Veterans Day in South Carolina was accompanied by parades, memorials and restaurant discounts. The Palmetto State's capital city honored veterans with its 47th annual Veterans Day parade.
Columbia recognized women veterans as the event's grand marshal. In between high school marching bands and motorcycles, floats carried groups like the Women Veterans Empowerment Group and She's the Veteran.
Stacy Southal sat in the crowd alone and waved a miniature American flag. As a U.S. Navy veteran, Southal said she was used to making any location feel like home.
"I've never really had a home, as weird as it sounds," she said. "As long as we [veterans] celebrate each other, and as long as there's people sacrificing their lives, anywhere can feel like home."
She reminisced about her time at the United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka in Japan. Now retired, Southal hoped Columbia would serve as a new, long-term home after 20 years in the Navy.
More than 386,000 veterans live in South Carolina, according to the United States Department of Veteran Affairs. Children, veterans and parade enthusiasts watched the nearly two-hour excursion alongside Southal.
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Students from Lugoff-Elgin High School's Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps in Kershaw County march down the parade with an American flag.
Luis-Alfredo Garcia / South Carolina Public Radio
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A float for the Women Veterans Empowerment Group carries veterans across Tuesday morning's parade route. The group is a part of the Columbia Veterans Affairs Health Care System.
Luis-Alfredo Garcia / South Carolina Public Radio
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A vehicle marked with "WAR DOGS" leads a line through Columbia's parade.
Luis-Alfredo Garcia / South Carolina Public Radio
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Buck the dog rides in the back of a vehicle.
Luis-Alfredo Garcia / South Carolina Public Radio
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A student from Eau Claire High School in Columbia plays the bass drum during Columbia's Veterans Day parade.
Luis-Alfredo Garcia / South Carolina Public Radio
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Stacy Southal sits alone during Tuesday morning's parade. "The word sacrifice just keeps coming back to me," she said.
Luis-Alfredo Garcia / South Carolina Public Radio
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A car marked with "Honoring those who served" is the last passerby in the parade. The even lasted nearly two hours.
Luis-Alfredo Garcia / South Carolina Public Radio
