Vietnam Veterans program to be held in Poplar Bluff

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day program will begin at 11 a.m. Friday at the Veterans Wall Memorial in front of the Black River Coliseum in Downtown Poplar Bluff.

On March 30, 1973, all U.S. troops withdrew from Vietnam. Many faced criticism and hostility when they returned home. Some war protesters even spit on the soldiers.

More than 2.7 million Americans in uniform served in Vietnam with 58,156 losing their lives and 303,704 suffering wounds.

Efforts are being made in congress and the Missouri General Assembly to designate March 30 as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day. Eight states have established a WHVV Day.

"It's a time to pay honor to our Vietnam veterans," said Rob Callahan, one of the organizers of the Welcome Home ceremony. "We want to show our appreciation for their service and sacrifice."

During this week, all businesses will be asked to put yellow ribbons on their doors.

"We are asking the public to wear yellow ribbons on their clothing [this] week, and to thank the veterans," said Callahan, who served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force as a jet engine mechanic.

The Poplar Bluff High School Band will play and Jim Todd from the VA Medical Center will sing the national anthem Friday's program.

"There will be a POW/MIA ceremony, along with a color guard and a 21-gun salute to the veterans," Callahan said.

Speakers will be Mayor Ed DeGaris; Stan Skorniak, interim director of the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center; and retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Larry Kimbrow, vice president of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1056 in Poplar Bluff.

Callahan learned about a Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day in Branson, Mo., while he was attending a bank travel conference in Memphis, Tenn.

"It got me to thinking what we could do in Poplar Bluff and I approached the mayor with the idea for a yearly event," said Callahan, who is employed by First Midwest Bank. Callahan has taken World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., to see the World War II Memorial.

"I thought we as a community needed to get an event started here," Callahan said.

On behalf of the Poplar Bluff City Council, DeGaris has proclaimed March 30 as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day in Poplar Bluff.

"I think it is long overdue the Vietnam veterans get welcomed home," DeGaris said.

Skorniak was appointed associate director of the VA Medical Center in August 2007 and recently became the interim director. He graduated from Illinois State University and has master's degrees in physiology from the University of New Mexico and in hospital administration the University of Wisconsin.

Kimbrow served 28 years in the U.S. Navy, including being in the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars on the USS Kilauea. He was an enlisted helicopter air crewman attached to Helicopter Combat Support Squadron Three.

"We transferred bombs from ships to Vietnam bases and conducted sea/air rescues of pilots," Kimbrow said.

He also was an enlisted navigator flying onboard C-54 and C-117 logistics aircraft, hauling bombs to land bases and aircraft carriers.

"We will have a booth to inform veterans about their VA benefits," said Kimbrow, who has helped with a booth at the home and garden show and an event for homeless veterans

Kimbrow said he wants to help Vietnam veterans suffering from contact with Agent Orange and provide a proper burial for homeless veterans.

Pertinent address:

Black River Coliseum, Poplar Bluff, MO