Iowa official defends ban on Democratic veterans group from parade, says decision 'is not about

Iowa official defends ban on Democratic veterans group from parade, says decision 'is not about politics'


A decision to ban a Democratic military veterans group from the Iowa State Fair's annual veterans parade was made by a parade committee and not the Iowa Commission of Veterans Affairs, Commission Chairman Dan Gannon said Tuesday.

Gannon said the decision was made jointly by a handful of parade officials representing the Iowa National Guard, himself, and the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs. The decision was initially made by the parade committee in 2016, although the Iowa Democratic Party's Veterans Caucus wasn't informed at the time, he acknowledged.

"This is not about politics; this is about veterans," Gannon said, explaining he doesn't believe the parade should have partisan overtones.

Gannon, a Marine veteran who served in the Vietnam War, said he apologized for a controversial mix-up that resulted in the Democratic Veterans Caucus being initially approved and then later disapproved late last week to participate in the parade. He said the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs has the ultimate responsibility for the parade.

Read more: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2018/08/14/democratic-veterans-banned-iowa-state-fair-parade-governor-kim-reynolds-paul-pate/985808002/