NASHUA — When Lt. Col. John Coughlin re-joined the military in 1999 as a National Guardsman, the former Hillsborough County Attorney had no idea that five years later he’d be fighting a war in Iraq. Or that one day he would receive a Combat Action Badge in his hometown on Memorial Day.

“I thought maybe there’d be a flood or an ice storm,” said a smiling Coughlin, now a District Court judge in Derry. “But little did I know that my National Guard unit in New Hampshire would be activated in 2004.”

Coughlin stood alongside Mayor Donnalee Lozeau and the heads of various veteran organizations Monday as Dr. Griffin Dalianis, civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army, presented Coughlin with the Army’s Combat Action Badge for his actions in Iraq.

“It’s with great pleasure as the aide to the Secretary of the Army that I pin this on,” Dalianis said.

The U.S. Marine was first called back to service in Iraq with his unit, the 197th Field Artillery Brigade, in January 2004. He served a year as a judge advocate on the armed forces legal team and conducted a probable cause hearing for a U.S. defendant tried for prisoner abuse in the Abu Ghraib scandal.

He returned in January 2007 to serve as deputy senior legal adviser to the commanding general of a transition team overseeing training of Iraqi military and police.

“I think for the service members that are there — I was (in Iraq) last year for Memorial Day — it’s really important for the families,” Coughlin said Monday.

Also marching Monday were aldermen, firefighter and police honor guards, Boy Scouts, a baseball team, the Masons and high school bands; a company of dogs even made the walk from Holman Stadium to City Hall.

Navy and Vietnam veteran Gerry Bosse, one of the organizers of the parade, said he does it to show support for those who served their country and lost their lives.

“And it’s something that everybody should do. Even if they don’t go into the service, they should at least come out and pay homage to those that did,” he said.

David Audette, who served from 1966 to 1968 in South Vietnam, stood side by side with his comrade. Audette said he was injured during the Tet Offensive.

“I try to get to the parade every year,” he said somberly. “These people gave all for this country.”

Griffin Dalianis recounted a story from his Air Force days.

“During the Cuban Missile Crisis my unit flew from Little Rock, Ark. to MacDill Air Force Base (in Florida), and we hunkered down with 200,000 other troops,” he said.

“We were to take out Radio Havana, and our colonel told us it would be 70 to 80 percent casualties. We just looked at each other — we were going to parachute in.”

But before the invasion could take place, President John F. Kennedy reversed course.

“So I spent 13 days down in Florida, then they hopped 400 of us back in a plane and took us back to Little Rock, which was fine with me.”

William Neverett was among the parade-goers parked along Amherst Street. He said he has been coming to Memorial Day parades in Nashua for decades.

“Look at what these soldiers have done for this country,” Neverett said. “Without them where would we be? That’s why we come.”