Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial Twentieth Anniversary (May 2, 3,4, 2008)

In recognition of the enormous debt all Americans owes to former Prisoners Of War who gave up their freedom in the service of their country during the Vietnam War, the Illinois Vietnam Veteran Vigil Committee honored 24 Ex-POW's that served over 100years of imprisonment from around the country. The weekend event was kicked off Friday with an honors dinner.

Jerry Lambert, a Vietnam Veteran, who is the News Anchor on Springfield’s local ABC television station, was the guest speaker. His emotional speech about what Vietnam Veterans faced returning home and the trials that POWs had to endure brought forth feelings from many of us that translated his words into a shared experience. He received a standing ovation.

I was honored as Master of Ceremonies for the dinner and to introduce some great people that care about and honor veterans like Jim Mathes, Chairman of the Vigil Committee, whose idea it was to honor the POWs. JP Brown III, National Commander of AMVETS and other members of the Illinois AMVETS organization. Gary Sigler, a Former POW who coordinated getting the POWs here and putting on the dinner introduced Ted Gostas a Former POW and famed artist that shared poems and prints of his famous paintings. During the weekend I had the opportunity to spend time with the POWs, hear some of their stories of survival, and share emotional moments of remembrances. It reminded me of one of the greatest fear I had in Vietnam, being captured and taken prisoner. In my recon team we had a whispered agreement not let the enemy capture us alive. None of us believed we would survive to be taken to North Vietnam.

The thought of going to sleep every night for years knowing you will wake to torture and pain in the morning seemed to me worst than death. Yet, here I was in a room full of men that survived that ordeal. Men who were humble and took nothing for granted. What strength it took to survive the constant fear, the physical and mental torture, the loneliness and doubt. How do you keep yourself intact being an enemy prisoner in the middle of enemy lands? Only when you are faced with the reality of it do you discover how to survive it.

When I got home after spending the weekend with them my neighbor asked me how did the events go? I told him that there was nothing I could see in my life to whine about after spending time with the Ex-POW’s.