2026 Gulf Coast Veterans Parade
D'Iberville
Our Story
24 Years of parade history
The Gulf Coast Veterans Parade shares a long, rich history with local residents and the business community.
Learn more about our legacy by exploring the timeline below and a Special Tribute Section highlighted by the Hall of Fame history of Grand Marshals.
2021
In 2020 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 is AF Lt Col-Retired Dr. Inez Kelleher. Dr. Kelleher is an orthopedic surgeon and has served on the Mississippi Gulf Coast since 1996. She is a U.S. Air Force Veteran, Gold Star family member and has deployed to Afghanistan and Diego Garcia in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
2022
In 2022 we celebrated the Anniversaries of both the US Air Force and Navy Seabees. Unfortunately, on the eve of the parade, weather forecaster predicted 100% rain for the day across the county and changes of lightning and thunderstorms. To ensure the safety of the public, and the over 1000 participants, the parade was cancelled.
AF Col-Ret John "Hoss" Ladner and Navy Chief Chrisopher Levesque were Co-Grand Marchals.
John "Hoss" Ladner is a master navigator with more than 4000 flight hours in seven different aircraft, primarily B-52 and B1 Bomber. He has over 700 combat hours and 178 combat missions in Desert Storm.
Christopher R. Levesque is FORCM at the Seabee Navy Construction Group. His deployments include Rota, Spain; Ramadi, Iraq, Djibouti, and Camp Leatherneck Afghanistan.
2023
As a result of the 2022 cancellation of the parade, AF Col Ret "Hoss" Ladner was honored to be able to participate in this years parade as Grand Marshal. Unfortunately, Force Master Chief Levesque had other long planned personal family obligation
Lt Gen Micheal Peterson is a long time resident of Biloxi.
General Peterson’s final Air Force assignment was to serve as the USAF Chief of Warfighting Integration and Chief Information Officer. At the Pentagon he led the AF evolution from “Network Services Delivery” to “full spectrum Cyber Operations.”
2024
Col Gervis A. Parkerson is a lifelong resident of Mississippi, havin graduated from Gulfport High School in 1967 and Mississippi State University in 1971. He enlisted in the Marine Corps following his graduation from college and completed Officer Candidate School at Quantico, VA. He graduated from Naval Flight School in 1972 and served as a carrier-based pilot in the Marine Corps until 1976
2025 50th Anniversary Army. Marines, and Navy
Colonel Mike Leonard was born in Biloxi, Mississippi. He graduated from Notre Dame High School and was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy where he graduated in 1969. He was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps and deployed to Vietnam as a combat engineer, serving as Platoon Commander and
later as Company Commander. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1997 and most recently served as the City of Biloxi’s Chief Administrative Officer.
EQCM Billy Byrd was born in Geneva County, Alabama in1932. He was raised around heavy equipment so it was a natural that he would become a Seabee Through his career Billy was deployed to Key West, FL; Adack, Alaska; Morrocco; Bermuda; Newfoundland; Port Hueneme, CA; Davis Ville, Rhode Island; Italy; and Dong Ha, Vietnam (2 tours 1968 - 1971). In Vietnam the jeep he was riding in slipped off a muddy road and wound up turned over pinning him in a barb wire laced rice patty. Unable to get the jeep off of him, a nearby by Marine helicopter unit came and was able to lift the jeep off of him...ultimately saving his life.
