Vietnam Veteran Finally Gets Proper Welcome Home from Vietnam

Vietnam Veteran Receives Welcome Home He Never Had
Time Warner Cable News
By Michael Howard
Sunday, December 27, 2015

A Vietnam veteran finally got the welcome home he deserves at the Albany International Airport on Sunday evening. Reporter Michael Howard was there when Dan New arrived in the Capital Region.

COLONIE, N.Y. -- It was an emotional return back to the U.S. for Dan New after going on what's called a "reconciliation journey" to Vietnam.

The 68-year-old holds back tears when he thinks of his past, that includes serving in the Vietnam War, from April of 1967 to April of 1968, after being drafted into the Army at age 19.

Since then, the Wynantskill resident says he's battled his own war, struggling with PTSD and addiction. That's until he found a group called Soldier's Heart in Troy, that specializes in restoring the relationship between soldiers and society.

"In my mind I had always carried the memories of what I experienced when I was there," said New.

He, along with 15 others from the organization, including four Vietnam veterans and one Iraq War veteran, went on a three week trip to Vietnam, a place New hasn't returned to in more than 40 years. He experienced the culture and what were once war sites, many now unrecognizable. At one spot, all that was left was a soldier's uniform.

"It was that of an American soldier. I have a piece of it in my luggage right now," said New.
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Fort Hood Hug Lady Makes News in Australia

Fort Hood's 'Hug Lady' promises she will be back from breast cancer treatment 
ABC Australia
Posted yesterday at 7:13am

"Sometimes the line is so long that we have to turn people away."

A woman who estimates she has hugged 500,000 soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, has promised she will be back from treatment for breast cancer.

Elizabeth Laird, 83, is known as the "Hug Lady" at Fort Hood, where she has given hugs to almost every soldier entering and leaving the base since 2003, when soldiers stationed there began deploying to Iraq. "I don't know when I started hugging, but one soldier hugged me and there was another soldier there, so I had to hug him and it kind of just snowballed," she told the Killeen Daily Herald in 2009. "I hugged all the soldiers. I promised them that. I told them as they left, I'd be here to hug them again when they came back."

Ms Laird has a military background herself, having enlisted in the US Air Force in 1950, the US Department of Veterans Affairs reported in a Facebook post earlier this month. 
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Los Angeles Veterans Can Connect to Help After Coming Home

Coming home from war, these veterans often have nothing. 
Here’s how you can help.
LA Daily News
By Dennis McCarthy
POSTED: 11/19/15

“I know there are hundreds of veterans out there living hand to mouth who have no idea we exist, that they can come to their local VA and get clean, used clothing for free.”

Mort Schecter and Wynn Van Citters help veterans in need of clothing at the Veterans

Administration Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center, Wednesday, November 18, 2015.

(Photo by Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News)

He was a young soldier with an empty duffle bag and a hard luck story.

His girlfriend left him while he was serving in Afghanistan, taking everything of theirs she could fit in her car. Their landlord took the rest.

He cleaned out their apartment and put everything she left behind in paid storage, including all his clothes. The young soldier had no idea this was happening. He was too busy 7,500 miles away in a desert looking for people who want to kill us.

When the storage rental fee went unpaid after six months, all his possessions were sold at auction to pay the bill. He had come home earlier this year to find everything he owned gone.

And now he was standing in a cramped clothing room in Building 22 at the Sepulveda VA looking a little embarrassed as he handed Wynn van Citters a voucher saying he qualified for free, used clothing because he was a low-income veteran.

It was not exactly the homecoming he expected.
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Fort Hood Soldiers Give Hug Lady Back Love

Soldiers rally to side of ailing Fort Hood's 'hug lady'
FOX News
By Brooke Singman
Published November 13, 2015

The "hug lady" of Fort Hood, whose embrace boosted the spirits of thousands of American soldiers over nearly a decade as they shipped out for Iraq and Afghanistan, is finding her kindness repaid in spades now that she is battling cancer.

Elizabeth Laird, now 83, is beloved by all the men and women who were deployed out of the Texas military base because rain or shine, she never failed to send each one off with a hug as they left Killeen/Fort Hood Regional Airport.

