NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Central Kansas Veterans Community Partnership is hosting a dinner event on Saturday to honor Vietnam vets.
"All Vietnam veterans are free," said Preston Pelkey with CKVCP. "We'd like them there at 4 p.m. to get set up. Everybody else it's a $12 fried chicken dinner buffet. It's as American as they come. We'd like a lot of people there. It's going to be a good time. It's going to be very humbling and hopefully for some people it's going to give them an understanding of what some of these people endured."
The event will include pictures from abroad, an honor guard, a video and special speaker, along with a special ceremony. Service is something to be proud of, but it does take its toll.
"There's a lot of mental issues that come with that," Pelkey said. "Unfortunately, there's a lot of scars that people never see and a lot of things you have to live with that makes it really, really tough. The neat thing about the VFW and doing things like this is we're that one place on earth that all those people can come, because we all understand. We've all put those boots on."
National Vietnam War Veterans Day is March 29, the annual event is held on the nearest Saturday. The event is from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the VFW Post 1361 at 328 North Van Buren.