THANK YOU AND WELCOME HOME
Wish you were here! The service and sacrifices of the Vietnam (VN) War veterans were saluted and honored by the State of South Dakota on 15 thru 17 September 2006. It was a memorial and a welcome home ceremony. It was intense and emotional. It was done with splendor, solemnity and dignity. It was also about paying tribute to the sacrifices by the families of the veterans. The memorial included the formal dedication of a magnificent statue of a VN veteran sculptured by two highly talented artists. One of them is the nephew of a classmate of my wife, Connie.
There were more than 32,000 attendees. The events included: a two-hour-long parade; concerts; fireworks; live music on the grounds of the Capitol; a traveling replica of the VN Wall in Washington, D.C.; rides in Huey helicopters; fixed wing aircraft flyovers; a 21-gun salute; the launch of 28,000 red, white and blue balloons (one for each South Dakotan who served in the VN War); a personal appearance by country musicians, Big and Rich; and videotaped message from VN veteran and music legend Kris Kristofferson. Two South Dakota VN era Medal of Honor winners, Major General (Retired) Henry Brady and former Specialist 4th Class Michael John Fitzmaurice, were introduced during the ceremony.
The master of ceremonies was Adrian Cronauer, the former Air Force radio personality who was depicted by Robin Williams in the movie: “Good Morning, Vietnam.” The dynamic and articulate Cronauer stated: “Most soldiers went to serve their country when they were called. Some of them did not want to be in Vietnam, but they performed well and deserve respect and thanks. That is the story that is not being told.” He also urged the veterans to talk about their war experiences, to help those who did not serve to understand what they did and why. Cronauer quoted author Herman Wouk: “The beginning of the end of war lies in remembrance.”
After the ceremony, a total stranger and his wife came up to me and told me that he was in high school during the VN War. He said he was ashamed how certain people in our nation treated our returning veterans in their protest against the war. His voice quivered as he sincerely and warmly said: “This ceremony was long over-due. Thank you for your service.” He caught me completely off guard. My eyes filled with tears as I thanked him for his comments.