MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Dozens of area Vietnam veterans were honored in a special way Saturday at Victory Baptist Church for their brave service to America.

An estimated 400 people attended the afternoon ceremony.

The Vietnam War era was unlike any other war in American history. Those who fought and came home were not treated like heroes or greeted with hugs or handshakes when they returned home.

One of the local Vietnam veterans honored Saturday was the Rev. Omer Reid, pastor of Flagg Chapel Baptist Church.

Reid served in the Navy from 1972 until 1975 and did two tours in Southeast Asia.

“I was stationed aboard the United States Kitty Hawk,” recalled Reid. “We were a battalion of sailors who actually took care of the bombing missions in Vietnam, off of the coast, of course.”

Reid was asked by The Union-Recorder what it meant to be honored.

“It was real long overdue,” he said. “I got back in ’75, and it was like I was a zero. I really felt like I didn’t exist. The nation had forgotten about me and all of my colleagues. It was like I was in some time warp. I don’t even know how to describe it, really. It was an absent nation. I came back expecting to at least be given a hand up, but it seemed like I was given a foot down.”

Reid said there was no way to adequately express what Saturday meant to him after so many years.

“From 1975 until now is a pretty good little while,” he said.   

A total of 103 Vietnam veterans and the wives of seven men either killed during the war or who have died since the war ended were honored. Each of the Vietnam veterans received a certificate and a lapel pin commemorating their military service during wartime.

The program honoring Vietnam veterans across Georgia was started by Gov. Nathan Deal in 2015.

Several dignitaries attended Saturday’s event, including Georgia Department of Veterans Service Commissioner Mike Roby.

“It is never the wrong time to say thank you to a veteran and that is especially true for so many Vietnam veterans who were never properly thanked when they returned home,” Commissioner Roby said. “We hope to eventually present every Georgia Vietnam veteran with a certificate of honor recognizing their service.”

Melanie Kay Goss, manager of the Georgia Department of Veteran Services in Milledgeville, welcomed everyone who attended.

She said it was a way to publicly recognize Vietnam veterans and their families for their sacrifice.

The majority of Vietnam veterans honored Saturday live in Milledgeville and Baldwin County, while several others were from neighboring Putnam County.

Pastor Kenny Walker of Victory Baptist Church described the large turnout at his church as awesome.

“We’re just overjoyed and honored here at Victory Baptist Church to welcome you,” Walker said. “I want to personally thank you, each and everyone for your service and your sacrifice.”

Walker said he was about 9 years old when he learned something was going on in Vietnam.

“My best friend’s father, who lived just three doors down from me, was in Vietnam and lost his life over there,” Walker said. “Shortly after that with my father’s help, I sat down at our kitchen table when I was about 10 years old and wrote a letter to the president of the United States about Vietnam.”

Walker recalled that as a little boy he shared his heart with Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson.

“With my dad’s help, I did not ask Pres. Johnson to stop the war, or end the war,” Walker said. “I asked him to win the war. And I’m so thankful that all these years later that I can stand here in this sacred place and say thank you to you winners, because every single of one of you are winners. You won the victory for us here at home, and we want to say thank you and make this promise to you who served and sacrificed and many of you, who still because of health problems, sacrifice each and every day.”

Walker vowed that he and many others would continue to fight the good fight for them every day and for the freedoms of all Americans and their families.

Brian Zeringue, project officer with the Georgia Department of Veteran Services, pointed out a total of 228,000 military servicemen wore the uniform during Vietnam from Georgia.

“Of those, over 8,500 were wounded, but let’s not forget 1,584 of your Vietnam brethren did not return from Vietnam,” Zeringue said. “One thousand five hundred and eighty-four were killed in action. There are still 30 native Georgians that are still listed as unaccounted for or Missing in Action (MIA) as a result of the Vietnam War.”

Zeringue later read aloud a proclamation saluting Georgia’s Vietnam veterans.

“The more than 234,500 Vietnam veterans living in Georgia today are part of a generation who put their personal lives on hold and answered the call to duty under a most tumultuous time in America’s history, and on our state capitol grounds and all across America stand memorials and monuments in eternal tribute to the United States service members who made the ultimate sacrifice, were held as prisoners of war, or are still unaccounted for/missing in action as a result of the Vietnam War.”