BEREA, Ohio -- The Berea Office of Veterans Outreach on Thursday (Oct. 15) honored Vietnam veterans during a poignant ribbon display and ceremony on the Jack Kafer Bridge at Coe Lake.
Ninety ribbons swayed in brisk winds while Vietnam veterans in attendance and family members of deceased veterans came forward to receive inscribed ribbons. Special ribbons representing VFW posts throughout the country, as well as to remember all prisoners of war, were also attached to the bridge railing.
Veterans Outreach Coordinator Chaplain Willie Springer, who also is a Vietnam veteran, led the ceremony, saluting each surviving Vietnam veteran that came forward and offering a prayer for all military men and women, past and present. Commemorative pins and certificates also were presented.
Vietnam veterans Robert Stilwell and Dan Brooks, lifelong friends from Parma, expressed gratitude for being remembered for their service overseas. Brooks served in the U.S. Army and Stilwell served in the U.S. Navy.
“It’s great they’re honoring the people who served back then,” Brooks said about the ceremony. “When we got out (of Vietnam and came home), some people spit on them. It’s a lot different now.”
A Ribbons on the Bridge ceremony took place in Berea on Coe Lake to honor Vietnam veterans. (Beth Mlady, special to cleveland.com)
Ahead of the approaching rain, the ceremony concluded with devout words of appreciation.
“Thank you for all the veterans who have served our country,” Springer prayed. “We also thank you for this unity, this coming together and building relationships on the foundation of our country. Let the love continue to flow from state to state, country to country.”
For more information about Berea Veterans Outreach, go to cityofberea.org and access the Community and Services page.
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