Soothing the wounds

~ The memorial at the Common Pleas Courthouse is for all veterans -- alive or dead -- who served in Vietnam.

It wasn't the hero's welcome they expected.

There were no homecoming parades or handshakes.

When U.S. soldiers returned from the Vietnam War, most didn't even receive a "thank you." Instead, soldiers returned home to protesters and anti-war demonstrations.

For Vietnam veterans Rodger Brown, of Cape Girardeau, and Jim Carver, of McClure, Ill., it was a slap in the face.

"It really offended us when we got home," Brown said. "The greatest hurt was knowing we were doing a job we were asked to do for our country, and then we were treated as though it was our fault. We were nothing."

A monument erected Thursday morning in Cape Girardeau will help erase some of those painful memories.

Local members of VietNow -- an organization that promotes and educates the public on Vietnam veterans rights -- is responsible for erecting the monument. Two years ago, members began discussing the need for a monument that was different than the one built in Washington, D.C.

From left front, Vietnam veterans Nick Blankenship, Jim Carver and Rodger Brown looked at the Vietnam monument for the first time as it was delivered prior to putting it on the grounds of the Common Pleas Courthouse.

"As pretty as it is, it's nothing more than a very large black tombstone with everyone's name who was killed," Brown said of the national monument. "We need something for those who returned home."

The 6-foot-tall monument was cut from rare Missouri white marble. Inscribed are the words "to honor all who answered our nation's call."

As the monument was hoisted onto its black granite base, Carver wiped tears from his eyes. The day was a special one for Carver and the seven other Vietnam veterans who watched the monument go up.

"Our wounds are deep. The whole point of this monument is to try and correct that and soothe some of those wounds," Brown said.

There's a reason no names are listed on the monument. It's a memorial for all veterans -- dead or alive.

Brown said it's the only monument of its kind in Missouri. There are hundreds of memorials for those who died in combat but not many representing the living, he said.

The monument will remain covered until it's dedicated on Tuesday. Members of VietNow have planned a memorial service at 5 p.m. in conjunction with the city's Libertyfest.

Michelle Baugh of Centralia, Ill., will speak at the event. In 1968, when she was 3 months old, her father, Richard Githens, was killed in Vietnam.

Growing up without her father was difficult, but Baugh takes comfort knowing hundreds of Vietnam veterans consider themselves her surrogate fathers.

"Out of sheer luck, I met two men who were with my father when he was killed," Baugh said. "I don't like to say it doesn't bother me, but I do take some comfort knowing the details of what happened to him."

Baugh's father served as a "tunnel rat" for the U.S. Army. During the war, the Viet Cong created extensive underground complexes. When a tunnel was discovered, an American soldier would be sent in to flush out the Viet Cong inside.

"Dad volunteered to be a tunnel rat every chance he could. I think by doing that, it made him feel like an asset," Baugh said.

The day Baugh's father was killed, he threw a grenade into a bunker and waited for the smoke to clear. When he went inside, two Viet Cong were waiting and shot him twice -- once in the forehead.

"I take comfort knowing there wasn't any suffering, and that it was probably very quick," Baugh said about her father's death.

Several VietNow members have taken Baugh to Vietnam to see where her father died. "I walked in my father's footsteps in Vietnam," she said. "That really meant a lot to me." For Baugh, speaking at the monument dedication will be her way of saying thank you to the veterans.

"I'm sure there is that survivor's guilt they're faced with. I have an obligation to try and relieve that guilt. There's a reason they came home -- their work isn't finished," Baugh said.

After the monument is revealed Tuesday, the local VietNow group can say its work is finished. "It's not often you get the opportunity to make history," Brown said. "This is going to be something we're going to be very proud of for a very long time."

jfreeze@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 246

WANT TO GO?

What: Vietnam Memorial Dedication

Where: Common Pleas Courthouse lawn

When: 5 p.m. Tuesday