HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Hillsborough County is observing Vietnam Remembrance Day, a solemn occasion to honor the service of our Vietnam War veterans.
The keynote speaker will be Rolfe Arnhym, who not only remembers the trials of combat but also the greeting he faced when returning home.
Medals, awards and memorabilia adorn retired Colonel Rolfe Arnhym’s walls. The West Point graduate served two tours in Vietnam. He said memories of battle have faded, and what he remembers vividly was the unwelcome homecoming he faced.
“I think about when I went through the airport in San Francisco, and in every case, I was spit at, people were throwing stuff at me, they were yelling and screaming at me. That is the memory I carry with me,” he said.
While those flashbacks still haunt him, he said he is proud of the progress he’s seen.
“I am so pleased to see that those that are returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan are being welcomed home, are being thanked,” he said.
The 94-year-old will be the keynote speaker at Thursday's Vietnam Veterans’ Day ceremony. But it’s not the combat that Arnhym wants to focus his message. Instead, he’s highlighting serving beyond the battlefield.
“There are a number of ways that people can give back to our community, and that’s been ingrained in me since day one, the need to serve in some capacity,” he said.
It’s a message that he said resonates with the spirit of Vietnam Remembrance Day.
“There is no greater need than for people to serve, someplace, somewhere in our own community,” he said.
Arnhym said his message is clear, service doesn’t end when the uniform comes off. It’s a lifelong commitment to helping others and making a difference.
“We should be teaching our kids, our grandkids and our great-grandkids the same thing, so going forward they understand the importance of service and giving back to the community,” he said.
Arnhym said this day is also an opportunity to thank all the veterans who never got a proper welcome home after returning from combat.