“Just appreciate the patriotism and courage of those who served, especially the many who volunteered for service in Vietnam.” —Newtown resident and Vietnam veteran Jim Sullivan.

Vietnam veterans will see national recognition on Friday, March 29, National Vietnam War Veterans Day observed, according to [naviga:u]militarybenefits.info[/naviga:u]. “Every year,” this date “is a way to thank and honor our nation’s Vietnam veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice,” the site states.

Mr Sullivan said, “Fortunately, I was not in a combat situation over there, but can truly understand the horrors endured by those who were and how it forever affected them.”

Mr Sullivan had a two-year active duty commitment from college ROTC. He was in the Army, active duty from April 1966 to March 1969.

“After basic training, I spent my tour in Japan. I then signed up for another year and requested service in Vietnam,” he said.

Mr Sullivan spoke of the importance of recognizing Vietnam veterans’ service.

“Since there was very little appreciation shown at the time, and for many years after, I think it is very appropriate that the honorable service and sacrifices of so many be recognized now. For so many, the trauma of their experiences there will always be with them.”

Vietnam prompted changes in his perspective. “The main thing I came away with was an attitude of not worrying about the small events in life.”

What is the most important thing a community can do for the veterans?

“Just appreciate the patriotism and courage of those who served, especially the many who volunteered for service in Vietnam,” he said.

Jay Gill, who enlisted in the Navy in 1968, also offered candid thoughts about his time serving during the Vietnam conflict.

“I arrived in Vietnam in 1969 aboard the USS Belknap. I volunteered for the small boat or brown water duty on PBRs. I was sent to train in Coronado and in August of ‘69 was in country. We patrolled rivers and canals in My Tho and Tan An,” he said.

“Vietnam changed my mind about how fortunate I was to be an American. The country was in terrible shape, as VC held much of our patrol areas.”

The Viet Cong, also known as the National Liberation Front, was a mass political organization in South Vietnam and Cambodia with its own army — the People’s Liberation Armed Forces of South Vietnam (PLAF) — that fought against the United States and South Vietnamese governments during the Vietnam War.

Mr Gill said, “Realizing that back home was in turmoil over the war, I made returning home my top priority. I returned stateside (Seattle, Washington) in ‘71 to be called many different things and no 'Thank Yous.' I got into many fights and arguments in California before I returned to Newtown.”

Recognition of service “is important to me and my fellow veterans because we willingly went to honorably serve our country and came home to thankless people who had no idea what we went through.”

He believes that “veterans, all veterans, are at least owed the respect we earned. It is sickening to see that the illegal immigrants get treated better than our veterans do after serving in their homeland, which they left because they would not fight for. If you see a vet, thank him or her and welcome them home. It’s music to our ears and warms our hearts to hear that someone respects our service.”

The experience “changed my life by making me feel like I made a difference. And I would gladly do it again without any hesitation,” Mr Gill added.

First Selectman Daniel Rosenthal's father, former First Selectman Herbert Rosenthal, also served.

About his father, the current First Selectman said, “As a child of the Vietnam era, I am proud to be able to say my father served our great country, as was the case for many of my friends’ parents.”

Dan Rosenthal “was too young to remember the poor treatment our veterans received, but it became more apparent to me as I grew older," he continued. "It is undoubtedly a stain on our history, but one that I hope we learned from as a nation in our treatment of our service men and women.

“It’s not just about parades and yellow ribbons, but about supporting our veterans’ needs long after they have returned home. It is never too late to truly thank a Vietnam veteran or any veteran for that matter,” he added.

As [naviga:u]militarybenefits.info[/naviga:u] states, objectives of recognition include “highlighting the service of our Armed Forces and support organizations during the war; paying tribute to wartime contributions at home by American citizens; highlighting technology, science, and medical advances made during the war; recognizing contributions by our Allies.”

Additional information at that site explains that the day of commemoration honors “US Armed Forces personnel with active duty service between November 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975, regardless of location of service, which includes: nine million Americans serving during that time, seven million Americans living today, 2.7 million US service members who served in Vietnam, 58,000 whose names are memorialized on a black granite wall in our nation’s capital, 304,000 who were wounded, 1,253 Missing in Action (MIA) heroes who have not yet returned to American soil, 2,500 Prisoners of War (POWs).”

The commemoration makes no distinction between veterans who served in-county, in-theater, or were stationed elsewhere during those 20 years.