HARKER HEIGHTS, Texas — March 29 is recognized as Vietnam Veterans Day, and some local veteran groups got together to say thank you to those who fought for freedom all those years ago.
"Our Vietnam veterans are special. We feel we need to continue to give back and support them," Dr. Kimberly Bayes-Bautista with the Vet Center told 25 News.
"We have decided this is a fun thing to do to honor our veterans."
There was a barbecue and several groups set up to raise awareness on local resources. 11 Vietnam veterans were also honored with a 50th anniversary pin to mark the occasion.
"I'm real proud of it," veteran George Love said.
"Now when I go to church, I'm going to put it on my suit and everything. Every function I have, I'll put it on something."
Other veterans, like Love, said they were not treated kindly when returning from war five decades ago, but events like this help them to feel more appreciated.
"I feel like it's our responsibility to kind of make up for some of the ways people were treated, Vietnam veterans were treated," Dr. Bayes-Bautista said.
While the day gave many a new sense of pride for their service, the veterans also said it's important to honor their brothers and sisters who did not make it home.
"That is something I think is even more important today in the United States; the camaraderie and brotherhood and always remembering those who were less fortune than us, who occupy military cemeteries and made the ultimate sacrifice," veteran Mel Pierson said.
