Cheers, "thank yous" greet proud veterans

As he marched with his Special Forces brethren, Kiet V. Nguyen had a quiet dignity that comes from courage so deep, he simply calls it duty.

Nguyen, the only Vietnamese national to be awarded the Navy Cross for actions during the Vietnam War, joined veterans from around the region Saturday to march in the 40th annual Auburn Veterans Day parade.

The mile-long parade is among the largest veterans parades in the nation, and one of the two largest west of the Mississippi.

Despite a drenching rain, Nguyen traveled from his home in Kent to march in the parade: He never misses it. Nguyen saved a downed American pilot on April 13, 1972, braving machine-gun fire and an 11-day ordeal deep behind enemy lines to save the pilot's life.

"It was my duty," Nguyen said.

The parade is important to him. "I am here because I want to say thank you for our troops, and our American vets, wherever they are, for fighting for freedom," Nguyen said.

"We fought together, to fight the communists."

Washington is home to more than 600,000 living veterans, who served in every branch of the military.

And they all had their day to shine Saturday:

There was the gray-haired, grinning couple in their parade car emblazoned "Korea. STILL MARRIED."

And the Merchant Marine vets, too, proudly carried their banner declaring, "First to Arrive, Last to Return. Largest Death Rate in World War II." That brought a chorus of "Thank you! Thank you!" from nearly every block of onlookers.

High-school marching bands from as near as Seattle and as far Cowiche, Yakima County, and Royal City, Grant County, high-stepped and raised an ear-splitting tribute to their country and those who have served it.

Darcy Richardson of Mukilteo was there, for sure the oldest member of his unit, back last spring from Iraq. At 54, he looked more like his buddies' history teacher than their colleague, and in a way, he was.

An infantryman at 18 in Vietnam, Richardson was determined to re-enlist after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

He chopped off his ponytail, shed 45 pounds and blood-pressure points, and beat on recruiters' doors until he was accepted into the 303rd Cavalry in September 2002.

After having felt rejected by his own country when he returned from his military service the first time, Richardson said he wasn't going to let that happen again, especially to his comrades.

"I didn't get a parade, and my goal in life was to make sure these guys get one," he said of his buddies.

But even in this passionately pro-military crowd, feelings about the war in Iraq — and its death toll among American troops — were mixed.

"When the 2,000th one came, I was really angry," Richardson said of the grim milestone he grieves. "We needed to pull out of Iraq. I don't want my soldiers being killed over that. We should have got out of there within two months of conquering that country."

Some of the veterans from the Washington Chapter of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association were just as divided over the Iraq war and the direction of the country as the civilian population.

Bill Vaughn, who flew missions over the central highlands of Vietnam in 1969, said he had to be at the parade to show his support for the troops. But that doesn't mean he supports this war.

"Saying you don't support the war doesn't mean you aren't patriotic. I love this country. I fought for it. That doesn't mean I have to support a president who has made bad decisions and continues to make them," Vaughn said.

"We are creating more terrorists and radicalizing people who are oppressed all over the world."

His friend and fellow Vietnam helicopter pilot veteran Doug Decker of Steilacoom disagreed. The only thing wrong with the war, Decker said, is that "we aren't going hard enough at it. There ought to be more troops there. We ought to be pushing harder."

Ronald Rismon of Black Diamond, King County, president of the U.S. Army Special Forces Association, Chapter XVI (Airborne) and a veteran of Central Intelligence Agency missions all over the world, said he doesn't question the judgment of generals directing the action in Iraq.

"It's not that I am hardened against losing 2,000 soldiers. But it is a dangerous world," Rismon said.

"It is very unfortunate that good soldiers get killed. But if we are going to have a free nation for our kids and grandkids, we have to fight these wars, and it is better to fight in Iraq than New York."

Lynda V. Mapes: 206-464-2736 or lmapes@seattletimes.com