Gilbert, Arizona — Imagine going to war. You witness heart wrenching images of a ravaged country and maybe lose battle buddies. All you dream of is the safety of your homeland and perhaps a hero’s welcome, but instead, you and your fellow service members are welcomed to protests, hatred and an ungrateful nation.
Thousands of Vietnam veterans vowed to never allow service members to be treated with disrespect when they returned from a warzone like they were. Never again would service members be told to change out of their uniforms and to never speak of their service again. Instead, these Vietnam veterans have worked to ensure redeploying brothers and sisters in arms would always come home to a hero’s welcome.
Local and state leaders gathered to break ground on the long-awaited project as hundreds of veterans and community members observed the ground blessing and breaking for the Welcome Home Veterans Park in Gilbert, Arizona, March 19.
“A ground blessing is about purification. In order to advance a noble and sacred mission, one has to make sure the vehicle first is clean and pure,” said Rick Romley, Vietnam Veteran and former Maricopa County Attorney and honorary OWH chair. “So here we all are, standing and sitting on a clean slate.”
Dave Munsey, Fox news meteorologist and Vietnam veteran, emceed the event with inspiring keynote speakers: Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, KFYI Radio personality Mike Broomhead and Mayor of the Town of Gilbert John Lewis.
“The Welcome Home Veterans Park will assist in supporting the ‘Never Again’ mission by ensuring all veterans have a place to call home,” said Lisa Rigler, Operation Welcome Home president.
The 7.7 acre park will be dedicated to healing, educating and inspiring veterans and the community. The park will be anchored by an 80 percent scale of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. and future phases will include an education and resource center.
“We are devoted to resources for all veterans and especially in the area of employment,” Rigler said. “When a veteran calls or walks through the door we will be unwavering in helping them get to the resources that they need.”
Romely said this groundbreaking marks an important transition. He pointed out that tomorrow we start building a park, erecting a wall, constructing an education and resource center.
“Tomorrow we start healing, educating, and inspiring. Tomorrow, the real work begins,” Romley said.
Special appearances included Chandler ROTC, The Duttons singing group, and the 108th Army Band, Arizona Army National Guard. The ground blessing was conducted by Tony McDaniel from the Gila River Indian Community.
“Now that the ground has been blessed, it is hallowed ground. We will protect it and create a safe place for all veterans to come and get what they need,” Rigler said.
Also featured at the event was a “Living Wall,” comprised of 60 volunteers of varying backgrounds who will stand as a symbolic representation of the Vietnam Memorial Wall, which will anchor the park.
“This ceremony marked an important time for Welcome Home Veterans Park. This is when the dream so many of us have shared begins to take physical shape,” Rigler said. “This property is more than dirt; it has a heartbeat. Just like the Vietnam Wall is more than a wall, it has a soul – because of the 58,307 individuals it represents.”
| Date Taken: |
03.19.2016 |
| Date Posted: |
03.22.2016 19:37 |
| Story ID: |
193188 |
| Location: |
GILBERT, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: |
200 |
| Downloads: |
1 |
PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, Welcome Home Veterans Park breaks ground, by SGT Crystal Reidy, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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