Antonio Marino, the Commander of the Veteran's Day Parade in Lincoln, was our speaker at Lincoln South Rotary Club on November 14, 2025.
Antonio talked about the week's activities for vets during the previous week. The Marines celebrated 250 years including the 50 Cakes in 50 States sponsored by the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. There was a cake cutting ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion and an a birthday party at Rosie’s. On the morning of Veterans day he spent time with vets at the HyVee annual breakfast, spending time talking with other vets about their lives and service.
He explained that vets are reluctant to talk to civilians about their time in the service but will share their experience with fellow vets especially if that vet is in the same branch of service. When it comes to Veterans Day, there are some vets that go to the events for the food and entertainment but also to display appreciation. Other vets avoid all of the attention - maybe out of resentment or embarrassment.
Antonio talked about meeting Tony Anton at the HyVee breakfast - a person in his VFW uniform that was between events. He is a biker-looking Air Force vet that you will see organizing his fellow vets in ceremonies and funeral services all year.
Antonio talked about being personally inspired by vets. He shared some history of Veterans Day. He said that the first Veterans Day parade was in Birmingham, Alabama in 1947 organized by a Word War II Navy vet. Raymond Weeks is known as the Father of Veterans Day, petitioning President Eisenhower in 1946 to support National Veterans Day. It was after the parades were taking place across the country that Eisenhower declared Veterans Day a national holiday.
Another motivator for Antonio is Tammy Duckworth. Born in Thailand but raised in Hawaii, she joined the Army and deployed to Iraq as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot. When they were shot down, she lost both of her legs. She pushed for a medical waiver to serve in the Guard before retiring as a Lt Col in 2014. She continues to serve and is active in the political world..
Sharing his personal story, Antonio said he grew up in a Navy family living many coastal areas like California, Hawaii and Italy. Landing in Lincoln, he attended Northeast High School and then signed up for the Marine Corps in 1998 as he was headed into his senior year. He wanted to get back out to see the world. He felt he would do better in the military than in college. There were many mentors that challenged him, and he was recognized for doing well, though there weren't any official commendations.
After returning to Nebraska, he worked in his father's business, which he now owns.
He earned an associate's degree at Southeast Community College. For the first 10 year out of the military he did not get involved in vet activities. Then he met the Marine Corps League Cornhusker Detachment that was presenting the colors at an event. Antonio decided to attend one of their meetings where he was introduced to the veterans community. There he was inspired to work with the City Council to start a veterans parade in Lincoln.
The first parade was in 2018 organized by a few vets and City staff. The parade was small with only about 100 spectators. But the word got out. The second parade had sponsors, a military unit, helium inflatables and marching bands. A non-profit board was put in place. They felt organized and strong and looked forward to future parades.
An emotional Antonio shared about the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 parade due to COVID and the struggles for him personally to get back on track.
His family supported him and helped him understand the importance of the parade. He presented that it was important for businesses and organizations. And it was a way for veterans and civilians to connect. The 7th Veterans parade in Lincoln is scheduled for November 16.
They are proud of the growth of the parade. They are seeing more sponsors and school marching bands. They are building a network to better connect services for our veteran community. They also recently kicked off the Honor Project to record stories of local veterans and supporters.
Antonio thanked us for allowing him a platform for sharing his story.
BIO
Antonio Marino grew up transferring to different coastal bases across the U.S. and one in Italy as his mom served in the Navy. Leading up to her retirement, they planted roots in Lincoln Nebraska. Antonio attended Northeast High School where he focused his studies on the industrial arts. During the summer before his senior year, he enlisted in the Marine Corps delayed entry program. Shortly after graduation, he shipped off to MCRD San Diego for boot camp and then to Camp Pendleton with the 1st Transportation Support Battalion for his first duty station. There Antonio worked as a Heavy Equipment Mechanic and continued field training. While in California, he was promoted to the rank of Corporal. Months after the 9/11 attack, he was transferred to 8th Engineer Support Battalion Okinawa Japan. While there, Antonio served on ship with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.
After separating from the Marine Corps in 2003, he started working in the family business while attending Southeast Community College for a degree in Marketing graduating in 2007. Using that education, he grew The Paper Puller Inc. into a well-known company in its field. Now part owner and while his father is retiring, Antonio still does the wallpaper removal along with other operational tasks. In 2016, he discovered the Marine Corps League and involved himself in many missions. He favored helping to furnish veteran’s homes and being in funeral Honor Guards. Through the League, he involved himself in the Nebraska Family and Veteran Task Force and Heroes Into Homes. Deep into the veteran community he learned about a petition for a city veterans parade. In April 2018, after several inquiries to the City Council, Antonio was given the green light to take on the parade. Since then, he has served as the founder and commander of the Lincoln Veterans Parade with the help of voluntary committee members. During the year long planning of the annual parade, he continues to interact with the community by taking on missions where he can. Recently, Antonio has been collecting and publishing video recorded stories of local veterans and supporters with the parade’s Honor Project. Earlier this year, he partnered with Jason Stiener of Hero Stock to put on a mini parade in Havelock for Patriots Day.
Antonio has been married to his wife Gail, for 17 years, who is a hospital nurse. Their daughter Lucy is involved with several school activities and junior roller derby.