Blogs by Mr. Ed
Veteran Chronicles, Chapter 20
6/15/2005 5:04:49 AM
Operation Homecoming USA - And It Was Way Overdue
Thirty years after the last U.S. forces left Vietnam, tens of thousands of veterans of that conflict have gathered in the Ozark Mountains this week to get the official welcome home and thanks they never received.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs R. James Nicholson, a Vietnam veteran himself, thanked his fellow veterans who "were there to share and shoulder the burden of the Vietnam War on behalf of our country."
Nicholson addressed the group during the opening ceremonies for "Operation Homecoming USA."
"It is my privilege as your comrade and as your secretary of Veterans Affairs to thank you for your service and your sacrifice," Nicholson told the group at The Grand Palace Theater in Branson, Missouri. He extended his appreciation to families and loved ones "who worried about us and prayed for us" while in Vietnam.
The weeklong Operation Homecoming USA is planned as a belated homecoming celebration and a time of healing for our veterans who still bear the scars of this war.
Many of our Vietnam veterans received no acknowledgements at all when they returned home, and those who did were often scorned rather than embraced.
The city of Branson gave a royal welcome to the Operation Homecoming USA participants, with flags and signs everywhere greeting the veterans and thanking them for their service. By the week's end, Branson is expected to host 35,000 to 50,000 veterans, organizers predict.
Festivities during the week include a parade, military reunions, award ceremonies, golf and fishing tournaments, aircraft displays and concerts by many of the performers who entertained troops during United Service Organizations shows in Vietnam.
Among the featured artists at the June 18 closing ceremony will be the Beach Boys, the Fifth Dimension, the Doobie Brothers, the Supremes with Mary Wilson, the Oak Ridge Boys, Tony Orlando, Les Brown Jr. and Ann-Margaret. Former Armed Forces radio disc jockey Adrian Cronauer, of "Good Morning, Vietnam!" fame, will also participate in the activities, as well as the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales.
Operation Homecoming USA's reach will also extend beyond the Ozarks. Throughout the week, Major League Baseball franchises nationwide will feature salutes to Vietnam and other veterans during their games.
But the event is more than a big party, offering a variety of demonstrations and events that return veterans to their Vietnam experience. They can take rides in UH-1 Huey helicopters, attend military demonstrations and displays, watch an air show, and sit through presentations by representatives of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command.
Tents stretching throughout the main staging area at The Grand Palace Theater offer participants an opportunity to sign up for counseling or veterans benefits, learn about veterans organizations, or simply catch up with former comrades.
Throughout the venue, veterans were seen shaking hands, slapping backs, sharing laughs and occasionally tears as they caught up on times passed.
Much of the emphasis during Operation Homecoming USA will be on a quiet reflection of those bonds. Stretching in front of The Grand Palace is a three-quarter-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, engraved with the names of more than 58,000 veterans who died in Southeast Asia.
Thousands of veterans and their families crowded along the "Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall," the largest of several "traveling" Vietnam memorial walls, to find the names of comrades or loved ones lost in the war.
Newly appointed Secretary Nicholson promised the veterans the United States would not forget those sacrifices or the fate of missing prisoners of war and will stand by Vietnam veterans to ensure they get the benefits they deserve.
"You selflessly put yourselves in harm's way," he said. "And I pledge to you that Vietnam veterans will always receive the care and respect from your government that you deserve."
I truly hope he keeps this pledge – 30 years has been far too long to wait.
And if you're a Vietnam Vet, and anywhere near Branson, Mo, why not check it out?
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