BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — The rain didn’t stop people from coming out to the 76^th Veterans Day Parade Saturday in downtown Birmingham. The parade is the nations oldest Veterans Day parade in the country.

People lined the streets from 18^th to 19^th street to enjoy the sights and sounds of the parade. Veterans Tanesha Key and Darrel Pierre say it was important for them to come to the parade to support other veterans.

“In the army we have a motto, if it’s not raining, we’re not training so since it’s raining I saw it fit to be out here,” Key said.

The two veterans were also happy to see many people support those who have served America.

“You know you see people say often times say thank you for your service and I have been out of the military for a long time I spent ten years as a gulf coast veteran but now that I have been out and see it from both sides, Thank you for your service is important but it’s an action word for me,” Pierre said.

One army veteran tells me why it was important for his ROTC unit to participate in the parade.

“It gives the kids something to look forward to serve the veterans and it gives them discipline,” AH Parker High School ROTC instructor William Merriweather said.