Pride and protest

President Bush gave a broad defense for the war in Iraq as he marked Veterans Day on Tuesday, while ceremonies nationwide reflected grief over recent deaths and opposition to war.

Bush laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns during a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. With casualties mounting in Iraq, he said the country is bringing a chance for freedom and democracy there.

"Our men and women are fighting terrorist enemies thousands of miles away in the heart and center of their power so that we do not face those enemies in the heart of America," Bush said.

In Boston, state officials honored 14 Massachusetts soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, while outside antiwar veterans marched in a Veterans Day parade despite a chilly reception from organizers.

In Emporia, Kan., older veterans like Bob Ecklund see signs of renewed interest in Veterans Day.

"This year there really is an outburst of patriotism," said Ecklund, 86, a World War II pilot in Africa and Europe.

The war in Iraq made Tuesday commemorations more poignant, but also more complex, turning a day normally dedicated to honoring military valor into a forum for airing concerns about America's military engagements.

In Colorado Springs, Colo., a military town hit hard by the war in Iraq, veterans shared emotions ranging from sorrow to pride and fear.

"I hear 15 soldiers reported killed in Iraq in a day and I know there were 150 a day killed in Vietnam with nothing said about it," said Wendell Burnett, a 57-year-old Vietnam veteran. "Iraq has all the makings of another Vietnam except these soldiers have no trees to hide behind."

Other veterans called on Americans to show more support for the troops in Iraq.

"Terrorists attacked us first," said Jim Rix, a retired Army colonel who attended the Colorado Springs ceremony. "The military forces are fighting and some are losing their lives to bring stability and democracy to the world."

In New Mexico, the Veterans for Peace organization opened an exhibit called "Expressions of Peace."

"I would serve if called, but I would not be happy serving in a war for oil and for power and being misled by lies about weapons of mass destruction," said Donald Thompson, 79, president of the organization's Albuquerque chapter and a Navy veteran who served in World War II and Korea.

The Boston chapter of Veterans for Peace marched in the city's annual parade, but was not acknowledged by the event's organizers. While every other entry was announced as it passed the review stand, the announcer was silent as the protesters passed.

"We do not consider them true veterans," said Arthur Smith, Massachusetts American Legion past department commander. "They're against the war in Iraq, they're against Vietnam, they're against everything a true American veteran stands for."

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