Proud to be an American...
There's a remarkable event going to be taking place in Del City this weekend. A travelling replica of the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial will be at the Sunnylane Cemetary (SE 29th and Sunnylane) this weekend (the 15th-17th). This evening, there was a parade down SE 29th right in front of the school.
Larry had told me about it before he left for the day, and that Ben would allow us to go out and watch. Around 7pm, we headed out to the curb in front of the school to wait for the start of the parade.. Once it got started, it was a sight to behold. There were the requisite convertibles with various digitaries riding in them, such as the mayor, a state representative, a couple of teenage beauty queens (Miss Del City, Junior Miss Del City), etc.
A huge semi that contained the replica wall rolled by next, accompanied by several Del City police motorcycles and OHP motorcycle officers. Then, the longest parade of motorcycles I think I've ever seen. For the majority of the parade, there were motorcycles as far as the eye could see in both directions. I'd say that the majority of them were driven by Vietnam Vets, to honor their fellow vets and their buddies who never made it home.
One man handed Tina a t-shirt, apparently with instructions to give it to "the kid in the wheelchair". That "kid" was Vincent, and Tina handed it to him. The t-shirt was the same one that was being worn by many of the participants in the parade.
A lot of the motorcycle riders were waving and flashing the peace sign. It was a sight to behold, let me tell you. It made me proud to be an American, proud of these men and women who served their country during such a turbulent time in our history. Vietnam vets were not seen as heroes when they returned from the war. Far from it. They were called horrible names, were spat upon, were accused of killing innocent women and children and burning down villages, among other things. So to see them gathered together in one place, honoring their country and their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, and looked upon now as heroes, made my heart swell with pride. Thank you, one and all, for your service, for your duty to our country.
It was an incredible experience, and I'm glad I got to be part of it.
And that's all from where I sit.
--MorelaterZ--
Larry had told me about it before he left for the day, and that Ben would allow us to go out and watch. Around 7pm, we headed out to the curb in front of the school to wait for the start of the parade.. Once it got started, it was a sight to behold. There were the requisite convertibles with various digitaries riding in them, such as the mayor, a state representative, a couple of teenage beauty queens (Miss Del City, Junior Miss Del City), etc.
A huge semi that contained the replica wall rolled by next, accompanied by several Del City police motorcycles and OHP motorcycle officers. Then, the longest parade of motorcycles I think I've ever seen. For the majority of the parade, there were motorcycles as far as the eye could see in both directions. I'd say that the majority of them were driven by Vietnam Vets, to honor their fellow vets and their buddies who never made it home.
One man handed Tina a t-shirt, apparently with instructions to give it to "the kid in the wheelchair". That "kid" was Vincent, and Tina handed it to him. The t-shirt was the same one that was being worn by many of the participants in the parade.
A lot of the motorcycle riders were waving and flashing the peace sign. It was a sight to behold, let me tell you. It made me proud to be an American, proud of these men and women who served their country during such a turbulent time in our history. Vietnam vets were not seen as heroes when they returned from the war. Far from it. They were called horrible names, were spat upon, were accused of killing innocent women and children and burning down villages, among other things. So to see them gathered together in one place, honoring their country and their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, and looked upon now as heroes, made my heart swell with pride. Thank you, one and all, for your service, for your duty to our country.
It was an incredible experience, and I'm glad I got to be part of it.
And that's all from where I sit.
--MorelaterZ--
My name is Stef, and I approve this post. Posted @ 11:43 PM
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