‘Welcome Home Day’ Salutes Vietnam Vets

A brightly colored banner, hung next to a small replica of the Statue of Liberty outside El Monte’s City Hall, read: “You are invited to a long overdue celebration: Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home Day.”

For Jose Ramos, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam in 1967-68, the sight of the banner was overwhelming.

“I literally pulled the truck to the side of the road,” Ramos said. “I realized the importance of it, and I just couldn’t keep the tears from coming out.”

In addition to belated public recognition, Ramos said, the banner represented encouragement that his vision of a national “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day” was achievable.

Members of the U.S. armed forces were rarely recognized for their service in what became an unpopular war, and many were the object of rude remarks or dirty looks, Ramos said. But most were simply ignored, something Ramos says is not too late to change.

Montebello and South El Monte also hosted “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day” receptions Tuesday, the 31st anniversary of the signing of the Paris accords that established a cease-fire in the Vietnam War.

So far, 15 cities have approved resolutions thanking veterans for their service and welcoming them home. In Los Angeles, Mayor James K. Hahn last month proclaimed Jan. 27 as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day. But no city-sponsored events were held Tuesday; Hahn was in Sacramento.

On Sunday, Rep. Hilda Solis (D-El Monte) attended a reception in Irwindale at which she gave Ramos a U.S. flag. That flag, which once flew over the Capitol, will be prominently displayed when Ramos and five friends begin a bike ride across the country in May to draw publicity to the goal of creating a national day of recognition. The crew hopes to finish the ride by delivering thousands of postcards of support to the White House.

“A lot of grandchildren [of Vietnam veterans] are now serving in Iraq,” Solis said. “We should never forget any veteran. We should honor them and their families.”

Those planning to take the bike ride include Darol Kubacz, a Gulf War-era veteran who became a paraplegic after an injury during a 1993 training exercise. The Phoenix resident, who met Ramos in 1998 when the two took a 1,200-mile bicycle ride through Vietnam with other vets, will be riding a hand-powered cycle.

“It’s ultimately my duty to honor those who served, no matter how controversial these actions have been,” Kubacz said. “We are carrying on the torch of remembrance for those who have served.”

During a short speech in El Monte to a crowd of about 100, Ramos explained his mission.

“I came back at 20 with the heart, spirit and mind of a 50-year-old. I had seen too much,” Ramos said. “If we can look veterans in the eye and tell [them], ‘God bless -- thanks for your service and welcome home,’ that’s my goal.”

Michael Felix spoke at the El Monte reception at the invitation of City Manager Juan Mireles, a fellow Vietnam veteran. Felix spoke of his painful experience in college after his tour in Vietnam.

“I constantly heard how stupid we were and how we had been used by the government,” said Felix, who returned in 1968.

“Although I’m not sure I’ll ever get over the treatment I received, I guess it’s time I try. I guess it’s time for closure.”