KYLE MURPHYStaff Writer

No matter what the chances of rain were in the forecast Saturday, members of the community still gathered at History Park to honor Vietnam Veterans with the Vietnam War Veterans Day ceremony.

The ceremony is put on every year in honor of National Vietnam War Veterans Day by the Tullahoma chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR), the American Legion Post 43 Auxiliary, the City of Tullahoma and the Tullahoma Parks and Recreation department.

Following the invocation from Pastor Marty Nutter, members of the Tullahoma High School Marine  Corps JROTC Color Guard presented the colors while Alexandria Tobitt sang the national anthem and Aldermen Sernobia McGee led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Susan Harris, Tullahoma Chapter NSDAR’s Treasurer, then introduced the ceremony’s speaker, who she called one of Tullahoma’s “hometown favorites”: U.S. Army SSG Kenny Banks (ret.). According to Susan, Banks graduated from Tullahoma High School in 1968, and was drafted to the U.S. Army. He went to Fort Campbell for basic training and completed advanced infantry training at Fort Louisiana before going straight to Vietnam where he served in the second 501^st infantry regiment, as part of the 101^st Airborne Division. Banks spent much of his deployment in the A Shau Valley near the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). Banks would be wounded by mortar fire, where he would later receive a Purple Heart, and spent three weeks in the hospital before returning to combat.

Following his service, Banks would return to Tullahoma and joined the Tennessee National Guard, where he served until his retirement in 1994 with the rank of staff sergeant.  Besides earning the Purple Heart, Kenny received 19 awards including the Bronze Star, the Air Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign, medal with Device Combat Infantry Badge, the Army Good Conduct Medal. Banks also received the Kuwait Liberation Medal for his service during Operation Desert Storm. Following his retirement, he bought two sign companies, Sign-A-Rama and Cook Neon, which he still operates to this day.

Susan said Banks has many accomplishments in his life, but one of his best is capturing the heart of Suzanne Dillard, who he has been married to since 1976 and shares four children. She also said Banks is a big sports fan and mentioned how he was recognized at last November’s UT Volunteers vs. Alabama game as “Volunteer of the Game”.

After his introduction, Banks said it was only by God’s grace that he, along with the other veterans in attendance, was there today. He proceeded to talk about his time during the Vietnam War and entering the A Shau Valley as part of Operation Texas Star. He said it was nine days into battle that he was wounded and was back with his unit in three weeks where he talked about his unit and what was happening at the time, including the Battle of Hamburger Hill.

“A lot of people may feel different, but I don’t know what we were doing,” Banks said. “I was fighting communists is what I was told, but not to take any territory.”

Following the end of Operation Texas Star Banks talked about his experience at the Battle of Fire Support Ripcord, where he was an assistant gunner, and emphasized how dangerous it was for him and his fellow troops.

“I’m still alive. That’s all I can say,” Banks said. “By the grace of God, I am still alive and I don’t know how.”

Banks shared he almost cried when he thought about what Americans went through in A Shau Valley, sharing that its nickname was “the Valley of Death.” After some time he decided to look up and see what he was in and what was going on online and read through pages on the topic.

“We had everything to win that war very easily, but we didn’t try to, it was political in my book, and that’s the way I looked at it,” Banks said. “A lot of people may disagree with me, but I was there, I saw it firsthand and I just can’t get over it.”

Banks recounted the last day of the Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord where they were getting extracted, and remembered the battalion commander Lt. Col. Andrew Lucas, who was one of the casualties and received a Medal of Honor for helping his soldiers defending the fire base as the others were being extracted.

“That’s my hero,” Banks said. “I’m not a hero.  I don’t want to be, I’m not trying to toot my horn, but almost 59 to 60,000 troops that got killed, they’re my hero, they’re my heroes.”

Banks concluded his remarks addressing his fellow veterans in attendance and said he tries to keep a smile on his face and just keeps going every day.

“I’ll never forget about it,” Banks said. “Every second I think about it, but I try not to let it bother me and I don’t think I do.

Following Banks was State House Rep. Rush Bricken, who presented the city’s proclamation for National Vietnam War Veterans Day. Before reading the proclamation, Bricken said his older brother served in the war, as well as a close neighbor who came back an amputee and would later commit suicide.

“Even though I didn’t serve, I certainly felt every one of y’all, and again, I appreciate so much of y’all’s service,” Bricken said.

To conclude the ceremony, members of NSDAR passed out lapel pens and coins to each of the veterans in attendance and took a moment to remember the Vietnam Veterans native to the area who made the ultimate sacrifice during the war.

The Vietnam veterans honored and remembered were: Gerald D. Anthony, Homer B. Bell Jr., Terrill Edward Bradford, Richard Bradley, John T. Clark, Ray Fletcher, Charles E. Fletcher, Leslie Eugene Gaultney, Elmer Keasling, Freddie R. Kelley, James Kindel, Kenneth Kirkes, Johnny R. Lynn, Kenneth W. Martin, Wayne D. May, Joseph Nemeth, Eldon B. Oakley, Ronald D. Perry, Wayne Phillips, James E. Robinson, Walter D. Smith, Randy N. Ward, John Wilkinson, Lewis Wilson and Timothy Worth.