Orange County, the City of Orlando and the Orlando VA are holding a drive thru recognition ceremony tomorrow to honor Vietnam veterans.
All veterans who served between Nov. 1, 1955 and May 15, 1975 will be thanked for their service and awarded a 50th Commemoration of Vietnam Veterans Pin.
Orange County Veterans Advisory Council Co-Chair Fred Robinson, who is a Vietnam Veteran himself, will be passing out the pins.
“And it’s a tribute to them for their service. The commemoration started on Memorial Day 2012 and it will run through Veteran’s Day 2025. And we have pins for surviving spouses as well whose loved one had died during the Vietnam War.”
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Robinson says honoring these veterans is especially important, not only because many veterans couldn't meet up for special dedication ceremonies last year during the peak of COVID-19 in Florida, but because of how these veterans were treated when they came home from war.
“A lot of them were beat up. They were spat upon and everything for serving their nation. No other war had our veterans come home to that type of a reaction from their country. And the thing is it’s about time that our country recognizes that these particular men and women served their country honorably.”
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The event will take place between 1 and 3 pm on Friday at the Lake Baldwin VA Medical Center.
The Orlando VA is offering COVID-19 vaccines to all enrolled and eligible veterans regardless of age at all vaccination sites.
To sign up for a vaccine or get more information on available clinics, click here.
