Grand marshal named for Sandusky's Memorial Day parade

PERKINS TWP. — The Sandusky Memorial Day Association, in conjunction with the Ohio Veterans Home, will be celebrating Memorial Day, on Monday, that begins with a ceremony at 9 a.m. at the Ohio Veterans Home in front of the I. F. Mack Building. Immediately following the ceremony, the annual parade will go down Milan Road (U.S. 250) and end at Oakland Cemetery. A ceremony at Oakland Cemetery will commence after the parade has concluded at about 10:30 a.m. The public is invited to attend all events. This year's grand marshal is Thomas "Tom" Cullen. "Tom is a veteran and family man," according to an organizational statement. "Tom and his wife, Gail, have resided in Groton Township, of Erie County, for over 50 years. He is a parishioner of Holy Angels Church and a 1969 graduate of Margaretta High School and a graduate of Terra Technical College. Cullen comes from a family with a deep military history: • His father, Leo Cullen, was in the Army, serving in World War II. • His uncle Patrick Cullen was in the Navy, serving in World War II. • He has three sons: — Daniel was in the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard. — James was in the Army National Guard. — Col. Andrew Cullen is active in the U.S. Air Force. • His daughter-in-law, Saiard was in the Army National Guard. • He has two grandchildren: — Hudson is in the U.S. Air Force. — Ashlee is in the US Air Force. Tom enlisted in the Army in 1969. He served in the Vietnam War between 1970 to 1971. He was in the 82nd Airborne and the 173rd Airborne in Vietnam. In 1990, Tom re-enlisted in the Army National Guard, serving with the 612th Combat Engineers located in Sandusky. He then moved to the Air National Guard, 200th Red Horse Squadron, located in Port Clinton. With the 200th Red Horse Squadron, Tom was deployed for six months to Qatar for Operation Enduring Freedom in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He did many more deployments before retiring in 2011. Tom has been retired from the military for more than 22 years "and is a humble and proud member of the American Legion/VFW Honor Guard," according to the statement. "Tom has seen many foreign countries and the living standards for their people. Tom is proud to be an America, living in the land of the free and home of the brave." It continued: "Tom has the utmost respect for those serving our country and for those who have paid the ultimate price and who we recognize on Memorial Day."