Fountain Valley : Big Turnout Forecast for ‘Thanks America’ Rally

Although a “Thanks America” rally for Vietnamese-Americans has been postponed from today to Dec. 14, organizers expect from 5,000 to 10,000 people to attend the all-day event at Mile Square Park.

Chieu Minh Pham, director of the event, said the organizers had invited President Ronald Reagan, Vice President George Bush and former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald R. Ford and Richard M. Nixon. Reagan and Bush said they could not come on Nov. 30 but did not give a definite answer for the December date, Pham said. Carter, Ford and Nixon have not responded.

Pham said the list of confirmed guests includes Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, county Supervisor Harriett Wieder, and Reps. Daniel E. Lungren (R-Long Beach), Robert E. Badham (R-Newport Beach) and Ron Packard (R-Carlsbad).

The rally will begin at 10 a.m. with a 2 1/2-hour ceremony honoring Americans and Vietnamese who fought in the Vietnam War. The ceremony will be followed by a martial arts demonstration by war veterans and cultural performances by Asian groups. A parade of 1,000 veterans and a formal luncheon for guests are also on the scheduled.

The event is being co-sponsored by the Vietnamese for America Foundation and and other Vietnamese groups in the state. Pham said Christmas toys will be distributed to children and a blood drive held in conjunction with the rally.

Pham said the event had been postponed because many of the guests could not come during the Thanksgiving holiday. The foundation wanted to have the celebration during the calendar year because it marks the 10th anniversary of the American withdrawal from Vietnam, he said.