Manteca’s first Veterans’ Day parade is being staged this year on Wednesday, Nov. 11.

It will start at Wetmore Street and follow a route lined with flags up Main Street under the Manteca arch and then turn on Yosemite Avenue where the five veterans murals grace the walls of the historic IOOF Hall and then head west to Library Park.

Organizers in the coming days will have an exact start time — expected to be after 9 a.m. — and entry information.

The parade is ending at Library Park where traditional Veterans Day ceremonies conducted by American Legion Post 249 and Veterans of Foreign Wara Post 6311 will take place.

Among the speakers will be Mayor Gary Singh and San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors Chair Sonny Dhaliwal.

It is one of a number of new initiatives being undertaken to honor and assist veterans in Manteca.

Jeff Aksland, a Manteca native who served in the Army and is now chair of the American Legion Foundation after serving a stint as post commander, shared what is taking place in the community for veterans during Thursday’s Manteca Rotary meeting at the Rendezvous Room.

*The opening of the first phase of The Way Veterans Village with tiny houses on the grounds of The Way Church on North Street to help house homeless veterans.

*Planning for the next Memorial Day Weekend Commemoration at Woodward Park that will include expansion of the Patriots Pavilion to have not just local and state services for veterans available but those offered by the federal government as well. In May, 400 veterans connected with agencies for services.

*Twice a month visits by the VA bus to 555 Industrial Park Drive to assist veterans with healthcare and other needs.

*Creating “living histories” of Manteca veterans that have served in combat.

Dubbed the “Manteca War Fighters Legacy Project,” Aksland along with Councilwoman Regina Lackey are recording video interviews with Manteca veterans who share their stories.

They have done four so far, including that of 103 year-old Lloyd Wofford.

The video interviews are being provided to family members and donated to the Manteca Museum.

Wofford served in the U.S. Army in the mid-1940s. He served in Okinawa and the Philippines.

Wofford had a long career in education, having served as the first principal at Golden West Elementary School.

Three years ago, he was honored by the Manteca Unified School District with the Golden West gym officially named after him.

Lackey served in the Air Force and was stationed in Korea, stateside, and Qatar after 9-11.

Aksland also serves on the county commission addressing the needs of veterans.

Aksland chaired the return of the Memorial Day Weekend Commemoration this past May.

The three-day event attracted 24,000 attendees.

The event costs $172,500 to stage.

The 2027 edition will also include a drone show and an expanded Army Band concert, among other additions.

Aksland noted assistance from San Joaquin County allowed for a remodel of the century-old Legion Hall at 220 East Yosemite that brought bathrooms and the kitchen up to ADA standards plus more.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com