CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- Soldiers from Company, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, took advantage of a unique opportunity Sept. 15, 2015, at Liberty Park.
Although the No Slack Soldiers were at the park to support a welcome home parade for Vietnam veterans, they seized the moment to talk with their brothers-in-arms about the Army -- then and now.
"You got sent [to war] with people that you know; we were just sent," Vietnam veteran Chas Simone told a group of Soldiers gathered around him.
"When you get out [of the Army] stay in touch with your buds," Vietnam veteran Luce Martinez advised.
Simone and Martinez, as well as James Sanders, Terry Baldwin and Joe Taylor served together in Vietnam -- Martinez and Sanders volunteered and the others were drafted.
Serving together in the jungles of South Vietnam created a strong bond between these veterans, a connection that has lasted some 47 years -- not an easy task as they live in different parts of the country.
"We try to get together every year," Simone said. Tuesday's celebration is what brought them to Liberty Park, and meeting Soldiers from the 101st was a bonus.
"That's why we came here," he said. "We were never welcomed home."
Private 1st Class Jacob Cray, C Co. 2-327th, was among the group sharing Army stories with Simone and his buddies.
"It was so different for them," Cray said. "It was enlightening to talk to them about what they went through."
Organizers of the event, Welcome Home from Vietnam and Clarksville Montgomery County Convention and Visitors Bureau hope to make this parade an annual event.
Several years ago, the group Welcome Home from Vietnam joined forces with Tennessee State Council Vietnam Veterans of America to give Vietnam veterans the opportunity to march in a parade. The first parade in 2013 was in Pigeon Force, Tennessee, and was moved this year to Clarksville.
The premise of the welcome home parade is based on the Vietnam Veterans of America's motto, "Never again will one generation of Americans abandon another," said Bob Cline, one of the event organizers. "We want to provide recognition and thanks to Vietnam veterans. The goal is to open this up to all veterans."
Vietnam veteran Walter Star came to the parade by way of Arkansas.
"My brother brought me here, so far it's been real nice," Star said.
"I was point man for 10 1/2 months over there," he said of his time in Vietnam with 25th Infantry Division from 1970 until 1971.
His brother, Vietnam veteran Amos Starr (who long ago added an extra "r" to his last name) came from Oklahoma.
Members of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the brothers, said although they did not serve with the 101st in Vietnam, they had a brother who did. That personal tie to the 101st and the welcome home celebration is what brought them to Clarksville.
"We were just a bunch of lost individuals that nobody cared for," said Starr, who retired from the Army after 26 years of service.
Before the parade, the brothers were engaged in conversation with a group of No Slack Soldiers.
"It's really cool to see everyone -- our battalion was built on the shoulders of these guys," said Sgt. Jacob Gilpin, Co. C 2-327th. "It's a humbling experience just knowing what they went through."
Humbling is the word that Spc. Ryan Gubert, Co. C 2-327th, used as well.
"This is a great experience for our newer guys to meet these guys from a different era," Gubert said. "These guys have had a completely different experience. It's great to see them get the respect that they deserve. We have nothing but respect for them."
The feeling of respect was mutual, as veterans and active duty Soldiers shared their common bond.
"I think they are a great bunch of guys for what they are doing," Starr said.
Riding in style
For veterans who were taking part in the parade but unable to walk the route the Tennessee National Guard was on hand to give them a lift.
Guard Soldiers with Head and Headquarters Troop 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment Regimental Troop Squadron, Lebanon, Tennessee, brought out their Light Medium Tactical Vehicles for the occasion.
As the Vietnam veterans were boarding the LMTVs the smiles of nostalgia were hard to miss.
"I love this," Sgt. Joseph Brew, HHT 278th ACR RTS, said. "I'm glad that we could help out veterans."
While some opted to ride the parade in Army-style, others brought their cars.
Vietnam veteran Jack Jameson's bright red 1966 Mustang glistened in the morning sun. He and several other members of Memory Lane Cruisers, a Clarksville car club, brought their classic Mustangs to the park just for the parade.
Jameson served with the 101st during the Vietnam War from 1968-1970.
"I was with 5th Trans, Air Maintenance," he said. "I never felt like I was owed anything. I just felt pretty lucky to be helping [the people of South Vietnam] out and am double lucky to make it back home."
Jameson retired from the Army after 21 years of service, and during that time was stationed at Fort Campbell four more times.
"After Vietnam this is where we [his Family] were stationed, the 101st has always been our home away from home," he said. "I'm originally from Oklahoma, the only state that is OK."
Patriotic Town
James Lindsey with the Marine Corps League was part of the Color Guard that marched in the parade. Lindsey was a Marine for six years and served at the end of the Vietnam War.
"I didn't go over there," Lindsey said, "I guarded the refugees here in the states."
Originally from Mississippi, Lindsey said he saw his first veterans parade in Clarksville. At that parade, he met a few Marines wearing their dress uniform and approached them. This chance meeting led him to getting involved with the Marine Corps League.
"From that point on I was able to wear my dress blues again," he said, with a smile and a tear in his eye. "It has been an awesome experience."
Lindsey said that he is proud of his adopted city, and although many consider Clarksville an "Army town" he believes it is much more.
"Clarksville is such a patriotic town. But it's even more an American town. Today we pay recognition to those who had a homecoming that was less than acceptable," he said. "Maybe in some small way we can show how we really appreciate them. It's an honor for me just to walk beside them."
The crowd along the parade route joyfully applauded, while others simply saluted the Vietnam veterans participating in the parade.
As the parade passed by, Lisa Hott was standing by herself, waving an American flag and yelling out "thank you, welcome home" for everyone to hear.
Hott, a member of the Rossview High School Booster Club, said that she gathered some Rossview students and brought them to the parade.
"I want the kids to be part of the community, they need to see what real heroism is," she said. "There is no diversity here; we are all Americans. I wish they would have gotten the homecoming that they deserved in the first place, it has taken way too long."
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