Clovis honors Vietnam veterans 50 years after the war ended: ‘We must never forget the scars of war’

CLOVIS, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Almost 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War, veterans who served in that conflict still find it hard to talk about what happened – and the feelings they still carry today.

On Saturday, the Clovis Veterans Memorial District brought Vietnam War veterans together to honor their service with a commemoration.

It’s an era of American history often misunderstood. Veterans like John Cline hope events like this one helps the public understand what they went through.

Cline served as a combat medic in Vietnam and says today’s event is more important than we might think.

“If we don’t tell it and if it’s not preserved, it’s lost,” Cline said.

He is part of the Vietnam Veterans Of America Chapter 933.

Veteran Terry Brown served as a land clearing engineer in Vietnam. He says he was just 19 when he enlisted.

He says people often don’t know about the work he did during the war.

“What we did is we cut the jungle down to improve the security. And essentially it saved countless lives because it cut down on the amount of attacks along the roadways where either civilians were killed or injured or convoys were blown up,” Brown said.

The event also honored families who lost their loved ones during the war. CEO of the Clovis Veterans Memorial District Lorenzo Rios says he wants the public to think about every single one of the conflict’s 58,271 fallen soldiers.

“We must never forget the scars of war for those families. They have not forgotten,” Rios said.

The event space was filled with pictures from veterans serving during the war, paired next to a picture of what they look like now. The event organizers say it is in an effort to celebrate the incredible journey they’ve lived; all with the purpose to serve our country.

“When somebody says thank you for your service, I’d say you were worth it and the country was worth it,” Cline said.

From October 9 to the October 12, the Clovis Memorial Veterans District will have a replica of the Vietnam Wall memorial on display. It will be available for everyone to come take a look and honor those who died.