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Inspiring World War II Vets to Lift Spirits at Pasadena’s 126th Rose Parade

Published on Monday, December 15, 2014 | 8:06 pm
 

 

Pasadena’s 126th Rose Parade on New Year’s Day will welcome Princess Cruises’ first-ever float and a couple, Paula and Nathan Abbott, who will ride the float along with cast members of The Love Boat.

Contest grand-prize winners Paula and Nathan Abbott.

The Abbotts won the grand prize at Princess Cruises’ 50th Anniversary essay contest and riding the Princess Cruises’ float was part of their prize for winning the contest. Nathan Abbott is a 91-year-old veteran who served with the U.S. Navy in the Pacific in World War II.

His presence will give the Rose Parade a poignancy made stronger by the Grand Marshal tribute to the late Louis Zamperini.

Zamperini, also a World War II veteran who served in the Pacific, has remained Grand Marshall of next year’s Rose Parade despite his death last July 2 at the age of 97. His story and the torture he endured at the hands of the Japanese is told in the new movie, Unbroken.

A sedan bearing Zamperini’s name will make its way down the route of the Rose Parade.

The theme of the 126th edition of the annual Rose Parade, “Inspiring Stories,” is also the same theme for Princess Lines’ essay contest. Honoring two World War II veterans at the Rose Parade 2015 jibes with the parade theme.

The Rose Parade 2015 will feature 41 floats, 20 bands and 18 equestrian units with some 400 horses.

One of these floats will be the Princess Cruises float that is 60 feet long and 24 feet high. The float will be covered by more than 24,000 flowers and natural materials.

It depicts the line’s newest ship, Regal Princess, symbolically sailing through some of the world’s most fascinating destinations and iconic landmarks

The story that won the Abbott’s the privilege of riding in the Rose Parade was written by Paula Abbot. It tells of her husband’s longing to return to the Pacific islands.

He served as a U.S. Navy Radarman 2/C in the Pacific Theater from 1943 to 1945 and was a veteran of the Philippine, Iwo Jima and Okinawa campaigns.

He had long desired to return to the Pacific islands where he had served, a dream he realized in 2004. That year, a Princess cruise to the Islands of the Pacific Theater of War allowed Abbott to fulfill that wish, and he also met other WWII veterans on the cruise.

“We were truly inspired by the stories of love, family and the triumph of the human spirit we received from our guests and we want to thank everyone who shared their personal stories with us,” said Princess Cruises’ president Jan Swartz.

“Each tale was unique, taking place in different destinations around the globe, but the unifying theme of this year’s Rose Parade gave us the opportunity to acknowledge the many forms of inspiration so many of our guests find while cruising with Princess. We are thrilled to feature these guests on our Rose Parade float.”

Four other stories dealing with love and family were selected as runners-up. The authors and guests also will cruise the five-and-a-half mile parade route on the float.

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