Welcome Home Veterans - USS Kidd
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Welcome Home Veterans
Events
The USS KIDD Veterans Museum will celebrate “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day” on Saturday, March 25, from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. in the museum and on the Riverfront Levee Green. A ceremony honoring Vietnam veterans will be held at 11:00 a.m. in the Louisiana Memorial Plaza adjacent to the museum building. This event is free and open to the public. On March 30, 1973, all U.S. troops withdrew from Vietnam under the terms of the Treaty of Paris. These service men and women returned from war to a politically divided country and in 2011, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution to provide Vietnam veterans with the chance at a proper welcome home.
“We will be honoring those men and women who served
our country during the Vietnam War,” said David Beard, Executive Director of
the USS KIDD Veterans Museum. “From the
Ia Drang Valley, to the Tet Offensive, to the fall of Saigon, and to bases in
the United States, these men and women gave up the best years of their lives to
serve their country in a war that was not popular. But we must always
honor their sacrifice, no matter the thoughts about a particular conflict.”
There
were 907 sons of Louisiana killed in action during the Vietnam War and their
names are engraved here on the walls of the Louisiana Memorial Plaza. A
significant number of inductees in the museum's Hall of Honor served in
Vietnam, including one Medal of Honor recipient. A 1/9 scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial is on display courtesy of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter
488. VVA 488 also helped the museum
acquire and restore an A-7E Corsair II
jet aircraft in 1993-94. Corsairs
first deployed in Vietnam and were retired shortly after Operation Desert
Storm. Saturday's
keynote speaker, Colonel Joey Strickland, USA (Ret.), saw combat during two
tours of duty in Vietnam. He served as a
crew chief on a UH-1B Iroquois helicopter (nicknamed the “Huey”), ferrying
troops into combat and clearing landing zones of enemy forces. He worked his way up through enlisted ranks
to earn a commission as an officer, retiring after over 28 years in the
Army. He now serves as Secretary of
Veterans Affairs for the State of Louisiana and has previously served in that
position under Governors Foster and Blanco, as well as under Governors
Napolitano and Brewer in the State of Arizona. Vietnam
Veterans of America Chapter 488 will be selling hot dogs on the grounds after
the ceremony, with drinks available for purchase in the museum gift shop. Big River Express will be performing classics
from the 1960s and early 1970s at the Riverfront Stage. Several local veterans service and patriotic
organizations will have informational tables set up throughout the museum. “It’s
all about saying ‘Thank You’ and ‘Welcome Home,’” said Tim NesSmith,
Educational Outreach Coordinator for the USS KIDD. “To that end, several of our local veterans
support organizations are coming down early that morning to tie yellow ribbons
around all of the trees and light poles of the surrounding grounds. It’s just one more way to say ‘We’re glad
you’re home.’”
Museum
entrance will be free to attendees from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. USS KIDD ship tours will be half price for
veterans and their families and available at the regular admission price of $10
for adults, $8 for seniors and $6 for children ages 5-12 for all others.
For
more information on this event, please call (225) 342-1942.
