An Indy Pre-Race Idea?

[Pelican Joe]

Forgive me if this has been done before (and I've forgotten) but here is something I think would be a completely excellent idea. For quite a few years, they have a long parade of active-duty soldiers who parade around the track. This has always been a pretty cool thing...after all...it is Memorial Day weekend.

Have they ever considered including veterans? What if, for instance, this year they had World War 2 veterans in those cars? Or Korea or Vietnam?

The thought came into my head recently when I was discussing with someone that sadly each and every year there are fewer and fewer WW2 veterans left. Both of my grandfathers served and both have passed away.

Anyway...it's just an idea and I was wondering what other people thought. Personally, I think it would be extremelly moving.

[Game Bred]

Forgive me if this has been done before (and I've forgotten) but here is something I think would be a completely excellent idea. For quite a few years, they have a long parade of active-duty soldiers who parade around the track. This has always been a pretty cool thing...after all...it is Memorial Day weekend.

Have they ever considered including veterans? What if, for instance, this year they had World War 2 veterans in those cars? Or Korea or Vietnam?

The thought came into my head recently when I was discussing with someone that sadly each and every year there are fewer and fewer WW2 veterans left. Both of my grandfathers served and both have passed away.

Anyway...it's just an idea and I was wondering what other people thought. Personally, I think it would be extremelly moving.

I would love to see it but the guy how do that are from the same gard units. So it woulb be harded but not inposable to do. It would be cool curant and past veteran marching together. I wish I could have marched with my grandpa at indy would have been amasing. But somthing they could easy is a Veterens stand so they can be acknolage and give poeplo a min just shack there hands a say thanks.

[Game Bred]

I like it what eles can we do for are vets.

[cheeseczar]

Ever since I started going to the place in 1962 there has been a military presence on race day. More of late due to the middle east unpleasantness.
The Hulmans and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have always honored our military...as have the crowds attending.

It's a good thing.

[Nigel Red5]

Last time I was at the 500 there were quite a few veterans in the ceremonies.

[Turn13]

Bump Day has been Armed Forces Recognition Day for the last several years, with major participation by vets and ceremonies and displays by the Armed Forces.

[SpeedwayRyan]

Last year at the Brickyard they honored a big group of Desert Storm vets (it was a 20th Anniversary thing)...Greg Ballard (Indy's mayor, for those that aren't local) was involved and gave a speech, as he is a DS vet himself.

[Max Revs]

The Hulmans and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have always honored our military...as have the crowds attending.

It's a good thing.

I agree. I have noticed that the fans around me have stood as the 1/4 mile long rows of military pass by, and keep clapping until the last has passed by. By then, my hands are stinging. At that point in time, I remind myself that it's a lot more painful to get hit with an IED, and I keep clapping.

[Pelican Joe]

I agree. I have noticed that the fans around me have stood as the 1/4 mile long rows of military pass by, and keep clapping until the last has passed by. By then, my hands are stinging. At that point in time, I remind myself that it's a lot more painful to get hit with an IED, and I keep clapping.

It is neat how everyone stands and claps until they've all gone past. I guess the point of my original post was that I'd like to see something done for the WW2 vets on race day. We're currently in the 70th Anniversary Era of WW2. There are fewer and fewer vets around every year. They will all be gone far sooner than later. I think a long parade of WW2 vets before the race would be really, really neat to see.

[goldie19]

I agree. I have noticed that the fans around me have stood as the 1/4 mile long rows of military pass by, and keep clapping until the last has passed by. By then, my hands are stinging. At that point in time, I remind myself that it's a lot more painful to get hit with an IED, and I keep clapping.

New avatar cracks me up! Well done

[dog-ring]

The best part is when the lone trumpeter plays Taps...............

[irlracingfan]

The best part is when the lone trumpeter plays Taps...............

I assume you mean "best" as in "most moving". For me, the playing of 'Taps' and Jim Nabors' rendition of 'Back Home Again in Indiana' often bring me to tears!

I've told my wife, who went with me last year for the first time, that whether she enjoyed the race or not, I will be in Indianapolis EVERY Memorial Day until I am dead!

[Stick500]

I've told my wife, who went with me last year for the first time, that whether she enjoyed the race or not, I will be in Indianapolis EVERY Memorial Day until I am dead!

I love that attitude! My wife knew our honeymoon would be interrupted for a bit when we left late in the month of May. She raced thru the streets of Amsterdam with me as I frantically searched for bar with a TV tuned to the 500- we found it along with some ex-pats to down a few Amstels (regular, not Lite) with!

As for the WWII vets being featured on raceday- hell yeh! It is Memorial Day for all vets and the primary focus at the race over the past decade seems to have been on our current warriors. In 10 years there won't be any "Big One" vets who will be able to get to the track and climb in the car and we will have missed our chance.

Who's our go-to-guy at IMS to send this message to?

[IPS-Indy]

As noted above, they do honor vets on bump day weekend, and IIRC race day is for active military.
Nothing is cooler than when they march out all the recruits to do their pledge on the start/finish line....well, at least it would be to a race fan joining the military.

[Stick500]

Basically, isn't Memorial Day to honor the fallen vets, while Veterans Day is for the living vets? With that in mind, wouldn't it be more appropriate for IMS to feature WWII vets at the race rather than new recruits? Not trying to stir anything up here, but just the way I see it right now....

