ELLSWORTH – A few tears were shed as Vietnam era veterans were honored and thanked for their service during a ceremony at the Pierce County Fair on Sunday, Aug. 11.

The ceremony, led by Pierce County Veterans Service Officer Missy Hildebrandt and Veterans Case Coordinator Tami MacGregor, paid homage to the men and women who served anytime between Nov. 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975. The ceremony was part of the 50^th anniversary commemoration of the Vietnam War, an opportunity to celebrate the service members, families and sacrifices made.

“A few important things have been left unsaid,” Hildebrandt said. “All were called to serve and none could self-determine where they’d be stationed.”

Nine million men and women served in the military during that 20-year span; 2.2 million went to Vietnam; 58,000 of their names are memorialized on the Vietnam War Memorial Wall; 304,000 were wounded; 1,253 are missing in action; and 2,500 were prisoners of war, Hildebrandt said.

“The weight of your service is etched into the very fabric of our nation’s history,” she said. “But when they returned home, many couldn’t separate the war from the warrior like we do today.”

MacGregor recounted what the conditions were like in Vietnam, with oppressive, suffocating heat, drenching monsoons that turned the red haze of dust in the air to a slick mud. Troops were advised to “change their socks,” a slogan put on repeat to help prevent foot rot in the jungle. Malaria, typhus and other diseases were rampant while the enemy seemingly appeared from nowhere and everywhere. Agent Orange used by the US military to control vegetation added another level of danger.

“The fear of letting their comrades down” was stronger than any of this, MacGregor said. “Everyone wanted to do their job well. They pushed through.”

But many, when they returned home, took their uniforms off on the trains and planes carrying them back. Citizens at home treated them with disdain. They hid their medals away. There were no homecoming parades or choruses of “thank you for your service.”

“You were often blamed for a war you didn’t start when you should have been valored,” MacGregor said. “This is a national shame and we vow this will not happen again.”

Hildebrandt urged people to never forget veterans’ devotion and sacrifice, how they comforted their comrades on their deathbeds, how they walked in the darkness of PTSD, which was never talked about. Many Vietnam vets have made it their mission that service members get the respect they deserve that they didn’t receive. Hildebrandt called them the “true patriots.”

“Even with the ugly temperament of a nation, your community has counted on you every single day,” she said. “What we should’ve been saying from the beginning: You served with honor. You were given an impossible job. You have earned your place among the greatest generations.”

MacGregor, Hildebrandt and others then read a list of names submitted to the county, of those who served in Vietnam. Each man was awarded a commemorative pin and certificate for their service. Those in attendance whose names were not read also received the same.

“Let us reaffirm our commitment that the sacrifices of our Vietnam vets are never forgotten,” Hildebrandt said.