A Pine Canyon resident and Vietnam vet has come up with his own unique way of honoring veterans on Veterans Day.

Gordon Beals, 62, rode his two-year-old palomino yesterday throughout Pine Canyon in his Army dress blues while carrying an American flag. The one-man parade is a tradition he began four years ago.

“I’m a Vietnam vet and Veterans Day is important to me,” he said, adding he was on active duty for four years and on reserve for two. “I like to honor the past, present and future vets.”

Beals said being in the infantry in the Vietnam War made him grow up fast. He joined in his early-20s.

“I guess the most important effect it’s had with me is how much it made me love my own country,” he said. “When I do stuff like this parade it’s because of the love I have for the servicemen serving right now and the ones that are going to serve that are going to keep us free. That service in Vietnam molded who I am to a great degree.”

Beals has kept in touch with the men he served with in the war over the years, though he only knows of one of his group that’s still alive today.

“When I went over to Vietnam, there were 125 that went over,” he said. “Only five came back and some of them have passed away.”

Beals started at about 10 a.m. yesterday and finished riding close to noon. He rode up Pine Canyon Road, up and then down Blue Peak Road, and then up Churchwood Road before heading back down Pine Canyon Road.

“I pretty much hit the whole Pine Canyon area,” he said.

Beals’ one-man parade is something he’s done annually since moving to Pine Canyon from Salt Lake. He’s originally from Seattle, and has ridden horses all his life. In addition to riding on Veteran’s Day, he rides on the Fourth and 24th of July and Memorial Day, though he only wears his dress blues on Veterans Day.

“I’m trying to stimulate Pine Canyon,” he said. “They used to have parades — they haven’t for years — and I’m trying to get them back into it. Every year quite a few people comment on it and say, ‘We need to do that with you,’ but nobody’s actually went into action.”

Beals said while he’s riding people have pulled their cars over and put their hand over their heart, and some have come out of their homes and cheered. Since he’s on a horse, Beals said he can stop and talk to people, which he added, is probably the reason it takes so long for him to make it through Pine Canyon.

He hopes in future years others will participate in the parades with him.

“I thought the next holiday, maybe like July 4th, I’ll probably start in June campaigning to get some people to go with me,” he said. “I’m just pretty much a nobody here, just enjoying life. People just think I’m a crazy old man, but I enjoy it.”

Sarah Miley: swest@tooeletranscript.com