The Lexington Veterans Day Parade committee has selected two central Kentucky residents as grand marshals for the city’s 2017 parade. This year’s grand marshals, Micki King and Matthew Bradford, represent two of America’s armed services and both are groundbreaking in their accomplishments.
Micki King retired from the U.S. Air Force as a Colonel after serving 26 years on active duty. In 1972, King represented the United States in Munich as a member of the U.S. Olympic diving team. She won a gold medal in the springboard diving competition. In Lexington, King served as an assistant athletic director at the University of Kentucky, where she worked for 14 years.
King remains active in the community, working with the Girl Scouts Regional Council in Kentucky. She also works with the US Olympians/Paralympians project at World Fit, an organization that is taking action against child obesity. King serves on the board of trustees for the USA Diving Foundation.
Matthew Bradford served in the U.S. Marine Corps for seven years. In 2007, he was severely injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq, losing his sight and both legs to amputation. After years of rehabilitation, Bradford, in 2010, became the first blind, double amputee to re-enlist in the Marine Corps and served in the Wounded Warrior Battalion until 2012.
In May 2017, Bradford graduated from UK with degrees in History and Media Arts and Studies. He is currently serving as a national security fellow in Congressman Andy Barr’s office, focusing on veterans’ outreach. A participant in hand-cycle marathons and Spartan races, Bradford lives his life with the motto “No legs, no vision, no problem.”
Join us for the parade, Week of Valor
The Lexington Veterans Day Parade committee continues to accept entries for the 2017 parade. Applications for parade participants can be found online at http://lexveteransdayparade.org/. Parade entry forms are due by October 31.
The parade is sponsored by the Veterans Resource United Central/Southeastern KY (VRUCK), in partnership with the City of Lexington and the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs Trust Fund. Media partners include ABC 36-WTVQ and Cumulus Media.
The 2017 Week of Valor is a series of community events throughout Central Kentucky that will take place beginning November 4. Each event pays tribute to our veterans or supports those still serving. The full schedule for the Week of Valor is posted on the parade website.
Follow @LexVeteransDay on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for information, event updates and day of coverage. Parade participants and attendees are encouraged to share their photos online, tag @LexVeteransDay and use #LexVeteransDay2017.