Serafin Natal had trouble walking in Philadelphia’s first Veterans Day Parade on Sunday. But he would not stop.

The 65-year-old Navy man had beaten renal cancer caused by exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Doctors took a kidney out of him 10 years ago – only for diabetes to come along, knocking some of the feeling out of his feet.

But the retired Juniata Park factory worker was on a mission Sunday. His colonial city was making history, if more than two centuries late. And Natal would walk in the first parade for those who had served – in uniform – the democratic nation founded here so long ago.

“If it weren’t for my numbness,” said Natal, nearly overcome with emotion as he carried a banner for American Legion Latin American Post 840, “I think this would have made me numb even more.”

For a first try, organizers put on an impressive show on a crisp, sunny autumn afternoon three days before the official celebration of Veterans Day.

Against a clear blue sky, military parachutists floated onto Independence Mall around 12:30 p.m. in what proved the parade’s early showstopper.

“Beautiful” was how Mario Rivera, 51, described the view of Independence Mall after he and two other retired combatants jumped out of a Cessna 182 some 4,000 feet above the federal courthouse at Sixth and Market Streets. They steered to swan-like landings in front of Independence Hall.

Joining Rivera on the jump were fellow Army veterans and All Veteran Parachute Team members Mike Elliott, 46, and Charles Colley, 45. Colley’s expertise is such that he has descended in tandem with former President George H.W. Bush on three parachute jumps over the last decade.

At street level, a swarm of West Point cadets impressed in full uniform. The Fifes and Drums of the Old Barracks evoked a colonial vibe and sound. Parade Grand Marshal H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest, whose philanthropy underwrote the first-ever affair, led the parade in a convertible. (Lenfest is the owner of Philadelphia Media Network, parent company of The Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly.com.)

But it was only when the U.S. Army Drill Team assumed position near Fifth and Market Streets that a moment of sheer awe took hold.

Nineteen soldiers under the command of Lauran Glover clicked, clacked, and flung their 1903 Springfield rifles as she issued orders. In between the maneuvers they slapped white-gloved hands against uniforms in a display of precision that moved a crowd near the Liberty Bell to silence.

“It was a great spectacle,” said Terry Williamson, one of the inaugural parade’s five lead organizers. Williamson said the parade drew more than 2,000 participants.

The parade route began at Broad and Walnut Streets, looped around City Hall, and then headed east on Market to Fifth Street, where groups stopped in front of a stage and production crews for a live broadcast by 6ABC.

From there, marchers broke up or hung around to watch those who followed. Sgt. Major Joseph Lee, 77, a Marine and Air Force veteran, stayed.

Dressed in the garb of a Civil War-era regiment of African American soldiers, the Philadelphia man beamed as he stood with about a dozen others after marching, watching the many processions that followed.

“Today is my birthday,” Lee said. “Perfect day.

“To be in here, it’s just – I can’t put it in words,” he continued. “It’s just a marvelous feeling.”

Yes, a parade is momentous. A point of pride, for sure. But Lee worried about the unintended impact on some soldiers.

“When I go into the VA hospital and I see young men and women who are missing limbs, and their minds aren’t right from serving in war . . .,” Lee said, his voice trailing off.

A parade, in other words, does not heal all wounds.

“For some,” Lee said, “it awakens a bad memory. For others, it makes them feel proud that they are being honored.”

mpanaritis@phillynews.com

215-854-2431@Panaritism

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