Honor and Gratitude

My home county declared 2015 the Year of the Veteran and their Families. I wrote before about the Welcome Home for Vietnam vets that was held last fall and in conjunction with all of this the county asked Emmy winning film makers Barbara Grunbaum and Dan Rankin to create and produce a documentary about 'Nam vets from the county. Dan explained from the very beginning that their interest was to not talk to the usual suspects but to tell the stories of those whose boots were actually on the ground, those doing the everyday work, those actually fighting the war.

Through circumstances I can't really explain, I was asked to be among those interviewed. In total there were 7 of us who ranged from the very first resident of the infamous Hanoi Hilton, to an Army nurse who was later characterized in the TV show about Army nurses called China Beach, to my buddy who actually pushed Ron Kovic ( Born on the 4th of July) down Pennsylvania Ave. in his wheelchair to demonstrate against the war at the Nixon White House and several more, including me. The intent was to illuminate what our particular experiences in-country were, what is was like coming home and how we might have been affected as we moved through the rest of our lives. It achieves these in remarkable fashion and we were all blown away by the job Barbara and Dan and all those who assisted them were able to do. I was humbled to sit among these heroes and am not sure I actually belonged there. However, I was and that presents this opportunity to share the film with you. (Maybe that's why I was there)

Honor and Gratitude was premiered on March 23rd, so it is brand new and you will be among the very first to get to see it in its entirety. I hope you will take the time, it does take about an hour, and that you will let me know what you think. I would love to hear from you.

So, it is a great honor and privilege to share Honor and Gratitude with you. Enjoy!

I've had a little trouble getting this to start, if you do, you can see it here, too.

 https://youtu.be/p3OAnvShg-0


Next time, on the 10th, check out a new site from Florida. See it at 9:00am, as always.

To see memorials from any state, click on the state name on the left side of this page.

Welcome Home Vietnam Veteran's Day

The Senate has declared that March 30th will be Vietnam Veteran's Welcome Home Day. Below is a copy of the resolution. In addition, Montgomery County, Maryland (for all you local readers) is having a Welcome Home activity at the new Veteran's Plaza in Silver Spring. I have enclosed a URL at the bottom of the page with more information on this local event and some pictures I took at the plaza recently. They had a display of Native American patriotic art the day I was there.


"Washington D.C - The U.S. Senate on March 8 declared March 30th
as "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day," agreeing unanimously to a
resolution introduced by Senator Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Ranking Member
of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

On March 30, 1973, all U.S. troops withdrew from Vietnam under
the terms of the Treaty of Paris. This March 30th, the Senate has
encouraged Americans across the country to recognize Vietnam veterans
for their sacrifice and demonstrate a warm welcome to these soldiers who
returned from war to a politically divided country.

"I'm pleased that the Senate has agreed to set aside a day to
give our Vietnam veterans a warm, long-overdue welcome home. I strongly
encourage communities throughout North Carolina and across the country
to observe this day with activities and events that honor these veterans
for their service. It's time they receive the recognition they have
earned and deserve. This day also provides our nation with an important
teaching moment. Never again should our men and women serving in the
armed forces receive the same treatment as those returning from
Vietnam," said Senator Richard Burr.

Senator Burr introduced the resolution for the second consecutive year on February 16, 2011 ..

The United States became involved in Vietnam because
policy-makers believed that if South Vietnam fell to a communist
government, communism would spread throughout the rest of Southeast
Asia. The US Armed Forces began serving in an advisory role to the South
Vietnamese in 1961, and in 1965, ground combat troops were sent into
Vietnam. On March 30, 1973, after many years of combat, all US troops
withdrew. More than 58,000 members of the United States Armed Forces
lost their lives and more than 300,000 were wounded in Vietnam."


Here is the URL to the Montgomery County Maryland event;

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/hhs/ads/VA/PDFs/whvietnamvetsmarch30.pdf

The Veteran's plaza is located on the corner of Ellsworth and Fenton Streets in downtown Silver Spring. As the flier says, "the more the merrier"