Vietnam Veterans Receive Special Pin to Mark Anniversary
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On March 20, 2023, at the Town of Wheatfield Community Center in North Tonawanda, as veterans are given pins commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, Jim Kurucz claps his hand against his chest while holding his own award and posing with a U.S. Navy flag. Although Kurucz served in the U.S. Navy and did not fight in the Vietnam War, he attended the gathering to show his support for other troops.
Ken at the Town of Wheatfield Community Center in North Tonawanda on March 20, 2023, the speaker, seated at right, talks with Jack Striegel after the two of them received badges honoring the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. Striegel and Speaker both served in the American Army; Speaker was awarded a Purple Heart.
Even though he was wounded in Vietnam 55 years ago, Kenneth Speaker of Depew still finds it difficult to talk about it. On the plus side, he has good memories of resting in Japan. Following a ceremony Monday in the Wheatfield Community Center commemorating Vietnam troops, the commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Chapter 187, Buffalo, remarked, "I loved it there.
In advance of the 50th anniversary of the last American military departure from Vietnam on March 29, 1973, Wheatfield Supervisor Don MacSwan and Rep. Brian Higgins of Buffalo recognized over 75 local veterans, most of whom were from Niagara County. Speaker, 74, was one of them.
"Decades ago, Vietnam veterans put their lives on the line and returned to a nation that did not properly welcome them home," said Higgins. "When these veterans came home, they were ridiculed. They were spat on. They were criticized."
He further added "When I came back, I've got to tell you, I got treated like dirt. I got spit at," The speaker, who had fought in Vietnam from January to December 1968, spoke of the treatment he stated he received after his duty. "I have to inform you that when I returned, I was handled like trash. I was vomited upon," he claimed.
Each of the veterans, including MacSwan, a Vietnam survivor himself, received a special lapel badge and a certificate in appreciation of their service and readiness to risk their lives. The America Vietnam War Commemoration was started to mark the 50th anniversary of the war's formal conclusion, according to Higgins' office. A grateful country thanks and recognizes you on the commemorative pin, which is given to soldiers who served on active service in the U.S. Armed Forces between Nov. 1, 1955, and May 15, 1975, or their living wives, under the program.
Higgins said, "We lose 390 Vietnam War veterans every day. They age out," referring to the loneliness, PTSD, and drug addiction issues that some Vietnam soldiers have experienced. "So we're always trying to reconcile our gratitude for their service, even if you were opposed to the war. And the nation was deeply split at that time during the turbulent '60s. There were all kinds of societal disruptions and the Vietnam War was one of them," according to Higgins.
One of the few women veterans recognized during the event was Deborah Wesp of Buffalo. Wesp was a military police officer on an Air Force station in Germany even though she was in the Army and never fought in Vietnam. Wesp said, "I actually belong to Chapter 77 of the Vietnam Veterans of America. I can be there on a technicality because I served during that time." Even a half-century later, she and other troops on Monday stated it felt good to be acknowledged and valued.
"You know what? That's the first thing that they did when I went to Chapter 77 for the first time. They told me to welcome home. And you know what? It gave me shivers. It really did. It's amazing how that makes you feel so good," she added. "So I've done everything I can, even back then, back in the '70s, to make them feel welcome," Wesp further added. "In fact, I couldn't tell people I served in the military when I first got home because people looked down on that."
Robert "Rader" Parker, who served in the Army for 18 months starting in December 1965, claimed he did not remember being mistreated upon his return from duty. "My friends welcomed me. I didn’t notice anything bad. Some people did, but I didn't," added Parker, who also said he felt humbled by Monday's event. Before retiring in 2006, he spent 38 years working at Harrison Delphi in Lockport.
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