The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
More than just a meal
Annual breakfast aims to provide recognition, gratitude for Vietnam-era veterans
The commitment and sacrifices of United States military veterans who served during the Vietnam War period were recognized during an event in Painesville on the morning of March 27.
Painesville American Legion Post 336 conducted a fifth annual Welcome Home Breakfast for Vietnam veterans.
This event is held to pay tribute to veterans “who were not well-received or thanked” when they originally returned home from tours of duty during the Vietnam War period, said Lewis Ballard, who serves as historian for Painesville American Legion Post 336.
Ballard also is secretary of American Legion Riders Chapter 336. The group, consisting of motorcycle enthusiasts from the post, also performs community service projects.
From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Vietnam-era veterans and their spouses, and accompanying children under age 12, were treated to free breakfasts featuring warthemed titles such as the Hanoi Hanna Special and the Mekong Delta Meal. Nonveterans and their guests could pay $7 each to enjoy those same meals, which were freshly prepared in the kitchen of the post at 60 Chester St.
Another highlight of the event was a brief ceremony during which Ballard read the names of nine military members killed in the Vietnam War who listed Painesville as their hometown of record.
Headlining that roster was Specialist 4 Richard Lee Hido. A U.S. Army veteran, Hido died in the Vietnam War on June 29, 1966, according to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s website.
“He was the first Painesville resident to die in Vietnam,” Ballard said. “So our post has been asked to specifically recognize him.”
Ballard, who lives in Mentor, then performed a roll call of nine Painesville residents whom he said were killed in action during the Vietnam War. In addition to Hido, those service members, along with their ranks, branches and dates of death, consist of:
• Spc. 4 Budd Edward Hood, Army. Feb. 28, 1967.
• Cpl. Roland Ralph John, Marines. March 1, 1967.
• Cpl. Harry D. Huston Jr., Army. Sept. 24, 1967.
• Spc. 4 David Henry Merriam, Army. Nov. 17, 1968.
• Sgt. Eugene Pizzino II, Air Force. March 16, 1969.
• Pfc. James Michael Nesselrotte, Army. June 19, 1969.
• Pfc. Charles Alan Hood, Marines, Aug. 12, 1969.
• Pvt. Roosevelt J. Braggs, Army, June 5, 1970.
Ballard’s wife, Nancy, rang a bell after her husband recited each name.
In addition, Lewis Ballard reminded the audience that April 30 will mark the 46th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. The event refers to the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the communist North Vietnamese in 1975. The conquest ended the war with a victory for North Vietnam.
The last U.S. combat troops left South Vietnam in March of 1973, a few months after the signing of the Vietnam peace agreement. This departure marked the end of America’s direct eight-year intervention in the Vietnam war, according to history. com.
While Ballard’s service with the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War spanned nearly the entire year of 1967, he recalled seeing TV news reports eight years later on the fall of Saigon.
“We watched our (U.S.) embassy in Saigon fall and people being evacuated,” said Ballard, who reached the rank of Specialist 4 as an Army radio repairman. “It was a really sad day for Vietnam veterans. Because when we were there, we fought hard.”