Patriotism marches on

When Coeur d’Alene’s Hamilton family gathered on their front porch to watch the Fourth of July parade, they were upholding two traditions.

One was the gathering spot.

For more than 50 years, the wrap-around porch on the house at Ninth and Sherman has been the Hamiltons’ official parade-watching spot. The porch is large enough to accommodate four generations of family and friends. It’s right on the parade route.

“It an awesome parade-viewing site,” said Jill Hamilton Jurvelin, who grew up in the house now owned by her brother and sister-in-law. She waved at the people assembled: “This is my mother-in-law, her caregiver, an aunt, some clients, family friends, a granddaughter … .”

Honoring military service is the family’s other tradition.

Ninety-year-old C.J. Hamilton, the family patriarch, was riding on the veterans float Sunday. He received a Purple Heart during World War II. His son, Bill Hamilton, is also a veteran. So is Jurvelin’s husband.

Jurvelin is proud of them all. And she appreciates the renewed respect for the armed forces, evident since 9/11.

“Whether you agree with the war or not, we as a nation have decided that we don’t want to revisit Vietnam,” she said. “We don’t want to put our troops through that horror show.”

Parades and the military go way back in American patriotic tradition, to the days when Revolutionary War victories were celebrated with military parades and cannon fire.

Cannons were absent Sunday in Coeur d’Alene. But there were plenty of uniforms and a noticeable military presence.

The parade began at noon sharp, when an air refueling tanker from Fairchild Air Force Base swooped low over the parade route. The crowd gasped. “That was worth it, right there!” one man said.

Parade watchers, lined up three and four deep, clapped for the police escort. They also applauded the Marine Corps, the ROTC students, and the ex-POWS. And they still had applause left for the VFW float, the disabled veterans and the 11 Boy Scouts carrying a giant American flag.

Family members of the 116th Engineer Battalion received supportive cheers. Battalion members are among 2,000 Idaho National Guard troops who have been called up. Spouses and kids marched in red, white and blue clothing.

“That’s where my son is right now. Iraq,” said one man, pride and pain evident in his voice.

“Let Freedom Ring,” belted the chorus of a country-Western tune broadcast from the CAT 94 FM truck. “It’s good to be an American, isn’t it?” asked the DJ on the Hot Rod Café float.

“Before 9/11, people weren’t very patriotic. I think it was an awakening,” said Tina Bishop of Spokane.

Bishop was at the parade with four generations of family members, ages 84 to 12. Her family always gets together on the Fourth. The day starts with a parade, incorporates a barbecue and closes with fireworks. But the fun and festivities don’t preclude serious reflection.

“I think we live in a wonderful country. I’m as patriotic as anyone,” said Lois LaShaw of Rockford, great-grandmother to the kids at the gathering.

Sarah Monte wore her patriotism in her hair. So did her four kids. The Hayden family proudly sported red and blue streaks of spray-on hair coloring. Monte, too, was thinking deep thoughts.

“On the Fourth of July, we’re all one person,” said Monte, who is Hispanic. “It’s like a union. Instead of being divided by race, we’re all together. We’re united as Americans.”

The parade also had lighter moments. Coeur d’Alene Mayor Sandi Bloem rode on the back of a Harley, followed by a fleet of council members in convertibles. The Shriners kept up tradition with fez hats and an octocycle. The eight-seat bicycle has been ridden in Coeur d’Alene parades since 1956.

“We attract more applause than any other unit,” boasted Shriner member Stan Harris.

Keeler White’s English bulldogs also attracted attention. People stopped to photograph them, cooing over the bulldog’s expressive faces and the flag-motif bandannas they wore. Last year, the dogs rode in the parade in a remote controlled cart. Kids thought that doleful-looking Charlie was driving.

The laughter helped White, who shed a few tears Sunday. Her 19-year-old son is preparing to enlist.

“I can’t take that from him,” she said. “It’s a wonderful way to travel, to learn about the world, to support the country.”

But being a mom, she worries.