With wars continuing in Iraq and Afghanistan, the number of military veterans grows every Veterans Day. Commentator Forrest Brandt served in an earlier conflict ”” he was with the 1st Infantry Division in Lai Khe, Vietnam, from 1968-69.
Brandt, now a retired lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves and an adjunct professor at Northern Kentucky University, wrote about the day he came home, July 18, 1969.
You need to listen to it all, all the music as well as the narration.
i cried when i heard this…so very touching. thanks for sharing.
I came home in May, 1970. Today I went to my first Veterans Day Memorial. Why did I wait so long?
I was with the 1st Cav, 1-68-3-69. I was called a baby killer.
I have never marched in a veterans parade.
Old Soldier,
Thanks for your service. I don’t know where you are, but I do hope that you will march next year. If I were close enough, I would march with you.
I will be forever grateful to the Vietnam Vets who welcomed us when we returned from Iraq. I will do the same for the next generation.
God bless you.
Frreed
I heard this on NPR yesterday as I was leaving work. Very moving. Thank you to all our veterans.
After returning from 2 years, off and on, of flying over Vietnam, with my B-52 in 1973, no one welcomed us home. We simply went back on nuclear alert because of the Israel 11 day war. Last year on the Sunday closest to Veterans Day our church called all veterans to the front in the middle of the service. That had never been done before in our church or anywhere I had been. The entire congregation stood and applauded. The Vietnam Veterans, me included, simply began to cry and hug each other. One of my friends said to me very simply, “Welcome Home.” We finally were home.