The long road home: Lewis-McChord honors Vietnam veterans

By Sgt. Cody QuinnOctober 15, 2014

The long road home: Lewis-McChord honors Vietnam veterans
1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
The long road home: Lewis-McChord honors Vietnam veterans
2 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
The long road home: Lewis-McChord honors Vietnam veterans
3 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
The long road home: Lewis-McChord honors Vietnam veterans
4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
The long road home: Lewis-McChord honors Vietnam veterans
5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. (Oct. 14, 2014) -- Capt. James Ferguson was returning home. He had flown halfway around the world, from Saigon to Travis Air Force Base, California, and was looking forward to being in the country he spent the last 365 days fighting for.

"We landed there at night. We were told to get out of our uniform and into our civvies as quickly as we could. There were protesters outside the main gate at midnight," Ferguson said.

Ferguson is a Vietnam War veteran, grandfatherly and the type of person you realize was injured during the war when he off-handedly mentions his Purple Heart license plate. He flew assault helicopters during his combat tour, and, when he came home, he had to hide in the back of a taxi cab to avoid angry protesters.

"It was kind of sad. I won all these medals. I returned as a captain, I went over as a first lieutenant. I was pretty proud of what I'd accomplished and here I am hiding my uniform," said Ferguson.

Ferguson's story is not wholly unique. Many men and women who served in the military during the Vietnam War had similar experiences, and Joint-Base Lewis McChord held a Vietnam Veterans Salute Day, Thursday, to give those who served the welcome home they never received.

"The largest group of veterans in the country now is the Vietnam generation. Those wonderful men and women of World War II and Korea have been passing on and we are the vanguard of those who have served the country," said Retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey.

Ferguson returned from Vietnam and stayed in the Army for an additional 15 years.

"The Army treated me very well. It gave me lots of skills, lots of self-confidence. I enjoyed myself thoroughly and made lots of good friends," he said. "For two years I instructed new helicopter pilot students and commanded an aviation flight. If I could have stayed in the Army and have done that, I wouldn't have asked to go up in rank or anything like that. It was a wonderful assignment."

Ferguson's career carried on well after his experiences in Vietnam, but his time there would color the rest of his life. He belonged to a generation that didn't talk about what they went through, and their scars only reveal themselves in casual conversation.

"I got orders for Career Course en route to Vietnam for my second tour," Ferguson said. "I shouldn't have made it back after my first tour."

"At the time, '71, it didn't look like Vietnam was ever going to end. It looked like aviators were going to pop back, a year here, a year back there," he said.

When Ferguson returned home, the only people to welcome him back were his family. He didn't talk much about his experiences to those outside of the military.

"When they exited service they went back to civilian life. From '68 on, they didn't talk about their experiences. They put their ID card away, they went back to work, to school, they did tremendous jobs," said McCaffrey.

"I stayed out of sight in the civilian community," said Ferguson.

The Vietnam Veterans Salute Day was one of the few times Ferguson and his comrades had been welcomed home and thanked for their service. The event included the opportunity to interact with the current generation of service members, and a gathering of the local community to applaud their sacrifice.

"This is kind of like the street person saying welcome home, amplified by about a thousand," said Ferguson.

"Two simple words mean a lot, returning home from war or a deployment," said Lt. Gen. Stephen R. Lanza, the commanding general of I Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, during his speech for the event. "These are two words that have not been said enough, and need to be said, and they are, 'welcome home!'"

"We hope today's ceremony establishes a sense of meaning, and remembrance for those who served, as we honor them for their sacrifice," Lanza said.

Ferguson made the trip to Joint Base Lewis-McChord from Reno, Nevada, after hearing about the event from a friend.

"Nobody ever has to do anything like this," Ferguson said with a smile.

Lanza's remarks emphasized the impact the Vietnam generation has had on today's military.

"Each of you sacrificed in your own personal way. Each of you answered our nation's call. Each of you did what our country asked of you," Lanza said. "And because of your service and sacrifice, you made our land of the free and brave better, and we are a better military because of you."

For Ferguson, and the thousands like him who attended the event wearing their Vietnam veteran hats and assorted unit insignia, being welcomed home served as a long awaited conclusion to their service.

"I don't need to go through life acting like I did something wrong," said Ferguson. "I did what my country asked me to do, I did it the best that I could and, by God, I'll talk about it."

Read more: http://www.dvidshub.net/news/144891/long-road-home-jblm-honors-vietnam-veterans#ixzz3G8tsJJuM

Related Links:

More Army News