KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Men and women who served in the military marched throughout downtown Knoxville for the 96th annual Veterans Day Parade Thursday morning.
It was a parade of firsts, which is a big accomplishment for a parade that has been around for 96 years. It began with a ceremonial swearing in of several local U.S. Air Force and Space Force recruits.
"Today they will enter into a contract with the U.S. Military," said Lt. Col. Bryan Ewing with the U.S. Air Force.
He was in charge of swearing in the new recruits Thursday afternoon. After years of experience, he said that joining the Air Force changed his own life and he can't wait to see how it grows the new recruits.
"You want to talk about life-changing? That is what we're doing today," Lt. Col. Ewing said.
The excitement was high among the diverse crowd of Air Force and Space Force recruits.
"Just to be in the presence of so many other service members and Veterans is a little overwhelming, but very exciting," said Mathilde French, a new Air Force recruit.
French thought about military life ever since she was little. Both of her grandfathers served: one in the Army and the other in the Air Force.
However, French didn't take the step to join until after College. Her grandfathers said they were proud of her decision.
"It's really humbling to kind of see their support throughout this whole process," French said.
Jonathon Lloyd is one of six people in East Tennessee to have been sworn into the Space Force at Thursday's parade. He also had a college degree before pursuing a life of service.
"I have a degree in accounting, I do accounting and I don't really like it. So, the Space Force just kind of showed up at the right time," Lloyd said.
Lloyd's wife also served in the military, and their family appreciated the benefits that come with a serving member. Now, Lloyd and his wife have a 2-year-old daughter and look forward to seeing her grow up.
"It means that she's going to see what it takes to be a military member as she grows up," Lloyd said.
Lt. Col. Ewing said this class of recruits is from a new generation. It's bringing about change to the U.S. military.
"They're bringing degrees with them. I mean, we've got Bachelor's degrees, some have Master's degrees, they're highly educated and highly competent," Lt. Col. Ewing said. "We also have a very diverse group, we have about 60% are males and about 40% are females, which is great."
Nearly all races, nationalities and ethnic groups were also represented within the 39 recruits. French said she's thrilled to be a part of that group of women.
"Being a female entering into a generally male-dominated kind of field, I'm excited to be that person that someone can look up to you and be like, 'Okay, women can do this,'" French said.
However, with all the excitement for the next generation of service members, each new recruit said they remember and appreciate those who served before them.
"I can't say anything more important, more impactful than just simply, 'Thank you,' to our veterans that went before us," said Lt. Col. Ewing. "The Lord knows if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be here today."
The young men and women who were sworn in at Thursday's parade will soon begin their journey in the military at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. There, they will spend more than a month going through basic military training.