West Orange Honors Vietnam Veterans On Memorial Day

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of West Orange's town public information officer, Joseph Fagan. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

On Monday, May 26, the West Orange community came together at Town Hall for the annual Memorial Day ceremony. This year’s event held special significance in commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. Under clear skies a robust crowd gathered to honor the brave men and women who served in Southeast Asia.

More than 58,000 American service members never returned home from Vietnam, including six known former West Orange residents whose names are etched into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. Their memory was front and center during the traditional wreath-laying ceremony with name cards. It was made even more moving by the participation of local Vietnam veterans who paid tribute to these fallen comrades.

As was mentioned in the day’s reflections, Vietnam veterans came home to a nation that often unfairly blamed them for the broader political and moral controversy surrounding the war. West Orange became a place where the weight of silence was lifted by remembrance, and a long-overdue welcome honor that history previously ignored. That sentiment came to life when Cadets from the WOHS Mountaineer Squadron AFJROTC stepped forward. They unfurled a banner before the seated Vietnam veterans that read: Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans. As the crowd rose in applause, voices could be heard shouting out with emotion: “Welcome Home.”

Following the outdoor program, guests were invited inside Council Chambers for a special screening of a 2017 short film. It captured the visit of the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall to West Orange High School that July 4th weekend. It featured powerful interviews with combat veterans willing to share their Vietnam experiences. Some of them returned to this year’s ceremony to participate in the ceremonial wreath laying on the steps of West Orange Town Hall. It also gave veterans an opportunity to bear witness to both the remembrance and the enduring impact of their stories that are now shared and appreciated by the West Orange community.

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