Connecticut To Finally Honor Vietnam Veterans
HARTFORD, CT (WCBS 880) - Vietnam veterans who got little recognition when they returned home from the war are being honored in Connecticut.
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Legislation drafted by former State Representative Ted Graziani formalizes March 30 as the day to say 'welcome home' and 'thank you' to these veterans.
Graziani, who enlisted in the Army when he was 18, served in Vietnam for 14 months.
When he returned,he says there were no "thank yous" or parades. "When we got back to the states, we found out real fast that you needed to put your fatigues away, to make mention that you never served our country, because there was such bitterness," Graziani said.
When he became a state lawmaker, he fought for the law.
"I would love to have my mother or my father hear the words from a neighbor or from a friend saying, 'You must be proud of your son for serving his country.' You never heard those words back then."
Connecticut joins California and a few other states in this recognition. Graziani says he'd like to see every single state adopt this law.
