A ceremony will be held Friday to honor the men and women who served during the Vietnam War.
The ceremony will be from 10 a.m. until noon at the Leflore County Civic Center. It is sponsored by American Legion Post 200.
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said Wednesday that the recognition of the veterans is long overdue.
“As you know, for a lot of men and women who came back home after their tour of duty or time of service, a lot of them didn’t receive an adequate welcome home when they returned,” Thompson said at a press conference at his Greenwood district office.
“What Congress decided to do was to design and authorize a medal to be awarded to every person who was in service during that time,” he said.
As of Wednesday, 145 Vietnam War veterans had signed up to receive special pins that will be presented during the ceremony.
Thompson said those veterans who failed to meet the deadline can still receive pins, although they will not be listed on the printed program Friday.
“We’ll have the pin awarded as well as the certificate and an official resolution signed by the president of the United States, recognizing your years of service,” he said.
The families of deceased veterans also qualify to receive pins, certificates and presidential resolutions.
Thompson said veterans who missed the deadline don’t have to worry about bringing official documentation with them as long as they meet the age requirements.
Benefit officials from the Veterans Administration also will be on hand Friday to help veterans with service-related disability claims.
“This is an opportunity to recognize those veterans who not only put their lives on the line, but when they came home, they didn’t receive that hero’s welcome that they deserved,” he said.
Thompson will hold a similar event from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday at the War Memorial Building in Jackson.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
