Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1493649
12 UCW MARCH 1 - 7, 2023 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM DR. SHANESSA FENNER, Principal, WT Brown Elementary School. COM- MENTS? Editor@upandcomingweek- ly.com. 910-484-6200. EVENT e Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 670 is hosting the Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Luncheon urs- day, March 30 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. e event will be held at VFW Post 670 on Doc Bennett Road. "is year marks the 50th anni- versary of American combat troops withdrawing from Vietnam on March 30, 1973," said Amelia Smith, VFW Post 670 quartermaster and point of contact for the event. "I am the daughter of a Vietnam veteran and I can remember the bitterness my father sometimes expressed about the treatment that he and others in his community received upon their return from Vietnam." She added, "A few years ago, Charlotte Motor Speedway hosted a huge Welcome Home Vietnam Vet- erans event and it was overwhelm- ing to watch the guys who did not know one another act as if they had known each other for years. I have not seen any event like that before nor have I seen or heard of one hap- pening since." "I realized that nothing was hap- pening in Fayetteville for Vietnam Veterans, so last year we put togeth- er a luncheon and about 75 people attended," said Smith. "We did not have an official guest speaker, but we did have some awe- some support from the local com- munity." Smith added, "e one thing that I noticed during last year's luncheon is there were not any females that claimed to have been in Vietnam during the war." is year's goal is to have women who were in Vietnam during the war attend the luncheon so they can be recognized and appreciated. "ese ladies suffer from the same health problems as the men, have similar or the same mental health concerns and deserve to be recog- nized," said Smith. "For this year's event, we have the support of Methodist Univer- sity's ROTC, e Fayetteville Sound, Rolling under and a special guest speaker." Sponsors for the event include the Cumberland County Veterans Council, BluSky Restoration and Tom Biggerstaff. "e sponsors and groups have definitely made it a lot easier to pull this event together," said Smith. "I am so excited to see the Vietnam Veterans, both men and women, come out and have a couple of hours to feel appreciated on the 50th anniversary of the withdrawal from Vietnam." e event is free and space is limited. e deadline to RSVP is Wednesday, March 8. According to the national website, the mission of the VFW is to foster camaraderie among United States veterans of overseas conflicts. To serve our veterans, the military and our communities. To advocate on behalf of all veterans. e VFW vision is to ensure that veterans are respected for their service, always receive their earned entitlements, and are recognized for the sacrifices they and their loved ones have made on behalf of this great country. For more information or to RSVP, call or text 910-709-8306, email 670vfw@gmail.com or stop by VFW Post 670 to let the bartender know your name and that you want to RSVP for the event. For more information about VFW Post 670 membership and events visit https://vfw670.org/di/vfw/v2/ default.asp?nid=1. VFW Luncheon held to honor Vietnam War veterans by DR. SHANESSA FENNER e Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans lunch will be held March 30 at VFW Post 670 on Doc Bennett Road. Pictures counter-clockwise from left: A group of Vietnam veterans; members of the VFW Aux- iliary; Rolling under; an ROTC Honor Guard (Photos of previous events courtesy VFW Post 670) e Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a nonprofit veterans service organiza- tion comprised of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, Guard and Reserve forces. ere are three qualifiers for membership in the VFW, as set out in the Na- tional Bylaws. An individual must meet all three in order to become a member. 1: Must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. National. 2: Must have served honorably in the Armed Forces of the United States and either received a discharge of Honorable or General (Under Hon- orable Conditions) or be currently serving. 3: Service in a war, campaign or expedition on foreign soil or in hostile waters*. is can be proven by any of the following: •An authorized campaign medal •Receipt of Hostile Fire Pay or Imminent Dan- ger Pay (verified by a military pay statement) •Service in Korea for 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days *is information is usually available through a veteran's DD-214. If other information is needed or if a veteran's DD-214 is not com- plete, they can contact the National Personnel Records Center online or at 314.801.0800 to request more information. More detailed information on VFW eligibility can be accessed at https://www.vfw.org/join/ eligibility. If you are not eligible for membership in the VFW but you have a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling or spouse who would be eli- gible then you may apply for membership in the VFW Auxiliary. You can learn more at vfwauxil- iary.org.