Wednesday is Veterans Day, and Bob Sweet will likely be one of the first people lining up on the sidewalk in Waterville to watch the parade.

A veteran himself, Sweet is probably one of the most patriotic people you could ever meet, and he's not shy about saying so.

"I equate everything I am today because of the training that I received in the military," he said. "It made me stand up and be proud. It was the greatest time in my life because it helped me so much in my civilian life."

Sweet, 67, of Oakland, was at the Bourque-Lanigan American Legion Post 5 in Waterville on a recent afternoon. A Legion member for 42 years, he drops in every day or every other day -- more so since he retired from a 42-year full-time career driving truck.

"Everyone knows everyone here," he said. "It's just like coming home, you know? If you come in here down, you won't be down for long."

Sweet doesn't have a lot of suspenseful stories to tell about his own time in the military -- about fighting off the enemy or narrow escapes or close calls.

His acknowledges his life in the U.S. Army's 4th Calvary 24th Infantry Division was pretty uneventful in that respect. He finished his military service in December of 1962, just before the war in Vietnam really escalated.

"I just missed going to Vietnam -- not that I didn't want to go, I just missed it. I could have re-enlisted, but I didn't."

Unlike a lot of veterans who were injured or otherwise traumatized by their war experiences, Sweet feels quite lucky in that his military time left him with mostly happy memories -- of honing his skills as a mechanic working on trucks and equipment in the three years he was stationed at Schofield Barracks on Oahu, in Hawaii. Of learning to be strong, both mentally and physically, of traveling and making lifelong friends.

Perhaps it is the fortune in his own his military career that makes him particularly protective of those who suffered -- and wanting people to recognize all veterans Wednesday for their sacrifices.

"What I'd like to see is people getting their patriotism back, like it used to be when I was young," he said. "Veterans Day is not just another day. It's a day to honor the people so you are able to go home and thank God for your freedom. The only reason you've got freedom is because of the veterans."

Sweet thinks it important, also, that people understand what Veterans Day is -- and isn't.

"People think that Veterans Day is just another day off, just like Memorial Day. Veterans Day and Memorial Day are two different things. Memorial Day is for honoring the dead -- those who have gone on before us. Veterans Day is for the living -- for the ones that are here now."

Veterans Day formerly was called Armistice Day, in honor of veterans of the World War, which we know today as World War I.

President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 Armistice Day. In 1954, it was renamed "Veterans Day."

A healthy-looking man who wears glasses and speaks easily, Sweet says he thinks a lot about the veterans he has known in the American Legion who have died. And he knows it's just a matter of time when he will be on that list.

"There were a lot of them I knew who were in World War II and Korea," he said. "Now, you're starting to see Vietnam-era veterans dying. I'm next in line."

He remembers being in high school in the 1950s and quitting school to go into the U.S. Army. He quit school because the teachers said he had to take speech and he knew he couldn't stand up in front of a crowd and speak.

He finished high school in the military, which ironically, gave him the courage to do all sorts of things he never thought he could do.

"I learned to fly," he said. "I never thought I could fly, and I got my pilot's license. I never thought I could drive truck and I did it for 42 years. The military gives you character, gives you strength, gives you mental stamina."

Amy Calder has been a Morning Sentinel reporter 21 years. Her column appears here Saturdays. She may be reached at acalder@centralmaine.com