Hundreds welcome Vietnam vets home
AV grassroots group holds ceremony
PALMDALE — The pathway to the park at Poncitlán Square was paved with the tears of men, many of them draftees, who served during one of America’s longest conflicts: the Vietnam War, which lasted about 20 years.
From 1955 to 1975, the United States sent troops to Vietnam, whether as unofficial “advisers” during the early days of the war, or later in the hundreds of thousands.
March 29 is officially Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Day. A local grassroots organization, Boots On Ground Alliance, started early, organizing the second annual observation of “Welcome Home” ceremonies Saturday at Poncitlán Square.
So, any tears shed were tears of gratitude for the recognition — and there were a few. A few tears only, but a lot of recognition.
About 200 veterans of the Vietnam War era gathered. Many rode in on a big double-decker bus that was escorted into the park area by Patriot Guard Riders and American Legion Riders motorcyclists.
About 500 people in all showed up at the park by Palmdale City Hall. The group that put it together is called the Boots On The Ground Alliance, the inspiration of Alejandro Castillo, who served with the Marines in Iraq.
“We just want to make sure that they get the ‘Welcome Home’ that they deserved,” he said. “They paved the way for us Iraq and Afghanistan vets to get a better welcome.”
There were balloons, flags, a catered meal, speeches, but most of all there was affection and respect. Vietnam War veterans, serving in their teens and 20s, are now in their 70s and 80s.
The first veterans off the bus navigated the cheering throng, looking delighted and surprised at homemade signs that read, “Thank You!,” “Welcome Home” and “You Sacrificed for Us.”
Some veterans used wheelchairs or they walked, assisted by canes and walkers. Many men wearing the old ball caps
of their service branches had white, flowing beards. And many walked, shoulders squared or stooped, proud of service.
When Gerry Rice, 74, served as a draftee in Vietnam in 1969, the Army made him a dog handler, walking point for a year with a storied unit of the 101st Airborne. He had already declined assignment as a “shake and bake” quick-course sergeant.
“I told them I did not want to be responsible for other people’s lives,” he said.
They made him a K-9 dog handler instead, which meant he would walk “point,” first in the patrol order with a dog trained to sniff out the enemy. Before he returned stateside, he had to cremate his canine teammate, which, he said, was traumatic.
In K-9 School, “we were told that our mission was not to save the world from communism,” Rice recalled. “It was to survive and help your buddy survive.”
Joe Duran trained as Airborne, Ranger qualified. Because of his shooting skills, he was assigned as a sniper. He came home with dreams and night terrors that haunted him for years.
Both men came home with the post traumatic stress disorder that nobody had yet diagnosed as a hard consequence of cruel war. Rice, president of Vets4Veterans, and Duran, author of “Silent Heroes,” spoke at the “Welcome Home” event Saturday.
Jim Zenner, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, also spoke. An Iraq War veteran, he is the son of a Vietnam veteran. His father, he said, was appalled by damage the chemical defoliant agent orange, inflicted on the landscape of Vietnam. Assemblyman Tom Lackey showed up, taking the speaker podium to tell the group, “I just want you to know how appreciated and respected you are, for your service, and your sacrifice.”