For retired U.S. Army Col. Jonathan Davenport and his wife, Angie, the annual Auburn Veterans Day Parade is a tradition that would take an exceptional circumstance for them to miss. Honoring military service is a central family value.
With his parents’ permission, Davenport enlisted in the Army at age 17 and served for 30 years in a career that included assignments as a sniper, infantry and cavalry officer, and counterintelligence director. He earned English and Geology degrees from the University of Washington, where he met his wife, Angie.
The Davenports have longstanding ties to Auburn and its Veterans Parade.
“I first started participating in 1981 as a Boy Scout and DeMolay, and Angie from about 1970 when she was involved with the Black Watch Drum Corps, the American Legion Auxiliary, and the Auburn High School Band.”
Over more than four decades, Davenport has participated in the parade as an active-duty service member and as a veteran. He’s also participated as a representative of other community organizations.
“I am one of many past commanders of the American Legion from our family in Auburn, Washington,” he says. “And I have participated in over a dozen different positions and organizations over the years. After the parade, I enjoy going to the VFW and just sitting and talking to fellow veterans. I call it a commiseration with those who ‘speak the same language’ as combat veterans.”
As former military dependents, the couple’s two sons (Jeremiah, 35, and Joshua, 32) also grew up speaking the language. They participated in the Veterans Day Parade for years with Lake Tapps Boy Scout Troop 501.
Now, the tradition has reached a new generation. The Davenports’ grandson now looks forward to the annual parade, and his grandparents look forward to sharing the experience with him.
“It is both of our families’ traditions,” says Davenport. “Jacob is four years old now, and has been coming to the parade every year. Last year he ran out into the street as I walked by to demand, “Uppies!” and cried when he wasn’t allowed to walk the rest of the parade with Grandpa!”
Davenport believes attending events that celebrate and honor veterans, including the Auburn Veterans Day Parade, helps kids (and adults) put a face on the country’s freedom:
“Seeing the real people who put real ‘skin in the game’ for our country is what makes the sacrifices real to those who otherwise don’t have that personal connection.”
