Chicago-area veterans are memorializing the 1986 'Welcome Home' parade for Vietnam veterans — one of the largest parades in Chicago history — in the publication of a new book.
Spontaneous embraces were the order of the day during the Welcome Home parade for Vietnam Veterans on June 13, 1986, perhaps the largest in the country for Vietnam veterans.
But Beyne and McGill also want to remember an event — more than 10 years after the fall of Saigon in 1975 — that proved instrumental in the lives of many returning Chicago-area veterans. The Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home Parade, held June 13, 1986, was one of the largest gatherings in the city’s history, attracting more than 175,000 veterans and an estimated 500,000 spectators to belatedly thank and celebrate those who served in Vietnam.
In 1985, McGill had traveled to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. — the Wall had opened three years earlier — to pay his respects to the 22 people he served with who were killed in action. There he learned about an upcoming event in New York City, a parade to honor Vietnam veterans for the first time. He decided to attend it as well and marched with 25,000 others over the Brooklyn Bridge and into the financial district, where they were showered with ticker tape and confetti.
“We called Mayor Harold Washington, who was a veteran , and he was incredibly supportive,” McGill said. “He told us to do it. So we were like, now what do we do?” They had an inkling the morning of the parade, which started at Navy Pier. Organizers had posted banners hoping to help people find their organizations in which they wished to march.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Remains of missing climber found 36 years later in melting Alps glacierThe remains of a German mountaineer who had been missing for almost four decades were discovered in the melting ice just off the Matterhorn mountain earlier this month, Swiss police said Friday.
Read more »
Robert Chambers, NYC’s ‘Preppy Killer,’ is released after 15 years in prison on drug chargesRobert Chambers, better known to some as the “Preppy Killer,” was released after spending 15 years in prison for drug and assault charges, according to state records.
Read more »
Guide to how Paris will welcome fans, stage 32 sports at first post-pandemic OlympicsThe Olympics are on track to be back in business with millions of visitors coming to Paris for the 2024 Games.The French capital has the expert experience to st
Read more »
Women's World Cup 2023: How to watch the Portugal vs. Vietnam gameUS Soccer fans, set your alarms, because tonight's USA vs. Netherlands game isn't the only match to keep your eye on as you root for the USWNT to move on to the Round of 16. Thursday morning, the USWNT's fellow Group E teams — Portugal and Vietnam — will face off on the field. The early morning match will determine how the USWNT moves forward in the World Cup. This year's World Cup is unfortunately beset with an awkward time difference, with many of the New Zealand– and Australia-based matches airing in the middle of the night for American audiences. And the Portugal vs. Vietnam game is no exception, with kick-off scheduled for 3:30 a.m. ET. So you may want to get the coffee brewing now...
Read more »
Central Pa. to welcome in August with stretch of perfect summer days: weather serviceThe three days of high heat and oppressive humidity are behind us. What's ahead are primarily sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80s.
Read more »