I groused all the way to the bus that drove me to the Induction Center. Put in my 19 months, 13 in Korea in air defense artillery, and came home to find a job.
I know lots of Veterans, and not a one of us ever mentioned being entitled to anything like "worshipped" nor even thanks. A group of Veterans in the El Lay area hold "Welcome Back Vietnam Veterans Day" events. Here's news on the 2013 iteration ( http://www.whvvd.org/Home.html ):
On Saturday April 13, 2013 WHVVD, Inc. will host the 5th annual WHVVD celebration at California High School in Whittier from 11 AM to 4:30 PM. As always there will be live music, food, booths with information for our Veterans in regard to school, benefits, health, etc. There will also be vendors with items from books written by Veterans to military paraphernalia, blankets, Native American items and of course we have or Kiddie Korner with free face painting and jumpers for the kids. We will have our military vehicle display and Classic Car Show.
I ask ALL Veterans and folks who read this email to spread and share the date, time and place of our event. Some Veterans have asked me why I continue to have these events, how many times do we need to be welcomed home? At the beginning, this was about fixing the past, about acknowledging the service of all Veterans that served in and during the VN War. Today this celebration is important because we have fun when we come together, the brotherhood, the meeting of other Veterans, the pride that shows on our family member's faces as they show us off. But in my heart I also feel it serves to acknowledge that we made a mistake, as a nation, at the end of the VN War and that March 30 will always be a reminder that America will never again blame the Veterans for delivering the message WE sent them to deliver. And the big plus is we get to meet the new Veterans that come to our celebration.
= new reply since forum marked as read