NEILLSVILLE MAN PREPARES FOR LZ HONOR RIDE
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 -- 2:31 PM
Vietnam Veterans from around the state are preparing for LZ Lambeau this weekend.'Wisconsin's' ?official thank you? to vets gets underway on Thursday. One of the highlights of the event will be the LZ Lambeau Honor Ride, a motorcycle tour that will start in La Crosse Friday morning, and end in Green Bay Friday evening.
A local veteran was one of the main planners.
Don Simpson was in the Army when he served in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968.
Much has been made over the years of the poor reception returning troops received after serving in the unpopular war. Simpson says many of his fellow soldiers still bear resentment and emotional scars.
"We were encouraged not to wear uniforms...so we weren't identified as soldiers," he remembers.
Simpson recalls specific examples of ridicule from protesters that he describes as too graphic and painful to talk about.
LZ Lambeau aims to help in the healing process. Simpson says some vets he?s talked to are still skeptical, but others are looking forward to it.
The Honor Ride will be a huge undertaking.
"It's comprised primarily of Vietnam vets and Vietnam-era vets. The ride will be comprised of 1,244 motorcyles. That number was derived from the total number of killed, missing or POWs from the Vietnam-era from Wisconsin," he explains.
More at [url=http://www.lzlambeau.com]www.lzlambeau.com[/url]
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