Thousands of people gathered this morning for Butler's Veterans Day parade. They hear solemn words that preceded the parade replaced by applause as former and current members of the military marched south on Main Street.

From the "Greatest Generation" to the next generation, people took a similar message from the day's events, which were led by a contingent of service members, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts carrying a 40-foot long flag at the head of the procession.

"We explained to the kids (the parade) is to remember and honor those who have fought and continue to fight for our freedoms," said Erin Schmidhamer of Mars.

The majority of those in the 45-minute parade were representatives of the military and their families.

The distant past of the U.S. military was represented in the form of two men dressed in uniforms from the Revolutionary War, which produced the town's namesake, Gen. Richard Butler.

The future of the U.S. military was represented by JROTC members from Seneca Valley High School and Butler High School.

Marching bands from high schools around Butler County, such as Butler, Karns City, Knoch, Slippery Rock and Moniteau marched between pageant winners, military trucks and members of Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion posts.