Vietnam Veterans Honored at St. Charles County Veterans Museum

By Carmelo Turdo

Vietnam veterans were honored Sunday at the St. Charles County Veterans Museum in O'Fallon, MO. For several hours on a beautiful spring afternoon, fellow veterans and their families and friends gathered to pay tribute to those who served during the controversial conflict and wish a hearty "Welcome Home" to our soldiers, sailors and airmen who were not made welcome upon their return from serving in Southeast Asia. Along with the traditional recognition ceremony, the veterans, their guests and the public were invited to have a complimentary lunch, visit the military equipment outdoor exhibits and tour the museum. The event was well received by those in attendance, and a credit to everyone who helped to make it a great success.

Visitors to the event were greeted by friendly museum volunteers and members of participating organizations who joined together on this day to honor the Vietnam veterans. Included below are exhibits provided by the Vietnam Veterans of America Mid Rivers Chapter 458, the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation "Sky Soldiers," and the Gateway Youth Aeronautical Foundation F-4 Phantom cockpit. The Patriot Guard Riders and the AMVETS Riders also had an unmistakable and prominent presence!

The formal ceremony was conducted by volunteers from local veterans groups in cooperation with the museum. The Marine Corps League Detachment 725, along with members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Veterans, American Legion and the Korean War Veterans Association provided the honor guard and gun salute details. Here we feature the posting of the colors during the singing of the National Anthem, a flag folding demonstration and the gun salute.

Several presenters were featured during the ceremony. Len Berkel, with Vietnam Veterans of America Mid Rivers Chapter 458, opened the program as master of ceremonies. Following the invocation, Terri Violet, St. Peters Ward 3 Alderman and U.S. Navy veteran as well as museum Executive Committee Board Member, sang a moving rendition of "God Bless America." The keynote speaker was U.S. Air Force Vietnam veteran Steve Brown, who during his time in Southeast Asia flew all manner of cargo in the C-7 Caribou and bombing missions in the B-52. He also flew the KC-135 tanker and the Lockheed U-2 spy plane before retiring as a Lt. Colonel in 1991. A detailed military service biography can be found on the museum's Veteran Stories page.  

Following Colonel Brown's presentation, the Vietnam veterans were given an aerial salute with the fly-by of the iconic Bell UH-1H Huey helicopter, the unofficial symbol of the Vietnam War, provided by the Gateway Chapter of the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation based at Creve Coeur Airport. 

The museum remained open and welcomed guests on complimentary tours. "Every Veteran Has a Story" is the theme of the museum, and the displays are well organized to correspond with the stories of local veterans contained in binders near each display case. The newest addition is the painting entitled, "Women of Valor," by Linda S. Wilmes on display with representative service uniforms. 

The Aero Experience thanks the St. Charles County Veterans Museum and all the organizations that contributed to honoring Vietnam Veterans with this special event. We will have more coverage of the museum and more veteran stories in the near future.