27-03-2025
Nonprofit honors Vietnam-era veterans at ‘Welcome Home' luncheon in Myrtle Beach
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — Veterans who served in and during the Vietnam War were honored by a non-profit at its 'Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans' lunch on Wednesday.
Lower Cape Fear LifeCare works with veterans and provides medical and memory care to patients in the Carolinas.
A Vietnam War veteran says the 'Welcome Home' lunch was about camaraderie, paying homage to the veterans we lost, and reflecting on fighting in the Vietnam War and its lasting impacts on those who served.
The Vietnam War was unpopular at the time for many Americans, so many Vietnam veterans were not thanked for their service when they got home.
News13 spoke to some veterans who say they did not think much of the country's reaction to their homecoming at the time. But now, they are thankful to finally be honored.
Saturday, March 29, is National Vietnam War Veterans Day, which recognizes the 52nd anniversary of U.S. troops' withdrawal from South Vietnam.
'Especially after what the veterans went through when they returned home from the war,' Vietnam-era veteran Tom Powell said. 'It was terrible, terrible. So, anything that's honoring the Vietnam veterans, I'm fully supportive of, and I appreciate their setting this up for us.'
Powell says he served seven years during the war — two-and-a-half years on a Destroyer Navy –and four years in the submarine service.
'The camaraderie in the submarine service was just so amazing between the officers and the enlisted,' Powell said. 'When you're in a submarine, you've got a qualified submarine service, and you've got to be able to do anything that's required of you while you're on that boat. So, I'm very proud of my service.'
Phil Maney, a Vietnam veteran, says his time serving then was the most spiritual experience of his life. He says that the theme of camaraderie held true, even with wounded soldiers on the other side of the war.
'I was providing him with what little bit I had as far as nourishment, that sort of thing, and sending him on his way,' Maney said. 'Just another guy. As a matter of fact, I have no idea what he said, and vice versa. I'm sure he didn't know what I said. But we laughed a couple of times. You know, silly stuff. But that was an experience.'
When Maney got back from Vietnam, he was assigned to the Washington, D.C., area to patrol during protests.
He says he spoke to many people who were against the war. Although Maney and the protestors disagreed, he says they respected each other's opinions.
Maney kept saying how grateful he was to serve and to return home.
But he ended the conversation with this:
'We didn't need to be there, and we don't need to be anywhere else we're going to ever be,' Maney said. 'But I guess that's the way of the world. I guess it is.'
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Skylar Musick is a multimedia journalist at News13. Skylar is originally from Long Island, New York. She joined the News13 team in June 2024 after graduating from Villanova University in May 2024. Follow Skylar on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and read more of her work here.
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