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Look Back: The Molly Maguires premiered at the Paramount Theater in 1970

WILKES-BARRE &mdash; While this year&rsquo;s Wyoming Valley Veterans Day Parade may have looked different from years past, the message was still clear: we must honor the men and women who have served this country.
				&ldquo;How could we not have this parade?&rdquo; said Wilkes-Barre Fire Chief Jay Delaney before Sunday&rsquo;s parade, which began and ended on Public Square. &ldquo;We should be thanking our vets everyday.&rdquo;
				For more than 75 years, the annual Veteran&rsquo;s Day Parade brought dozens of veterans together in honor of their service, parading across the Market Street Bridge from Kingston while crowds of people lined the streets to pay tribute.
				However, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge across the country, gathering large groups of people simply couldn&rsquo;t happen.
				Instead, a mobile parade consisting of mainly fire and police vehicles, processed through the streets of Wilkes-Barre. There was no marching, and spectators weren&rsquo;t encouraged (although some gathered on the square to show their support anyway) but the pride and patriotism that has always been shown around Veteran&rsquo;s Day was still evident.
				Riding alongside Delaney in his vehicle was Mayor George Brown, who also presided over a short ceremony before the parade.
				After the Pledge of Allegiance and a stirring rendition of the national anthem by Miss Luzerne County 2020 Victoria Vespico, Brown said a few words to the small group of vets, officers and observers.
				&ldquo;Today is a special day,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;I want to thank you all for being here today, and for making this possible.&rdquo;
				The guest of honor, and recipient of the Wyoming Valley Veterans Day Parade Committee 2020 Veteran of the Year Award, was Hanover Township resident Leonard Luba.
				Luba &#8211; a Navy veteran with an impressive list of accolades from his service days in the Vietnam War, including the National Service Defense Medal, a Navy Unit Commendation and three Bronze Stars &mdash; was presented a special award and a commendation from the city of Wilkes-Barre.
				&ldquo;When the committee started looking at resumes for this year&rsquo;s award, it was clear once we saw Leonard&rsquo;s that he was the right choice,&rdquo; Brown said.
				As onlookers clapped, Luba accepted the award and commendation from the mayor, and offered a few words.
				&ldquo;I&rsquo;m humbled, really humbled,&rdquo; said Luba, who just celebrated his birthday on Saturday. &ldquo;I just want to thank my family for putting up with me all these years.&rdquo;
				Luba rode in his own special vehicle during the parade, which lasted about 15 minutes. From Public Square, the procession headed up North Main Street to Butler Street, then to Pennsylvania Avenue.
				After traveling to Ross Street (where the fire station is located), the parade came back up South Main Street to the square, with a huge U.S. flag hanging over the roadway for vehicles to pass under as they wrapped things up.
				It was a much quieter, smaller-scale event than usual &mdash; but it went off without a hitch.
				&ldquo;We wanted to tailor it back this year without canceling it completely,&rdquo; Delaney said. &ldquo;I think we achieved our goal.&rdquo;

Honoring our veterans