The Earls perform a military tribute song for the guests gathered at the Vietnam Veterans Day ceremony in Chicopee.
Reminder Publishing photo by Tyler Garnet
CHICOPEE — City leaders and members of the public honored the Vietnam War veteran community on March 27 at River Mills Senior Center. The day is nationally observed annually on March 29 in the United States.
It is a national observance that recognizes veterans who served in the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.
This year marks the fourth ceremony hosted in honor of Vietnam War Veteran’s Day.
Before the ceremony, guests were welcomed to view a display of artifacts from local veterans and also paid tribute to the 15 Chicopee residents who died during the war. Those residents include Mark Rivest, Robert Dowds, Edward Stefanik, Robert Gagne, John Laskowski, Robert Litwin, Harold Gilbert, Thomas Wilk, Roger Dumont, Carl Glasscock, Michael Bouchard, Edward Downey Jr., Zygmunt Jablonski, Donald Kulacz and Robert Tolpa.
The ceremony began with the posting of the colors and a prisoner of war missing in action remembrance speech by Chicopee Veterans Advisory Board member John Beaulieu preceded opening remarks from Mayor John Vieau.
Vieau talked about the pride he has with being mayor of a city with so much veteran pride like Chicopee.
“The room looks incredibly decorated and that’s what just represents the epitome of a veteran proud city and having a ceremony like today in a forum here is something I think we’re all really proud of,” Vieau stated.
The mayor discussed Chicopee’s history as a veteran proud city, with 2,000 Vietnam War veterans and 5,000 veterans residing in the city.
He said, “Like I mentioned once and I’ll say it again, we’re a veteran proud city and we’re very proud of that. I want to welcome home our Vietnam veterans.”
Vieau reflected on the importance of honoring the sacrifices of the veteran community and thanked them and their families for making a tremendous contribution to the country.
He said, “We gather with a profound sense of gratitude, respect and admiration for the brave men and women who served our nation during the Vietnam War. This occasion is not only a tribute to their courage and dedication but also an opportunity for us to reflect on the significant sacrifices they made in the name of freedom and peace.”
State Sen. John Velis (D-Westfield) also welcomed home the Vietnam veterans and started his speech by applauding Chicopee for all the city does for the veterans in their city.
He also used the event program that said “Chicopee Remembers” on the front to support his claim.
“I’ve had the pleasure of representing part of this great community for the better part of five years right now and I represent a lot of communities but words, if they mean something, have meaning and one of the things I’ve come to appreciate is just that, that Chicopee does in fact remember the veteran population and that’s across the board from the mayor down to the schools and everything in between, Chicopee remembers its veterans,” Velis said.
Velis also reflected on the differences between the way he was treated when he was coming home from serving and the Vietnam veterans who were called “baby killers,” spit on and couldn’t wear their uniforms in public.
He explained, “My experience, can I buy you a beer? Does your wife need anything when you’re deployed? Thank you, thank you, thank you for your service. My last deployment to Afghanistan in 2018, we’re coming home typical path. We land and the folks say there are some people who want to greet you here. They insist on being the first people to welcome you back to American soil.”
When they got off the plane, Velis said there was 100 to 150 people on each side of the gate with their hand out to say, “welcome home.”
Velis concluded, “And guess what, they were all Vietnam vets. This is why I have such a soft spot in my heart for Vietnam veterans. The way they were treated, the services they were deprived of, they took an oath among themselves to never to allow that to happen to another generation of veterans.”
The ceremony continued with words from state Sen. Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow) and state Rep. Shirley Arriaga (D-Chicopee) who thanked the Vietnam veterans for their sacrifices and that they are still working to get them the benefits they need.
The Earls also performed a military tribute song.
The event concluded with a candle lighting ceremony at the memorial space created at the River Mills Senior Center.
