May 25, 2015 at 11:09 a.m.
Harshaw Memorial Day ceremony honors fallen heroes
Harshaw Memorial Day ceremony honors fallen heroes
It was the annual Harshaw Memorial Day observance at Union Grave Cemetery and this year's service took on a special meaning.
In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, those lost in that conflict received special attention.
Oneida County Veteran Services Officer Tammy Walters was one of three veterans who read the names of area veterans lost at war.
"The rolling caisson you're about to see marks the 50th anniversary since the Vietnam War began," she said. "It was designed and built to honor the fallen soldiers of the Vietnam conflict, but with their permission and expressed, proud patriotism, today it is representing all military branches and is honoring all deceased veterans, not only in Union Grove Cemetery, not only in Wisconsin but all United States veterans, worldwide, wherever their final resting place may be."
The list was long and the hundreds in attendance sat in quiet reflection as each name was read.
From there, several songs were performed and there was a flyover by a pair of vintage military planes.
Next, John Scocos, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, addressed the crowd.
"Today, throughout our nation in ceremonies large and small, Americans are paying tribute to more than one million men and women who died while serving in the armed forces," he said. "Few have given more to our nation than the men and women who served in our armed forces in peace and in war."
Scocos paid special attention to the Vietnam War in his remarks, stressing the importance of learning from the turbulence that surrounded the conflict and the way U.S. servicemen and women were treated upon returning home.
"The Vietnam Veterans War Memorial in the national mall in Washington D.C. is one of the lasting testaments we have for our public memory of the Vietnam War," he said. "Its polished granite slabs each represent a year of conflict. As you move along the memorial, the walls grow taller and quieter as lists of soldiers killed each year expands. The memorial was funded by veterans themselves and the public years after the war was over. It tells no story, makes no statement, except to make personal the cost of war and the scale of our losses. The mirror-like walls also quietly reflect the faces of those who visit, including those who supported the war, those who opposed it and those learning about it for the first time."
What helped define the war was the way it divided the nation at home. Scocos said its legacy must be remembered in the United States, even as time takes us further and further from the conflict.
"It was one of America's most frustrating and poorly understood military conflicts," he said. "More than half of all Americans have no memory of Vietnam. I believe America should never forget the lessons of its wars, nor should we ever take for granted the dividends of security we see every day in the form of a strong economy, extraordinary personal freedoms and a unified will as a nation to work toward a better future."
The Vietnam War is indeed still a topic of conversation today. Wisconsin veterans did their part in the war and many paid dearly. Scocos said that's an important point to remember, even with the backdrop of social change at home.
"The lesson I want Wisconsin to learn from the Vietnam War the most is the need to honor our veterans as they return from service, despite the national debate over how our forces are used," he said. "More than any war in our collective memory, Vietnam still burns hot for many of us," he said. "The 20-year war saw social upheaval. It pitted family members against each other and dominated political debate. It disrupted universities, created riots and in some cases, even pitted our government against some of its own citizens. Nearly three million Americans served during the Vietnam era, including 209,000 from Wisconsin. More than 300,000 were wounded, some injured forever. Of the 58,000 names engraved on the wall of the Vietnam Veterans memorial, 1,239 are from Wisconsin."
Ultimately, the legacy the Vietnam War should leave behind to today's Americans is one of respect.
Scocos said it's been well documented how returning veterans were treated after returning from Vietnam and that kind of behavior must never be repeated.
"What is poorly remembered is that those who fought and survived, returned to a nation that in many cases, turned its back on them," he said. "Returning veterans were not treated as heroes or even as patriotic citizens. They were seen as part of a war people did not like. Many soldiers went as far as to remove their uniforms on their flights home to avoid harassment and ridicule. Our young men and women served honorably in Vietnam. Soldiers don't make foreign policy, they serve America. Soldiers don't swear allegiance to the president or to a political party, they pledge to serve and uphold America and the Constitution. I hope our state continues to remember our young men and women who served in Vietnam and to remind us all we still have veterans returning from Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea and many other outposts around the world."
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