Posted on 01/28/2016 9:05:09 AM PST by AuntB
Vietnam vets memorial at NYC brings tears, embraces, outrage
By RANDALL HACKLEY Associated Press Writer NEW YORK 1AP r -- 1885
Thousands of Vietnam veterans who returned home to indifference or worse gathered in wheelchairs, military fatigues and business suits to help dedicate the ci-ty's memonal to these who fought in Southeast Asia Today. an estimated 20.000 veterans will get the homecoming they never received a decade ago when the last Americans left Vietnam A tickettape parade is planned across the Brooklyn Bndge into the -Canyon of Heroes" in Wall Street About A 000 Vietnam veterans came together Monday night for the lighting of a 70-foot•long. 16.foot•high glass wall etched with the names and words of some of those who served in Vietnam About 50 veterans_ several in wheel. chairs. rushed the wall One rested his head against it. sobbing uncontroll-ably
Another leaned against the wall and stared blankly for several minutes as fireworks exploded over the East Riv• er to celebrate the war memorial Many who descended on the newly named Vietnam Veterans Plaza were weanng black armbands and black jackets to remember 2.247 American soldiers still listed as missing in ac-tion. For Betty Perko. tracing her son's name on the glass meant solace at last "I guess I can finally get on with my life... It's just hard to see those words there, 'killed in action.' It's so final." Terry Perko. 20. a lance corporal from Maple Heights. Ohio. was fatally shot in the throat on Feb. 21. 1967. by a sniper in V emarn I guess icarriienri get on with my life." said Mrs Perko. 59. touching Terry's name on the frosted wall as if she were touching her son again -It's just hard to see those words there. 'kil-led in action.' It's so final." Perko's name appears on the wall along with a letter that then-Cpl John Houghton. now a tugboat deckhand in Camden. N J wrote to Mrs Perko upon hearing of his war colleague"s death Excerpts from the letter. etched in the wall with 82 others. said -We are all afraid to die. and all we do is count the days till we go home I want to hold my head between my hands and run screaming away from here I'm hollow Mrs. Perko. I'm a shell and when i'm scared. I rattle. I'm no one to tell you about your son Terry. 1 can't. I'm sorry • • Mrs. Perko. fighting tears. said she never could write Houghton to thank him for the poignant letter: -I just couldn't. I never could answer him But today. Mrs. Perko will meet Houghton for the first time, Some. like Michael Mancuso. a mail carrier from Waterbury. Conn.. found their own names in the wall. "Dear M " Mancuso wrote in 1970 to his fnend. Sgt Michael Cook. who appeared Monday with Mancuso. -So how are you doing? I really hope you'll be OK. You didn't look too good the last time I saw you. laying on that trail co vered with blood.- Monday. the two veterans stood together at the wall. hugging one another -This is great. wonderful.- Mancuso said to Cook. a film producer in New York • Really something to re-member. Mayor Edward Koch. who lighted the wall. told the veterans. -What we do here tonight begins to undo the terrible injustice We have opened the eyes of a new generation to the les-sons of the past. Said developer Donald Trump. who donated $1 million to the veterans and In a jobs program set up by the city to help unemployed New York veterans -It s a great evening I only wish it could have taken place 10 years ago-"
(Bad formatting in original article??)
"What we do here tonight begins to undo the terrible injustice We have opened the eyes of a new generation to the les-sons of the past. Said developer Donald Trump. who donated $1 million to the veterans and In a jobs program set up by the city to help unemployed New York veterans -It s a great evening I only wish it could have taken place 10 years ago-"
Vincent McGowan, who has been with the organization since its inception in 1983 and currently sits on its board, says that if it wasn’t for Trump, the project in lower Manhattan would have never happened.
"McGowan says the property downtown was gifted to the veterans by the Koch administration but they had no money. Trump committed $1M in a matching fund and they "couldn't have built it without him." http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/leader-york-veterans-group-defends-donald-trump/story?id=32571459
Thanks for posting.
“Thanks for posting.”
You are most welcome, Sacajaweau!~
I worked in an office overlooking that memorial in 1987 and 1988. It was a very nicely-done park.
Trump is the same guy today that he was in the 80's. I've read his books and watched old interviews on YouTube. What he's saying now is nothing new! No matter what party he was registered in, he's always been a patriotic American with a deep and profound love for this country!
Trump is a true American patriot. So different from the career politicians.
Nice story and Trump is a good man.
Only when it is convenient. When it comes to his support for liberals and the causes they support, that's another story.
Trump has proven he is for Vets!
Can’t wait to watch the fundraiser tonight.
Thank God for people like Trump. I’ll be watching him. I can’t believe I used to defend Fox for the Faux News claim by the left.
“Thank God for people like Trump. I’ll be watching him. I can’t believe I used to defend Fox for the Faux News claim by the left.”
The best thing Trump has done is expose this rotten media. SO many of our ‘conservative’ institutions, like Club 4 Growth, ACU, CPAC, Freedom works, NRCC, NRSC have been found to be corrupt and anything but conservative.
Fact Checkers Bust GOP Lie: Trump Donated A Lot More to Republicans Than Democrats
“since 1989, he’s contributed over $350,000 more to Republicans running for federal and state offices, campaign finance records show.”
Although I only wore a yellow tag, I remember marching that day. From Cadman Plaza, over the bridge with Puff and a few helicopters passing overhead and truck drivers on the BQE blasting there air horns below us and on down to the Battery. We passed near Pace College. People were on the roof cheering......quite different than the reception they had given the hard hats fifteen years earlier. After, we walked over to the Memorial with the flowers floating in the pool. For many years after I would visit that Wall every Memorial day.
Thirty years.....where did they go......
Thank you for your service!!
Please, I’m never comfortable with that. I served because I HAD to. I was never in Nam and never in combat. Those that were at the parade will know that the “yellow tag” was what was issued to us “era vets” for the day.
I understand.
“Trump is a Repblican”
That is meant as a HIT PIECE to paint all Republicans as “kooks” by firmly making Trump as the face of the GOP. I don’t buy their “fact checking” abilities.
He obviously has an extensive history if influence peddling, depending who he finds pliable. However, there are many other sources, who show he has given to both parties, favoring liberals and their causes. Either he has poor judgment when praising the Clintons, Obama, Pelosi, Schumer and Reid or he’s one of them. Take your pick.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/04/28/trump.democrats/index.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trumps-donation-history-shows-democratic-favoritism/
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2011/04/27/trump-gave-more-to-dems-than-gop.html
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/donald-trump-donations-democrats-hillary-clinton-119071
http://www.teaparty.org/donald-trumps-donations-democrats-helped-put-reid-pelosi-power-101714/
http://www.thewire.com/politics/2012/05/which-politicians-does-donald-trump-give-his-money/52973/
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2011/02/donald-trumps-donations-to-democrats/
Cruz’s con job isn’t working.
Support among white evangelical voters Trump UP/Cruz down
Trump 37% (+5)
Cruz 20% (-9)
These results are according to the NBC News|SurveyMonkey Weekly Election Tracking poll conducted online from January 18, 2016 through January 24, 2016 among a national sample of 9,690 adults aged 18 and over, including 8,215 who say they are registered to vote.
Trumps newly minted “conservatism” will eventually wear thin.
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