North Texas communities come together to honor veterans

DALLAS - Communities across North Texas held celebrations to honor our nation's veterans ahead of Veterans Day on Monday.

Dallas' Cedar Crest neighborhood held its 5th annual community Veterans Day parade on Saturday.

"I feel truly blessed, I know that God allowed me to come through some situations," said Ron Stinson, a Vietnam-era veteran.

Stinson still recalled what his father told him before he joined the Air Force.

"It’s going to make a man out of you — and it did!" he said.

Some veterans said there's no better way to give back than to serve in the military.

"What it instilled in me is to continue to give back to my community, so I volunteer and serve Dallas as best as possible," Stinson said.

In Mesquite, the city partnered with local American Legion and VFW posts to celebrate the bravery and service of our military heroes.

"It's all about being a patriot," said Mike Purcell.

People in Grapevine also took part in a parade, while in the Tarrant County city of Keller the Rotary Club put up 1776 American flags before Veterans Day on Monday.

Stinson says he is grateful people are showing their appreciation for the service of him and so many others.

"I’ll always be proud of the decision I made to go in and learn something," he said.