FARMINGTON – Melting into the crowd in his navy blue work clothes, Floyd Enman, a Farmington resident and World War II veteran, watched the parade pass by on Main Street Monday.

“I really love my country,” he said. “I feel bad about the boys and girls getting killed over in Iraq. We had to do something about it, but I think we hurried into it,” he said.

John and Gina Duffy of Temple attended the parade with their friend Sue Feather of Belgrade.

Feather, toting a backpack and looking ready for a hike, said that patriotism is “a sense of pride and honor of what’s good in this country.”

Patriotism to Gina Duffy is “feeling good when you see red, white and blue; children and flags; and World War II veterans; and feeling proud to be part of a country that can enjoy freedoms and celebrations.”

Holding a blue helium-filled balloon, Gina Duffy’s husband, John Duffy, said patriotism “is a feeling.”

“When the World War II veterans walk by and there’s only two left, you feel what they did for us 50 years ago,” he said.

Echoing this sentiment was Mark Norris of Farmington, whose father was drafted out of high school as a teen to serve in Europe in World War II.

“Patriotism is never forgetting what those guys did,” he said, voice wavering, referring to veterans and his father, who never finished high school.

Chris Stevens, 16, of Farmington believes patriotism is “supporting your country in hard times,” explaining that the current state of the nation can be seen as hard times or not, depending on one’s point of view on the war in Iraq. He felt people should support the troops serving overseas regardless of their feeling about the war.

Patriotism means, “You’re willing to stick up for the little guy,” said Ida Anderson of Farmington.

“Our people put themselves on the line for others. It’s a matter of freedom and civil rights,” she continued, explaining how a visit to a foreign country recently opened her eyes to the fact that some countries simply expect the United States to come to their aid when needed.

Lennie Yamashiro of Farmington, a piccolo and flute player with the Old Crow Indian Band, marched and played in the parade. She took a more historical view of patriotism.

“I love America and love living in this country,” she said.

“And I believe we should respect what this country stands for. We should respect the founding fathers by showing our allegiance to the flag that honors those principles,” she continued.

Laurie Barker from New Vineyard took her 3-year-old son, Lord Clinton Casey, to the parade Monday – his first. The tot said he was looking forward to hearing the trumpets and instruments.

Barker said simply that patriotism means “being kind to whoever comes your way.”

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