Keith - Glad you had a good time at the parade and everything went so well. All our veterans are owed a tremedous thank-you from the American people and it is great to see the VietNam Vets gain the respect they deserve.
Sorry I missed your phone call. The number you called was our cell phone and I didn't get the message until I turned it on when going to Springfiled about 10am. Figured by then you were probably in the middle of the parade and too busy waving to talk (smile).
Thanks for being there to represent BTW and thanks to all our Vets for being there when we needed them most.
The parade Friday was great.....It was a homecoming for the veterans....I talked to several of the veterans and families after the parade at the Wall and vendor area and they were all amazed, as I was, at the gratitude that the spectators showed the veterans as they marched down the street. If I heard "Thank you" and "Welcome home" once I heard it hundreds of times from the crowded street. It was also a great get together before and after the parade for the different units that served in country and were support units for those fighting.
If you have not seen the real Wall and can not make the trip, you should make the trip to the 3/4 wall at the Grand Palace parking lot. The multitude of names will overwhelm you. It is a beautiful tribute to those that served and died, and is itself a great big "Thank You".
I was from a small town, Monett, when I came back and I did not see first hand the things that others in the bigger cities saw as far as the inapproprite treatment that some return soldiers saw. A small town greets their people with respect and gratitude I guess more than larger ciites. We are proud of our boys and show it.
Iraq and the returnees from this war are making a lot of people realize that they do need to welcome the Vietnam Vet back home, and it was obvious as the vets passed by the crowd Friday.
I have read some bad print on the Homecoming event....but every vet I talked to Friday was very appeciative to the respect that they were shown in their visit to our Ozarks. None had a bad word to say about the week they were spending in town for the event.
