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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Even if you couldn’t make it to this year’s Veterans Day parade in Springfield Wednesday, chances are you have been to the location the grand marshal runs.
The parade featured the marching bands from all three Springfield public high schools, groups honoring local veterans, Boy Scouts, American flags, and Christopher Webster.
Webster, since 2023, has been the director of Camp Butler National Cemetery.
“Sometimes, you’ll go to a a cemetery, and you know you’re in a cemetery, and it feels like a cemetery,” said Webster. “When you come to Camp Butler, you’re overwhelmed by the beauty, by the shrine that we have created. You’re overwhelmed by the pristine grounds, and then the reverence that you feel when you come in. You’re coming to home.”
Webster says he has made a career out of serving the public, starting with his own military service.
“I was in the U.S. Navy,” said Webster. “I worked for the (Small Business Administration) as well, deploying when we had a natural disaster or a national disaster — helping families, small businesses, non-profits get loans to repair their homes, their storefronts.”
Webster says serving in the Navy led him to a lifetime of serving others. He remembers very well the first time he walked into Camp Butler, saying when he saw the flag waving for the first time, he was exactly where he was supposd to be.
As for being grand marshal of a parade, Webster feels like he doesn’t deserve it. The parade’s organizers would likely disagree.
Hundreds could be seen on Capitol Avenue and other downtown streets, watching Wednesday’s parade.
