SF Veterans Day parade march one hundred years after the end of the First World War

Red paper poppies dotted the sidewalks at the Sunday Veterans Day Parade at Fisherman's Wharf, crept into the girls' horse quilts and were offered to anyone who wanted one.

The flowers, which have gained popularity as a symbol of honor for soldiers who died after the First World War, are traditionally worn on Remembrance Day. They took on special significance for this year's parade, which coincided with the centennial of the end of the Great War.

"They were still on Market Street," said San Francisco-based Pat Murphy, who attended the parade with his children and grandchildren. "When I was a young woman working downtown, you always bought one."

The festivities became a tradition for Murphy and many others who marched or came to show their support. This year's parade was followed by a mini-history lesson for some families and an air of danger for all. Some parade participants, even a walker or two, wore a mask to protect them from the campfire smoke that covered the Bay Area this weekend.

The tradition is personal to Murphy, whose family includes a long line of members of the military service. Her husband was in the air force and the navy, his sons in the air force and the navy, and his father in the army – a veteran of the Second World War. It was his second year bringing his grandchildren to the parade.

"We should honor the veterans," she said holding a poppy. "After all, that's why we're here."

Marie Schutzendorf and her three children dressed for the occasion with Schutzendorf in an American sweater. They waved red, white and blue pom-poms and held placards for the veterans who marched: "The House of Liberty because of the brave" and "Thank you to the veterans".

There is no army in his family, but Schutzendorf makes it a point to come every year to show his gratitude.

"It's important for them to know," said Schutzendorf, gesturing to his children. A certain history of the First World War was being prepared that night, she said.

Parade veterans marched alongside orchestras and color guards from local high schools and London mayor, London Breed, who waved the hand of a Lincoln of the time. The procession began at Embarcadero in North Point Street, heading northwest on Embarcadero, then west on Jefferson Street.

John Zullo, a naval veteran who served on the USS Dixie from 1971 to 1977, marched with his Englishman Springer Spaniel, Molly, as part of the American Legion.

"After the Vietnam war, we did not have much recognition, so parades are a little recognition we get," he said. "It's something nice with other veterans. … It's a small recognition for all of us. "

Megan Cassidy is a writer at the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @meganrcassidy