Local Vietnam vets, it’s time to gather! This Friday, the Central Coast Veterans Memorial Museum is set to host local Vietnam veterans for a coffee meetup for conversation, presentation, and if they want, professional portraits.
Friday, March 29th marks 51 years since the last U.S. combat troops departed Vietnam from the war and in commemoration, the CCVMM is hosting Vietnam veterans for a get-together. Last year on the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, the museum held a similar gathering for veterans.
Two Vietnam veterans will be guest speakers at the event, George Marrett, an Air Force veteran and co-founder of the Estrella Warbirds Museum in Paso Robles, along with Dennis Hennessey, an Army combat engineer.
With it being over 50 years now since the departure from Vietnam, Bart Topham, the director for the Central Coast Veterans Memorial Museum and a Vietnam veteran, says now is the time to share your stories with your fellow comrades.
"They've reached the point in their life where they're ready to talk about some of these things and get some things off their shoulders. They kept a lot of stuff inside for a long time,” said Topham. “Fortunately, our country has turned a lot of that around and given them opportunities to express things and relax and understand, talk about their experiences, and we try to help them with that."
It's happening at the SLO Vets Hall on Grand Avenue on Friday, March 29th from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
