'We owe them our freedom'
<p>Vietnam veterans from left to right John Brickwedel, Michael McIven and Donald Kaiser join in singing “The Star Spangled Banner” at the Vietnam Veterans Day ceremony Tuesday.</p>
<p>John Kowzan started and closed the Vietnam Veterans Day ceremony Tuesday morning with a trumpet sound. He started bringing his trumpet to ceremonies in 2001and has played in over 1,500 funerals since. He has a journal to keep track of all the events he has attended.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE — Six patriot guards held American flags Tuesday in front of the Kroc Center’s performing arts theater. People slowly trickled into the auditorium, most of which were older men with veteran hats and jackets embroidered with the tours they were on and the branches of the military in which they served.
Once everyone was seated, a trumpet sounded. The third annual Vietnam Veterans Day Ceremony, hosted by the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, had begun.
The DAR is a women’s organization dedicated to patriotism and historic preservation. The Coeur d’Alene chapter of the organization, the Lt. George Farragut Chapter, has been organizing Vietnam Veterans Day ceremonies for three years now as part of a national movement to honor and recognize Vietnam War veterans.
The ceremony kicked off with the whole crowd singing “God Bless the U.S.A.” Barb Nelson, the DAR event chair, introduced the event.
“The choice to decide for ourselves, right, or wrong or in between, we have that freedom. We can make choices today because of you, the American veteran,” she said. “It’s Vietnam Veterans day, a day where we can pay tribute to all who served during the Vietnam War era, to the home guard, to the returnee, to the fallen, the wounded and the missing. It is with our deepest gratitude we honor you.”
Following Nelson’s speech, everyone rose for the Pledge of Allegiance and “The Star Spangled Banner.” Luella Stilley, regent of the Coeur d’Alene chapter of DAR, spoke next and saluted all the veterans present.
Stilley talked about the evolution of this event. The first time DAR held the Vietnam Veterans day, it recognized Vietnam veterans in the community. Last year it recognized the families of fallen soldiers. Each family was given a hand-made quilt. This year, the focus was on all veterans, not just from Vietnam.
“We pay tribute to all of our American veterans, past and current, for without them, we wouldn’t be who we are today,” she said.
The crowd resonated with the two videos shown: one about the history of the Vietnam War and one honoring veterans from Kootenai County that have died. When they finished, people dabbed their eyes.
“When they showed the video about the names on the (Vietnam Memorial) wall, well my dad was in World War II and suddenly I was flashing back to my times with him,” said Arnie Howe, chairman of the Kootenai County Veterans Council. “I thought it was nice and very well put together.”
The ceremony ended with a prayer led by Stilley and another trumpet sound by John Kowzan. Almost 150 people attended the ceremony, half of which Nelson guessed were veterans.
“I think it went well,” Stilley said. “We always want to do something special. We just can’t seem to do anything small.”
"I wish more people had attended so we could say thank you to them," Nelson added. "We owe an awful lot to these guys, to all the military people. We owe them our freedom."