We went to Manchester's parade on Veterans Day and were impressed by several things. The healthy turnout of citizens was a positive, as was the presence, as is typical, of Mayor Ted Gatsas and School Superintendent Dr. Tom Brennan.

The veterans who participated, either as spectators or marchers, must have appreciated the spontaneous applause from the crowd. It broke out, where we stood, every few minutes and was heartwarming.

The veterans, no doubt, also appreciated the marching along of Mayor Gatsas and Dr. Brennan. Their attendance made all the more obvious the absence of other city and area politicians. If there was a single alderman or school board member in the line of march, we missed them.

In Nashua that evening, the public turned out strong for a fundraising show to benefit the Veterans Count program.

Credit Nashua Mayor Donnalee Lozeau, U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte and U.S. Rep. Charlie Bass for representing their constituencies.

It was particularly telling that Charlie Bass, having just lost his seat in Congress, was there to take a seat and support the veterans.

And credit Nashua civic spark plugs Sy Mahfuz and Tom Tessier for starting from scratch an event that promises to be a Veterans Day hallmark for years to come.