John J. Pershing VA Medical Center recognizes those who served during Vietnam War Veterans Day ceremony

“On this solemn occasion of Vietnam Veterans Day, we gather to honor the courage, sacrifice, and resilience of those who served our nation during one of the most challenging chapters in our history,” said Mason Still, acting associate medical center director, to the large crowd of Veterans, family members, and medical staff gathered. “As we pay tribute to our Vietnam Veterans, we also mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, a milestone that holds deep significance for all who served and sacrificed during that tumultuous time.”

Several Vietnam Veterans attended the event, including residents of the VA medical center’s Community Living Center. Each one, Still said, has a unique story of their time in Vietnam, and more importantly, the bond they share.

“Kenneth Cline served in the Army’s Combat Engineers in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968, and again in 1970 to 1971,” Still reported. “During his tours, he was responsible for building main supply routes, bridges and a key airstrip, but his main MOS was demolition, with the task of clearing mines and clearing areas for helicopters to land. Serving in Vietnam, Cline says, is hard to describe. “’There were more bad times than good.’”

Continuing, Still said, “Cline’s fellow servicemembers are something he holds close to his heart, noting he said ‘There were guys you really enjoyed being with. I’ve got brothers, but the ones who served with me in Vietnam are closer than my actual brothers. When I was in a foxhole, they were there with me, and at night, I’d stay awake and guard them. Then they’d stay awake and guard me. That’s what it was – you guarded each other – that’s what you call brothers … Brotherly love is what it was.’” 

Still also relayed stories of other Vietnam Veterans in attendance.

Terry Nelson served in the Army in Vietnam in 1970, doing reconnaissance ahead of the main lines. “The nights were long,” he said, “and it was hell.” 

Nelson also feels a strong bond with those who served alongside him. “Black or white, it didn’t matter. You guarded each other’s backs,” he said.

Navy Veteran Oscar Millwood worked on small engines aboard the USS Whitstone and other ships, repairing small Army boats and other vessels, anchoring in and out of Vietnam over a period of 5 years.

“It was scary,” Millwood said of his time in Vietnam. “I wouldn’t want to go back.”

Like his CLC counterparts, Millwood shares a strong bond with his fellow Vietnam Veterans. “It’s a pretty strong bond,” he said, “… like brothers.”

Retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Larry Kimbrow, president of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1056, spoke of his time in Vietnam and the struggles everyone who served there faced, both during the war and upon their return home.

“I’m often asked when the last time I went to Vietnam was,” Kimbrow said, “and I tell them it was last night.”

After years of his own struggles, Kimbrow said, he turned his life around and made it his mission to support his fellow Veterans, telling the audience the motto of the Vietnam Veterans of America: “Never again will one generation of Veterans abandon another.”

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Still presented each Vietnam Veteran in attendance with a special lapel pin and a copy of a signed presidential proclamation recognizing their service and Vietnam War Veterans Day, while family members also were presented with special buttons honoring their service.

For information about programs and services available to Veterans of all generations, contact the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center at 573-686-4151, or go online to https://www.va.gov/poplar-bluff-health-care/