“This is my way of thanking them for what they do for our country," Laird told FoxNews.com Thursday from her hospital bed in Copperas Cove, Texas, where she is being treated for breast cancer that has spread to her bones. “I wasn’t hugging in 2003. I used to just shake their hands. But one day, a soldier hugged me, and that’s the way it started.”

Now, the soldiers who felt Laird's kindness are rallying to her side, with a GoFundMe page that has raised nearly $70,000 toward Laird's medical bills.

Laird's son, Vietnam veteran and former U.S. Marine Richard Dewees, set up the crowdfunding page Monday evening to help pay her medical expenses and ease the financial toll of life in an assisted-living facility. The initial goal of $10,000 was quickly surpassed, with much of the money flowing in from veterans touched by their encounters with Laird as they left the U.S., never knowing if they would come home.
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Elizabeth Laird mentions a card she hands out with Psalm 91 "from a group out of Florida" and that group is OperationSafety91

Fort Carson Welcomes Home 300 Soliders

Hugs mark happy homecoming for Fort Carson GIs 
The Gazette
By: Tom Roeder
Published: October 21, 2015

U.S. Army Sgt. Ross Graziano is greeted by his wife, Nicole Graziano, after returning home from Kuwait with soldiers from the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, at the William Reed Special Events Center on Tuesday, October 20, 2015 in Fort Carson, Colorado. Graziano and the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat team were deployed in February 2015 to Kuwait and Iraq to support local operations and multilateral military exercises that extended over thirteen countries in the Southwest Asia region. Photo by Daniel Owen.

Nearly 300 soldiers kicked off a week of homecoming hugs as troops from Fort Carson's 3rd Brigade Combat Team reunited with jubilant family members in a ceremony at the post.

Hundreds more from the 4,400-soldier brigade are due back in Colorado this week as the unit wraps up a nine-month deployment to Kuwait. Since February, the soldiers have trained with troops from 13 Middle East nations.

Many of the soldiers will be busy at home, too.

Sgt. Ross Graziano found himself with his arms full of boys as he greeted his growing family. Hagan is 3, Easton is 2 and Caden is coming up on 2 months.
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Daughter Couldn't Wait to Hug Fort Carson Dad

Video Of Girl Hugging Military Dad Goes Viral 
ABC News 9
October 8, 2015

Fort Carson, Colorado (KKTV) -- 'She was excited. She spotted me from a couple rows back and she couldn’t contain herself. I wasn’t gonna tell her no."

In a day filled with joy and emotion, Daniel Oglesby's little girl stole the show when she broke away from the crowd and raced towards her daddy.

It was the first time father and daughter had seen each other in eight months, and despite still being in formation, Oglesby didn't hesitate to give her a hug.

The crowd gave the pair applause while they waited to reunite with their returning soldiers.

Three hundred soldiers from Fort Carson's 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division returned home Tuesday from southwest Asia. The first group returned home at 6 a.m., and the other Tuesday afternoon.
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Crowd of 5,000 Help Welcome Mom Home From Afghanistan

Military mom surprises son at Sea World after tour in Afghanistan
NBC TODAY
Alexandra Zaslow
4 hours ago

Aiden Rodriguez has seen the Shamu show at Sea World a handful of times, but the most recent far surpassed the rest.

The 6-year-old boy's mom, Tech. Sgt. Aixa Rodriguez, returned from serving her first term in Afghanistan earlier than expected and had 5,000 people there to welcome her home.

"I thought I was picking her up from the airport on Monday, but she tricked me!" Aiden told icFlorida.

Sgt. Rodriguez was feeling nervous backstage, but after they announced her name and she started to walk toward her son, all of the nerves escaped her and she focused on giving Aiden the hug he's been waiting for.
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Marine's Homecoming Shocks Wife---And Lover

Marine 'finds wife cheating with another man' after he surprises her with early homecoming 
Daily Mirror
BY KARA O'NEILL
1 AUGUST 2015

A US marine who wanted to surprise his wife and daughter by returning home early from duty has posted the video online of the moment he allegedly found his naked wife cheating on him another veteran.

Walking into the house, the husband appears to enter a small bathroom, where he appears to find his wife sitting naked on the toilet while a clothed man leans over her.

