WEST MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, York, Pa. - Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1032 came together on Memorial Day to remember fallen soldiers. They gathered around the Vietnam War Monument at the York Fairgrounds in West Manchester Township, Monday.
“It’s very moving. I know that sometimes I get choked up when we come by the memorial," said the chapter's chairman Robert Meyers.
"There [are] many names on this memorial that I went to school with and grew up with."
Meyers served in the Vietnam War.
“There were four from my hometown that passed away."
The chairman says many came home but they died from the effects of war.
Now, he encourages young soldiers to get help if they suffer from war trauma.
“You know they come back for a short time and [then] they’re re-deployed, so it’s very stressful and many of them suffer from traumatic brain injuries, PSTD, and the suicide rate is terrible," said Meyers.
"[They should] seek help with the VA or any other organization that they feel comfortable working with, they need to do that.”
He hopes that people never forgot what veterans have done for the country even after Memorial Day is over.
"I would hope that they would remember those or when they pass the cemetery and they see the flags that they remember those throughout the year. Not only today but every day.”
All veterans and soldiers can visit the US Department of Veterans Affairs to find helpful resources.