Nephi’s American Legion Post #1 celebrates Vietnam War Veterans in welcome home event
It was a cold and rainy day, but that didn’t stop 20 local Vietnam War veterans and several more supporters from gathering at the Nephi City Park on March 29 for what was deemed as a “welcome home” event. The event commemorated the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, with gatherings taking place nationwide.
The event in Nephi was held by Nephi American Legion Post #1 and spearheaded by Post Commander Blair Painter who said the goal was to “commemorate the sacrifices of Vietnam veterans and their families” and “recognize men and women who were denied a proper welcome upon returning home.”
Painter, who was born and raised in Nephi and a Vietnam War veteran, spoke to Serve Daily about the day he returned home from the war, not with fondness, but with very little fanfare for the day.
“I graduated from college and got drafted in 1966, and was in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968.I got home from the service in November of ’68,” he said. “I remember so distinctly when I came home. I came down the stairs of the airplane into Salt Lake City, and there was my mother and dad and my sister, and nobody else cared a thing about whether I was home or dead or nothing. That’s what my experience was, and that’s one of the reasons we decided to have this little welcome home Vietnam day to let the guys in the Nephi area know that we still care about them and try to wish them well and have this little party for them.”
Painter isn’t alone in his experience returning home from the war. The Vietnam War stands out as one where soldiers returned home to a society that was divided, indifferent, and were even scorned and rejected. And while public awareness of the treatment of Vietnam Veterans has improved, the damage was done, causing compacted PTSD to many.
Painter said that the event at the park is one of many events held to show gratitude for all veterans.
“We had a very small program and then we sat around and had food and cookies and one of the guys brought his Vietnam scrapbook,” Painter said. “We sat and visited and looked through pictures of Vietnam and talked about where we were all stationed. We talked about some of the experiences that we had just looked at and remembered where we were when we saw that map. It was really a good experience for those of us that were there. It really was.”
Painter acknowledged that being drafted into war is an experience that often goes unspoken about even at events like these. He said that they don’t often or even talk about the tragedies experienced in war, but exist as a support group for each other as they all share common things that are often worn well beneath the lives lived since.
“This is the first year we’ve held this particular event,” he said. “We do other events around the community, but this is the first time that we’ve tried this, and I think when we report on it at our next meeting in April, the ones who were there thought it was very successful. The Nephi City mayor actually came and spoke to us for 2 or 3 minutes about how much he appreciated the ones who have been in the military. We were really impressed that he showed up.”
The monthly meeting Painter is talking about is the monthly American Legion Post #1 meeting that is open to all veterans who have spent at least one day on active duty. The Post holds several other events throughout the year that are often posted about on the Nephi City government website and social media. For more information on American Legion in Utah or to get involved, go to utlegion.org/utah-posts.
