Chicago veterans protest against Trump administration's military interventions on Memorial Day

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Many veterans hold mixed feelings about their service, especially on Memorial Day

And so, even as many gathered at Chicago's Vietnam Memorial to remember the fallen, others came together, at the same site, to speak out against the Trump administration's military interventions around the world.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

They came together as they do every year. Vietnam veterans saluted those who did not come home.

The more than 3,000 names inscribed along the Chicago Riverwalk memorial are not just names to them. They are people they knew and fought alongside of.

"I have two or three names on that wall. I miss them all, 55 years later. It's been a long time. We won't forget," said 173rd Airborne Vietnam veteran Carlos Aladino.

The Vietnam War has long been considered the United States' most unpopular war. Chicago's Vietnam Memorial has also, year upon year, become the site of anti-war protests.

SEE ALSO | Iran live updates: Trump honors troops killed in Iran war during Memorial Day remarks

Dozens came together not one hour after Monday's wreath-laying event to speak out against the current administration's military intrusions around the globe.

"I don't want more dead people to be added to some list for profit, for the upper class that is never going to see a battlefield," said Illinois National Guard veteran Kayla Harris. "I am protesting the war today, and I will continue to do so tomorrow."

Many of those gathered included younger veterans disillusioned with the very institution they served.

"The oath that I took to join the military kind of guides me," said Navy veteran Edgar Castillo. "I'm allowed to wear this uniform and speak out against our government with the endless wars that are going on, Iran, Venezuela."

"We don't know what we're fighting for. Some say it's for oil. Some say it's for land. We're not fighting for freedom. We're not," said Army veteran Stefanie Macias.

Monday's program ended with participants throwing roses into the Chicago River.