I want to thank the Yellow Ribbon Committee from Becker and Big Lake and the American Legion members for coordinating the “Welcome Home Vietnam Vets” gathering in Becker. It was an emotional event for the veterans and family members. Some of the community leaders who spoke did not serve during that war but conveyed heartfelt expressions of gratitude and also understanding of the present needs of the brave men and women who served. 

 

Many speakers stated they had been to the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington DC. The common humbling experience they all felt was that each person’s name on the wall was a sacrifice to our nation and that these brave young men and women will be forever young. They noted that the sacrifice should be extended to include the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives and all family members of those who died fighting on foreign soil. I am one of those family members. Their deaths were life changers to those of us who still grieve. 

 

After 40-plus years of searching I recently found a soldier who served and was with my brother in Vietnam when he was killed. This gentle man gave me a book called “Shrapnel of the Heart” which is a culmination of interviews of family members of those KIA in Vietnam. I suggest everyone read this book to get a better understanding of what the families experienced after hearing their loved one was killed. 

 

Ronald Reagan once said, “Some people spend a lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines (and all veterans) don’t have that problem.”