NITRO, W.Va. – The city of Nitro loves its veterans, and that will be on display Monday with the annual “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day” at the Nitro Living Memorial Park.
All veterans are welcome to attend, but the event is designed to honor veterans of the Vietnam War and maintains a long history of doing just that.
“It’s an annual event deemed through legislation in the West Virginia Legislature that on March 30 annually an event would be held to welcome home Vietnam veterans,” Nitro Public Information Officer Joe Stevens said.
A big part of the motivation behind Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day is giving recognition to veterans that dealt with negative treatment after returning home from their service. Stevens said he had three brothers serve during the Vietnam War, and this event is the polar opposite of the experiences they endured.
“I remember when my brothers would come home that they quickly got out of their uniforms, really because of what people would indicate or say to them and that sort of thing. The event on Monday is totally 180 degrees of that. It is a celebration of that wartime era,” he said.
Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day doubles as an opportunity for veterans to get connected with groups and services designed to give them the assistance that they need. They can answer veterans’ questions on the spot.
“The Veterans Assistance of West Virginia will be here. The Woody Williams VA Hospital folks will be here. There will be a lot of veterans’ organizations here, being able to answer questions for not only the Vietnam veterans but, like you said, for all the veterans that will be in attendance,” Stevens said.
Former United Mine Workers Association of America president and Vietnam veteran Cecil Roberts will be the keynote speaker.
In addition to the recognition for veterans, the Nitro History and Wars Museum will be open for anyone to attend and learn more about the city’s military background. Stevens said it’s a favorite among attendees every year.
“That will be open from 10 until 7 o’clock on Monday. A lot of the veterans enjoy it. We are the site of the West Virginia Vietnam War Memorial. That is inside the museum,” he said.
Nitro’s Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day begins at 10 a.m. on Monday, March 30, and goes until 1 p.m.