127th Annual Veterans and Armed Forces Day Parades
By: Pol Normeyer
August 20, 2017
Today, the 80th anniversary of Goyanes entering the Fascist Wars and the yearly Veterans and Armed Forces Day, was marked with parades in nearly every city in the nation. The two biggest parades on this holiday, the Gojannesstad and Jægerstrom Parades, were quite the visual spectacle. The parades are also a chance for the Goyanean Imperial Military to showcase the latest and greatest technology to the general public.
The Gojannesstad parade was coordinated by Army Senior Music Director Jon Lejnbinger. It is his 22nd year coordinating the annual parade for the capital city. The parade started off with a selection of military music performed by the bands of the 194th Airborne Division, the 10th Infantry Division, and the Imperial Knights Corps Military Band. The three bands then joined together to play both national anthems, Gud Lagra and Nordmannen.
Next up was the Ground Column, which comprised (in order) of the Grand Emperor's Color Guard, the 1st Gojannesstad Honor Guard Company, a detachment of cadets from the Krojansar Military Academy, a detachment of midshipmen from the National Navy Academy, a detachment of cadets from the National Air Force Academy at Sør-Gojannesstad, the 9th Battalion of the Imperial Knights Corps, the 6th Cavalry Regiment, the 104th Airborne Regiment, 44th Engineers Division, the 82nd Imperial Naval Infantry Battalion, the 55th Infantry Regiment, the 107th Women's Infantry Unit, the Northern Brigade of the Imperial Military Police, and the 45th Goyanean Geldkrieger Regiment.
In close pursuit of the Ground Column of the parade was the Foreign Troops Ground Column. In order, they were the the Andrennian battalion, the Cogorian battalion, the Malorian battalion, the Mouxordian battalion, and the Samarian battalion.
After the ground columns there was a display of mobile technology, including SAM missile systems, tanks, armored personnel carriers, mobile howitzers, artillery, and more.
Following the mobile column there was a spectacular display of precision aerobatics by the Air Vikings demonstration team.
In the coastal city of Jægerstrom the main focus of the day was not the ground parade, but the annual naval parade. The Imperial Navy showed a ship of each class in their fleet, and the main event of the show was the newly rechristened HMV Nyhett battleship firing a full broadside from her 9 massive sixteen-inch guns.