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On the Mall in the Capitol that day, anti-war protesters planned to have a rally coinciding with the fourth anniversary of the conflict in Iraq.
But Spano and his colleagues were heading to the Mall for a different purpose: for what they called a "Gathering of Eagles," to protect the Vietnam War Memorial from possible vandalism.
"Everybody has a different point of view, that's America. That's freedom," said Spano, a member of the General Smedley D. Butler Marine Corp League Detachment in Newtown Square. "We just want to protect the memorial."
Anti-war protesters and veterans from all over the country numbered from 10,000 to 20,000, according to police estimates. Veterans comprised the smaller half of the group.
The two groups surrounded the Lincoln Memorial: one side was a mix of yellow "U.S. Out of Iraq Now" signs, peace symbols and even a Buddhist monk.
The other side was a sea of army fatigues, American flags and leather jackets - many of them sporting Purple Hearts.
Spano said that he and many other veterans don't necessarily support the war, but they have a different take on respecting the troops.
"There's always another voice," said Spano, indicating the thousands of men and woman gathered around the Vietnam Memorial.
"We're not here for confrontation; we're here to respect the hallowed ground."
'The wrong side'
The express purpose of the Veterans' rally may not have been confrontation, but anger flared when members of the two groups crossed the invisible line that split them.
"You're on the wrong side!" shouted one angry, leather-clad veteran as he ripped a sign out of a middle-aged protester's hands and knocked him to the ground, before he could be restrained.
A little later another scuffle broke out: an anti-war protester grabbed the hat of a veteran pushing a disabled soldier in a wheelchair, throwing it to the ground and sparking a brief shoving match.
Many anti-war demonstrators had to walk down the sidewalk on Constitution Avenue, where veterans lined shoulder-to-shoulder on either side of the passage created a narrow aisle, booing and mocking the protesters as they passed.
Police intervened in a few to keep the situation from escalating, but no serious violence occurred and there was no vandalism on the Wall, according to reports.
"Veterans are more aggressive because we have the background," admitted Spano, adding that he was impressed that the whole event went as smoothly as it did. "I was proud that a lot of vets used discretion and self-control."
Old wounds
For many of the veterans, the day was as much about the past as it was about the present.
"The way we were treated like this when we got home, it gets me upset," said Ridley resident Gary "Tail Spin" Porter, a member of the Vietnam Veterans' Motorcycle Club (VNVMC) and Darby VFW Post 598.
"We can picture how bad [the soldiers] feel when they see what's going on here," he said, while another Vietnam veteran sitting next to him blinked back tears.
Listening to the anti-war demonstrators over the loudspeakers seemed to open wounds that, for some, were still painful over 30 years later.
"When I got back from the [Vietnam] War it was very difficult to comprehend that people in this country didn't give a shit," said Darby VFW Post member John Kustafik, who said he completely stopped talking about his experiences until he found the VNVMC.
"I'd like to drop a couple of bombs on that group over there," he said, nodding towards the demonstrators. "If they would put that money for the war effort instead, we could win it and end it."
At the end of the day, many of the veterans left not feeling angry, but glad for the chance to be part of the gathering.
"Personally it was a lot of fun seeing all the other veterans," Spano said.
"These are the guys who made it back alive," said Darby Post member Rick "C" Cavallero, of Ashton. "And it's good to see the brothers on the Wall. If we don't remember them, who will?"
