‘A Big Deal:’ This Vietnam War veteran will be loud and proud this Veterans Parade. Will you?

Tim Bailey remembers it well. The mornings spent counting helicopters returning from missions — it was his job to track how many had been lost.

The nights of sitting on his helmet, watching a movie with his unit, some of them to the backdrop of sight and sound from a nearby ammo depot exploding for days on end. The smell and slippery residue of mosquito repellent. The feeling of turning 21, 7,000 miles from home in Vietnam.

“As you can tell, despite it all, I enjoyed it,” says Tim. Today, he’s in his living room, reminiscing about his time serving in the U.S. Army. He’s no longer a flight operation specialist and a combat door gunner on assault helicopters.

That part of his life is well behind him. But it’s not something someone just forgets — especially so when each year in November, you join thousands of veterans for what’s described as their participation in one of the largest veterans parade west of the Mississippi.

“It’s a big deal,” Tim says of the parades. He gets a lot of out each year — like honoring the 12 in his company who died. He calls them warriors and he remembers each of their names. “I enjoy it every time.”

Growing up in North Dakota, serving in the Army wasn’t necessarily the plan. Then one day in college, a friend suggested they enlist, and they did just that — in the height of the Vietnam War, no less. He did a quick tour from 1967 to 1968 and while many throughout the country look back on the war as a waste of time, resources and most importantly, human lives, Tim just can’t bring himself to fully regret it.

Maybe it’s the lifelong bonds he forged with his comrades. Maybe it’s the lessons he learned, or the legacy he fulfilled — his father served in WW2. Or maybe it’s the life that came after, working as a treasury agent, a U.S. sky marshal and eventually, an air traffic controller. His career ensuring planes remained safe while flying domestically eventually brought him to Auburn in the mid-1980s, where he lived while directing flights at Seattle Tacoma International Airport’s Ramp Tower. He’s since retired.

It’s in Auburn that Tim joined Auburn’s VFW Post 1741, an organization known nationally for supporting veterans in a variety of ways, whether through education or medical benefits, or simply helping connect members with new lifelong friends. Auburn’s post is about 150 members strong, and one of the highlights each year is the planning and preparation for the Auburn Veterans Parade.

Featuring thousands of participants marching from Auburn High School west past City Hall, the parade is a remarkable display of patriotism and gratitude, highlighted by the scores of veterans like Tim who march alongside politicians, student bands and community members.

“I love walking and waving at everybody,” Tim says. “And shaking people’s hands.”