DEARBORN, Mich. – The Dearborn Allied Veteran’s Council will be hosting a “Veterans’ Family Day” at Ford Field Park on Sunday, May 29.
The event is open to “all veterans of all eras” and will be 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Local blues singer Curtis Sumter of the Curtis Sumter Project, who is known around town for his association with the Jaime Coe Band and The Reflections, is set to perform.
Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshal Adrian Croanauer, the military DJ whose life inspired the movie “Good Morning, Vietnam!” is scheduled to appear as well.
“What’s Up Dawg?”, a local diner, will be selling hot dogs on site, and beer and other beverages will be available for sale. Attendees can also bring their own food and beverages.
In accordance with this year’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial Day Parade theme, the picnic, though open to all veterans, will be a belated “Welcome Home” party for those who fought in Vietnam.
Dearborn Allied War Veterans Commander Craig Tillman explained, “Vietnam veterans, unlike those who fought in other wars, never really got a welcome home party.”
He illustrated the hardships that Vietnam veterans faced upon their return home, and the general attitude that people had toward those who fought in the war.
“On the plane ride home from New Jersey to Dearborn, I was talking to one of the prettiest girls I had ever met in my life. We were getting along fine, but the minute I said I was returning from Vietnam, it got real cold.
“This is the welcome home party we never got.”
The event will take place one day before the Memorial Day Parade, providing an enjoyable day for veterans and their families.
For more information, call Craig Tillman at 313.407.6568, or Committee Chairman Ray Wantuck at 248.330.5550.
