Sixteen Vietnam War era veterans recognized for their service in Mitchell by U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson

The VFW Post 2750 building on Main Street played host to a company of veterans and their families and loved ones on Monday.

The occasion: Recognizing local veterans for their service in the Vietnam War half a century ago.

The ceremony was intended for those veterans who had served between 1955 and 1975, for those who served during the Vietnam War or the Vietnam War era.

U.S. Representative for South Dakota Dusty Johnson presented the veterans with a commemorative coin and a pin in honor of their service.

Johnson said the core reason for the ceremony was to offer a long-awaited recognition for those who served during this period, and to make up for the lackluster reception many returning veterans received during that time.

During the ceremony, the men spoke of their times in the service. One repaired ruptured fuel pipes that were bombed by the Viet Cong. Another worked as a security and heavy weapons specialist. Another was a clerk.

“It is not an award for battlefield bravery. It doesn’t matter if you served in-country or if you never left port. Doesn’t matter if you were drafted or if you enlisted,” Johnson said. “This is an opportunity for our country to try to get it a little more right.”

This ceremony, Johnson said, is an opportunity to recognize those veterans who served, regardless of what type of service it was.

“America is the best country it’s ever been, but it’s not perfect,” Johnson said. “The way we treated veterans, folks in uniform in the 1960s and 1970s is a clear piece of evidence of that imperfection.”

Earlier Monday, Johnson recognized veterans in Platte. Johnson said he encourages veterans who served in the Vietnam War or during the Vietnam War era to call his Sioux Falls area office to organize a time to be honored with a pinning ceremony of their own.

“We’ve had ceremonies as small as recognizing just one veteran, we’ve had ceremonies where we’ve recognized 60 veterans,” Johnson said. “In each of our ceremonies, each veteran, one-on-one, has the opportunity to share their comments, if they want to, about their service. This is a ceremony focused on honoring veterans and everything they’ve done to serve our country.”

Of the 16 veterans who were honored at the ceremony, three were honored posthumously. The 16 veterans who were honored in Mitchell were:

- Fred Derouchey

- Verle Hoffman

- David Hohn

- Hugh Holmes

- Michael Kenna

- David Mohr

- Jim Montgomery

- Don Roti

- David Tronnes

- Donny Howard

- Dean Riggs

- Francis Patterson

- Earl Krueger

- Dwayne Vanderheiden (honored posthumously)

- Larry Maiden (honored posthumously)

- Daryl Allen (honored posthumously)