DAR Coushatti Trace Chapter Welcomes Vietnam Veterans Home

CONROE, TX -- In a touching ceremony by the Coushatti Trace Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution here in Montgomery County, they welcomed three Vietnam Veterans home from their war service. The event was held this past Thursday at the West Conroe Baptist Church in Conroe at their monthly meeting. The celebration of service is part of the DAR's observance of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War, which began Memorial Day 2012 and will continue until Veterans Day 2025. Each year the DAR welcomes Veterans of the South East Asian War for recognition, as part of their Welcome Home for service members. The DAR stands in for those who should have stood up and offered thanks for the parts military members played while deployed to Vietnam, but due to the vile nature of politics at the time, certain segments of the population were disrespectful and cruel to the military, the Veterans faded into the background of society.

The Coushatti Trace Chapter recognized three Montgomery County Vietnam Veterans, Paul Scannell, Bruce Sellers, and Tim Wilson, who all served honorably during the conflict, and made it back to restart their lives in America. These men served in a time when the country was not as supportive of the military as they should have been to the men and women in uniform. And some 50 years later, the DAR is working to correct those wrongs. The featured guest speaker was former County Judge Jimmie Edwards, III, who is the Chairman of the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Commission. Judge Edwards is always a Marine Veteran who served in Vietnam, and was horribly wounded during his service in the conflict, and in a rare recounting of his story silenced the room.

Scannell, Sellers, and Wilson were each presented with a DAR Certificate of Appreciation and a Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pin. There was also a special mention of retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Edward Brown, a previous honoree of the DAR ceremony, and who passed away recently.

“We are honored today to recognize several Vietnam Veterans with a ceremony they should have had when they were young men,“ said Kay Pontious, Regent for the Coushatti Trace Chapter. “We appreciate their service to Our Nation, and wish to provide some closure to the way they were treated when they returned home.”

Judge Edwards gave an update on the MCVMC’s accomplishments, and the constant improvements being made to the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Flag Park, including the current status on ‘Honored Mission Hall,’ the new 10,000 sq .ft. building, at the park that will welcome visitors to the park and act as an Education Center, Museum, and Event Hall.

“The park is a gift to the nation,” said Edwards. “It will be here long after I’m gone, and will constantly be improved upon.”

Executive Director of the MCVMC, Elizabeth Woods, noted that Veterans, or their families, can submit their nominations to the Veterans commission for the addition of the Veterans name to ‘The Line,’ and now the website is starting to underline the names on the website denoting the stories and photos of the Veterans themselves.

Coushatti Trace Veterans Chair Merrilee Gordon, joined Pontious and Edwards in Welcoming Home the honored Veterans, and thanked them for their service. The Chapter also recognized Tawnya Sanders from Texas Gravestone Care, for their donation of DAR and Sons of the American Revolution granite benches which will be installed in the new Educational and Visitor’s Center at Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Park when it is completed next spring.

The DAR Coushatti Trace Chapter is an official partner of the United States of America Vietnam Veterans Commemoration, and prides itself in honoring and providing a heartfelt Welcome Home to Vietnam Veterans who received such a hostile homecoming all those decades ago.

“It is our duty, in this small way, to help make up for that injustice,” said Regent Kay Pontious.

Coushatti Trace Chapter, NSDAR: texasdar.org/chapters/CoushattiTrace/

To submit nominations, required documents, stories, and photo submissions, please goto: honormission.org and click on the ‘Resources’ link.

secure@honoredmission.org