A celebration that brings a mix of emotions for some veterans.
"This means a lot because when we came back, we were treated different," said Vietnam veteran Floyd Stallings.
Floyd Stallings remembers coming home from Vietnam. It's a time he's tried to erase.
"We were spat on, cursed at," said Stallings.
However, the reason for his fight isn't something he's forgotten about, though he's needed time to talk about.
"For years I couldn't think about Vietnam," said Stallings, "God kind of erased that from my life and it wasn't until the wall came to Boise that I was finally able to look at it again."
Seeing the crowd cheer and salute brings tears to his eyes.
"I was one of the lucky ones. I came home. With all my limbs, and I was able to carry on my life. It means the world to me, and I thank god for it every day," said Stallings.
The youngest people in the crowds were admiring in person the service they read about in their textbooks.
"It's a pretty important thing to do like you're not going to do that but they are like they're willing to die to save you and people have already done that," said 8th grader Hailey Hill in attendance.
The parade was bringing the old and new generations together with hope for the future.
"We fought for freedom, for one country not two different, we're one group," said Stallings.
