The Remembrance Day parade in Stowmarket, England, on Nov. 12, 2023, included 17 American airmen from the 48th Security Forces Squadron at RAF Lakenheath. (Kyle Alvarez/Stars and Stripes)
U.S. airmen from RAF Lakenheath in England observed Remembrance Day ceremonies over the weekend alongside members of the Royal British Legion and dignitaries in the town of Stowmarket.
In the United Kingdom, Nov. 11 tributes recall the signing of the 1918 armistice that ended World War I. The main observance to honor those who fought and died in WWI and other wars is Remembrance Sunday, which is held annually on the Sunday closest to Nov. 11.
U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Jesse Frank bows his head alongside other dignitaries during a moment of silence during a Remembrance Day ceremony on Nov. 12, 2023, in Stowmarket, England. (Kyle Alvarez/Stars and Stripes)
U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Jesse Frank lays a wreath Nov. 12, 2023, during a Remembrance Day ceremony in Stowmarket, England. A contingent of 17 American airmen from RAF Lakenheath marched in the Remembrance Day parade. (Kyle Alvarez/Stars and Stripes)
Members of the U.S. Air Force 48th Security Forces Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, England, march in the Remembrance Day parade in Stowmarket on Nov. 12, 2023. (Kyle Alvarez/Stars and Stripes)
Nick Gowrley, the mayor of Stowmarket, England, lays a wreath Nov. 12, 2023, at a local observance of Remembrance Day. U.S. airmen from RAF Lakenheath also participated in the memorial and parade. (Kyle Alvarez/Stars and Stripes)
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Christopher Marcum was one of the 17 U.S. airmen who attended. He said it was the second time he had taken part in a parade in Britain.
“This time feels a little different, more humbling,” Marcum said, adding that the link between Veterans Day and Remembrance Day contributed to that feeling.
Stowmarket residents lined the streets to watch the parade make its way to the cathedral for a service. Afterward, the parade continued to the Stowmarket War Memorial, where a wreath-laying ceremony concluded the day’s events.
