Each was the happiest to see his own wartime branch. Infantrymen sprang up from their seats to wave their hands in greeting at the infantry marching past. Sailors cheered their own, and saluted teenaged Nakhimov naval school cadets. Airmen impatiently waited for warplanes to fly above the site. When fighters appeared, they broke into applause and cries of, "Well done! A fine show, guys!"
Many had their snapshots taken with troops marching in the background.
The "period piece" part of the show, with paraders uniformed WWII-style, impressed all without an exception. "It was all of great interest, and very picturesque," a veteran remarked to our reporter.
The old soldiers have a reunion today, with a gala dinner and a hundred grams of vodka, as in the frontline ration, to wash it down.
