Politics & Government
Vietnam Vet Blasts Government at Veterans Day Ceremony [VIDEO]
Mahwah VFW Commander said the ceremony was the perfect opportunity to tell the government how he feels, and he's not going to stop there.
Mahwah’s Veterans Day Ceremony has generated conversations around town and on social media sites this week not only because of its honoring local vets and unveiling of a new township monument, but because of a speech from a township Vietnam vet critiquing the federal government’s treatment of veterans.
Mahwah VFW Commander Gary Montroy addressed the community in a speech at the township’s annual Veterans Day ceremony Monday, and used the speech as an opportunity to share his disapproval of the federal government.
“I have watched with disgust the action of the federal government,” he said during his speech.
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“When I came home from Vietnam, the people spurned us. Now, the government treats us with contempt. I swore to myself that I would not allow this current crop of veterans to be treated as I was. The people have come around to see the honor associated with serving your country. The leaders of our country at the federal level have not. They should be ashamed of themselves for their actions.”
Montroy, who works as the construction official for the township, referenced veterans’ families being denied death benefits, and the recent Million Vet March in Washington protesting the closure of veterans memorials during the government shutdown.
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“Quite frankly, Veterans Day is my day,” Montroy told Patch of why he decided to give the speech at the ceremony.
“I exercised my first amendment right. I think it’s an appropriate time. I’m not the only veteran, or the only American, who feels this way.”
Residents have posted a video of Montroy’s entire speech on YouTube.
In case it doesn’t make its way to Washington government officials, Montroy said he and the 60 other members of the Mahwah VFW are planning to send a letter to the President and every member of Congress explaining how they feel.
“Veterans are coming back to no jobs, no benefits, and they’re not being treated very well,” he said. “The should know how we feel about that.”
Read Montroy’s entire Veterans Day speech in the attached pdf.
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