I'm kinda biased as I have a father-in-law who was in the "Big One" and it's a pretty big deal to him and our family and he won't be around much longer. Would love to see the look on his face if he could watch some of his comrades at the 500 on TV during pre-race.

[Pelican Joe]

Basically, isn't Memorial Day to honor the fallen vets, while Veterans Day is for the living vets? With that in mind, wouldn't it be more appropriate for IMS to feature WWII vets at the race rather than new recruits? Not trying to stir anything up here, but just the way I see it right now....

I'm kinda biased as I have a father-in-law who was in the "Big One" and it's a pretty big deal to him and our family and he won't be around much longer. Would love to see the look on his face if he could watch some of his comrades at the 500 on TV during pre-race.

I think you're right about the two different days. I'm all for going back to the current way they do it with the active duty soldiers...but for one year (preferably SOON) to replace them with vets from WW2 would be so cool. There are still several "flying" B-17s left. Bring them along, too. Maybe a fighter escort of P-51s? I'd also imagine that the active duty guys would be honored to step aside for a year. 2015 would be a great year as it would mark the 70th Anniversary of the end of the war...but I don't think we can wait that long. As I mentioned in my original post...both of my grandfathers served...and both are now gone. There will come a time very soon where there are only a handful of WW2 vets still around. Let's not wait!

[Pelican Joe]

As far as a go-to-guy at IMS...I have no idea...but maybe we should shoot RM an email to see if he'll pick it up!

[Squonk]

How about shooting some dude out of a hydraulic cannon and see if he can fly the length of the front straight and then open a parachute

[irlracingfan]

How about shooting some dude out of a hydraulic cannon and see if he can fly the length of the front straight and then open a parachute

You want to volunteer? I promise I'll watch... from a distance!

[Herk]

Ever since I started going to the place in 1962 there has been a military presence on race day. More of late due to the middle east unpleasantness.
The Hulmans and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have always honored our military...as have the crowds attending.

It's a good thing.

I've always thought ABC misses the boat with their pre-race coverage. They don't broadcast the invocation, taps, very little of the fly-over, etc. They don't understand that there is much more to the Indy 500 than just the race.

[irlracingfan]

I've always thought ABC misses the boat with their pre-race coverage. They don't broadcast the invocation, taps, very little of the fly-over, etc. They don't understand that there is much more to the Indy 500 than just the race.

When it comes to IndyCar coverage, there are a TON of things ABC doesn't understand!

[psullivan]

Here's my thought do it all seamlessly like we used to do it - from the beginning to the start your engines without long pregnant pauses for television - One of the greatest moments in sports has been reduced by this alone. It's still great -but once it was so much better

[Pelican Joe]

Here's my thought do it all seamlessly like we used to do it - from the beginning to the start your engines without long pregnant pauses for television - One of the greatest moments in sports has been reduced by this alone. It's still great -but once it was so much better

I like that idea! Sort of kills the moment to have all of those pauses.

[Frank Capua]

My favorite was 1999 when they honored Medal of Honor winners. If memory serves me there were close to hundred there that day.

BTW this year's race (2011) got the Green Flag from a Medal of Honor winner.

[Pelican Joe]

While we're at it...they need to dust off Jim Phillipe's old "tribute" speech. Talk about a moving moment! Couldn't they just play a recording of him reading it or have one of the current announcers read it?? The pre-race stuff is simply amazing...just to hear "On the Banks of the Wabash" and the solo rendition of Taps!?! It's brought tears to my eyes. Personally, I always get choked up during "Back Home Again In Indiana"...you're standing there in this immense crowd...the sun is (hopefully) shining down on you...the 11 rows of 3 are lined up and ready to go...it doesn't get any better than that for me in the world of sports. We, of course, always sing along...how can you not! We've always sat on the northend of the track and there is also something magical as they accelerate into T4 to take the green flag and you see the flashbulbs popping up and down the straight as the roar of the engines increases and then disappears into the distance. Then the sound picks up again...almost like a swarm of bees approaching...as the cars head down the back stretch until they finally flash into T3 for the first time at speed! Magical! I once met an old-timer at our hotel the day before the race who said: "If that first lap doesn't make your body tingle then you ain't got a drop of sporting blood in your body!" Amen!

[Pelican Joe]

My favorite was 1999 when they honored Medal of Honor winners. If memory serves me there were close to hundred there that day.

BTW this year's race (2011) got the Green Flag from a Medal of Honor winner.

Yessir! Colonel Bruce Crandall who received his Medal of Honor for flying something like 20 missions in an unarmed helicopter to resuply troops and evacuate the wounded during the Battle of la Drang (same battle, I believe, depicted in the Mel Gibson film: "We Were Soldiers")! Look up his Medal of Honor Citation sometime...it's an amazing story.

[Indy500Dude]

As a retired Sailor I would love to march on the track on race day!

[SpeedwayRyan]

I've always thought ABC misses the boat with their pre-race coverage. They don't broadcast the invocation, taps, very little of the fly-over, etc. They don't understand that there is much more to the Indy 500 than just the race.

I just watched the 2011 broadcast a week ago or so...they definitely broadcasted "Taps," at least this time.