ROANOKE, Va. – Veterans Day came early in the Roanoke Valley.
Hundreds watched the Virginia's Veterans Parade march through downtown Roanoke on Saturday morning. A multitude of veterans stood on the sidewalks to witness the parade, including married couple Robert and Debra Hopson.
"We met in Denver, Colorado, at the Lowry Air Force Base 45 years ago," said Robert Hopson. Both Hopsons served in the Army. "It's great. We've had a pretty good life."
The Hopsons, who now live in Roanoke County, say it's an honor to experience this salute to service.
"It's great just watching all the people," Robert Hopson said. "I'm looking and seeing all of the veterans, people I haven't seen in a long time."
"It makes you proud to see it, be a part of it and know that people really support you," Debra Hopson said.
After the parade, the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution placed a wreath at the Roanoke Veterans Memorial.
"It's just so meaningful to us," said Mary Bess Jordan, of the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution. "It makes us feel honored to be a part of it and say thank you to everybody who served."