Sunday was a special day for Rich Cardia of Geneva, a veteran of the Vietnam War.
“I’m happy we’re being recognized today. Heck yeah, it’s about time,” Cardia said before the start of a Vietnam War commemoration ceremony in North Aurora Sunday morning. “I’m 78 years old and I knew I was going (to the war). I wasn’t married and I wasn’t in college so – my last name starts with ‘C’ and I got drafted in May and was in-country by January. I’m thankful for this. It’s recognition, that’s always a good thing, I think.”
Beginning at 10 a.m., a special lapel pinning ceremony was held to commemorate the service of area veterans of the Vietnam War who were invited to register and attend the event.
The recognition was organized through the efforts of U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville.
“As we recognize the 50th anniversary of the end of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, we must honor those who answered the call to duty during one of the most tumultuous chapters of our nation’s history,” he said in an email before the event. “It’s an honor to host this pinning ceremony as a small token of our deep respect and admiration for our community’s veterans and their families.”
Grace Bouton, communications director for Foster, said efforts to ramp up recognition ceremonies are happening more and more as the 50th anniversary recognizing the end of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War has arrived.
“We’re just trying to honor those veterans, especially because we are 50 years on and we want to make sure that, while a lot of them are still with us, we are able to honor them in person and also honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice and their spouses,” Bouton said. “It’s really timely because of the anniversary.”
Bouton said that “outreach efforts were made to local veterans groups to solicit Vietnam veterans or a spouse of one” to take part in Sunday’s ceremony, and that over 60 registrations were received for the event, which resulted in having to move it from the third floor foyer near Foster’s office at 2000 W. Galena Blvd. in Aurora to the SAGE Event Space at 1167 Oak St. in North Aurora.
“We were supposed to have this in Aurora and we are very grateful for the overwhelming interest,” Bouton said.
The ceremony began with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a few comments from Foster and then the reading of each veteran’s name, followed by Foster giving a special pin to each veteran.
“This is an overdue expression of our thanks for the sacrifices they endured,” Foster said.
“I think, frankly, that we messed up when those veterans came back – our uncertainty about the merits of the war,” Foster added. “The mistake we made was confusing our uncertainty about the merits of the war with the certainty that we must show gratitude and respect to those who served and endured.”
Randy Canene of Naperville, an Army veteran who served from 1970 to 1972, was one of the first pinned and spoke about the lack of recognition for Vietnam veterans but also the instant connection veterans make with one another.
“There is a comment in the program today from (former) President Obama where it says we were the most mistreated veterans in the history of the world. When I go to an airport and I see people stand up for the military today I kind of feel like it was our sacrifice that gives them that credit,” he said. “There’s something about veterans getting together – in the service, you become friends in micro-seconds. People become lifetime friends. It’s the ultimate melting pot.”
At the event, Dennis Soszynski of Downers Grove, a Marine Corps veteran from 1965 to 1967 who served in Vietnam, said, “It is an honor to be sitting with all these guys.”
“I always say there are five young men that did not come home when I did. We served together and they never got married or had kids or grandkids,” he said. “I do this in honor of them.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
