Back in Vietnam, they were brothers-in-arms going off to war. In The Villages on Wednesday night, they were retired vets coming together at Savannah Center to celebrate being home.
Steve Betts, 71, was among the sellout crowd at the “Salute to America” event. Betts will forever live with the scars of Vietnam. He was 22, in the Army and caught up in the 1968 Tet Offensive. That’s when about 70,000 North Vietnamese soldiers and Viet Cong launched attacks in over 100 cities in South Vietnam.
“It was hell,” said Betts, who lives in St. Charles. “We got mortared and shot at all day, every day. I was wounded pretty bad.”
Some wounds have healed, others remain. Like so many other veterans Betts must cope with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. “I know I’m lucky to be 71,” he said. “I could have been dead at 22. I’m getting better now, but it’s still tough. I want to see Vietnam veterans get the respect they deserve.”
That respect was evident Wednesday during the Veterans Concert Series Event featuring Jefferson Starship and presented by the national group, Help Hospitalized Veterans.
You can see a clip from the concert on the Villages-New.com Facebook page at the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/TheVillagesNews
Also, representatives of Armed Services were on hand as part of the United States government’s official 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War commemoration. It was also announced that Help Hospitalized Veterans will offer free craft kits and hold free craft classes at Laurel Manor Recreation Center the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. It will start on May 13, and classes will run from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.
The organization Soldier’s Wish presented a $5,000 check to The Villages Honor Flight group.
Part of that money will be used to send Irv Locker — a 90-year old Villages resident – and other WW II vets on the Honor Flight to Washington D.C. They will see the World War II Memorial and leave on May 27.
“I’m completely surprised, and I’m so happy to be going,” said Locker, who saw action in the 1944 D-Day invasion of Normandy. “So many people I went over there with didn’t come back. By the Grace of God I’m here.”
Locker praised those who fought in Vietnam.
“They have done so much for our country and everyone should respect what they did for all of us,” Locker said.
Such words comfort Robert Washburn. He was among the first Marines sent to Vietnam in 1965. He was a machine gunner and his time over there still takes an emotional toll.
“We did the best we could and I’m proud of our service and the service of all Vietnam vets,” Washburn said. Still, he has trouble sleeping, and when he hears a loud noise or a helicopter, it can cause problems.
“When I got back from Vietnam, I never had someone come up to me and say, ‘Thank-you for your service.’ But since I’ve been in Florida for the last 10 years or so, people will come up to me and thank me for serving. Better late than never.”
Washburn said when he first came home from the war, “I didn’t want to tell people I was in Vietnam. Now I’m proud of it.”
Suzanne Washburn, his wife, said time has helped him cope with the past, “but I don’t know if anyone who has seen combat ever gets completely over it. I can’t even imagine the things he must have seen.”
She added that a tribute, “on a night like this helps him and all the vets. They can see people really care about them and what they have done.”
One is Army Sgt. Rich Lovelady, who travels the country on behalf of the U.S. government’s 50th anniversary commemoration of the Vietnam War. It will last until 2025.
“Our main objective is to honor the Vietnam veterans and their families,” said Lovelady, who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan. “One of the lessons we learned from Vietnam is to always treat the men and women who serve our country with respect when they come home.”
Arnold Fields, retired Major General with the United States Marine Corps, spoke to the veterans. He believes the Vietnam-era vets are finally getting the appreciation they deserve.
“I’m personally witnessing it when I travel throughout the country,” said Fields, who has served in the Middle East and around the world. “I’m inclined to say that the Vietnam veteran is finally getting what some would say is his just due. And you can feel the sense of pride in these veterans.”
“The Vietnam veteran got a raw deal,” said Clint Pearman, a retired Marine who is on the Board of Directors of the Help Hospitalized Veterans. “But things have turned around and are getting better. We have to thank and recognize these men and women for their service.”
Such actions make a difference for Vietnam vets.
“A lot of us had a lot of bad feelings after the war,” said Vietnam-era vet Calvin Kerkela. “Things change over time and you can sense a different attitude for Vietnam vets and the way people act towards them.”
“It’s very uplifting to be here on a night like this,” said Gary Manuse, another Vietnam-era vet. “To be honored with all these vets –it just makes you feel good.”
Clark Barrios, popular entertainer in The Villages, hosted the event. It was a free concert, and all veterans were allowed two tickets. Barrios praised the work of Barbara Vesco, of The Villages Entertainment, and Harry Lumpkin, of the Villages Vietnam Veterans, for making it happen.
Jefferson Starship played a mix of songs from the old Jefferson Airplane of the 1960s to the newer sounds of Starship from the mid-70s and beyond.
Lead singer Gracie Slick has long been retired. “You probably figured out I’m not Gracie,” said Cathy Richardson, who now sings for the band. She showed power and vocal range on such numbers as “It’s Not Over” and “Count On Me.”
Lead guitarist Jude Gold laid down some heavy licks and David Freiberg on guitar and vocals brought authenticity to the group. He was with Quicksilver Messenger Service back in the ‘60s before moving to the Jefferson Airplane.
But this night was about more than music.
“This is about making sure the Vietnam veterans get the welcome home they always deserved,” said Frank Cimorelli of the national “Salute to America” concert series. “One reason we’re here in Florida is because 1,954 men and women from Florida lost their lives in Vietnam. We can never thank them — and these veterans here tonight – enough.”