Veterans remembered

Honor guard members place a wreath in front of the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall during ceremonies Thursday.

By Phil Surratt
Staff Writer
Originally published Nov. 7, 2009

There are 58,260 names that appear on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.

Those names are being read while the traveling wall memorial is on display in Branson during the annual week-long tribute, A Veterans Homecoming.

At the kickoff Thursday morning, veterans, friends and family attended a ceremony paying tribute to the men and women who lost their lives during the Vietnam War.

A memorial wreath was placed in front of the wall during the ceremony.

Retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Ernie Bradley, chairman of Branson Veterans Task Force, addressed those in attendance, delivering a message that some Vietnam veterans have never heard before.

“Welcome home veterans,” Bradley said. “And thank you for your service.”

Retired Army Sgt. Maj. Robert Materella was the guest speaker.

Materella spoke about 41 men whose names appear on the memorial wall. Materella said those men made it possible for him to be at the ceremony.

“One of those names is very special to me,” Materella said. “Lt. Leslie Howard, 23 years old, left behind an 18-month-old son who will never know what kind of man his daddy was. He made the ultimate sacrifice, going into battle with replacements to help others in need. He didn’t have to be there that day, but he felt it was the right thing to do.”

Materella asked his fellow veterans not to carry the war on their shoulders.

“This is the only wall we need to memorialize those heroes,” he said. “They are the heroes of Vietnam, not the guys walking around with a chest full of PX stuff, not the individual who stayed in the military for 30-40 years. We all have those things. The thing these people on this wall don’t have is the freedom they died for. What they gave us is the freedom to continue this great country, and this is a great country.”

Many veterans’ events are scheduled through Veterans Day in Branson. For a complete list, see page 2B.