Wednesday is 'Welcome Home Vietnam Vets Day'
PORT CLINTON - The Vietnam War was too often a solitary war for its soldiers. They traveled to the war alone, spent much of the time in-country disconnected from other soldiers, and then returned, by themselves, to a country which treated its war heroes as enemies.
On Wednesday, those heroes and their sacrifices will be recognized and honored on "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day."
When Ken Monnin of Marblehead returned home from serving in the Vietnam War, he tried to talk to a close friend about his experience.
“He changed the subject, and it taught me to never mention the Vietnam War,” Monnin said. “It was a long time before I did.”
The desire to disassociate was so strong that a family member gave away all of his Vietnam War clothing and possessions. Now, he has nothing tangible that ties him to his service.
“Everything I brought home — it was all given away,” Monnin said. “I wasn’t going to wear it. I didn’t want people to know I was in Vietnam.”
For many Vietnam War soldiers, the war was endured in solitude. Unlike World War II soldiers who bonded with other soldiers as they traveled overseas and back home on ships, Vietnam War soldiers traveled alone.
“Most of the World War II soldiers had a 30-day voyage to talk to each other,” Monnin said. “Coming home, we were in the boonies one day and home the next. It was culture shock.”
Not only did the soldiers struggle to transition back into daily life in America, but they also faced the shock of rejection at home. Ernie Hopkins of Port Clinton returned from risking his life in Vietnam to a hometown that treated him like an unwanted outsider. As he was eating in a mom-and-pop diner in town, a man noticed that Hopkins was wearing his dress greens.
The memories of being called a 'baby killer'
“He said, ‘How many babies did you kill?’ I walked out of there. I was just 20 years old,” Hopkins said.
He faced the same rejection from a bartender at a local tavern and then from a police officer downtown.
“I had started back to work at US Gypsum, and after work, I was sitting at the corner of 2nd and Madison, watching traffic. A cop asked me what I was doing,” Hopkins said.
Hopkins told him he had recently returned from Vietnam and was just watching the traffic. The officer told Hopkins he “didn’t care” where he had been, and he told him to leave town.
“For a long time, I went from home to work and would not come back into town,” he said.
Hopkins hid his war possessions in a closet
Like Monnin, Hopkins wanted to hide everything that connected him with the war. He put all of his war possessions in a closet.
“I locked the door, and that life was over,” he said. “I no longer wanted to be associated with the Vietnam War.”
Years later, Hopkins opened that closet, pulled his possessions out, and slowly began to reembrace his identity as a Vietnam War veteran. Public opinion has drastically changed in the 50 years since American forces left Vietnam on March 29, 1973. "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day" was created to remind the country to take the time to show gratitude to the country’s remaining veterans.
Although Monnin and Hopkins served in-country, they recognize the importance of everyone who served during the war.
“The Vietnam War included everyone, whether you were stationed in the U.S. or in Germany. March 29 is to honor everyone who served at that time,” Hopkins said. “If you see a Vietnam vet, walk up to them and say, ‘Thank you for your service and welcome home.’”
Contact correspondent Sheri Trusty at sheritrusty4@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Wednesday is 'Welcome Home Vietnam Vets Day'
