Three World War II veterans whose combined age reaches 302 years will lead Petaluma's Veterans Day Parade and Flyover this Wednesday, Nov. 11, as the city turns out downtown to honor them and mark the holiday. Pete Ogburn, 101, Ted Moneymaker, 102, and Del Turner, 99, are set to head the procession through downtown Petaluma.
According to a report from the Press Democrat, Ogburn participated in the Allied invasion at Omaha Beach, while Moneymaker was drafted just four days after turning 18 and went on to serve in the Pacific with the 32nd Infantry Division. Turner enlisted alongside his two older brothers, Martin and Joe, the paper reports. As KSRO also notes, the three men are being recognized together as this year's honorees leading the parade and flyover.
A Day Built Around Walnut Park
Festivities are scheduled to begin at noon in Walnut Park, with an hour of live music from Johnathan Parneli and Friends kicking things off before the parade steps off at 1 p.m., per the same account. Andrew LeMarQuand, commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1929, will serve as this year's grand marshal. The parade is set to march under the 2026 theme “Celebrating 250 Years of the United States of America,” according to the Petaluma Veterans Day Parade organization.
The route is expected to feature military color guards, drill teams and special units marching alongside floats, antique cars and horses, the Press Democrat reports in a separate roundup of 2026 Veterans Day events across Sonoma and Napa counties. A closing program is scheduled for 2:45 p.m., with speeches, prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance capping off the afternoon, per the report.
Road Closures and Crowd Advice
Police are expecting thousands of people downtown and are encouraging attendees to arrive early and carpool, warning that parking will be a challenge. Western Avenue between Petaluma Boulevard and Keller Street is scheduled to close from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to accommodate the event.
The scale of past turnout gives a sense of what organizers are bracing for: the parade organization has said the 2019 event drew more than 200 entries, over 2,000 participants and an estimated crowd of roughly 40,000 people. Last year's parade included a special tribute to military women, with the Redwood Empire Military Women Unit 77 serving as grand marshals, according to Petaluma News. That 2025 program also featured a vintage military vehicle procession and a flyover by a Vietnam-era Huey helicopter, and it singled out Ogburn, then 99, as Petaluma's oldest veteran.
The parade organization notes it has instituted a $70 application fee for entries, though the fee does not apply to current and former military members. For now, the spotlight belongs to Ogburn, Moneymaker and Turner, three men who lived through the defining conflict of the last century and will spend Wednesday leading their neighbors down the streets of Petaluma.
