Veteran recounts long service, urges peers to seek help and invites public to Saline County Vietnam ceremony

An unnamed veteran who spoke during the meeting recounted more than 38 years of military service, urged other veterans to seek support and invited the public to a Vietnam veterans ceremony scheduled for Monday, March 31, at 6 p.m. at the Saline County Courthouse Veterans Memorial.

The speaker said he and James M. Platt served in the United States Air Force and that he “also spent 4 years in the Arkansas National Guard.” He said, “I was in 38 and a half years,” and described his military role as an aircraft mechanic. The speaker said he served almost as much time overseas as he did in the United States and that his youngest brother served in the Marine Corps while his father served in World War II.

The commenter described mixed reactions upon returning from Vietnam, saying veterans once faced hostility but now receive more public recognition. “When we come home from Vietnam and overseas, we would cuss, spittle, call names, and everything else. But now with these ceremonies and stuff, we feel like we're finally being recognized,” the commenter said.

The speaker urged veterans to seek help through local veterans organizations, naming the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and a general “Veterans Organization.” “Go find somebody to talk to. I'll help you,” the commenter said.

At the close of the remarks the speaker invited attendance at the ceremony: “Join us next Monday, March 31, 6 o'clock PM, right here at the Saline County Courthouse Veterans Memorial where we will honor all Vietnam Veterans. We'll see you there.”

The remarks focused on personal service history, a call for peer support and an event announcement; no formal board actions or votes were recorded in the transcript segment for this item.