Tuesday is ‘Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day,’ a Day Many Veterans Reflect on What They Lost

March 29 is the day when the nation honors Vietnam war veterans for their service and sacrifice for the country.

But for most of the veterans, this is also a day to reflect on who and what they have lost, said James Maddox, Secretary and Board Member of Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 446 in Pasadena.

“For many of us, Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day is a time to reflect on those that we lost.”

“There may be small gatherings, where men and women will get together and just reflect, or it just may be the day when an individual reflects on what has gone on or who’s been lost.”

The Vietnam War, which started in 1955 and lasted until 1975, was one of the longest wars involving America.

Over 2.7 million Americans served during the Vietnam War. 58,220 of them died in the war.

Maddox, who served in Vietnam after being drafted at a young age, said no one returned home the same person.

“I was a kid, and we were all kids. 19, 20, 21. And at that age, you think you are invincible. Nothing can happen to you. I can’t die. I can’t get wounded.”

After the war, he realized he was never the same. He said he waned into the background as did many other veterans.

“Many of us just came home and faded into the woodwork. By that, I mean, we just went back to our lives, but were forever changed by that experience.”

The war, he pointed out, was not some exercise. “It has consequences that are life-altering and lifelong.”

Quoting a lyric from the song “Broken Soldier” by Larry Garner, Maddox said “I never realized what I witnessed with my eyes would follow me back this far.”

“That doesn’t mean that everybody’s falling apart. But we all remember,” he added.

In 1999, nearly 30 years after he came from the war, he found Vietnam Veterans of America.

Maddox recounted when he attended the organization’s event, he did not want to hear any war stories and he did want to tell any.

After engaging his co-veterans, he learned that when meeting other veterans, no more than these questions need be asked: When were you in? Where were you? And what did you do?

“You don’t have to ask anymore. And that, I think for a lot of us, is comforting. I don’t have to revisit what I did and what was done to me.”

When asked what the young generation needs to know today about the Vietnam War, Maddox said they should understand that the war was “unfair” and “divisive” as privileged people and those who had connections had many options open to them to avoid the war service.

But he also stressed that even as some went to war against their will, everyone deserves to be acknowledged.

He also said people should not thank veterans for their service because most of them were just drafted and did not have a choice but to join the war.

Instead of saying thank you, he said people should say “welcome home” — hence, the origin of the name Welcome Home Veterans Day.

Today, Maddox, along with other veterans in the country, is helping other veterans and their surviving families through the Vietnam Veterans of America with their claims for benefits and financial needs.

He said the Vietnam Veterans of America Pasadena chapter has also been working with the city of Pasadena to put up a memorial in the memorial park for the Korean war veterans from Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre who never came home.

Founded in 1978, Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. is a non-profit dedicated to Vietnam-era veterans and their families.

Its mission is “ to be a positive influence and liaison in the community, for all the veterans of the U.S. armed forces, past, present, and future. Continue to advocate for the respect and dignity of all veterans and their families.”