Edward Lawrence Killen named Grand Marshal of 2021 Howard County Veterans Day Parade

COLUMBIA, Md.—The Howard County Veterans Foundation Veterans Day Committee named the late Edward Lawrence “Larry” Killen as the Grand Marshal of the 2021 Howard County Veterans Day Parade. The Grand Marshal title is bestowed upon an individual who represents the values and morals of the Howard County community of Veterans and military families.

Killen served in the Vietnam War as a Chinese linguist with the U.S. Navy and later with the U.S. Army Reserve 11th Psychological Operations (PSYOPS) Battalion in the Balkans and the Middle East. He was also a firefighter for Prince George’s County at Kentland Station 46 and a paramedic firefighter with the 3rd Battalion.

Killen was chairman of the Howard County Veterans Day Committee from 2015 to 2019 and a past commander of the American Legion Adams, Hanna, Moore Memorial Post 156. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign War. He passed away in March 2021.

“Larry Killen was an important and involved member of the Howard County Veterans community,” said Robert Gilette, president of the Howard County Veterans Foundation. “We salute his memory and legacy as the 2021 Howard County Veterans Day Parade Grand Marshal.”

The parade, which begins at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 7, in Columbia’s Merriweather District, will honor all branches of the U.S. Military, the National Guard, first responders and their families. As Grand Marshal, Killen will be recognized at the parade and lakefront ceremony.

To learn more about the Howard County Veterans Day Parade, visit: http://www.howardcountyveterans.org/parade.

Howard County Veterans Foundation honors the services and sacrifices of Veterans and their families who live, work or play in Howard County. The foundation holds events dedicated to Veterans’ issues and is developing the Howard County Veterans Monument.