On a sunny day at Fort Verde State Historical Park, a parade of dozens of motorbikes arrived from Sedona, carrying on them a troop of Vietnam veterans. Saturday, March 30, held the eighth annual Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day event in the Verde Valley, a day for the community to celebrate those who fought for the country 50 years ago in the difficult war.
Though the event normally rotates between the communities of Sedona, Cottonwood and Camp Verde, this was the second year in a row that the gathering was held at the fort in Camp Verde.
“It’s good to get the veteran community together and spend time together,” Camp Verde Town Council Member Bill LeBeau said. LeBeau himself was a veteran from the Vietnam era, though he was stationed in Puerto Rico, not in the conflict in Southeast Asia. “We share experiences and perhaps heal.”
The need to heal is a central part of the event every year for some of the attendees. The horrors of war left many Vietnam veterans with physical ailments and, beyond that, the trauma that many experienced has remained with them.
“As we mark the anniversary of the day that the last U.S. combat and combat support troops left the Republic of South Vietnam, let us remember that, for some Vietnam veterans, the journey began well before that day and, for some, the journey has lasted for more than 40 years. For many more, it is still not at an end,” Edward Uzumeckis began his speech saying. He is a service officer for the Vietnam Veterans of America in Sedona who has been involved with the event for years.
Uzumeckis went on to read a passage from “Home Before Morning: The Story of an Army Nurse in Vietnam” by 2nd Lt. Lynda Van Devanter: “Ours is a solitary pain, to be felt in hundreds of 3 a.m.s when those around us are sleeping peacefully.”
The event served as a chance to honor and celebrate those who fought for America 50 years ago, but also as a chance to try to deal with that lasting trauma for many.
“We’re probably 80-20,” T.C. Noble, quartermaster for Veterans of Foreign Wars post 6739 in Camp Verde and himself a Vietnam veteran, said. “80% of the vets are doing well, 20% are really struggling. If nothing else, [Vietnam Veterans Day] helps them to coalesce with other Vietnam Veterans. I think it does help.”
Uzumeckis uses the annual event as an opportunity to try to find veterans in need of help and inform them of their options to try and get that help. He ended his speech by referencing a January court ruling that entitles Blue Water Navy veterans to care for Agent Orange exposure during the war.
“I get a chance to meet with people and see if they’re getting their disability benefits,” Uzumeckis said. “Many are getting healthcare but that’s not disability. Many are not aware of things they’re eligible for due to exposure to Agent Orange.”
“It’s getting better only because people are becoming more aware,” Uzumeckis said. “Their doctors are telling them.”
Beyond medical care, the event was a way for veterans to feel good about their service, after many said that they were welcomed back initially with disrespect.
“We couldn’t even wear uniforms when we got home, nothing that identified you as a Vietnam veteran” Marvin Red-Eye, who served in the Marine Corps from 1964-68, recalled of his welcome home at the event. “It didn’t get better for me until three years ago, when the first kid came up to me and said ‘thank you for your service.’ Now I wear my hat and people come up to me and say ‘thank you.’”
“I think it’s a great event,” Monty, an Air Force veteran from Prescott who served 1972-73, said. “I’m sure that the veterans appreciate it and like to be recognized. The people here in Arizona, they’re willing to come up to you and say thank you for your service.”
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551 or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
