Vietnam vets to get belated welcome home

Vietnam vets to get belated welcome home
By Keith Uhlig • Wausau Daily Herald • May 16, 2010
When people ask what he did in the Vietnam War, Bill Tomcek replies: "I hid."

Tomcek, 66, of Weston did reconnaissance work in Vietnam's Mekong Delta in 1968 as part of the U.S. Army's Ninth Infantry Division. His job was to find the enemy and call in either artillery or larger teams of soldiers to take them out. He was either alone or with one or two others, and part of the role was always to keep out of sight.

When he got back to the states, he kept hiding, in a manner of speaking. As anti-war efforts ramped up and much of that anger spilled onto the veterans returning home from Vietnam, Tomcek kept his military service to himself.

"I basically just became an unknown. I didn't tell anybody what I did. I didn't wear any particular clothing that identified me as a veteran," Tomcek said.

The way Vietnam veterans were mistreated upon their return home is one of the lasting legacies of the war, and it's an impetus for LZ Lambeau, which will be held Friday through May 23 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
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Vietnam vets to get belated welcome home