Grand Marshal Jerry O’Hara before the Veterans Parade on Sunday, November 8, 2026
For more than four decades, Jerry O’Hara has been a fixture in the Harrisonburg community. Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, O’Hara moved to the Shenandoah Valley roughly 42 years ago to take a full-time ministry position at the Church of Christ. Though he officially retired after 45 years of preaching, he continues to preach part-time, and his lifelong mission of serving others extends far beyond the pulpit.
On Sunday, November 8, O’Hara led the 2026 Veterans Parade through Downtown Harrisonburg as its Grand Marshal, an honor recognizing his decades of service and dedication to fellow veterans and the community.
O’Hara’s path of service began in the U.S. Army. After completing basic training at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, he rose to the rank of E-5, serving in artillery in Vietnam and working as a guard at a listening post before being stationed in Germany in 1971. Those years in uniform instilled values that continue to guide him today: leadership, responsibility, and a steadfast commitment to a cause.
"Basically, it's been about helping others, leadership, responsibilities, and commitment to a cause. That's why the Vietnam Veterans of America was started.”
In 2011, O’Hara read a newspaper article about forming a local chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA). It took a full year to gather the 25 required founding members, and by 2012, Chapter 1061 was officially chartered. O’Hara has served as the chapter’s president since 2013, watching it grow from its original 25 members to a thriving organization of 167 veterans.
Meeting on the third Saturday of every month at Wood Grill, Chapter 1061 reflects the full spectrum of military service—welcoming veterans of all ranks, from privates to a general, including women veterans. Its members represent the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, with hopes of welcoming a Coast Guard veteran in the future.
Through its dedicated committee chairs, the chapter researches resources related to Agent Orange exposure and provides assistance to those in need. Most notably, its "Helping Hands" committee rolls up its sleeves for practical projects, including building decks, installing windows, putting up fences, landscaping yards, and restoring sheds for veterans and local families in need.
"As long as we're still able to do it, we're gonna keep doing it."
For O’Hara, the opportunity to serve as Grand Marshal of the Veterans Parade carried profound emotional significance, particularly as someone who served during the Vietnam era. For decades, many Vietnam veterans kept their service quiet after facing hostility and disrespect upon returning home. Seeing the shift in how the public treats service members today makes every tribute meaningful, even if his generation had to endure a difficult road to get there.
"If it took our generation and our group, Vietnam veterans, to recognize veterans and our military, we're proud to do that."
Today, O’Hara says the community’s support has been overwhelmingly positive, noting that simple words of gratitude from civilians leave a lasting impression. He recalls one encounter with a gentleman who had never served in the military that still resonates deeply.
"He came up and said, 'Thank you for your service.' And he said, 'No, let me take that back.' He said, 'Thank you for your sacrifice.' That meant a real lot to hear that coming from someone that wasn't in the service, never served, to thank us for our sacrifice."
Reflecting on the honor of serving as Grand Marshal of this year’s Veterans Parade, O’Hara expressed a simple but heartfelt sentiment: pride and gratitude for the opportunity to stand alongside his fellow veterans and be part of a community that continues to remember and honor their service.
