VFW Welcome Home Party merits a Bravo Zulu

I am having difficulty putting into words my feelings with respect to the incredible “Welcome Home Party You Never Received” for Vietnam War veterans like myself this Saturday (May 20) at the VFW.

Quoting from the program for this magnificent event: “You came home and sometimes were denigrated when you should have been celebrated.” That did not apply to me as a naval aviator participating in Operation Marketime but that certainly may have happened to many of the Vietnam vets there last night.

In spite of having an overflow crowd of people join the post for dinner and entertainment, the incredible number of volunteers there to help post commander Kenneth Etherton overcame significant hurdles such as parking, seating, cooking, serving, etc. to ensure everyone had a great meal and were thoroughly entertained.

Etherton’s keynote speech was especially poignant and brought a few of us to near tears. The entire program which culminated with a 50^th anniversary commemorative medal and lapel pen went off like clockwork.

Hopefully, the staff present there from the “Village News” was able to capture a fraction of the feelings of gratitude that this special night meant to us who served in Vietnam nearly 50 years ago.

In the Navy this entire evening would have warranted a “Bravo Zulu”, the Navy’s highest praise for a complex Naval exercise done exceptionally well.

Captain Tom Mintun

USNR (Ret.)