Community Corner
Video: Napa Welcomes Vietnam Veterans
In a midday ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park, the city opened its arms to those who served in our country's longest and most unpopular war.
Part solemn ceremony, part long-overdue homecoming, Napa's tribute to Vietnam veterans took place on a picture-perfect spring Wednesday in downtown's Veterans Memorial Park.
As music from the 1960s played over a sound system, veteran Richard Stewart stood in thought before a monument to the Napa men who died in the Vietnam conflict.
"Let me tell you how real they were," he said of the people behind the names on the memorial, whose deaths came as long ago as 1959.
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"They were very real," Stewart said. "We were the lucky ones."
Former combat medic Richard Dean choked up remembering his first homecoming from the war.
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"I didn't tell anyone," he said, "after being spit on at the airport."
Napa's tribute, which included speeches from Mayor Jill Techel and other officials, was intended to be the welcome home that servicemen like Dean never felt they had.
"It was a good day," he said.
Our video features Dean's story as well as images and words from other veterans including retired Napa firefighters Bob Nance and Max Loffgren.
