Patriotism, honor and fun were front and center Monday morning in Escondido at the fifth annual VetFest Parade.
“It's a big honor to be invited to lead the parade. So we were able to get quite a few of our riders out today,” said Rafael Del Vecchio.
The Desert Storm veteran and a dozen or so other veteran bikers from the American Legion Riders Chapter 149 kicked off the event.
“We actually have a lot of veterans that live up here in this area, in this part of the county,” Del Vecchio said. “I think Escondido brings together a lot of the veterans from this area, also from Fallbrook, Oceanside.”
There were classic cars, military and emergency vehicles and horses in the parade. The main focus though was active duty service members and veterans themselves.
“It's great talking to other veterans that had totally different experiences,” Vietnam Veteran Jim Botts said. “I was more in the jungle and a lot of the later guys are in the sand, so it's just a whole different story.”
After the parade, the event transitioned to a focus on sacrifice and faith during a military ceremony at the Wall of Courage in Escondido’s Grape Day Park.
Gina Burke was one of the veterans being honored.
“When I came back from Vietnam, I always kept everything to myself. I didn't want anybody to know that I’d been over there because the climate was not very good,” Burke said.
She was a first lieutenant registered nurse on the front lines of the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.
Burke said fighting for our freedoms has helped her persevere.
“That war was very difficult, very difficult. There were a lot of snipers and that kind of stuff. I took care of a lot of soldiers,” she said. “This was my first real duty assignment. I had never even seen an accident when I was at home, that's how new I was as a nurse.”
Now Burke has found comfort in San Diego’s North County veteran community to share her story — all these decades later.
“I suffered when I was there, suffered a lot. And when I came home, suffered more because they didn't accept us. It was terrible. So being around other veterans that have experienced what I have, it made me feel better,” she said.
Burke’s late husband was also a veteran, and he’s memorialized on the Wall of Courage. That's where she received her recognition Monday.
“I belong to a special group of men and women, and I honor them all,” Burke said.
Escondido VetFest continued into the afternoon with a party at the local American Legion.
Service members of all eras, from WWII through those still active duty, were in attendance throughout the day.
