Salute to troops

Veterans' groups young and old roll through downtown parade route

RALEIGH -- Staff Sgt. Gail Miller, just back from duty in Iraq, is planning for a long tradition of military service in her family.

Miller's son, Shem Rivera-Miller, wants to join the military someday and follow in his mother's footsteps. In the meantime, he's participating in the ROTC program at Western Harnett High School in Lillington.

Miller and her son used Saturday's Veterans Day events in downtown Raleigh for mother-son time, which could be cut short with one phone call; she expects to be redeployed soon. It was also a chance to praise the service of veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

"I'm a little bit in awe," Miller said. "You're looking at all who came before you, and you realize you're a part of something greater than yourself. When I see the veterans here, it's like meeting a brother or a sister."

Members of nearly 80 organizations including veterans groups, Cub Scouts and the American Red Cross marched up Fayetteville Street to the State Capitol. Patriotic tunes played by high school bands were followed by the roar of motorcycles driven by members of Rolling Thunder, an advocacy group for prisoners of war. The parade was organized by the Wake County Council of Veterans Organizations.

Miller works in human resources handling administrative tasks for the U.S. Army in the 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, headquartered at Fort Bragg.

Juggling the duties of a single mother and servicewoman isn't easy, Miller said. She has been separated from her family often, missing her son's ball games and other activities. Rivera-Miller, 16, has moved several times, living as far away as Germany.

But mother and son didn't dwell on the hardships of military life Saturday. Instead, they relished the day greeting veterans and looking at the displays of military vehicles. They talked about boot camp, and some veterans advised Rivera-Miller about how to plan a successful military career.

The cadence of drill instructors' chants signaled that the parade had begun; "Left, right, left," they told marchers who tried to keep pace. Rivera-Miller drove a war jeep he helped restore as part of the ROTC program. As onlookers waved flags he kept with his eyes fixed on the road, while his mother smiled from the passenger seat.

At the capitol, state Rep. Grier Martin of Raleigh spoke to more than 200 people about the "quiet pride" of veterans. Martin, an Army Reserve veteran who has been deployed to Afghanistan, said that people join the military for various reasons but that all veterans share in a sense of patriotism.

One day, Rivera-Miller too could be a veteran. He wants to rescue soldiers as part of the special forces -- dangerous duty that brings mixed emotions for Miller.

"It scares me," Miller said. "It's what he wants, and I can only support him. He'll probably be very good at it."