“Welcome Home”: Powerful Stories, Healing, and Honor Mark Ashland’s Vietnam Veterans Recognition Dinner
ASHLAND — There are some nights that go beyond ceremony, nights that carry the weight of history, sacrifice, and healing. Saturday evening in Ashland County was one of those nights.
Inside the Ashland Eagles 2178, veterans of the Vietnam War gathered once again, not just to be recognized, but to be remembered, understood, and, in many ways, finally welcomed home.
The evening was brought to life from the very start by former Ashland County Sheriff and Vietnam veteran Wayne Risner, who opened the program in a way only he can.
With a mix of respect and the familiar humor the community has long appreciated, Risner called on veterans in attendance to stand and be recognized, one branch at a time, honoring those who served in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
For many in the room, it wasn’t just another dinner. It was a reunion of brothers and sisters who, as one attendee described, “went to hell and came back, only to fight another war at home.”
Long before the doors officially opened at 4:30 p.m., veterans were already arriving, shaking hands, embracing, and sharing stories that only those who lived them can truly understand. The laughter was real, but so was the emotion.
The evening began with generosity, as the Eagles presented two significant donations:
$10,000 to American Veterans Appreciation Events Inc.
$1,500 to the Ashland County 4-H Club “Just Say Whoa”
Then a special recognition for Elaine Hess, who was presented with an “Honor Bus Champion” plaque for her work helping veterans travel to Washington, D.C., to see the memorials dedicated to their service, many for the first time.
Moments later, the tone shifted from celebration to deep reflection as the night’s keynote speaker took the stage Ashland native, Vietnam combat veteran, and author Vietnam: Survival There & Home, Greg Gorrell.
“There Were Two Wars”
Gorrell’s story is not just about Vietnam, it’s about what came after.
Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1966, he deployed to the Mekong Delta in 1967 with the 3rd Battalion, 39th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division. There, he carried out dangerous missions, firing illumination rounds in the darkness, calling in artillery strikes, and walking into combat zones where survival often came down to seconds.
But as he told the audience, the war didn’t end when he came home.
“For many Vietnam veterans, there were two wars,” Gorrell said.
“The war in Vietnam, and the war when we came home.”
He described a homecoming that was anything but welcoming, stepping off a plane in California only to be met with protests, anger, and rejection.
For decades, he stayed silent.
“It took me nearly 60 years to share my story, primarily for my family, because they wanted to know,” he said.
His daughter, Leslie Gerrell Brown, introduced him with emotion, describing her father not only as a veteran, but as a husband, father, grandfather, community leader, and man of deep faith whose life has been defined by service.
His book does not shy away from the truth.
Gorrell calls it an “unvarnished account” one that includes:
Life and death in combat
The trauma carried home
Broken relationships and personal struggles
And ultimately, faith, forgiveness, and healing
The Stories That Still Need Told
Throughout the night, one message echoed louder than any other: time is running out.
“Vietnam veterans are dying at a rate of 400 per day, and that pace will only accelerate,” Gorrell said.
That urgency is what drives him now, speaking to communities, students, and fellow veterans.
He talked about, recently addressed 800 high school students, telling them not just about the battlefield, but about the human cost, the 58,000 lives lost and the countless families forever changed.
“Multiply one face… by 58,000,” he told them.
“Those were human beings.”
Perhaps the most powerful moments of the evening weren’t about combat, but about silence.
Gorrell shared story after story of wives and widows who never heard their husbands speak about Vietnam. Some only began to understand decades later, through his book.
One widow wrote to him after reading it, saying it helped her finally understand what her brother experienced before being killed in action.
Another woman, pushing her husband in a wheelchair, quietly admitted:
“Maybe it will help me understand his journey….. because he’s never talked about it.”
These are the unseen wounds, the ones that linger long after the war ends.
It was a reminder that honoring veterans isn’t just about the past, it’s about what we do now.
As Gorrell closed his remarks, he left the audience, especially younger generations, with a simple but powerful message.
Saying “thank you for your service” matters.
But there are words that mean even more.
“If you want to penetrate the heart and soul of a Vietnam veteran….. look them in the eye and say ‘Welcome Home.’”
As the evening came to a close, Wayne Risner returned alongside fellow Vietnam veteran Bob DeSanto to help close out the program.
Their presence brought the night full circle, from recognition to reflection, reinforcing the deep bond shared among those who served.
For those in attendance, the Annual Vietnam Era Veterans Recognition Dinner was not just an event.
It was:
A reunion
A remembrance
A reckoning
And, for many, a step toward healing
In a room filled with stories once left untold, voices were finally heard.
And in Ashland County, for one more night, those who served were not forgotten.
