Sandoval County Commission honors Vietnam War veterans

The Sandoval County Board of Commissioners honored Vietnam veterans with a proclamation declaring March 29 as Vietnam War Veterans Day in Sandoval County at the March 13 meeting.

The proclamation was sponsored by District 2 Commissioner Jay Block, who wore his Afghanistan veteran hat at the meeting and gave away Vietnam veteran coins to the dozen vets in attendance. Before reading the proclamation, Block gave some stats about the Vietnam War.

• In New Mexico, there are roughly 54,000 Vietnam War veterans.
• Approximately 2.7 million American men and women served in Vietnam.
• More than 15,000 were killed in action.
• 240 men were awarded the Medal of Honor.
• The average age of a GI in Vietnam was 19.
• 66% of Vietnam vets that they would serve again, if called upon; they just don’t want to go back there.

“Maybe that’s Vietnam veterans suffering from PTSD in unprecedented numbers,” Block said. “PTSD affects as many as 50% of combat veterans. Vietnam was referred to as the first pharmacological war in history because of the unprecedented level of psychoactive drugs that the U.S. military gave servicemen in a combat environment.”

Block invited fellow veteran and Commissioner Joshua Jones to read the proclamation with him.

“We honor all of those who bravely served the Vietnam War, who sacrificed as did their families and caregivers on behalf of our nation,” Jones said. “For almost two decades, Americans raised their right hands and committed to serve and defend our Constitution as uniformed members of the United States Armed Services or Armed Forces during a tumultuous period in our country’s history. Today, and every day, we honor their bravery and commitment and give thanks and to a generation of Americans who fall into service of the country they love.”

Block then asked any Vietnam Veterans to stand and be recognized in the packed Commission Chambers as he read the rest of the proclamation.

“We will always remember those who must and honor those who can and every service member of the Vietnam generation should know that their sacrifices and that their service made a difference,” Block said. “The names etched on the wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial remind us of our loved ones who gave their all. And we’re asking families, caregivers and survivors and more than 50,000 service members whose names are memorialized in the black granite. We pledge to never forget the eternal sacrifice of your loved ones, and what you have sacrificed for the nation.”

After Block finished the proclamation, the large crowd in the chambers gave a standing ovation to the dozen Vietnam vets in the crowd

Neil Hise and Hugh Ellenberger then took to the podium to thank the commission for the proclamation.

“I’m a proud Vietnam vet, and I thank God for his protection while I was there,” Hise said. “I’d like to thank my wife, who has put up with me for 50 years dealing with the effects of Southeast Asia. Not everyone who lost their life in Vietnam died there. Not everyone who came home from Vietnam ever left there.”

Hise, Ellenberger and the other Vietnam veterans in attendance then received Vietnam veteran coins from Block as a token of his appreciation for their service.

“I think that war certainly affected all of us in his room on so many levels, whether you love somebody or whether you had a friend whose father was a POW,” District 1 Commissioner Katherine Bruch said. “All of us had those experiences, and they were pretty heartbreaking.”