Clearly surprised by his arrival, the wife looks up at her husband but barely attempts to cover herself up as he yells: "What's up? You're f*****." read more here

The Promise Dedicated to Vietnam Veterans

The Promise
by Jack Murphy
199thinfantry

Song, "The Promise" written and composed by Jack Murphy, former Redcatcher in Delta Company, 5th Battalion, 12th Infantry, 199th Light Infantry Brigade, 1969 - 1970.
Dedicated to all Vietnam veterans.

Sgt. 1st Class Jose Ramos Welcomed Home for 3rd Time

Dad home from Afghanistan, surprises daughter at Sanford school 
News 13 Orlando
David Bodden
May 8, 2015

Sgt. 1st Class Jose Ramos hugs Mia after surprising her during a
school assembly at Liberty Christian School in Sanford Friday.

SANFORD -- A 5-year-old girl got the surprise of her life Friday morning during an early school assembly in Sanford.

Her father, Sgt. 1st Class Jose Ramos, is home after spending the last 9 months in Afghanistan. According to his wife Mari, this is Sgt. Ramos’ third tour of duty in the Middle East.

On Friday, he surprised his daughter Mia at school. Mari said it is emotionally difficult on the family each time Jose has to leave. “This is his third tour," Mari Ramos said. "This time [Mia] was asking for her dad all the time." 

Sgt. Ramos said he would talk to his family via web cam, the last time being a few weeks prior to his homecoming.

The couple’s children, Alejandro, 11, and Mia had a hard time adjusting to dad being gone this time. 

“There are many experiences that you can’t experience with him like playing sports, going to the movies and doing many other things,” Alejandro said. read more here

Vietnam Veteran Left With Stunning Note on Car

Veteran thanks stranger who left kind note on his car 
WPTV West Palm Beach News
Jacqulyn Powell
Apr 21, 2015

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. - A Vietnam veteran is looking to thank the person who anonymously made his day.

Richard Smith says a note of gratitude from a complete stranger is the greatest thanks he has ever been given.

With a Vietnam veteran license plate and bumper sticker, the back of Smith’s car prompts some attention.

"People have noticed it and they say thank you,” he said, “But never has anybody ever taken the time to write like this." 

The note was left in his driver’s door handle Sunday when he briefly parked in a Delray parking lot. “I thought at first that maybe somebody had hit the car in a spot I didn’t see,” he said, “And then I opened it right here and I'm reading it.

I said ‘wow’, That's really something. It got me a little emotional." read more here

Troop Greeters Honor Vietnam Veterans

Maine Troop Greeters to honor Vietnam War veterans 
WCSH 6 News
Portland Katharine Bavoso, WLBZ
April 21, 2015

"Somebody had to say it. Then, they didn't. So we're saying it now. Welcome home," said Troop Greeter and Vietnam era veteran, Jerry Lyden.

Vietnam era vets to be honored decades later (Photo: NEWS CENTER)

BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- When troops returned home from the Vietnam War, they were often faced with negativity and anger instead of the hero's greeting returning troops are given today. The Maine Troop Greeters want to make up for that lack of thanks.

The Troop Greeters announced Tuesday that they will be holding a Welcome Home Vietnam Era Veterans celebration to give Maine Vietnam Veterans the welcome home they never received.

It's a collaborative effort by the Troop Greeters as well as the City of Bangor, the Bangor International Airport, the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services and the Cross Insurance Center.

The event is part of a 10 year nationwide program to welcome home Vietnam Veterans from all over the country. According to the Troop Greeters, there are 44,000 Vietnam Veterans in Maine.

April marks 40 years since the Vietnam War ended in 1975.

"It's a responsibility that we should finally try to make make things right or make amends," said Maine Troop Greeter and event organizer, Nory Jones.
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Soldier's Parent Went to Hockey Game and Love Broke Out

Living in Massachusetts most of my life, folks usually said "Went to a fight and hockey game broke out" but in this case, Soldier's parents went a game and love broke out. The shock was clearly seen on his Mom's face, especially after Soldier and Dad ended up falling.


Apr 11, 2015
U.S. Army Sergeant Dan Urman surprises his family as they are about to drop the ceremonial puck before the Coyotes final game of the season.

