MENASHA, WI (WTAQ) – In the middle of a snow and ice storm, 52 Vietnam war veterans from NE Wisconsin left Menasha high school Sunday on a journey that will lead them back to a land they couldn’t wait to leave 50 years ago.
The Old Glory Honor Flight mission will send these men to places where they saw friends die, and suffered their own medical and mental wounds.
“I don’t know…I guess mixed emotions. Just anxious to get going.”
Army veteran Bob Stillman summed up the months of waiting for this day in just a few words. But has been dealing with a lot of thoughts.
“Well, I hope I meet some new friends and get a chance to see where I was and see what it looks like 50 years later. Meet the people and have some fun.”
As for the emotions, many of the veterans talk about….Bob Stillman appreciates it but doesn’t believe it applies to him.
“Otherwise those are long gone memories….they don’t plague me like they have for some.”
Air Force veteran Burt Parkman knows the emotion of this two-week journey will get to him. But mostly he’s tried to think ahead.
“What the country is like now that we worked on to destroy a long time ago, and I get to see it rebuilt.”
But he knows that’s not where it will end. And he’s going to try and not get caught up in it.
“There’s stuff over there, that’s in my memory and everything. I’ve tried to put most of that in the rearview mirror and just go forward with life.”
But others know what’s ahead for some of the veterans.
“For some people, they’re in a different emotional place and this trip really means a lot and this trip is going to bring them some closure.”
Burt’s Parkman’s daughter-in-law, Lisa Reno, says her father served in Vietnam and couldn’t even think about going back on a trip this and standing on the ground where so many friendships were formed….and so many friend’s lives were lost.
“They saw things and had to be part of some really awful stuff that most of us can’t even fathom.”
She’s hoping ultimately, this journey covers a lot of bases in the heart of her father-in-law, and the rest of the vets and they come back to NE Wisconsin better for this trip to Vietnam.
“Hopefully it brings these guys some closure and they can move forward with the rest of their lives, seeing a country in a different place than they remember it as.”
The veterans return to Menasha High School from their Vietnam trip Saturday, March 9th. The public is invited to their welcome home celebration, with the doors opening at 5 pm. And you can follow the veteran’s journey with daily updates, pictures, videos and more at the Return To Vietnam section at wtaq.com
