Explore Corsicana May 2022 | Page 7

tle Washington , Swenson is one of two to return to active duty after being awarded the Medal of Honor .
In Afghanistan Sept . 9 , 2009 , then Army Capt . Swensen and his combat team were moving on foot into a small village near the Pakistan border when they were ambushed by 60 well-armed and well-positioned enemy fighters .
Rocket propelled grenades , machine gun fire , and mortars rained down on them for six hours . It became known as the Battle of Ganjgal .
Surrounded on three sides , Swenson personally returned fire , while coordinating and directing the fire of his men . Enemy radio transmissions demanded his surrender . He responded with a grenade .
This act of defiance rallied his comrades to repel the enemy advance . His exceptional leadership , selflessness and tough resistance turned what the enemy thought was going to be a massacre into a stalemate .
Lt . Col . Swenson will also be the main attraction at the Medal of Honor Event at the 101-year-old Palace Theater in Corsicana May 20 .
“ I love small towns , especially patriotic ones that honor Veterans like Corsicana , Texas and Navarro County ,” said Swenson , who is still an active-duty soldier .
“ I was happy when my friend Bill McNutt invited me to be the 2022 Grand Marshal .”
Parade goers will also have the opportunity to view detachments from over a dozen military bases in Texas and Oklahoma .
The parade will also honor two Corsicana and Navarro County heroes , Candelario “ Spider ” Garcia , 2014 Medal of Honor recipient , and the namesake of county , Jose Antonio Navarro , who signed both the Texas Declaration of Independence and the Texas Constitution .
The parade will start at 10 a . m . Saturday , May 21 at the Navarro County Courthouse . The Medal of Honor Program at the historic Palace Theater in Corsicana starts at 5:30 p . m . Friday night , May 20 .
“ Lets have a big Navarro County welcome to these soldiers , sailors and airmen the third Saturday in May ,” said Bill McNutt , the parade ’ s founder and chairman .
A Texas Veterans Parade in Corsicana is not new . It is the reestablishment of a tradition that goes back more than 100 years . The World War I Armistice parade in 1918 and 1945 World War II Victory Parade and Rodeo drew thousands of Texans to Corsicana ’ s famous downtown .
For more information , please visit www . texasveteransparade . com
To reach the Parade Headquarters telephone 903-354-4628 .
Summer 2022 | Explore Corsicana 7