Richard Staley was in the U.S. Army, home on leave from a tour of duty in Vietnam, when he proposed to his wife, Gloria.
Nearly 50 years later, the Dexter, Mo., couple enjoyed the ballad "I want to be loved like that," as country music band Shenandoah entertained more than 4,500 veterans and their families at the Black River Coliseum.
The band was the headline performer for the eighth annual Valentines for Veterans concert.
The celebration came at the end of National Salute to Veteran Patients week, a time to recognize the sacrifice and service of the nation's veterans.
"It's a time when our community comes together to honor and appreciate all those who have served," said Dr. Patricia Hall, medical director of John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, before the band came on stage.
Staley and his wife are among many families that attend the event every year.
More should be done to honor Vietnam veterans, Staley feels, saying those who served then still do not get the same type of recognition as World War II veterans. America still does not like to talk about Vietnam, he said.
"I had people spitting on me when I came home," said Staley, who also served in the Gulf War. "I was proud to serve. I didn't run away to Canada. I liked it. I stayed in for my country and my family."
Korean War veteran Jim O'Neal also attends the concert every year with his family, was joined Friday by son Marlin O'Neal who served in the Navy from 1983 to 1992.
O'Neal, a Marine, jokingly described his son as "one of our misguided children," for his decision to join the Navy.
Their family has served in America's armed forces for more than a century, since O'Neal's grandfather fought in the Spanish-American war.
The O'Neals are also related to Sgt. Alvin York, one of the most decorated soldiers of the first World War.
"We're all veterans. It's us. It's our family tradition, something we share that other families can't," said Marlin O'Neal, of Morley, Mo. "There's a bond between us that most families can't understand."
Army National Guard veteran Dennis Koeberl enjoys the camaraderie of events like this. The Jackson, Mo., man served for 40 years, traveling the world.
"Everyone who comes to something like this has something to do with the service," Koeberl said.
Shenandoah band leader Marty Raybon shared his own experience of when his son decided to enlist in the Army, talking to the crowd during an encore performance at the end of the evening.
His fears as a parent were a struggle when his son enlisted, Raybon admitted.
"It's not that I wanted somebody else's kids to go and fight in a war or anything like that," he told the crowd. "It wasn't that I didn't feel like he couldn't do it, but the one thing that truly bothered me more than anything else in the world, was that I couldn't go with him and protect him like a parent would.
"I can say this honest and truly, I've never been more proud of him, nor the troops that he was with."
His thoughts and prayers have been not only with the troops since that time, but with the parents of those men and women, he said.
This event is made possible every year through community donations, according to organizers. One of its most significant sponsors being the Wake Foundation, which provides support to wounded veterans and those battling issues such as depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The Wake Foundation is the event's only diamond sponsor.
Platinum sponsors include the American Red Cross, Bread + Butter, Briggs and Stratton, Crawford Security, Dental Arts Group, Dr. Richard Secor, Hillcrest Animal Hospital, Lemonade House & Grill, Ozark Home Healthcare, Parr Family Pawn, Patriot Security, Sgt. Eric Summers Play for Honor and VFW Auxiliary 3416 of Wappapello.