At the Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home Celebration on March 29, the Flag Line of Honor will line the walkway leading into the Wayne County Museum. The public is invited to this free event, to be held at the museum, located at 116 N. William Street. (Larry Edmonds|Courtesy photo)
At the Wayne County Museum, the Battlefield Cross (on the stage) honors those who died in battle. Nearby, is the Missing Man Table, which honors fallen, missing, and imprisoned members of the U.S. military. (Larry Edmonds|Courtesy photo)
Light refreshments, including a cake made by a local bakery, will be served at the close of the Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home Celebration on March 29. (Larry Edmonds|Courtesy photo)
GOLDSBORO — Thank you! and Welcome home! Those are the messages that will be conveyed to veterans of the Vietnam War during a celebration to be held Saturday, March 29, beginning at 11 a.m., on the second floor of the Wayne County Museum. The public is invited to attend this free event.
“The Vietnam veterans that returned home never received the warm welcome when they returned from serving their country,” says Larry D. Edmonds, Retired Master Sergeant with the United States Air Force. “We want to show the veterans that we are grateful for their sacrifices.”
The Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home Celebration is an annual event co-sponsored by the Wayne County Veterans and Patriots Coalition and the Wayne County Museum.
“We lost approximately 390 Vietnam veterans every day of the war,” states Edmonds. “We want them to know that we will forever remember them and show our appreciation for what they have done.”
According to the website for the U.S. Department of Defense, “In 2012, President Barack Obama signed a presidential proclamation, designating March 29 as the annual observance of Vietnam War Veterans Day.”
Further, the site explains, “The signing of the proclamation marked the 50th anniversary of the departure of the last American troops from Vietnam—March 29, 1973. Only U.S. embassy personnel and support staff remained in South Vietnam until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975.”
During the Welcome Home event, ROTC cadets from local high schools will be presenting the colors and placing a dog tag on the Battlefield Cross, as the names of 39 POW/MIA soldiers are read aloud to honor the missing.
The celebration is intended to be a time of camaraderie and friendship. At its close, light refreshments will be served.
The Wayne County Museum is located at 116 N. William Street.
