Lines of eager spectators filed inside Falcon Stadium shorty after 5 p.m.
Many were looking forward to one major headliner : Kelly Clarkson.
But of course, Saturday’s ceremony was all about honoring our wounded warriors.
Master of ceremonies Jon Stewart kicked off the ceremony with a word to those who serve.
"I hope to get just a fraction of their tenacity, their honor, their grace, their resilience and their teamwork will inspire me to do better in my life," Stewart said.
The parade featured 300 athletes from different service branches including the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, SOCOM and international teams from the U.K., Australia and Canada.
The torch relay flowed seamlessly until it came to the lighting of the torch and that’s when the wind, once again, made an unwelcome return.
Not to worry, though, as Jon Steward figured out, it wasn’t anything a ladder couldn’t fix.
From there on out, everything went on as planned and Kelly Clarkson gave the crowd and service-members the performance they were counting on.
