Welcome Home Veterans
Events
The USS KIDD Veterans Museum celebrates “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day” in the museum and on the Riverfront Levee Green. The ceremony honoring Vietnam veterans begins 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 honor 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. VVA 488 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. A local band usually performs classics from the 1960s and early 1970s at the Riverfront Stage. Several local veterans service and patriotic organizations usually 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.