On March 29, local Vietnam-era veterans hosted a special ceremony at the Carroll Municipal Airport to honor the six Carroll County soldiers who did not return from their service during the Vietnam War. Yesterday (Wednesday), those veterans recreated that March ceremony for residents at Thomas Rest Haven in Coon Rapids, including the 13 Vietnam-era vets who could not attend the original March presentation. Randy Nieland, a veteran and Carroll American Legionnaire, was the program’s keynote speaker.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the end of ground operations in Vietnam. Unlike today’s servicemen and women, whose military service is generally met with respect and appreciation, Vietnam veterans often returned home to be treated as pariahs by an indifferent populace. Nieland says the tone has shifted, but the wounds remain.
As a Veterans Affairs-contracted facility since 2013, Thomas Rest Haven has the honor of serving nearly 90 retired servicemen and women over the last decade. The organizers presented a plaque with the names of the six Carroll County soldiers who died during their service during the Vietnam War, including U.S. Army Specialist Steven Thurlow Jewell of Coon Rapids. They also presented a heart-shaped pin to each of the 13 Vietnam-era veterans currently in residence at Thomas Rest Haven as a long-overdue symbol of a deserved welcome home. Retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer, Don Bernholtz, says it was a privilege to bring the Vietnam War Veterans Day ceremony to those who were unable to attend in March. Video from Wednesday’s presentation is included below.
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