Paying homage to WWII heroes at Auburn's Veterans Day Parade

By Tan Vinh
Seattle Times staff reporter

ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES Proud veteran Jerry Drury of SeaTac, who served aboard the heavy cruiser USS Chicago from 1945-47, salutes the passing parade of flags in the annual Veterans Day Parade yesterday in downtown Auburn. Thousands came out for the annual event.

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AUBURN — More than half a century has passed since they fought on the Pacific Ocean. Yesterday, many local submarine veterans finally got their parade. They were the lead convoy, waving to a roaring sea of red, white and blue during the city of Auburn's 39th Annual Veterans Day Parade, one of the biggest such parades west of the Mississippi.

At the peak of World War II, the Navy's Submarine Force was called the "Silent Service," sneaking up on and sinking battleships and tankers before descending back into the depths. By the time their missions were declassified, the public was consumed by the Cold War or had lost interest; their conquests are often missing from the early history texts.

"We were the forgotten ones for a while," said Lem Riddell, 81, of Whidbey Island, one of about 40 submarine veterans who participated in yesterday's parade. "I am glad the word is finally getting out."

With the war in Iraq, this year's festivities elicited quite a bit of patriotic fervor.

	ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES Amanda Schumaier of Auburn, dressed as a World War II U.S. Army nurse, rides in a vintage jeep along the parade route. In the backseat is cousin Jace Graves and driving is her friend Aaron Morales.

Thousands lined Main Street, cheering the old soldiers and reservists who paraded with marching bands, military vehicles and Model T cars. Many shouted out to the veterans. Others reached to hug them.

Members of high-school bands and drill teams by the hundreds flooded the downtown area, playing patriotic songs.

The submarine vets tipped their hats to Lt. Damon Armeni and Spc. Timothy Hayes, Purple Heart recipients from the Iraq war who followed them along the mile-long stretch through downtown.

Armeni, 26, of Fort Lewis, was injured Aug. 4 when a rocket-propelled grenade tore part of his intestine and colon while he was inside a Stryker vehicle in Mosul.

Hayes, 28, of Fort Lewis, lost hearing in his right ear when an explosive hit his Humvee while he was traveling near Tikrit in early October.

Mostly, though, the spotlight fell on the submarine veterans, whose service during World War II is considered by many military historians to be among the least recognized.

	ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES Auburn High School band and drill-team members march down East Main Street in the 39th Annual Veterans Day Parade. The celebration in Auburn is one of the largest in the nation.

With roughly 18,000 men, the Submarine Force made up about 2 percent of the Navy during World War II. Yet it was responsible for more than half of Japan's maritime losses and a third of its battleship losses, said Charles Hinman, a military historian for the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park on Oahu, Hawaii.

Submariners played a key role in defeating Imperial Japan because they were largely responsible for destroying Japan's tankers and cutting its supply lines, Hinman said. Submariners also rescued many downed pilots including George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st U.S. president and father of the current president.

But their service came at a price. Fifty-two of 288 submarines were lost at sea, and the men who did come home got little recognition in the decades that followed.

"Those [World War II] guys are the real heroes," said Patrick Householder, a retired petty officer 1st class who served on a submarine during the Cold War. "They knew the odds they were facing. They knew that one out of four would not be coming back. But they went out and did their duty."

Yesterday, many submarine veterans were surprised to find so many young people saluting and applauding them, and wished more of their peers could have witnessed the tribute.

	ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES From left, submarine veterans Hank Hollis, Fred Borgmann, Al Durkee and Robbie Robertson watch a flyover of a giant cargo plane from aboard their float, which represented the USS Bonefish. Submarine vets were honored guests in this year's parade.

The Washington state U.S. Submarine Veterans of World War II reports its membership has dropped from 300 to 152 in the past 10 years. A few of those members moved out of state or into nursing homes, but most have passed away.

About 1,100 veterans, most from World War II, die every year, the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates.

Many submarine veterans have ties to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton. Many still gather for weekly chats.

"Every year, we improve the truth in our war stories," quipped Ted Taylor, regional director of the U.S. Submarine Veterans of World War II.

Riddell, a local veteran, went through many sea battles. The former petty officer 1st class was a radio operator for the USS Finback SS230. One morning, his crew spotted five Japanese ships around the Palau Islands in the western Pacific Ocean. From about 2,000 yards away, his submarine torpedoed three freighters. The two destroyers left, but not before unleashing a barrage of underwater explosives that rattled his vessel and his nerves.

Riddell remembers that the battle started on March 23, 1943, because for a boy growing up in Crookston, Minn., "I had the living bejesus scared out of me," he said.

Veterans Day, Nov. 11, was proclaimed by Congress in 1926. It originated as Armistice Day in 1918, to commemorate the end of World War I. Most parades, though, take place the weekend before the actual date.

Tan Vinh: 206-515-5656 or tvinh@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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