Letter to the Editor:'Remember our Vietnam Vets'

Editor's Note: The following letter comes from Bruce G. McKenty, commander of the National Order of the Purple Heart.

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Fellow Vietnam Veteran Patriots:

Welcome Home!  On Friday, 29 March, we and all Americans will pause to commemorate “Vietnam Veterans Day,” the anniversary of the day that combat and combat support units withdrew completely from South Vietnam, and to thank and honor the men and women who served in Vietnam.

For those of us who served, there were no special homecomings, ceremonies at the airport, or parades.  There were no banners hanging from highway overpasses, police escorts, or people lining the streets with waving flags.  Instead, we were often scorned, called unspeakable names, and even spat upon.  The moment they returned to American soil, some of our warriors even slipped into a bathroom to change, not wanting to be seen in uniform.  Our beloved country was torn apart by political divisions on the legitimacy of a war that left more than 58,000 young men and women dead on the battlefield and another 300,000 wounded.

Now, fifty years later, our nation finds she is at war once again.  This time, however, thanks in large part to the Vietnam Veterans themselves, who vowed never to let it happen again, the newest generation of war heroes is receiving the gratitude they so richly deserve as they arrive back home from Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn. 

To Vietnam Veterans, this day provides an opportunity for our country to say to you, “Thanks for a job well done.” It is an opportunity for Americans to pay a debt that is 40 years overdue, and is an essential step toward healing a national wound.  While the healing process may not be over for some, all of us who served in Vietnam retain a special bond and remain brothers in arms until today. 

To you, again, I say, “Welcome Home.”

Yours in Patriotism,

Bruce G. McKenty

National Commander