March Field Air Museum will be hosting its fourth annual Welcome Home Vietnam Vets Celebration on Saturday, March 23. The museum is open free to all Vietnam Vets and their families that day. The museum is open 9-4PM with the official program beginning at 11 am. At the conclusion of the program a free lunch will be served for Vietnam Vets and their immediate families. The luncheon is sponsored by Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley.
On September 25, 2009 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, accompanied by General Assembly member Paul Cook and Welcome Home Vietnam Vets Day (WHVVDF) founder Jose Ramos, appeared at Twenty-Nine Palms Marine Base to sign AB717 which establishes an Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day in California every March 30. March Field Air Museum has sponsored its own annual celebration since the legislation became official.
Museum Director Patricia Korzec states that “this is a perfect opportunity for all of us to pay tribute to these once forgotten soldiers and give them the welcome home they deserved years ago. It’s an important day also for our youth who can learn more about the war and listen to the first hand experiences of the men and women who lived it.”
Major Jack Van Zwalunwenburg USMC (ret) will be the keynote speaker followed by an open mic for all vets. The program also includes performances by the Mt. San Antonio College Choral and the pipers of LAPD Emerald Society Pipe and Drum Corps.
The museum gift store will also be featuring the hand made jewelry of Vietnam Vet Bruce Smith who crafts specialized beaded necklaces and bracelets for vets.
Regular museum admission is $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for children 5 to 12. March Field Air Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday. 22550 Van Buren Blvd., Riverside CA 92518.
For more information about March Field Air Museum please contact Annie Lunetta at 951/902-5949, annie @marchfield.org or visit the website at www.marchfield.org.