To the editor:

This Saturday we observe Vietnam Veterans Day. More than 2.5 million young American men and women served there with great distinction. However when many returned home, from that harsh and hostile place, they were met often times at airports with distain and hostility. Many military returnees said that that was worse than fighting in the jungles. At least there you knew who were the enemies and how to deal with them. The political atmosphere was like that at the time because of this unpopular war.

More than 300,000 American service men and women were wounded in action over there, with approx. a 50/50 split between those requiring hospitalization and those not.

A total of 58,281 military Americans were killed in action there. Six were from the immediate New Ulm area. They are memorialized in German Park. They are Dennis Wellmann, Daniel Lloyd, Henry Polzin, Timothy Sullivan, Steven Seemann and Rickey Slander. They were all graduates of NUHS. These six and all the others will forever remain young in our memories.

Tom Roesch

Courtland

— Tom Roesch is commander of VFW Post 1648