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Hundreds attend Welcome Home Party for Vietnam veterans

Molly Hamilton Apr 29, 2015

IMG_1216More than 700 people–veterans, family members and thankful citizens–gathered on Friday evening April 24, 2015 to give thanks to the veterans who served our country bravely in the Vietnam War.  When these veterans returned home from service, they were not warmly welcomed and thanked for their sacrifice.  Many of these veterans were drafted into service, and answered their nation’s call only to return home to a nation where many turned their backs on them.  This party, “The Welcome Home Party You Never Got,” provided an opportunity to give these Vietnam veterans the proper reception they deserved.

Brad and Jennifer Moranz served as emcee’s for the evening. A surprise flyover by a 1967 UH-1H Huey, piloted by a crew of four Vietnam veterans from the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation in Hampton, GA got the party started.  Then, Medal of Honor Recipient Major General James E. Livingston delivered a rousing speech in uniform to an appreciative crowd. Soon after, The Explorers Club band began entertaining the crowd with Vietnam War-era tunes that they played throughout the night.  Guests enjoyed a barbeque dinner and drinks while dancing and listening to the music and watching a compilation of videos containing footage from the Vietnam War and the surrounding time period.  Many guests also took some time to walk through the Vietnam Experience exhibit and recall their own experiences in a place with similar sights and sounds.

The party was presented by Patriots Point and the USS Yorktown Foundation and sponsored by Motley Rice LLC, Vetfriends.com and Southern Eagle Distributing. Patriots Point is an official Vietnam War 50th anniversary commemorative partner of the Department of Defense.  The “Welcome Home Party You Never Got” was part of the museum’s ongoing war commemoration efforts.

Check out the gallery of photos below.  Click on a photo to enlarge it.

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