Salute to Veterans: Army of volunteers presents 20th air show

This Memorial Day, when the skies over Columbia are filled with the sights and sounds of the annual airshow, consider the human resources required to pull off such an event.

In its 20th year, the Salute to Veterans Corp. relies on 3,000 volunteers and 100 committee chairmen. It’s a matter of observing the Golden Rule—do unto others as you would have them do unto you, said Mary McCleary Posner, who founded the event with her husband, Alan.

That rule was crucial while she managed corporate clients in New York. In fact, having a law firm with 120 partners as a client was similar to running an air show, Posner said. You need to consider everyone individually.

Currently she is president and a principal of Posner McCleary Inc., an international consulting, advertising, marketing and financial relations firm. But the corporation closest to her heart was prompted by advice from her father, a former University of Missouri law school dean.
Her father told her she was able to enjoy her corporate career “because very brave men and women had risked their lives to give me the freedom to do so, and if I could ever figure out a way to say ‘thank you,’ I should do it,” she explained.

In 1987, Posner returned to her hometown of Columbia to help her mother. Heeding her father’s words, she decided to hold a Memorial Day parade to raise money and awareness for the Korean War Veterans Association. The idea struck her while serving on a national board with a person who was leading efforts to remember Korean War veterans. She and her husband formed the Salute to Veterans Corp. In 1989, they funded the first parade and paid for airplanes, with sufficient fuel to fly over it.

From the moment the trumpet began to play taps, Posner knew the parade had to be an annual event. Spectators told her they wanted to do it again. People originally told her that no one would come to a parade on Memorial Day weekend because everyone in Columbia heads to the lake, she laughed. Their advice? Sign on the Boy Scouts because at least then the parents and grandparents would come.
Managing volunteers means developing long-term personal relationships. A majority of volunteers have been around for 16 to 18 years, and she is seeing a fourth generation of volunteers. “They want to stay. They believe in what you’re doing,” Posner explained.

The numbers increase by 100-200 a year, which help to offset loss of aging volunteers and veterans. The 12-month effort includes volunteers of all ages and backgrounds, not all military.

Developing personal relationships is a tool Posner picked up from Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton 20 years ago. They were seated together on the dais during an annual board meeting in Kansas City.

“When he talked to you, he looked at you, with those beautiful blue eyes, and heard everything you said. I learned how to listen from him,” she said.

This Memorial Day weekend, three hotels are booked, with people coming from all over the world. The Salute to Veterans includes the two-day air show, a parade, school visits and a memorial ceremony, with an anticipated attendance of more than 100,000 visitors.

“The interesting thing about Salute to Veterans is that when a need arises someone always steps forward to fill the void, and that has been true the entire 20 years, and why it has been so incredibly successful over that period of time,” Posner said.

“No one person is the corporation, but rather a large group of dedicated individuals who remain involved and steadfast to the original mission. Only the events and activities evolve, change and grow. For us, though, honoring and remembering all those who served, those currently serving in our Armed Forces, Guard, Reserves and our allies remains paramount. As long as we continue to do that, then those who came before are not forgotten,” she added.

“Actually this is a singularly heartwarming milestone year, since who would have thought that we could overcome all of the hurdles and obstacles that were placed in our path over 20 years and for a large group of diversified, but single-minded, individuals to achieve such a wonderful result and make so many people happy.”