By Michael Scott Davidson
Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer
April 29, 2013
When David Hutchinson returned home from Vietnam, there were no ticker-tape parades or fanfare.
"I had one uncle who drove 50 miles to my in-laws' house to thank me for what I had done," said the 64-year-old former Army sergeant, commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8087 in Mount Dora. "He was the only one that recognized me."
A recently adopted Florida House of Representatives resolution seeks to give Hutchinson and the other 454,000 Vietnam veterans living in Florida the hero's welcome lawmakers said they deserve, 40 years after the last troops left Vietnam.
A "Welcome Home" celebration is set for May 18 — Armed Forces Day — in Tavares. There will be a parade at 10 a.m. on Main Street, followed by a recognition and honor ceremony from noon to 1 p.m. at Wooton Park.
The keynote speaker will be Charlie Plumb, a retired Navy captain and former prisoner of war who lives in California. Plumb, a recipient of two Purple Hearts, the Legion of Merit, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the POW Medal, spent nearly six years in communist prison camps after his F-4 Phantom jet fighter was shot down.
State Rep. Larry Metz, R-Yalaha, sponsored the resolution, which call for greater recognition of the sacrifice and service of Vietnam veterans.
A recently adopted Florida House of Representatives resolution seeks to give Hutchinson and the other 454,000 Vietnam veterans living in Florida the hero's welcome lawmakers said they deserve, 40 years after the last troops left Vietnam.
A "Welcome Home" celebration is set for May 18 — Armed Forces Day — in Tavares. There will be a parade at 10 a.m. on Main Street, followed by a recognition and honor ceremony from noon to 1 p.m. at Wooton Park.
The keynote speaker will be Charlie Plumb, a retired Navy captain and former prisoner of war who lives in California. Plumb, a recipient of two Purple Hearts, the Legion of Merit, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the POW Medal, spent nearly six years in communist prison camps after his F-4 Phantom jet fighter was shot down.
State Rep. Larry Metz, R-Yalaha, sponsored the resolution, which call for greater recognition of the sacrifice and service of Vietnam veterans.
"Like all generations of military service members before and since, Vietnam veterans bravely answered the call of duty," said Metz, a Marine Corps veteran. "Over 58,000 of them gave the last full measure of their devotion to that duty, and many who returned home were treated disrespectfully."
He encouraged participation in the parade. "It's time to recognize that wrong, warmly embrace our Vietnam veterans, and say 'thank you, and welcome home.'"
Hutchinson, of Mount Dora, said he thought the gesture will be appreciated by Vietnam veterans, but it comes too late for many. "I feel bad for the guys that passed away and never got that acknowledgement," he said, "that they did something worthwhile."
