The 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War will find the Illinois Veterans Home in Manteno hosting a special service Saturday. The public is welcome for the 9 am event. It's free and refreshments will be served.

Stanley Stam is business administrator at the Veterans Home. He says "This is a long-awaited welcome home for many Vietnam era veterans." He too, is a Vietnam veteran. Stam said "Many of them were not welcomed home properly after the war. This is a chance for us to thank them and their families for their service......"

Veterans who served in the military between 1955 and 1975 will receive a commemorative pin, thank-you note and decals. The Manteno Veterans Home houses about 65 Vietnam-connected veterans, according to Stam ........

The service features the laying of the wreath, a memorial rifle volley, missing man ceremony, the lowering of the POW/MIA flag and patriotic music.

Sean Baumgartner, director of the Abraham Lincoln Cemetery in Elwood, will be the keynote speaker.

94.1 WGFA