Rep. Joe Neguse, a Democrat who represents Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District, is giving Vietnam veterans the welcome home they didn’t receive when they returned from war 50 years ago.
Joe Neguse
The U.S. House Assistant Minority Leader held a Congressional Commemoration Ceremony in Longmont Saturday, where he presented pins and certificates to nearly 30 local veterans, including Purple Heart recipient Terry Rizzuti.
The former Marine was the keynote speaker for the event. Like so many Vietnam veterans, he was met with hostility and scorn when he came home from war. It wasn’t until he began writing that he was able to process the anger and anguish. One of his books, he says, is now taught at five universities.
“My work may only be a tiny drop in a huge bucket of all that is available by way of war research material but, by God, it’s my drop and I’m proud of it,” Rizzuti told CBS Colorado last year.
Neguse says what happened to Vietnam veterans is a stain on our country and he wants to set the record straight.
Joe Neguse
“We’re here to say the ‘Thank you’ that you should have received when you first came home. And we’re here to extend our deepest apologies that it took until this point for you to receive the recognitions that you so deeply deserve,” he said in a prepared statement.
The Congressman says the ceremony is a chance to not only honor the veterans but connect them to services. He has carried a number of bills to fund programs that help veterans with everything from housing to health care to job training.
Joe Neguse
In December, President Biden signed Neguse’s Mental Health for Military Families Act into law, which expands access to counseling and mental health services for military families.