06/11/2026
For many years, this organization has proudly participated in the three annual parades Milford has, and we were very much looking forward to participating in a special parade this year marking this great country’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Unfortunately, however, it has been brought to our attention that the American Legion Riders, a motorcycle club of military veterans who served this country with honor, have not been invited despite their customary participation in Milford’s parades.
It seems that city officials have decided that the Big Heart of this Small City isn’t big enough for a group of military veterans to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime event.
In light of the city’s decision not to extend an invitation to the American Legion Riders to participate in the 250th Anniversary Parade, our organization will not be participating either.
We feel compelled to share why this matters so deeply to us. The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is, at its heart, a celebration of the idea that people have the right to govern themselves, free from the rule of a distant crown. But ideas alone do not win wars or secure nations. That victory was bought by the courage, sacrifice, and blood of those who took up arms in the Revolutionary War. Had they not prevailed, the document we celebrate would be little more than a historical curiosity, and we would, in all likelihood, still be subjects of the British crown.
In that sense, every commemoration of our independence is also, inescapably, a commemoration of those original veterans. They are not a footnote to this anniversary; they are its foundation. To celebrate the 250th without honoring those who serve and have served feels, to us, like celebrating a house while ignoring the people who built it.
The American Legion Riders help carry that legacy forward, along with all of our veterans. They represent the unbroken thread connecting the soldiers of 1776 to the veterans of every conflict since, including those serving today. To exclude them from this celebration is, we believe, to overlook something essential about what is actually being celebrated.
We stand with our veterans, not just on days when it’s convenient, but always. For that reason, we cannot in good conscience take part in a parade that does not make room for those who made it possible.
We hope this decision will be reconsidered by those with the power to do so, and we would welcome the opportunity to participate should that happen.
