AUBURN - As her daughter passed by in Auburn's Memorial Day parade Monday, Amy McCormick flailed her arms and snapped a photo.

“Hi, Bethany!” McCormick shouted to the 14-year-old Auburn High School colorguard member.

Bethany's eyes darted to the side. She gave a half smile and then quickly looked away as she continued walking and waving her red, white and blue flag.

Ah, teenagers.

Standing to McCormick's side was another Bethany fan - her brother, U.S. Army Pfc. Thomas Matthew McCormick.

Thomas, 20, once participated in the parade as a member of the high school marching band. He enlisted in the Army a year ago and is now stationed in Hawaii.

He is on leave until early June, and though the date is yet to be determined, will soon be going to Iraq.

“It brings it all into perspective,” McCormick said as she watched the parade amble down Genesee Street, her homemade navy blue “Proud to be the mother of a soldier” T-shirt standing out from others' patriotic paraphernalia. “There's a reason why we have this freedom.”

As members from local associations passed by, representing veterans from WWI to Iraq, McCormick spoke of her son's past and future. He had talked about wanting to serve his country since he was 5 years old and is very mature for his age (he has always been “going on 40,” McCormick joked).

Though at first it was very difficult to swallow his decision to enlist, and though she has moments of fear for her son, her pride in him overrides it all. After all, she said, it takes a special kind of person to protect our country.

“I've had people say, 'How can you let your child go (to Iraq)?' ” McCormick said. “How can I not?”

While many Cayuga County residents lined the streets hoping to get a glimpse of the servicemen and women, others were scouring the crowds for those in uniforms of a different kind.

Wendy LaDuca, of Auburn, set up camp around Wegmans with her sons Jon, 3, and Mikey, 4, as well as friends visiting from Washington, D.C.

LaDuca's son T.J., 7, marched with his baseball team, the Red Sox. Her other son, Nick, 9, marched with her husband in the Cub Scouts group.

“The fun of being in a small town is wonderful,” said LaDuca, who has Vietnam veterans in her family. “We can see all of our friends and family. We're trying to teach the kids about the importance of Memorial Day and why we need to celebrate.”

William and Jean Gadsby were also stationed by Wegmans. After moving to Scipio and then Texas, they hadn't seen the parade in at least 20 years.

But the couple have been back in Auburn for a year, and they decided to give it a try.

“I used to march with them at one time,” said William, 77, who participated in the Auburn Memorial Day parade when he was in the National Guard during the late 1940s.

After the parade, the crowd gathered near the World War I memorial, where Nick Valenti, director of the Cayuga County Veterans Service Agency, led a short ceremony that included the reading of names of the 26 Cayuga County residents who died in the Korean War.

A formal dedication for a monument (located near the WWI and WWII memorials) honoring these veterans is expected for July 30.

The purpose of the parade is to “make us remember what the cost of being free is,” Valenti said. “When people come out like this, it makes it all worthwhile.”

According to Valenti, 135 Cayuga County residents were killed in WWI, 267 in WWII, 26 in Korea and 27 in Vietnam.

“That's a hell of a price for a small community,” said Valenti, a corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam era.

Staff writer Linda Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or linda.ober@lee.net