Veterans Day is right around the corner and the occasion gives us all an opportunity to say “thank you” to the men and women who take on the enormous responsibility of defending our country.
One way Orange County can say “thank you” is by celebrating our veterans at the third annual Veterans + Labor: Partners in Service event on Veterans Day, November 11 at the Orange County Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa.
This will be a very special Veterans Day Event. This year we will be honoring Viet Nam vets commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Viet Nam War.
The United States Department of Defense Viet Nam War Commemoration Commission has endorsed the Orange County event as an official commemorative event for Viet Nam war vets.
The long forgotten and mistreated Viet Nam war vets did their jobs and made enormous sacrifices to preserve our freedom. We in Orange County now must do our job and attend this very special event and demonstrate our appreciation.
Orange Countians are so busy with our day to day lives it is easy to forget what took place 50 years ago.
It is easy to forget that over 58,000 men and women were killed in a brutal and bloody war in a distant land; Viet Nam.
It is also easy to forget how the brave men and women who fought in this war returned to a nation that that took out its frustrations with the war on the heroic men and women who fought. Many of those returning from the battlefield were spit on, cursed, called baby killers and shunned by society.
The mistreatment of Viet Nam vets didn’t just reside with the American public.
Viet Nam vets were subjected to the whim of politicians that felt supporting the vets would be a poor political decision so the vets were abandoned by the very politicians that sent them to war. In fact Viet Nam vets had to sue their own government in order to get the Veterans Administration to admit that “Agent Orange” caused cancer.
Our County is one of the wealthiest counties in the United States.
We are blessed with beautiful beaches, wonderful schools, and many opportunities for prosperity. Our economic growth was reliant on military installations and the military personnel and their families who resided in the County. We in Orange County owe the military community and our vets a great deal. The very least we can do is take some time out of our schedules on Wednesday November 11th and come to the Fair Grounds between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to say thank you !!
There will be than 80 booths offering veterans medical screenings, job placement and recruiting, counseling, financial services and much more. There will also be live music, free hot dogs and a special ceremony honoring Viet Nam veterans.
PARKING AND ADMISSION IS FREE !!!!!