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The acclaimed PBS television series by Lynn Novick and Ken Burns about the war in Vietnam noted that there were no parades for GIs returning from that divisive conflict. Not quite. San Mateo not only held a parade, it honored the soldiers with three days of festivities.
The parade on Jan. 23, 1972, drew about 8,000 spectators who applauded the return of 113 members of the 101st Airborne Division, known as the “Screaming Eagles.” United Press International reported the parade was “a welcome home that has seldom been equaled since World War II.” The event was in sharp contrast to the anti-war marches in major cities across the United States, including some in which the flag of Communist North Vietnam was waved.
At the end of the San Mateo parade, some soldiers gave their gear to admiring children. “Here, sonny, put this on,” said one paratrooper as he strapped his web belt on a 7-year-old boy. “I’ve had it long enough.” Scores of other children wore helmets and canteens. Three bands, color guards and fire trucks joined the march that ended at a park where speeches were heard and the men were invited to dinner at family homes.
“We just can’t express our gratitude enough,” said Capt. C.R. Quigley of the division. “It’s the most fantastic thing my troops or myself have ever seen in our lives.”
The Peninsula city’s relationship with the Screaming Eagles stretched back to 1967, the year Sgt. Joe Artavia wrote his sister, Linda, who lived in San Carlos. He told her that many of his buddies did not get mail from home. Linda went to the City Council for help and, on March 4, 1968, the city adopted Artavia’s unit, Company A. Mail and packages from total strangers started flowing. Sadly, Artavia was killed in action the same year, but he lived long enough to see his sister’s work blossom.
The city of San Mateo sought permission for the company to come to town when they left Vietnam. Permission was granted and the three-day event followed. It was not, however, the only time San Mateo honored veterans.
On July 4, 1981, the city held a two-day party to thank Vietnam vets for their service. U.S. senator S.I. Hayakawa was present and called the event “very satisfying. The Vietnam veterans have suffered a raw deal all the way.” The weekend event dubbed “Vietnam Veterans Recognition Days” was highlighted by a picnic at Central Park.
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San Mateo renewed its adoption of the Screaming Eagles in 1991 when the outfit was sent to fight in Desert Storm. The city again reaffirmed its support in 2001. The city’s library has a large display about the special bond, including news articles, photos and letters.
The returning soldiers who marched in the 1972 parade included John Lescher of Grafton, Ohio.
“It was overwhelming,” he said in an interview with the Grafton Morning Journal. “They put us up at a beautiful motel and each GI and his buddy were invited to a home-cooked meal. Everything was centered on us.”
Lescher, who was in the parade honor guard, said he would “always remember” a little, old lady in a chair waving a small flag and shouting “Welcome home, boys!! Welcome home!!!”
Lescher’s return to Grafton was a different story.
“When I returned home, there was nothing,” he said. “No parades, nothing. But you think about Vietnam every day of your life.”
(CORRECTION: The Oct. 9 column on the Key System trains said the line’s last run on the Bay Bridge was in 1956. It was in 1958).
The Rear View Mirror by history columnist Jim Clifford appears in the Daily Journal every other Monday. Objects in The Mirror are closer than they appear.
Yes we were and I am extremely proud of it! We were also the first city in the United States to raise the POW Flag. Ours was raised at the old San Mateo Police Station. I was honored to be a part of that raising. When the Police Department moved to its new location they made sure the POW flag would still fly. Congratulations citizens of San Mateo!
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Yes we were and I am extremely proud of it! We were also the first city in the United States to raise the POW Flag. Ours was raised at the old San Mateo Police Station. I was honored to be a part of that raising. When the Police Department moved to its new location they made sure the POW flag would still fly. Congratulations citizens of San Mateo!
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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