Vet says King "lifted him up" after war

SANTA FE (KRQE) - Retired Espanola police officer and Vietnam War veteran Dave Pineda was one of the thousands of mourners who made their way to the capitol building Friday to pay respects to former governor Bruce King.

King passed away last week at the age of 85.

Pineda said he came to the capitol Friday to tell his story to King's relatives.

"He lifted me up as an individual, and I'm sure that the other military men that he came in contact with felt the same way," Pineda said.

Pineda said he felt scorned by his neighbors when he returned from Vietnam, but King full heartedly welcomed him home.

"It made me feel good. It made me feel like hey, he wanted to be with me, he wanted me to talk to him," he said. "He said all of you men that came back from Vietnam, you should have gotten a better return treatment than you did."

Before leaving the roundhouse, Pineda saluted King's casket as a final goodbye to a man who respected his service.

When Pineda told King's sister Leona about the story she said, 'That's Bruce.'

King's funeral will be held Saturday at the Moriarty High School Gymnasium.