(NECN: Lauren Collins, Concord, NH) - When troops come home from Iraq and Afghanistan, they're welcomed in tearful ceremonies and thanked for their service.
When Vietnam vets got back, "you had this gut feeling, they don't want ya," recalls Frank Farrell who was drafted into the Army in 1963.
Fellow Army vet Ray Goulet says when he got on the plane to come home, "you could feel the tension of the people. They didn't want to be around you, they avoided you."
Air Force veteran Bob Williams walked through Logan airport, alone, and "had one guy spit at me. You wanted people to realize, hey, 'I did my job. Thank me for that. Kept your freedom.' But didn't get that."
That will change Saturday when the New Hampshire National Guard opens its hangar for a long overdue ceremony. March 30 is Welcome Home Vietnam Veteran's Day.
Mike Horn, who runs the New Hampshire Veteran's Cemetery, is organizing the event. "The individuals that went off for a two or three year tour, they came back through airports and they never got the welcome home that our troops now get. The send offs and the welcomes."
The respect offered troops now a days, even from people who protest the war, is the legacy of this generation.
"We as Vietnam veterans decided this never will happen again to any veteran group," says Williams. "Never. Never."
Many Vietnam veterans still feel ostracized, battle addiction, and fight horrific memories. But there are two powerful words that can go a long way, says Farrell.
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"If you see a veteran, wearing a Vietnam hat, just go to 'em," he says wiping tears from his eyes. "Just say welcome home. That will make his or her day."
Saturday's ceremony is at the New Hampshire National Guard hangar on Regional Drive in Concord. It starts at 2 p.m. and is open to the public.