Marine Shocks Great-Grandma for Christmas

VIDEO: NJ MARINE SURPRISES GREAT-GRANDMOTHER FOR CHRISTMAS
ABC 6 News
December 28, 2014

DELANCO, N.J. (WPVI) -- A marine from Delanco, New Jersey gave his 94-year-old grandmother the surprise of her life when he came home for Christmas.

The McFadden's knew their marine son would be home for the holidays but his great-grandmother Dee-Dee didn't.
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Bass Pro Shop, Santa and Elves Bring Soldier Dad Home For Christmas

Soldier surprises 3-year-old daughter for Christmas
KSDK
Elizabeth Matthews
December 8, 2014

Madyson and her dad.(Photo: KSDK)

ST. CHARLES, Mo. - There was not a dry eye in the house as a 3-year-old little girl sat on Santa's lap and asked to see her daddy, her wish was granted.

Year after year, one by one, children climb into Santa's lap and ask for gifts and sometimes miracles.

The scene was no different Sunday afternoon at the Bass Pro Shop in St. Charles.

Three-year-old Madyson's wish? For her soldier daddy to come home. On cue as if it were magic, he appears!

"Daddy!" she exclaimed.

"Hi baby!" he said.

Army Staff Sergeant Josh Pohlman has been in Afghanistan for the past nine months. He says it's overwhelming to hear his daughter ask for him for Christmas.

"It hits me straight in the heart it's exciting to know that she's really excited for me to come home," Pohlman said.

Helping Santa with this Christmas miracle were the elves at Bass Pro Shop.

"This is our way of giving back and we just couldn't be happier to have something like this so close to Christmas," manager Tom O'Donnell said.
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Gunnery Sgt Back From Afghanistan Thought No One Was There For Him

Until he saw he was wrong.

"Gunnery Sgt. Chris Taylor recently returned from a year-long deployment in Afghanistan, and didn't expect to see any family members at his homecoming."

Wife welcomes Marine home with surprise visit upon his return from Afghanistan
NBC TODAY
Eun Kyung Kim
December 1, 2014

Sgt. Chris Taylor was surprised when he returned home

(Photo: YouTube)

A surprise reunion following a year-long separation from loved ones can overwhelm even the most disciplined, battle-hardened Marine with emotion.

Gunnery Sgt. Chris Taylor recently returned from a year-long deployment in Afghanistan, and didn't expect to see any family members at his homecoming.

"Because he is stationed in California and our kids and I live in Maryland, he didn't think that anyone would be there when he returned. But I showed him!" wrote his wife, Sara Taylor, in the caption of a YouTube video she posted last month of their emotional reunion.
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OEF-OIF Veterans Giving Vietnam Veterans Proper Welcome Home

If you heard stories about Vietnam Veterans being treated badly when they came home, most of what you heard is true. If you doubt it, then you must have lived in parts of the country where they were either ignored or respected.

This deplorable treatment happened to MOH Sammy Davis after he earned the Medal of Honor and was released from the hospital.

What Sammy Davis did is read in the Citation and what was done to him are in this video. Imagine as you listen to the account of his heroism, being treated the way he was. Then imagine how much it took for Sammy to turn around and join the National Guards after all of this.
It happened to them but because of them it doesn't happen now. It isn't about giving veterans a second chance of coming home. It is more about giving the American people a second chance to do the right thing.

Giving Vietnam Veterans a Second Chance to Come Home
Post-9/11 vets are helping an older generation experience a more friendly homecoming
Take Part.com
Rebecca McCray
October 10, 2014

In August 1971, Terry Sorrells came home to southern Indiana from the Vietnam War and asked his dad if he wanted to go squirrel hunting. The season had just started, and it was a pastime they’d shared before he left for the war. So they took their shotguns, walked to the back of their farm, and parked themselves under a tree.

They saw a squirrel on the tree’s trunk, but it scampered around to the other side after it heard them approach. Sorrells’ dad asked him if he knew why the squirrel had run away. “Well, Pop, we scared him,” Sorrells recalled telling him. “He looked at me and he said, ‘I’ll tell you why he did. He wants to live just as much as we do.’ ”

That moment ended Sorrells’ hunting career. “We both got up, cracked open our shotguns and took the shells out, and we walked back home.”

