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Saturday, April 9, 2005
Saluting troops and Patriots, too
Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||
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Also on this page: HEROES PARADE | |||||
Kim Candelmo of South Portland took her two children out of school Friday so they could stand amid the swirling confetti and cheer the passing procession that began with part-time soldiers and concluded with professional football players. The children waved posters with images of both the New England Patriots and members of the military at the Maine Heroes Parade, but Candelmo said it wasn't this year's Super Bowl champions who got them out of class. "Sports players can be heroes, but it's a different kind of hero," she said. "They know exactly why we're here." In Candelmo's case, a personal loss played a part in her joining the thousands of spectators along Congress Street. A co-worker of hers at the Portland post office, Larry Roukey of Westbrook, was among the first Maine soldiers killed in Iraq, a year ago. Few others lining the parade route had experienced the consequences of war so directly, but nearly everyone said they thought the day belonged first and foremost to the troops - even some spectators dressed in Patriots gear. Wearing a Patriots cap and jersey, Bob Ingalls of Bangor said he came to the parade as a sports fan and then discovered that his favorite team wasn't the main attraction. "I thought I was just coming for football," he said. "The Patriots are a bonus on top of the troops." Others, like Beverly Bradley of Portland, said they had no particular interest in football or any personal ties to members of the military, but they still wanted to show appreciation for the sacrifices that members of the military were making on their behalf. Standing on a milk crate for a better view, Bradley said she had made an unplanned stop on her way home from work to watch the parade. She said she was initially dubious about whether the event was worth the cost of putting it on, but she said the display of patriotism and pride convinced her otherwise. "I've been standing out here on a box for an hour so I can see," she said. "It brought tears to my eyes two times." A number of spectators said they had mixed feelings about celebrating sports and soldiers with the same parade. David Martin of American Legion Post 197 in Westbrook, who snapped a salute toward every passing group of soldiers, said he realized that the double billing drew a bigger crowd, but he would have preferred separate celebrations. "I think these guys deserve something on their own," he said of the troops. There were only a few signs of dissent along the parade route. "Stop thinking and buy a flag," someone wrote on the sidewalk outside Space Gallery. A little farther down the street, about 15 members of Maine Veterans for Peace wore black clothing and greeted the parade with somber silence. Members said they found it impossible to see the event as a celebration of the troops rather than a celebration of the war. "A function such as this is a de facto recognition of war as a means to settle conflict," said Jack Bussell of Portland. Another member of the group, Doug Rawlings of Chesterville, said placing soldiers and football players in the same parade was a "bizarre confluence," one that trivialized the nature of war. "The implication is, it's a game," he said. "It's not a game." One didn't have to look far, however, to find a different opinion among the parade watchers. Steve Bunnell, who like many of the Veterans for Peace had served in Vietnam, said he never favored going to war in Iraq but he drove down from Camden to support the soldiers. "I came home and I never had anything like this," he said. Staff Writer Seth Harkness can be contacted at 282-8225 or at:
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Thousands turned out to honor their heroes Friday in Portland.
On Friday, the "Maine Heroes Parade" and rally honored Maine's soldiers and veterans in Portland. Check the