By Taylor Sterling
Decades after the last U.S. forces left Vietnam, The Hudson Highlands Cemetery is conducting a pinning ceremony for the veterans of that conflict to give them the official welcome home and the thanks they never received initially. Many carried the torment of the anti-war protests, and a lot of veterans still carry that burden. Add that to the PTSD that they suffer for the rest of their lives and the 22 Veterans that commit suicide every day! This event is a symbolic opportunity to lift that burden and give them the welcome they so long deserve. Most Vietnam veterans were not even acknowledged when they returned from the war, and those who did were often scorned rather than embraced. One of the VietNam Vets shared, “We got the spits, the yells, the eggs. It wasn’t fun,” said, a former Marine who served two back-to-back tours in Vietnam between 1969 and 1971. I want to now bury these old resentments…it’s time” The brotherhood among Vietnam veterans is an unbroken bond and their hope is that you all come out to welcome those who served…and at a time where all they understood is they were fighting for America…for our freedom, and for our safety. Why would you hate them for that? Rhetorical question. Just last Friday I had Heather Howley, Owner & Operator of Independent Helicopters on The Taylored Word at 10am with Tony Cosimano who flew the Huey for a year in Nam and was shot down twice. He will also be joining us for the pinning ceremony on May 4th at the Newburgh Armory at 11am (see poster). “We may not have served side by side or in one particular place or time together, (but) the bonds that join us can never be broken, “he said as a tear ran down his cheek. Remember, the Vietnam Wall in Washington D.C. is engraved with the names of more than 58,000 veterans who died in Southeast Asia. Another Vet who served in Vietnam with the 524th Military Intelligence Detachment, said he’s hopeful that this weekend’s event will help remind the American public and young people with no memory of the Vietnam War about the tremendous sacrifices made in Vietnam. “We want people to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice,” he said. “When you look at those names on the wall — they all had hopes, aspirations, dreams and families that will never be realized. And it’s important that we remember them and what they did.” I assured him that we would never 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.” Please join us this Saturday, May 4th at the Newburgh Armory to simply say, “Thank you for your service and WELCOME HOME!
