Patriotism filled the Tinnin Fine Arts Center Friday morning as about 50 Vietnam War veterans were honored and thanked for their service and sacrifice.
From the posting of the colors by the Poplar Bluff Junior ROTC, to the singing of the Armed Forces Melody by James Todd and "God Bless America" by Jeanette Cox and the closing of "Taps" by the Southeast Missouri Honor Guard, the event paid tribute to the men and women who had been dishonored when they returned home from Vietnam.
It was the country's 40th president, Ronald Reagan, who was first to recognize the Vietnam War-era veterans, said C. Herbert Breece, chaplain of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter No. 1056.
As veterans, "we appreciated that very much," said Breece, who also expressed appreciation to their spouses and children who "endured while we were serving our country" ... to keep America free for future generations.
There is much to be thankful for as "we still have to fight for this freedom," said Breece. "It's a never ending thing."
An Air Force veteran, Todd told those in attendance he was excited to have a part in honoring the Vietnam-era veterans.
"We have freedom today because of the veterans who served," said Todd.
As Todd sang the Armed Forces Melody, members of each branch of service -- Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and the Marines -- stood to be recognized.
It was in 2008 that the secretary of defense was authorized to conduct a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, explained Patricia Hall, director of the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center.
By presidential proclamation, she said, the commemoration extends from Memorial Day 2012 through Veterans' Day 2025.
"It's a very long time frame that we will be commemorating our 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War," Hall said.
Through this commemoration, "we offer the thanks of our nation to as many as possible of the 7.2 million living Vietnam veterans and the 9 million families of those who served from Nov. 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975, said Hall.
A commemorative pin was commissioned to honor the Vietnam veterans, said Hall, whose staff gave a pin to any veteran in the audience who did not already have one.
Hall said these service members honored the call to duty; however, they were encouraged to return home, not in uniform, but in civilian clothes.
"Those who were able, quietly slipped back into the lives they had left," Hall said. "Although they were profoundly impacted by their experiences," there was no formal recognition of their service or welcome home ceremonies.
"Like the veterans returning from today's battlefields, those who served in Vietnam came home with both physical and unseen injuries," Hall said.
Many of those unseen injuries, she said, went undiagnosed or misunderstood.
Hall said too many who fought in Vietnam never returned home.
"Their future was cut short; their hopes and dreams along with it," said Hall, who indicated the families of "those whose names are etched on the wall" experienced the painful loss of a loved one without the support of the nation.
According to Hall, 58,307 names appear in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. The average age, she said, is 23.
Many tens of thousands were disabled, said Hall, who indicated more than 7,500 woman served in Vietnam.
Hall said 1,627 still are missing in action, and their families await word of their fate.
"These facts provide us some context and understanding of the true cost of war," Hall explained. "It is not measured in dollars and cents, but in lives."
On behalf of "our government and our nation, we have the opportunity to do what should have been done 50 years ago, welcome our Vietnam veterans home with honor, and thank them and their families for their service and sacrifice," Hall said.
According to Larry Kimbrow, VVA chapter president, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Tet Offensive, which began on Jan. 30, 1968, by the Viet Cong, the rebels who were against the Vietnamese government.
During the Tet, which was the lunar new year and a major holiday in Vietnam, there was an agreed upon cease fire by all the soldiers on both sides, Kimbrow said.
On that day, he said, the Viet Cong launched a "major offensive" against every major military installation in South Vietnam, as well as against the capital and several large cities in South Vietnam.
"It ended up being a military victory for the South Vietnamese army and the U.S. military, but it was a strategic success for the Viet Cong," Kimbrow said.
President Lyndon Johnson, Kimbrow said, had decided and told to the American people victory was in sight, but it was a blow politically and flamed the antiwar sentiment.
In the first 10 days of the 77-day offensive, Kimbrow said 1,000 Americans died and another 2,000 were wounded.
"The fact that we killed 22,000 Viet Congs didn't matter," said Kimbrow.
Among those serving in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive was Bob Lawson, a local VVA member.
Lawson said he went to Vietnam in April 1968.
"Little did I know there was going to be so much trouble," said Lawson. " ... It was pretty bloody."
Lawson said he was supposed to go with the 25th Infantry, but he met a sergeant who changed his orders.
Lawson said he worked for battalion headquarters, where he took care of such tasks as ration cards, transfers and extensions.
"I stayed my year," Lawson said. "During that time, I went to Singapore for R&R, then I was home for 30 days.
"I extended and went back to another six months."
During his year and half, "there were five major offensives and two counter offenses," Lawson said. " ... I did what I had to do."
In a salute to the fallen veterans, Gary Melton, first vice president of the VVA chapter, read the names of nearly 100 service men and woman from Southeast Missouri and Northeast Arkansas who were killed in action in Vietnam.
After remembering the fallen, VVA chapter members, Roy Lee and Bardis Dismuke, then conducted the POW/MIA ceremony remembering "our brothers who never returned or were never found" or who "are still prisoners of war."
As Dismuke stood behind the small table set for one on the stage, Lee explained what each item symbolized.
"Let us remember and never forget their sacrifice," Lee said.