At the 2016 ceremony, many Vietnam veterans' jackets had insignia to indicate their unit or Vietnam role.
The annual “Welcome Home” Vietnam Veterans Remembrance Day Ceremony will honor both the men and women who served and came home and those who served but did not on Saturday at the Nevada Vietnam War Memorial in Mills Park.
The half-hour ceremony, sponsored by the Carson Area Chapter 388 of the Vietnam Veterans of America, begins at 5 p.m. at the Nevada Vietnam War Memorial in Mills Park. Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell, himself a Vietnam veteran and retired U.S. Navy captain, will deliver the keynote address.
The event coincides with Thursday’s National Vietnam Veterans Day that recognizes more than 8 million men and women who served during the Vietnam era. In Nevada, the war affected many communities as 151 servicemen and women died.
According to the local VVA chapter, the day is an opportunity for the community to experience first-hand the sacrifices made more than 50 years ago.
Seven Carson City residents who paid the ultimate price were Sgt. Daniel L. Ackerman, Petty Officer 3 Michael A. Bodamer, Cpl. David. L. Collins, Spec. 4 Danny L. Smothers, Lance Cpl. Keith D. Taylor, Cmdr. Frederick H. Whittemore and Cpl. James R. Willis. Those from Fallon include Spec. 4 Mahlon R. Arnett, Pfc. Michael D. Blea, Sgt. 1st Class Billy D. Hill, Spec. 4 Willard V. Johnson, Spec. 4 Fredrick E. Larsen, Capt. Eddie Molino, Jr., Spec. 4 Ronald R. Rodrigues and Spec. 5 William R. Rogne.
Other area veterans included Cpl. Dale Eugene Hutchins, Douglas County, and Sgt. Danny Gerald Studdard, Virginia City.
Representatives from both the Carson City and Reno VVA chapters will read the names of the veterans who died as a result of the war.
A no-host reception will be held at the Gold Dust West Hotel and Casino, 2171 E. William St., after the ceremony.
Referred to as the United States’ longest war from 1955 to the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, more than 58,000 servicemen and women died in a land more than 13,000 miles away on the other side of the world as the U.S., South Vietnam and their military partners fought the communist Viet Cong (National Liberation Front).
For information, call 775 720-3907, or go to www.VVA388.org.
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