Fallen Vietnam War veterans honored in Saline County ceremony
BENTON, Ark. – The second annual Vietnam Veterans Memorial Day Ceremony which honors all of the fallen Arkansas Vietnam War veterans was held Tuesday afternoon.
The lives of the 592 fallen Arkansan Vietnam War veterans were commemorated through 592 American flags placed on the Saline County Courthouse lawn, as well as 10 larger flags representing the 10 who came from Saline County.
“So, at tonight’s event, you will see four veterans receive a quilt of valor, you will have a moment of silence for veterans who lost their lives, Taps will be performed, there will be a patriotic medley and a couple of other things,” Saline County Communications Director Trevor Villines said.
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According to Villines, this event took a whole-community approach, with partners from the City of Benton, the City of Bryant, both Chambers of Commerce, the Veteran Service Office, DAR, VFW and Saline County.
These groups came together last year to ask what they can do to honor the veterans more in the county.
“And someone said, ’What about a Vietnam Veterans Memorial Day,’” Villines said.
Villines said you often think of veterans on Memorial Day or other holidays but noted Vietnam Veterans deserve proper recognition.
“I think there is a lot of support across the community, you know. Vietnam was one of those wars that there was a lot of politics involved in it,” he said. “A lot of our veterans back then didn’t get the proper welcome home back then and this is the chance for us to rectify that.”
He said they deserve a proper thank you for paying the ultimate price of putting their lives on the line to take care of our country.
“A veteran is someone who at one point in their life wrote a blank check made payable to the United States of America for an amount up to and including their life,” Sgt. Paul Tarvin with the Bryant Police Department said.
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Tarvin, who also served and fought for our country, said that most veterans come back home to continue to make the state of Arkansas a safer place by joining law enforcement or other first responder occupations just like him.
“It’s proven by the soldiers that fight together, that come home and serve together, that we are a community that is together,” Saline County Judge Matt Brumley said.
Willie Abson was one of those vets who participated in the event today as he served in the U.S. Air Force during Vietnam.
Abson said this event is very special to him because many of those being honored are his fellow soldiers.
He said it is also important to realize that while we commemorate those lives lost it is important to support those who made it back home because there are often scars you don’t see.
“Some come back home not like they left. Some came back home looked like they left but they still weren’t like they were when they left,” Abson said.
While he is thankful he made it home, he often thinks about question: why him?
“And that’s when the sad kind of comes in. You’re thinking about you making it back and them not making it back and why did you make it back and they didn’t make it back,” Abson said.
Abson also said no matter what their job was, if they are a veteran, they deserve recognition.
“So when it’s all over with, the part that everyone played, whether it was large or small, was very important because they couldn’t do the large things if they didn’t have the small things to help push them,” Abson said.
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The ceremony took place at the Saline County Veterans Memorial in front of the Saline County Courthouse.
The full ceremony can be watched on Benton’s YouTube channel.
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