LEWISTON – Youngsters waved American flags and pointed in awe as massive military construction vehicles and local firetrucks rolled past. Elderly citizens proudly displayed caps or vests with military emblems. Hundreds lined the streets of the Twin Cities and filled Veterans Memorial Park for the Memorial Day parade and ceremony Saturday morning.

In the keynote address, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins told the large audience, “One of my earliest memories is of my dad taking me to the Memorial Day parade in my hometown of Caribou.”

“Some years, he would wear his tattered old Army jacket,” she said. “It was not until many years later that I learned the terrible price he paid for it. He was wounded twice at the Battle of the Bulge, earned the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.”

“His story is not unique,” Collins told the veterans and families at Lewiston’s ceremony. “That quiet courage, that modest heroism, that desire to do nothing more after conflict’s end but to return home to a peaceful and productive civilian life are the history we celebrate today.”

She continued, “It is a history we see from the shoulders of generations of such Americans,” and she told the veterans that, from generation to generation, they add “new and inspiring chapters of valor, devotion to duty and sacrifice.”

Following the ceremony, Collins talked about congressional passage of the Iraq Supplemental Appropriations bill two days ago.

“I felt it was important that we continue to support our troops who are in harm’s way,” she said, “but I also thought it was important that we have a series of benchmarks tied to reconstruction aid to prompt the Iraqi leaders to take the long-overdue actions that will help bring about a political reconciliation.”

Speaking about the series of 18 benchmarks and portions of the bill that she specifically wanted to include, she said, “None of us wanted consequences that would hurt any of our troops or training of the Iraqi troops, so we chose economic consequences that could head off the flow of money to build everything from clinics to roads.”

She said the intent is to let the Iraqis know “that they, too, have to step up to the plate.”

U.S. Navy Capt. Dean Krestos, with the Office of the Supervisor of Shipbuilding in Bath, was grand marshal of the parade and a guest speaker for the ceremony. He placed a wreath at the Veterans Memorial Park monument.

In his remarks, Krestos said, “I’m reminded of an old saying – that America will only be the land of the free so long as we continue to be the home of the brave.”

“To veterans past and present, and especially to those here today, a sincere thank you,” he said.

The Saturday morning parade began at Kennedy Park and moved to Chestnut Street, Lisbon Street, Main Street, Longley Bridge, around Great Falls Plaza in Auburn, back to Longley Bridge, and ended at Veterans Memorial Park. The head of the long and colorful parade was beginning to move easterly onto the bridge before the final units, heading to Auburn, came off the bridge.

A large marching band representing four schools delighted the crowds along the route. Known is the “Roar of the Androscoggin,” the combined bands of Lewiston High School, Edward Little High School and Auburn Middle School, and the Leavitt Area High School band and color guard performed a custom arrangement of William Billing’s Revolutionary War song “Chester,” which was prepared by Lewiston band director Jim Alberty.

A highlight of the parade was a limousine with an overall American flag paint job. It’s the work of Larry Dearborn of Richmond, a member of American Legion Post 132.

A large silhouette of the flag-raising on Iwo Jima was mounted on a trailer sponsored by Post 31, Franco-American War Veterans.

American Legion Post 135 of Sabattus provided parade music by a 10-member drum unit and a glockenspiel player, all of whom were seated on a trailer.

An 11th stone of the Veterans Memorial Park’s series of monuments was unveiled following the speeches. This year’s addition to the monuments bears the emblem of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The large stones are engraved with hundreds of names of area veterans, and the lists grow each year as new stones are erected. The granite stones are placed in a semi-circular arrangement with the Great Falls of the Androscoggin River as a backdrop.

Scot Bradeen of the Lewiston Police Department played bagpipes for the wreath ceremony.

Collins presented certificates of appreciation on behalf of the L-A Veterans Council to all Vietnam veterans in attendance, as well as several Korea veterans who did not receive their certificates last year.

College student Jeremy Gervais gave an a cappella rendition of the national anthem. The Rev. Barrett Barnes of the Episcopal diocese of Southwest Florida gave the invocation. Several songs were performed by “Just Us Singers,” with Nel Meservier on the keyboard, and Richard Leblanc played taps.

Bert Dutil, president of the L-A Veterans Council and organizer of the event, said, “Everything, I think, was great. We had a nice crowd, and we had a nice parade.”