‘Not forgotten’ – Vietnam Veterans honored at National Museum of Military Vehicles Vietnam War Vet Day event in Dubois

(Dubois, WY) – March 29 is recognized as Vietnam War Veterans Day nationwide, while March 30 is recognized as “Wyoming Veterans Welcome Home Day,” which is the date U.S. combat troops would have returned to Wyoming soil after coming back from the Vietnam War in 1973. Those days are meant to honor and pay respect to those who served in the Vietnam War, many of whom were not properly thanked or were met with outright hostility upon their initial return home.

This year, the National Museum of Military Vehicles partnered with Wyoming PBS, the Wyoming Veterans Commission, and the Wyoming Department of Education to host an event at the museum to honor the Vietnam Veterans in our state, and give them a proper “welcome home.” Hundreds attended the event on Saturday, including Veterans from Vietnam and other wars, their family members, active service members, state officials, and members of the public.

The day began with multiple tours of the Museum’s immersive Vietnam exhibit, led by Museum owner Dan Starks and Curator Rae Whitley.

County 10 attended the tour led by Whitley, who took multiple opportunities to let the Vietnam Veterans share their personal experiences as they related to displays and stops on the tour, which ranged from boat and airmen stories to accounts of what it was like returning home.

“You know, I loved those Navy boys, they really saved our bacon,” Lander Army Veteran Forrest Parker said of the time the Navy provided support after his crew took enemy fire from a hillside in Nha Trang (Parker first served as an E5 Aviation Supply Technician and Flight Line Supervisor in Germany, and later in Vietnam). The memory was sparked when Whitley discussed one of the helicopters on display.

Many of the Veterans on the tour stopped to physically touch the various vehicles on display as bittersweet memories came to mind; as multiple Veterans commented, these vehicles were their homes/safety nets during battle in a foreign land. Afton Veteran Tim Hare even served on the exact PBR (‘Patrol Boat, Riverine,’ aka a ‘Pibber’) boat displayed at the museum.

Whitley’s tour also took a moment to acknowledge the animosity that Vietnam Veterans faced when they returned home, many of whom were told to ditch their uniforms before exiting the planes at the airports on their flights back.

In addition to the mental strife Vietnam Veterans face upon returning, Whitley also discussed the physical/medical effects that the military’s use of Agent Orange had on soldiers. Agent Orange is “a potent herbicide/defoliant used by the U.S. military in the Vietnam War to destroy jungle cover and crops, containing a highly toxic dioxin contaminant.” At least three Veterans on the tour recounted how the Agent Orange exposure led to cancer and various health issues throughout their lives, and also lamented the lack of medical support they received from the VA (United States Department of Veterans Affairs).

As the morning tours wrapped up, attendees got to enjoy a Black Hawk helicopter landing, as well as tours of the aircraft itself. (The video below is of the Black Hawk’s takeoff later in the afternoon.)

The Governor’s Welcome Home Ceremony was next on the itinerary for the day, which kicked off with an introduction from Lander Veteran Ken Persson Sr., who welcomed speakers Governor Mark Gordon, Senator John Barrasso, Major General Greg Porter (adjutant general of Wyoming), Representative Harriet Hageman (via video message) and Kelly Ivanoff (chairman of the Wyoming Veterans Commission).

“When you look at this room, and you see the people that are here, not only is it the men and women who were… in the service themselves, but it’s also their families and their children,” Governor Gordon commented. “So today, to have the opportunity to welcome them home, is remarkable. … It is truly an honor to have this opportunity to address so many great heroes.”

Senator Barrasso expressed similar sentiments.

“…All of us here in the state offer our profound thanks, and we are all here… out of appreciation, admiration, and respect for each and every one of you who has worn the uniform, served our nation, and fought in battle; thank you,” Senator Barrasso remarked before later giving out Challenge Coins to each of the Veterans in attendence.

“(The Coins) are a sign of honor, recognition, and respect, and have the Wyoming Cowboy on it, because all of our Veterans are cowboys. Cowboys never quit; Cowboys never complain, and neither will the Marines,” Barrasso commented to cheers and “hoo-rahs” from the crowd.

Major General Greg Porter spoke next.

“…We can’t tell you what a privilege it is to be here,” General Porter stated. “It’s sort of a reversal of roles; the guests of honor are not up here on stage, it’s all of you out here in the audience today.”

The Wyoming Veterans Commission also recognized Veterans Bob Sobala (U.S. Army), 1st Sgt. Tom Tominsky (U.S. Marine Corps), and Master Chief Robert Holey (U.S. Navy).

House District 33 Representative and service member Ivan Posey, who had two brothers who were Vietnam Veterans, conducted the next portion of the day’s events, which included a prayer and an introduction of the Northern Arapaho Eagle Society Drummers from the Wind River Reservation, performing “Flag Song” (in the video below) and “Soldier Boy.”

The event concluded with a showing and community first-look of the Wyoming PBS and Alpheus Media documentary “Home from the Vietnam War,” which tells the story of Vietnam War hero and U.S. Army Lieutenant Lee Alley. The documentary details Alley’s upbringing in Wyoming, his service in Vietnam, the treatment he encountered after his return home from serving, his struggles with PTSD, and how he later returned to Vietnam to confront his past/the man he had to become to get through those harrowing times.

“Our most honored and important guests today are Vietnam veterans from across Wyoming and beyond, and all veterans in this room,” Wyoming PBS CEO Joanna Kail told the crowd before the screening. “Some of you have traveled great distances to be here. Some of you came together on buses. Thank you for your journey. Today is for you.”

“It’s one thing to have an idea for a story like the one you’re about to watch; it’s something else entirely to bring it to life, to take something complex and make it clear, to take something deeply personal and make it resonate,” Kail said while addressing director Mat Hames and his crew before later sharing that the documentary was selected for the San Diego G.I. Film Festival and was nominated for two jury awards, including Best Film and Best Untold Story. “We appreciate the care you and your talented team bring to this work and the way you tell stories that people connect to.”

Kail then led a panel Q&A with Alley, his wife Ellen, and Hames.

“Veterans don’t always share their experiences, and for good reason,” Kail also commented during her address. “So the willingness not only to tell this story, but to return and open up to something entirely unexpected, that’s a different kind of bravery. Thank you, Lieutenant Alley, for allowing us to walk alongside you in this journey.”