Dixon VFW to hold homecoming celebration, parade honoring Vietnam veterans

DIXON — Dixon VFW Post 540 is planning a celebration and parade to give Vietnam War veterans the welcome home they never received 50 years ago.

The event starts at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 26, with a ride-along homecoming parade behind Culver’s of Dixon, 1317 N. Galena Ave. The parade will proceed south on Galena Avenue to the Dixon VFW Post 540 at 1560 Illinois Route 38, where Vietnam veterans and their partners will be treated to a special celebration and lunch.

“Make banners, make posters, bring your American flag, and come out along the parade route and welcome these guys home since they never got a welcome home in the first place.”

—  Tom Bushman, Vietnam veterans parade master of ceremonies

VFW 540 Service Officer and Past Commander Tom Bushman will serve as the event’s master of ceremonies. Bushman was a staff sergeant in the Army and is the Lee County Honor Flight chairman. He encourages the public to come out and show their support.

“Make banners, make posters, bring your American flag, and come out along the parade route and welcome these guys home since they never got a welcome home in the first place,” Bushman said.

The Vietnam War started Nov. 1, 1955, and ended April 30, 1975, with the fall of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. The war drafted 1.8 million men ages 18 and older and provoked widespread protests across the United States.

Anti-war sentiment resulted in many Vietnam veterans returning home to cold and hostile treatment.

“Their contributions to family, community, and country can never be forgotten or dismissed,” Post 540 Commander Tony Kulavic said in a news release. “Their lifelong commitment to never allow the same treatment to be experienced by the young men and women who followed in their footsteps adds to the list of unpayable debts we owe them. Shake a hand, give a hug, and learn the story they lived. Honor them while the opportunity exists.”

For more information on the event or to inquire about joining the parade, contact Bushman at 815-288-7085.