Allen Hosts State's Largest Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Tribute

George Grimsley remembers coming home from Vietnam the way most of his fellow soldiers did: quietly, without fanfare, without anyone waiting at the airport. "Most of us came back all alone, no one waiting at the airport or nothing like that," Grimsley, president of the Collin County chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America, said. "It was a very different time."

Allen's 3rd Annual National Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Day at the Allen Senior Recreation Center on March 29 was, in part, a five-decades-late welcome home. The event, billed as the largest Vietnam Veterans of America chapter gathering in the state, was hosted by the Allen Senior Recreation Center in partnership with Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1122. Organizers expected to surpass last year's attendance of 275; with 320 seats available, Chapter 1122 President Ken Taylor said the group was preparing overflow space to accommodate what could be one of the largest chapter events among the 600 VVA chapters nationwide.

Vice Adm. David Brooks Robinson, U.S. Navy (retired), who was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions as the commanding officer of a patrol gunboat in Vietnam, served as the keynote speaker. His program included several other highly decorated veterans, among them recipients of the Bronze Star.

The program opened with a deliberate sensory design. A curated playlist of Vietnam-era music, selected by chapter members through a vote, played from 9:30 to 9:59 a.m. "For the veterans, it will certainly bring back a lot of memories," Taylor said, noting that most Collin County Vietnam veterans are now between the ages of 75 and 90. "Some of these songs the younger generation may have never heard before, dating as far back as 64 years ago."

The music was paired with a 50-slide presentation of photos showing local veterans during their active-duty days. Taylor said the visual of seeing "old guys today" as the young men they were in combat was intended to have a "jarring effect" that helps younger attendees better understand the reality of the war.

Army specialist John Bagwell, a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient who served as a disc jockey at the American Forces Radio Station during the war, put the gathering's urgency plainly: "There are fewer Vietnam veterans every day." For Bagwell, events like this carry weight beyond tribute. "I think there is something therapeutic just talking about it and I think it's important for the American people to learn what we did."

Rep. Keith Self (R-TX3), a veteran who was finishing his studies at West Point as the war came to an end, underscored the stakes of remembrance. "We gotta remember the times, whether you volunteered or answered the draft notice, you went and a lot of people did not," Self said.

The Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Fair Park, dedicated by President George H.W. Bush in 1989, bears the names of Texans killed or missing in action across five tablets — a physical reminder of what VVA Chapter 1122 works to preserve in memory. With most Collin County Vietnam veterans now in their late 70s and 80s, the annual tribute at Allen Senior Recreation Center is becoming as much a record of a generation as it is a celebration of one.