Dearborn Memorial Day Parade

Michigan’s oldest Memorial Day Parade will return for its 97th year on Monday, May 29, 2023. Hosted by the City of Dearborn and the Dearborn Allied War Veterans Council, the parade honors veterans and those who lost their lives while serving their country. As one of the largest Memorial Day parades in the United States, the event features over 80 regional officials, marching bands, and community groups and concludes with a Remembrance Ceremony in honor of the fallen.

Grand Marshal

We are honored to welcome Dearborn native Captain Maysaa M. Ouza as the Grand Marshal of our 2023 Memorial Day Parade!

Captain Maysaa M. Ouza is a Victims’ Counsel in the Victims’ Counsel Division. She is currently assigned to Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, and also provides victims’ legal counsel at Grissom ARB, IN and Youngstown ARS, OH. In this role, she provides independent legal representation to, and advocacy on behalf of, victims of crimes in administrative and civil legal matters, as well as military courts-martial. Additionally, she provides base-wide community outreach and comprehensive sexual assault response in tandem with the installation’s Family Advocacy and Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Programs.

Captain Ouza is a 2013 graduate, with distinction, of the University of Michigan-Dearborn in Dearborn, Michigan, and a 2017 graduate, *** laude, of the University of Toledo College of Law in Toledo, Ohio. Captain Ouza was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Michigan in 2017 and received her commission by direct appointment in 2018.  

In 2018, Captain Ouza made history by becoming the first Air Force JAG Corps officer to wear a hijab while in uniform. Not only was Ouza a trailblazer in her personal career pathway, but she also successfully petitioned the Air Force to reconsider its nationwide policy regarding religious accommodations, expanding opportunities to serve for future generations.

Route Information

Due to planned MDOT construction, the 2023 Memorial Day Parade route will be moving westward on Michigan Ave, beginning at Nowlin St. and ending at S Brady St.

Public traffic will be closed on the following roads for the duration of the parade on May 29:
Michigan Ave (eastbound and westbound) between W Outer Dr and Evergreen Rd.
S Brady St between Michigan Ave and Cherry Hill Rd.
Garrison Place

Parade Schedule

The parade will begin at approximately 9:30 a.m. with a military funeral procession. Grand Marshal and parade groups to follow.

A Remembrance Ceremony will take place on the lawn of the Dearborn Historical Museum at noon. The public is welcome to attend.

We are excited to announce that this year’s lead marching band is none other than the “Governor’s Own” 126th Army Band of the Michigan National Guard!