Ceremony honors 37th District Vietnam veterans
Jim Mullen, left, and other members of Vietnam Veterans Inc. posted and retired the colors during the commemorative ceremony in Bridgeville.
Robert Burke, vice president of Vietnam Veterans Inc., salutes during the playing of “Taps.”
State Sen. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Jefferson Hills, greets a veteran to present him with his commemorative lapel. Also pictured is Stacey Reibach, director of community outreach for Reschenthaler’s office, who took the lead in organizing the event.
Singers with the Chartiers Valley High School Select Chorus perform “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Members of Vietnam Veterans Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Homestead, await their commemorative lapels.
Singers with the Chartiers Valley High School Select Chorus perform “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Todd DePastino, founder and executive director of the Veterans Breafkast Club, served as keynote speaker.
Allegheny County Council member Tom Baker served as master of ceremonies for the event.
During most of the 1960s, Patrick Ferris was in the U.S. Air Force, serving in Vietnam instead of at home with his wife and young child.
The McCandless resident joined about 100 of his fellow veterans of the era to receive a proper thank you, courtesy of state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Jefferson Hills, who hosted a commemorative service Monday at the Bridgeville Volunteer Fire Department’s Chartiers Room.
“This is something that a lot of guys never had when they came home,” Ferris, president of Homestead-based Vietnam Veterans Inc., recalled.
”For Sen. Reschenthaler to go out of his way to do this for the Vietnam vet is a wonderful thing,” he said, “and I know the guys appreciate it.”
A former lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps, Reschenthaler welcomed the opportunity to pay tribute to those who preceded him in the military.
“When I got back from Iraq, I was treated very well,” he said. “There were people at the airport to greet me. That’s because of Vietnam veterans. When they got done with the fight, they weren’t treated as well as we were. But they made sure they advocated for us, so when we returned from Iraq and Afghanistan, we were treated much better than they were treated, and that’s directly attributable to them.”
Reschenthaler explained the circumstances that led to Monday’s ceremony, which honored veterans in the 37th District who served in the military between Nov. 1, 1955, and May 15, 1975.
“In what has been viewed by many as, frankly, actions that are long overdue, the 2008 National Defense Act authorized the secretary of defense to conduct activities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War,” he told those in attendance. “Special recognition also is paid to the families of these veterans, for as we all know, they, too, sacrificed greatly.”
Keynote speaker for the event was Mt. Lebanon resident Todd DePastino, founder and executive director of the Veterans Breakfast Club, a nonprofit organization dedicated to having those who served tell their stories.
“The Vietnam War is a subject that I read about, that I taught, that I occasionally wrote about,” DePastino, who is not a veteran, said. “But no matter how much I read about the Vietnam War, it was absolutely nothing like getting to know the men and women who were there, on the front lines of history.”
He encouraged the veterans to join his efforts in spreading the word about their experiences.
“No matter how difficult and painful it might be, share your story, please, with people like me, so that we can be educated and we can be inspired,” he said. “In listening to you, we honor you. And I think the best way to say thank you to a veteran is simply to listen.”
The veterans in attendance received commemorative lapel pins presented by Reschenthaler, who was joined by other area elected officials in expressing their gratitude.
“I’m thrilled with the turnout,” Reschenthaler said, “but even if we had only one veteran and we were honoring him, it would still be worth it.”