150,000 honor armed forces
LOOP | Parade, ceremony hail fallen troops, their families
"The least I could do is take a few minutes from work to celebrate them. If I could switch with any one of them, I would do it in a heartbeat," Pedro Davila, 40, said, standing with the crowd of 150,000.
The spectators along State Street waved small flags as a green Army tank rolled by with the colorful floats.
A wreath-laying ceremony at Daley Center Plaza honoring America's fallen servicemen and women preceded the parade. Family members were presented with gold star flags honoring loved ones who have died in the line of duty.
"Two of my friends were killed [in Iraq]; one of them was with me," said Mike Nowacki, 34, of Jefferson Park, a veteran of the Iraq and Desert Storm conflicts.
Many paradegoers, some from as far as Bristol, England, also expressed strong feelings about U.S. involvement in Iraq.
"Many of my friends did not come back. We didn't win [in Vietnam], and the same is happening now" said Vietnam veteran Michael Drew, 61, of Bronzeville.
Most of all, parade watchers said they wanted the troops home safe.
"God bless them," Cheryl Hawkins, 49, of Kansas City, Mo., said. "I hope it's over soon."