On Tuesday, November 11, at 11 a.m., Maplewood Township will host its 11th Annual Veteran’s Day remembrance ceremony in Town Hall.
Every year, the remembrance has been a moving experience for veterans and non-veterans alike. The ceremony includes patriotic songs and an opportunity for each attending veteran to introduce himself or herself.
The remembrance often includes a guest speaker. This year, local historian and author Stuart Lutz will speak about the ongoing influence of the Vietnam War — and will also bring along some astonishing artifacts from the era.
Lutz will display some materials from his extensive Vietnam War collection, including a 1970 Bill Clinton letter discussing his draft number, a Richard Nixon Presidential letter about welcoming the POWs home, a rare Ho Chi Minh signed photograph, a letter of condolence to the parents of a fallen soldier from Senator Robert F. Kennedy, a letter by a military man written while he was on trial for massacre at My Lai, and a letter from John Kerry inviting a congressman to attend the rally where he disposed of his Vietnam medals — as well as numerous books, pamphlets, ribbons and buttons from the turbulent era. Some are quite astonishing:
See some of the letters and the Ho Chi Minh photograph in the gallery below.
Lunch follows in the lobby.
The ceremony is free and open to all.
Maplewood Town Hall (or the Maplewood Municipal Building) is located at 574 Valley Street in Maplewood, NJ.