Today, many post-9/11 veterans are forging connections with those who fought in the Vietnam War, not unlike the bond Sorrells shared with his father that summer. These intergenerational friendships have spawned a wave of ceremonies around the country that are intended to give Vietnam vets a second, friendlier homecoming, like the ones received by those who returned from Iraq and Afghanistan 45 years later.
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Vietnam Veterans Get "Welcome Home" in Maine

Gov. LePage, First Lady, Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans, 50 years Later
Maine NPR
By JENNIFER MITCHELL
October 4, 2014

Veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, Ret. Staff Sgt. Donald Smith. One of the veterans welcomed home Saturday, Smith has been nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor by Rep. Mike Michaud.
Credit Jennifer Mitchell

Governor Paul LePage and First Lady Ann LePage were among those paying tribute to Maine's Vietnam Veterans Saturday afternoon at a welcome-home ceremony in Bangor at Cole Land Transportation Museum.

"What we have learned is that it's not the soldier that starts the war," said LePage after the ceremony, "I was in college from 1967 to 1971 and I saw what was going on stateside while these people were giving their lives. Their return home was never what it should have been."

Veterans from the Vietnam War era received a handshake from Governor LePage and a hug from First Lady Ann LePage.

One of them was 82 year old Donald Smith of Bristol, a Congressional Medal of Honor nominee, who served in both Korea and Vietnam. Smith says veterans' affairs and public awareness of veterans' issues have come a long way since the 1960's, but more work is needed.

"Being in a combat area is awful hard on a person, " explains Smith. "You lose all the freedom you had in civilian life and your life is on the line."

Returning to an unsympathetic public in the late 1960's made an already difficult situation worse. "It was almost like suicide coming back." he says.
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Vietnam veterans overdue welcome home

Lost Homecoming gives Vietnam veterans overdue welcome home
Sun Herald
BY PATRICK OCHS
September 27, 2014

AMANDA McCOY/SUN HERALD
Vietnam veteran Paul Norvel attends Pass Christian's Vietnam Veterans Homecoming and Appreciation event on Saturday at War Memorial Park. At left, veterans salute during the singing of the National Anthem. The event recognized Vietnam veterans around the Coast and paid tribute to their sacrifices and contributions while serving their country.

PASS CHRISTIAN -- Russell Nichols spent 11 months, 20 days and six hours in Vietnam with the U.S. Marine Corps. When he returned home, he was spat on, cussed at and called things like baby killer and murderer.

He wasn't alone. Many of his fellow soldiers were shown anything but respect.

With yellow ribbons wrapped tightly around the trees and a row of American flags flapping in the breeze, South Mississippi turned out Saturday at War Memorial Park to give Nichols and 70-plus other Vietnam veterans the proper homecoming they never received 40 years ago.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," state Sen. Philip Moran told the assembled veterans, many proudly wearing clothing from their military branch.

"Because of the times, you did not come home and brag about your bravery. You did not brag about what you had done for us," former U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor said. "You kept it to yourself. I think ceremonies like this give us the opportunity to recognize your bravery, to thank you."
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Scenes from Lost Homecoming ceremony honoring Vietnam vets

Air Force Reservist Back from Afghanistan to Overjoyed Kids

Returned Afghan vet surprises 4 kids at Roy assembly
Standard Examiner
By RACHEL J. TROTTER
SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

ROY – It took mere seconds for Skye Seward to run into her father’s arms after he burst through a red curtain at North Park Elementary Friday afternoon. Three other Seward children quickly made their way to the stage as well — all throwing their arms around their dad while he passed out flowers and a teddy bear to his youngest son, 5-year-old Mario.

Staff Sgt. Brian Seward has been deployed to Afghanistan for the past seven months through the Air Force Reserves. His wife, Shannon, eagerly waited with her camera poised for the exact moment in the school assembly, sponsored by the Utah Opera, that the announcement would come that he was there to see his kids.

“This is the longest five minutes of my life,” Shannon said, smiling. “I told the kids he wouldn’t be back until October 29, so this is a big surprise for him,” she said.

The Sewards’ youngest, Mario, has cerebral palsy and Shannon said father and son are very close, so she is especially excited for their reunion.
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