Photo By Capt. Maria Mengrone | Vietnam veteran James T. McCann, U.S. Navy 1965-85 visits the traveling Vietnam Wall...... read more read more
AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Military Department honored the service and sacrifice of Vietnam Veteran’s with a tribute to the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War at Camp Mabry, in Austin, April 16, 2016 as a part of its annual Open House.
As part of the event, the traveling Vietnam Wall was on display on the parade field and received a steady stream of visitors. Owned and operated by the American Veterans Traveling Tribute, the wall is an 80 percent replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C.
“I came here to make peace with myself because I suffer from survivor’s guilt and PTSD,” said Vietnam Veteran, James T. McCann, U.S. Navy 1965-85. “I visit my commander whose name appears on panel 62E, line 21; we served on the USS Kitty Hawk together. I am so glad the wall is here.”
The Vietnam War invokes plenty of emotion to those who served during that era.
“I hope that people separate the politics from this war and focus on the lives that were forever changed; just look at all those names on the wall and remember their sacrifice,” said McCann.
More than 58,000 names of U.S. service members killed in action are inscribed in the v-shaped wall.
A Vietnam War reenactment of a battle fought on June 16, 1968 added an element of realism to the scheduled events.
“The Vietnam reenactment is a way for a new generation of people to witness firsthand a moment in history,” said Jeff Hunt, Texas Military Forces Museum Director. “This is no classroom lecture or research paper. The audience gets to experience a more intimate living history.”
“I was in a listening post and was hit with shrapnel from a grenade; I remember we had to low-crawl 75 meters back to our post,” said Vietnam Veteran Sgt. John D. Eli, infantryman and Austin native. “I was in Vietnam on June 16, 1968 and actually lived through the gun battle that was reenacted.”
Eli was drafted into the U.S. Army and received a purple heart for wounds received while serving in Vietnam 1967-68. He volunteers as a technical advisor to the TXMF museum and offers a firsthand account on what the conditions were like while he served.
“I think the reenactment is pretty realistic, from the mud everywhere, to the uniforms and equipment. I think the audience also gets a sense of the fatigue we were under, it is very close to what I experienced,” said Eli.
Many families and Vietnam Veterans traveled from across Texas to attend the events.
“This is my first event like this,” said Vietnam Veteran Sgt. Benito C. Rios, infantryman, 1967. “I came from Del Rio, Texas to see this and I think it’s great what the military has done to put this together.”
Rios served only a short tour in Vietnam after his older brother Staff Sgt. Teofilo C. Rios was killed in combat on November 15, 1966.
“My brother’s son was born the day before he was killed in Vietnam he never got to meet his son,” said Rios.
The tribute ended with a film screening of the movie, “The Green Berets.”
“The men and women who served during the Vietnam War are every bit as heroic as those who served in World War II or Korea,” said Hunt. “This anniversary is the perfect opportunity for us to not only honor them, but to educate the public about what they did to help America fight and win the Cold War.”
| Date Taken: | 04.16.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.27.2016 17:04 |
| Story ID: | 196687 |
| Location: | AUSTIN, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 174 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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