Local Vietnam veterans will gather in downtown Crossville Saturday to honor National Vietnam War Veterans Day and share their personal reflections on the cost of freedom.
Cumberland Plateau Chapter 1015 Vietnam Veterans of America President Jim Snyder helped organize the event at Veterans Memorial Park. The gathering coincides with the 250th anniversary year of the nation and aims to educate younger generations about the realities of military service.
“It’s when Vietnam veterans came home, there was no welcome home at all,” Snyder said. “For many, when they got to the airport to fly on their way to their hometown they heard many disparaging things. And we’ve gotten all that behind us. And we just want folks to know we appreciate what they’ve done, particularly in Cumberland County, and welcoming us home. For many of us, something that never happened where we originally came home to.”
Snyder said Cumberland County is home to an estimated 7,200 veterans from all branches, including a significant number from the Vietnam era.
“Well, in simple terms, that freedom isn’t free, that it has to be paid for,” Snyder said. “Not that anyone expects the cash register to ring, but we live in a world that since the beginning of recorded history has not been at peace.”
Snyder said the local chapter has over 170 members who want to communicate their thoughts on freedom to the public. The event will help pass on the history of military service to younger residents who may not have a relationship with anyone in uniform.
“The war of course was controversial, but the veterans who served just did what their country asked them to do,” Snyder said. “And, you know, many of our kids are not learning that history, sadly, even the history of the previous conflicts that we’ve been in.”
Snyder said many returning troops heard disparaging remarks when navigating airports to reach their hometowns decades ago. The chapter wants the community to know how much the veterans appreciate the welcome they have received in Cumberland County, something many never experienced when they originally returned from the war.
“And I would hope that they would come out and see that they’re not alone, that there are many of us who have perhaps done the same thing and in our later years have found peace and camaraderie with those that we may never have even served with but served at the same time in the same conflict,” Snyder said. “And that it’s okay to acknowledge the individual histories that we’ve had and we don’t have to bury them.”
The ceremony begins at 11:00 at Veterans Memorial Park. Snyder said Congress designated March 29 as National Vietnam War Veterans Day in 2017, but organizers moved the local observance to Saturday to avoid conflicting with Sunday religious services.