E-mail: A message for Batavia from a Vietnam Vet
We just received this e-mail that I thought worth sharing:
I kept it to myself for many years that I was a Vietnam Veteran. When I went to 2 Pow Wow's with my Native American girlfriend last year in Florida, as we are snowbirds, I was delighted to be a veteran, as the Native Americans really treat the veterans with great respect.
On Thursday 11, Nov. 2010, I took my turn standing guard at the monument in Batavia. Never in my life did I expect the glory I received that day. It really made me proud to be a veteran again. People I never met came up to me with coffee, water, and snacks. The people that waved to me in cars, trucks, and semis overwhelmed me.
Then people would roll down their windows to thank me for being a Vietnam Vet. I know people have said this many times, that we did not get the welcome home we deserved due to our country being divided in turmoil. I now know what great meaning it is to be a veteran of the United States.
Being in such a great mood while eating supper in The Vets Club in Brockport, there was this young lad that kept admiring my boonie hat. Well after eating and getting ready to leave, I took off my hat pins and gave that boy my hat. I knew I had to do this in return for all the thanks I received from the Batavia residents. Then when talking to this boy's father and grandmother, I found out he was up here from North Carolina waiting for his grandfather's ashes to be sent up here so they could have a funeral. His grandfather was also a vet.
So now, I do not hang my head in shame for being a Vietnam Veteran, but walk with it high in the air. I bleed with all my fellow vets. If you do not belong to either a VFW, an American Legion, or some sort of vets club, do please come out of your shell and join one now. It is very good therapy as I found out. Again, I want to thank the community of Batavia for the great thank yous and waves you gave me on Thursday 11, November 2010.
Bob Polle
(U.S. Navy Retired)
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 193