Vietnam veterans

U.S. Army Master Sergeant – retired, is Veterans Service Outreach Coordinator for the town of Salina. Eagle Newsroom Military and Veterans, Star Review

 

FORT DRUM, N.Y., (July 9, 2025) - Vietnam veterans and Vietnam era veterans were treated like royalty during their trip to Fort Drum’s Mountainfest. After three months of fundraising and coordination with 10th Mountain Division personnel the trip to the North Country was a resounding success, simply by measuring the smiles on the veterans faces and the willingness to sign up for the trip next year; even though one has not yet been planned.

After listening to a safety brief, taking roll call, and conducting a head count we departed Northward on June 26 at 9 a.m. sharp.  Twenty-nine bodies and three pieces of rolling stock convoyed up interstate 81 to Fort Drum, which is the home of the 10th Mountain Division and their signature carnival dubbed “Mountainfest.”
The trip was centered around Mountainfest, but a couple of extra stops were added to the plan.
The work that goes into planning a trip like this is extensive and time consuming when you’re dealing with a federal agency such as the Department of the Army due to the stringent security measures used when accessing the Fort Drum installation.

Our first hurdle was gate access, which had us turning in everyone’s name and getting pre-screened prior to our arrival so that time and aggravation at the main gate to the installation would be minimized.  After getting checked by the security guards led by CPT Maybrie, who is also a veteran, the convoy was granted access to the post.

Our first stop was at the famed 10th Mountain Division monument where the cost of war sits abundantly clear to all those who take the time to witness the numerous placards with service members’ names etched in copper plates adorning the landscape surrounding the division monument.
It was here that I witnessed the names of the soldiers I had remembered from my time in Iraq with Second Brigade Commandos, with their names forever carved in the plaque memorializing the times from 2006 to 2008.

After giving the veterans time to soak up the reverence of the moment we were greeted by Julie Halprin, of the Public Affairs Office, a civilian level supervisor who welcomed us to the military post and later introduced us to the Garrison Sergeant Major who gave every veteran in attendance a military coin of excellence and stayed long enough to talk briefly to all of us, thanking us for our service to the nation.

After departing the monument our next stop was at the Second Brigade “Commandos” Dining Facility, where the veterans got a literal taste of what the soldiers eat on a daily basis.  The allure of a veteran going back into a military dining facility, aka chow hall, gives them a sense of how far the military has come in taking care of service members and remembering the line one must wait in while getting closer to the main food area.  Some Fort Drum soldiers made it a point to stop and say “thanks for your service” and “welcome home” to these Vietnam veterans, which meant a great deal to them.

Our last stop was at Division Hill, an area on the old post which is designated to host all things related to Mountainfest.

After contacting Ben Masek, an old Army buddy who is now the Federal Police Training Officer at the Provost Marshalls Office, aka police station, we were guided in to our parking spot, which afforded us a little more room than normal to set up a break area outside the bus for the veterans to relax while enjoying the long afternoon at the carnival.

The veterans were released in buddy teams to walk around the event, taking care of one another while checking out the latest weaponry and vehicles the Army had to offer.

After collecting free merchandise from multiple vendors at the carnival it was time to take a break back at the bus where veterans were able to taste a little bit of home with donations from the famed Heid’s hotdog stand in Liverpool.

Pat Winslow, a retired Command Sergeant Major, is the manager at Heid’s of Liverpool.  He graciously gave us enough hotdogs, buns and their signature brown mustard to fill every veteran’s belly while at Mountainfest.
The culmination event dubbed “Salute to the Nation” commenced with the sounding off of every state in the nation followed by a choregraphed display of military power that had everyone on the edge of their seats.
Whether it was the machine gun fire from the gun trucks, attacker taken down by K9 or the close up view of an Apache gunship flying overhead, the display put on by the 10th Mountain Division’s Soldiers was second to none!

SGT Mark Adams, 199th Infantry Brigade, Third Battalion, Seventh Infantry, a Vietnam veteran stated; “it was a great trip, and all in all a great day!”

I would like to give a special thanks to Nick Paro, the town of Salina Supervisor, who gave us the support to make this trip happen.

I also want to thank our sponsor, Erin Gay, the president of 60 for 60 The Mohawk Run, a non-profit organization who raises money for all things veteran related.

Moreover, I want to give a shout out to the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association Chapter 19-8 for sponsoring this event.

Furthermore, a special thanks goes to Stephen Lockwood from the Syracuse Vet Center for coordinating the service vehicle that accompanied the veterans on this trip.

Lastly, I’d like to give a big shout out to Hale Bus Transportation for getting our veterans to Fort Drum and Back safely.  The bus driver Justin, a retired soldier, drove impeccably throughout the day, and rendered help to those veterans that needed any assistance during the trip.

As they say in the 10th Mountain Division: Climb to Glory!