Americans have strong and varied reactions to what that word came to represent in the past four decades. The Vietnam War affected us all in different ways, but most Americans now agree that most veterans were not given the honor and respect they deserved upon their return.
Many communities across the nation have been working to rectify that situation in recent years, and Rogers Group recently helped honor Vietnam Veterans of the 101st Airborne Division of Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. The 101st Airborne Division "Screaming Eagles" served in Vietnam from July 1965 to December 1971, and were the last combat unit to leave.
John Sweeney, Rogers Group Western Kentucky SBU Manager and Don Williamson, Rogers Group CFO, had been discussing ways for Rogers Group to support the annual "Week of the Eagles", which serves as an open house, reunion, and community event each summer. 1996 was the 25th anniversary of the Screaming Eagles return from Vietnam.
Rogers Group commissioned sculptor Steve Shields to create a monument, which was placed in front of the 101st Commanding General’s headquarters. The "Returning Eagle" symbolizes the 101st Airborne Division’s return home to the land it calls home, amid the rolling hills and limestone cliffs of Kentucky and Tennessee.
The Division was officially welcomed back to Ft. Campbell in 1972 by General William C. Westmoreland, who served as Commander of U.S. Military Assistance Command Vietnam from 1964 - 1968. Retired since then, General Westmoreland made a special trip on July 11, 1996 to welcome the "Returning Eagle", and was greeted by dozens of Vietnam veterans who came for the ceremony.
Rogers Group President and CEO Frank Warren helped unveil the statue with one of the seventeen Screaming Eagles who received the Medal of Honor during the war. The ceremony was moving. General Westmoreland saluted the monument after a stirring speech, and Father Baker blessed the monument. Veterans, active duty soldiers, and their families had the opportunity to shake hands with General Westmoreland.
Major General William F. Kernan, Commanding General of the 101st, General Westmoreland, and Father Baker all thanked Rogers Group for constructing and donating the monument.
"Rogers Group has had a good relationship with Ft. Campbell for many years, and we’re proud to help honor the Screaming Eagles Vietnam Veterans," declared John Sweeney.
If you have a chance to visit Ft. Campbell, you can see the monument by getting a visitor’s pass at Gate 4 and proceeding straight ahead.
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