900 Veterans honored

[Rich]

Today, our town honored over 900 Viet Nam veterans with a lunch, ceremony, medal presentation, and a toast to all of our brothers and sisters who never returned or who served and are no longer living. I was fortunate enough to be among them.  We were all boys when we served, and now we're grandfathers and even great grandfathers.  40 years have passed since the fall of Saigon and the Viet Nam war ended, but the memories stay with us. I was on a Navy ship and never saw hand to hand combat, but I was proud to be sitting there among those who did so much more than I did to serve my country.  Here's a couple of pics my wife took.  

 

 

 

 

If you look REAL close in this pic, about in the middle, you'll see a young woman in uniform in front of a man in a brown sweatshirt. That's me. She had just presented me with my medal and we were mid salute.

 

 

[zxgto06]

That's awesome, congrats!

[NG13]

Very cool! Thank you and all our veterans for your service.

[Dan@Adams]

Thank you for your service Rich. I didn't realize you are a Viet Nam veteran  

 

My dad was ground infantry in the Marines in Viet Nam as well. To this day he still will not really discuss much at all. I cannot imagine what all of you went through.

 

If you don't mind, can you PM me where this ceremony took place. I wish I would've known about it so I could have told him, maybe next time.

[Mnitetrain]

Bet that was better than the steak dinner at Travis AFB!

[rkj4243]

Congrats Rich,

Thank you for your service, and to all those others who have served the USA in military service.

 

   

[Rich]

Thank you for your service Rich. I didn't realize you are a Viet Nam veteran

 

My dad was ground infantry in the Marines in Viet Nam as well. To this day he still will not really discuss much at all. I cannot imagine what all of you went through.

 

If you don't mind, can you PM me where this ceremony took place. I wish I would've known about it so I could have told him, maybe next time.

 

No need to private message it.  The ceremony was held at the Cambria County War Memorial in Johnstown, Pa.  

[MaStA]

Thank you for your service Rich!

[Black Bowtie]

Thank you for your service Rich!   My uncle passed away from cancer a few years ago due to Agent Orange. He was a Field Medic for the Army.

 

I work for a Military Contractor and once a year the company gives a donation to a local charity of our choice. We usally give to a veterans oraganization since most of us who work here are vet's ourselfs. This year we will donate to the http://www.honorflight.org/  which flys vet's free of charge to Washington to see the monuments. 

[pirahnah3]

 Thank you Rich, and thank you to ALL who have proven that freedom is not free. 

 

Might I also request a moment from all for those that did not get to come home the way the left home. 

[Rich]

Thanks guys for all the nice comments, but my reason for posting this was so that we NEVER forget the men and women who never came home.  The ones who left behind wives and children but never got to see them grow, or become grandparents.  And the ones who came back and were never the same. The ones who, like Black Bowtie's uncle, came back carrying something that wouldn't rear it's head for many many years, and when it did, the government just said "it's an herbicide", and only recently admitted it was much much more.  And then there are those who came back to a country who called them "baby killers" and spat on them when they came home in uniform. The ones who just couldn't adjust, who saw too much to forget, and couldn't live with what they experienced.  My wife's brother was a suicide after Nam.  

I am humbled every time I say I am a Viet Nam vet.  I SERVED during the war, but did not fight. They're the real heroes. They're the ones who deserve the honor. And it's a shame it took our country 40 years to recognize what they sacrificed. But if something good came from all of it, it's that my generation has changed the way people look at our servicemen and women now, and that they are appreciated for what they are doing, and we're leading the fight to get future veterans the benefits and respect they deserve. 

[TheWolf]

Well said Rich! 

[Black Bowtie]

You are to humble Rich. Even though most of us were or may not be "Boots on the Ground" we all had or have a job to do. Your MOS on that ship was not any less important then a Infantry soilder that is in the field. The Armed Forces is like a chain and is only as strong as it's weakest link! I train National Guard Soilders from all over the country on the Sustainment side of the military. We do real world training to simulate if they were deployed. Logistics, Maintenance, Water Treatment, Recovery, Medical. If all of these sections are not firing on all cylinders the infantry on the ground will not operate, they need supplies, operating vehicles, fresh water, a team to bring back a vehicle if it goes down and someone to treat the soilders injuries.