A crowd of 25,000 people gathered in downtown Toledo in 1954 to view a nighttime torchlight parade, celebrating the country’s first Veterans Day.

Faces lit by flickering red fusee torches, hundreds of veterans and reservists marched down the streets, accompanied by marching bands, floats, artillery, and military vehicles. A scale replica of a French train from World War I, modeled on 1918 lines, was introduced that night.

In this 1954 Blade archive photo, the engine and boxcar pass onlookers lining the streets. The replica was made by members of Lucas County Voiture 141 of 40 and 8, a social and honor society of the American Legion at that time. The French boxcar, used to transport troops to the front lines during both world wars, is a symbol of the Voiture.

Before 1954, November 11 was

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