In late 1999, Mary Ellen Landry contacted Donna Leach Yates and Lt. Col. (Ret) Dick E. Wilson with a proposed plan to form a committee to organize an annual Veterans Parade to be held on the Mississippi Gulf Coast on or near the observance of National Veterans Day.

The City of Gulfport was the best prepared at the time to host the first Veterans Parade on Saturday, November 11. The committee chose Vietnam Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, Major General James E Livingston, (Ret.), US Marine Corps as the first Grand Marshal.

With patriotic feelings at an all-time high following the September 11 attacks on American soil, Gulfport, once again played host to the parade. It was held on November 10 in tribute to the nation’s recipients of the Purple Heart.

 The 3rd Annual Veterans Parade was held in the City of Biloxi in tribute to the Silver Star Medal for Valor Recipients. Lieutenant General Clark Griffith, (Ret.), US Air Force former 2nd Air Force Commander, at Keesler Air Force Base served as the Parade Grand Marshal.

The 4th Annual Veterans Parade was held again in Biloxi on Saturday, November 8, in honor of the nation’s recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross. Also, there was a tribute to the men and women of our Nation’s Armed Forces who were deployed on foreign soil.

The 5th Annual Veterans Parade returned to Gulfport and was held Saturday, November 13, once again under the direction of board president General Garner. The 2004 parade honored Veterans of all Services, past and present.

Originally, the 6th Annual Veterans Parade was scheduled to be held in Biloxi in November 2. The Mississippi Gulf Coast was struck by Hurricane Katrina on August 29. Because of the widespread damage, the Parade was cancelled for that year.

On November 11, the 6th Annual Veterans Parade was held in Biloxi. Maj. General Harold Cross served as the Grand Marshal. The theme this year was to honor all Veterans who had returned from previous wars and assisted in Hurricane Katrina.

The 7th Annual Veterans Parade was held in Gulfport on November 10. Chief Warrant Officer-3 Lewis J. Shank (Ret.) served as Grand Marshal. The parade was dedicated to the Veterans of the Gulf War and those that had lost their lives in battle.

The 8th Annual Veterans Parade was held in Biloxi on Saturday, November 8. The Grand Marshal was Command Sgt. Major Edward Horstman (Ret.), U.S. Army, a Korean and Vietnam Veteran. He was a prisoner of war and a recipient of many awards.

The 9th Annual Veterans parade was held in Gulfport on November 7. Command Sergeant Maj. Adelchi Pilutti (Ret.), United States Army, served as Grand Marshal. He served in the Army Airborne Division from 194 - 1945 and parachuted into Normandy, France on June 6, 1944.

The 10th Annual Gulf Coast Veterans parade was held in Biloxi on November 13. The Parade Grand Marshal was former Apollo 13 mission pilot, former fighter pilot and Biloxi native, Astronaut Fred Haise. The theme was a tribute to all past, present and future astronauts.

The 11th Annual Gulf Coast Veterans Parade was held for the first time in D’Iberville, Mississippi on November 12. The Grand Marshal was D’Iberville resident Albert “Al” Balius, a decorated WWII veteran. The theme was in tribute to all WWII veterans.

The 12th Annual Gulf Coast Parade returned to Gulfport on November 10th. The Grand Marshal was Col. Henry Cook, III (Ret.) of Diamondhead. For the first time Vietnamese Veterans who were allies marched in the parade as guests of Colonel Cook.

The 13th Annual Veterans Parade was hosted by Biloxi, on November 9 and the Grand Marshal was Col. Phyllis A. Luttman, (Ret.) United States Air Force, Nurse Corps. Colonel Luttman served on active duty for thirty years  and retired in January 1993.

The 14th Annual Gulf Coast Veterans parade was hosted by Biloxi for another consecutive year. The Grand Marshal was Clifford “Cliff” Kuykendall, the lone survivor of the USS Tullibee submarine that was sunk in World War II.

The 15th Annual Gulf Coast Veterans Parade was hosted by Gulfport on November 7. This year marked the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and was dedicated to the MS National Guard for their recovery efforts in the aftermath of this natural disaster.

The 16th Annual Parade was held on November 12 in D’Iberville and honored Keesler Air Force Base by marking the base’s 75th anniversary. Two veterans who were stationed there in 1941 served as Grand Marshals.

The 17th Annual Parade was hosted by the city of Biloxi, November 11, followed by a Red White and Blue Festival on the city’s town green. The Grand Marshal was Command Master Chief Dick Wade who served a total of 45 years, 11 months and 3 days in the Armed Forces and retired in 1990.

The 18th Annual Parade was held in Gulfport, November 10, with Thomas E (Butch) Harris, a multi-tour Vietnam Marine veteran, serving as the Grand Marshal. Sergeant Harris entered the Marine Corps in 1965 and served in Vietnam in 1966.

The 19th Annual Parade was held in D'Iberville, MS November 9, with Gene Taylor serving as the Grand Marshal. Mr. Taylor was a former U.S Representative for MS and is a Coast Guard veteran. The parade honored the mission of the Coast Guard.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic changed traditional parade activities in 2020, the board was determined to celebrate the 20th Anniversary with a virtual "Roll Through & Wave" event broadcast on social media and seen by hundreds of people.

In 2021 we celebrated the military medical corps and first responders. The focus was on the contributions made thru history in saving lives and serving all our veterans and active duty.  The Grand Marshal was AF Lt Col-Retired Dr. Inez Kelleher. 

In 2022 we celebrated the Anniversaries of both the Air Force and Navy Seabees. The parade was cancelled due to sever weather.

AF Col-Ret John "Hoss" Ladner and Navy Chief Chrisopher Levesque were Co-Grand Marchals. 

The 2023 parade and breakfast was held this year in D'Iberville. This years' Grand Marshall and keynote speaker was AF Col-Ret John Hoss Ladner.

In 2024, the parade was held in Biloxi. Lt Gen-Ret Michael Paterson served as the Grand Marshall and presided over beautiful conditions for a parade. The Parade was one of the most ever attended. 

In 2025, we celebrated 250th Anniversary of three Services in Gulfport. Marine Col-Ret Michael Leonard, Army Col-Ret Gervis A. Parkerson and Navy EQCM Billy Byrd served as Grand Marshalls.