshal was Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel Dailey, a Palmerton native.Dailey served four tours during Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn, as well as deploying in support of Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. He has been awarded numerous accolades, including the Bronze Star with Valor.He was honored earlier in the day with a flag-raising ceremony and plaque dedication from the Palmerton UVO."I'm proud to call Palmerton my hometown for the rest of my life," Dailey said. "You've made a hometown hero very happy today."Joining Dailey at the front of the pack were Palmerton Police Chief Randy Smith and the Pennsylvania State Police Mounted Section.High school bands from Palmerton, Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, Panther Valley and Weatherly also participated.Residents lined the streets as the parade started on Lafayette Avenue and worked its way to Third Street before heading down Delaware Avenue to Seventh Street, where it disbanded."There was a lot of pride out on the streets of Palmerton today," said Brian Green, who was watching outside a friend's house. "I think we're at a time in our nation where the political climate is very divisive and a lot of hurtful comments are thrown around amongst friends. Nothing brings a group of people together like support of our veterans. It was great to see."When it comes to supporting veterans, not many towns do it better than Palmerton.Earlier this year, it hosted the Vietnam Moving Wall in the town park for four days, which drew thousands of visitors from around the region.Sunday's parade, which is held around different Carbon County towns on a rotating basis, provided an appropriate end to a banner year."We represent 6,200 veterans in Carbon County," said Henry Desrosiers, director of veterans affairs in Carbon County, "and Palmerton is always at the forefront with their projects and support. They always have a strong show of support and we're grateful for that."