Thousands honor Vietnam War veterans in long awaited homecoming

Hundreds of Vietnam War veterans were honored Saturday in the Home of Heroes.

The Pueblo Veteran’s Council hosted its Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans event Saturday.

Vietnam War veteran Manuel Pedraza said the event is 40 years in the making after U.S. soldiers returning from the war did not get a hero’s welcome.

“I found a very cruel reception. I found people that were calling us names, spitting at us, I even had people throw rocks at me,” he said.

Veteran Wayne White said the Vietnam veterans were even shunned at one point.

“They didn’t care for us too much. I mean you go to some place, they find out (you’re a U.S. soldier from Vietnam) and they didn’t want to be around you,” White said.

The event honored the veterans with a 21-gun salute and proclamations from Pueblo city and county leaders. Veterans were also given pins bearing the inscription, “It’s never too late, welcome home.”

“It’s brought everyone’s morale back up. People are getting real excited,” Pedraza said.

The war ended in 1975. More than 50,000 U.S. soldiers died in the war.