Marching proudly on Veterans Day

<p>For a moment, the drizzle during the Petaluma Veteran's Day Parade on Friday threatened to become a downpour.</p><p>But Marie Dobleman, 86, and clad in a brilliant red sweater bejeweled with an American flag, said she gave no thought to leaving. Instead, she remained standing by her walker, one hand on an umbrella that a stranger gave her, the other waving at the marchers passing by.</p><p>“Look at these beautiful men,” she said as World War II vets rolled by, reminding her of the soldiers she used to jitterbug with at Army dances. “How else can I thank them? I'm just having a ball.”</p><p>The weather had threatened to put a damper on the largest Veteran's Day Parade north of the Golden Gate, but grey skies and light rain weren't enough to prevent a Huey helicopter or World War II planes from flying over.</p><p>And they weren't enough to deter many in the crowd. Some even saw a positive.</p><p>“It was important to endure the rain because veterans have endured,” said Kirsten Smith, standing with her daughters Simone, 10, and Ella 6, who said they felt a mix of emotions. They liked seeing the cool cars and veterans, but felt for relatives of soldiers.</p><p>“It was kind of sad to see the moms who had sons and daughters in the wars,” Simone said.</p><p>Police estimates put the crowd around 20,000, about 5,000 less than last year when the holiday was warm and sunny. Organizer Steve Kemmerle said it's the first time it has rained on the parade in the seven years he's been in charge.</p><p>The parade featured an array of participants from Civil War enactors to real life veterans of conflicts ranging from World War II to Afghanistan. It included survivors of the London Blitz and Pearl Harbor. It had vets marching as members of Druids of California and those in American Legion. And it included young and old.</p><p>Jason Wagner, 36, a former Army medic who served in Iraq, was watching with a group of veterans from the nation's current wars.</p><p>“It super important,” he said. “People are out just recognizing others are making sacrifices to make the country safer. Now that I am a veteran it means a whole lot more to me now.”</p><p>Charlie Pina, 81, a Navy vet who served during the Korean War, said he preferred watching than participating, but found great value in the day.</p><p>“Everybody is shaking my hand,” he said. “There's a million of us out there.”</p><p>In a sign of the times, members of Occupy Petaluma held signs on the corner of Petaluma Boulevard and Washington Street, advocating support for vets, but protesting war.</p>