Boulder, Longmont welcome Vietnam era veterans home – Boulder Daily …

In celebration of “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day,” the Boulder community offered local Vietnam War era veterans a belated but heartfelt homecoming in a ceremony Thursday afternoon at the East Age Well Center.

The ceremony, a partnership between the city of Boulder’s Older Adult Services and Colorado health care nonprofit TRU Community Care, saw dozens of veterans, family members, volunteers and guests assemble in the ballroom of the center at 5660 Sioux Drive. Last year, TRU presented a celebration for the holiday at the Longmont Senior Center.

“I think it’s an important event to gather people together so they can see they’ve had a shared experience, and hopefully feel seen and honored,” said Becki Parr, volunteer coordinator with TRU. “It’s not necessarily about the acknowledgement, but it is about the comradery.”

National Vietnam War Veterans Day is celebrated throughout the U.S. on March 29, the date the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam 50 years ago in 1973. In 2021, Colorado designated March 30 as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day to acknowledge the poor treatment many Vietnam War era veterans faced upon their return.

“All were seen in the same way by a country that could not separate war from the warrior,” said Gene Schiferl, member of the Longmont-based American Legion Post 32. “Each person who served during this period of time earned and rightly deserves our profound thanks.”

Along with other members of the Post 32 honor guard, Schiferl presented commemorative lapel pins and bracelets to Vietnam War era veterans in attendance who hadn’t previously received them. All veterans of the era were then invited to be recognized, resulting in roughly 10 veterans earning a standing ovation as they gathered around the flags of their military branches.

On Wednesday evening, Post 32 held its own ceremony for Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day at its Longmont facility, 315 S. Bowen St. Post adjutant Pat Lennon said between 50 and 75 people came to Wednesday’s ceremony, at which Schiferl handed out around 20 commemorative pins.

“It’s so emotional for a lot of the veterans when I present the pin to them, because they’ve never received a ‘thank you’ or recognition for their service,” Schiferl said.

Longmont Quilt Guild group “Bee Sew Brave” brought three quilts bearing red, white and blue designs for three veterans to win through a raffle contest. The tickets were drawn by Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett, who spoke about his uncle’s service in the Army during the Vietnam War.

“I know how thrilled he would have been to see that we were honoring our Vietnam veterans here like this,” Brockett said.

Boulder resident Jim Jones, one of the three quilt recipients, joined the military in 1974. As part of the younger subset of Vietnam era veterans, Jones said that he’s spent the years since “paying back” the veterans who went before him.

“They’re actually getting the recognition that they should have gotten 50 years ago,” he said.