St. Louis hosts first big parade to welcome Iraq War veterans Jeff Roberson / AP Participants in a parade to honor Iraq War veterans make their way along a downtown street Saturday, Jan. 28, in St. Louis, Mo. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the United States since the last troops left Iraq in December. People in the crowd waved American flags and held signs reading, "Welcome Home" and "God Bless Our Troops." Fire trucks with aerial ladders hoisted three huge American flags along the route. Two St. Louis men launched a grass-roots effort to hold the parade after noticing there'd been no large public celebrations to welcome troops home. Full story: St. Louis hosting 1st big parade on Iraq War's end Sarah Conard / Reuters Larry Connor, center, Vietnam veteran, salutes his fellow servicemen during the Welcome Home Heroes Parade in downtown St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 28. Stephanie King holds a picture of her uncle, Col. Stephen Scott, who was killed in Iraq in 2008, as she prepares to participate in a parade to honor Iraq War veterans, Jan. 28, in St. Louis, Mo.