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Union boss pays tribute to fellow veterans

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Those familiar with Cecil Roberts know him best as the firebrand who can turn a phrase, raise a ruckus, and bring the brimstone when need be on behalf of the United Mine Workers of America.  However, Thursday, Roberts laid aside his usual sharp stump speech for a different kind of address.  He paid tribute to the millions who have been impacted by war in the United States as the keynote speaker for the annual Vietnam Veterans Appreciation Day at the legislature.

“Patriots and folks who care and love this country are not just Democrats and Republicans or liberals, conservatives and moderates,” Roberts explained on MetroNews Talkline Thursday. “This is a day when we put all that aside for an hour or so and say thanks to the people who gave their lives.”

The event started in 2012 and Roberts has attended every year.  He plans to be there every year until he’s no longer able. Organized by the legislature along with the Department of Veterans Assistance and the West Virginia Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America, the event featured a formal program to hear from Roberts, but also a three-hour “reunion” of Vietnam Veterans from West Virginia.

“It’s taken a long time for people to say, ‘Welcome Home’ or ‘Thank you, I appreciate your service,'” Roberts said.

Roberts, at age 19, left Cabin Creek, West Virginia after high school and headed to basic training eventually landing in the middle of conflict in Southeast Asia..

“I was there from July 1967 until May 1968, 196th Light Infantry Brigade,” said Roberts. “Our home base was Chu Lai, just a little south of Danang but we continued to move forward and when I left we were about 10 miles from the DMZ, not too far from Khe Sanh. I spent three days there and I was very pleased to be able to leave.”

Roberts’ remarks to Veterans and supporters at the Capitol Thursday was pretty simple, never forget those who have made many sacrifices for the nation.

“People forget sometimes a lot of kids grew up without fathers because of the war.  A lot of parents went forward after the Vietnam War without their kids,”he said. “There’s a lot of people to recognize and think about and then there’s the POW-MIA situation and the Agent Orange factor. A lot of things came with a war that lasted that long.”





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