Franklin County, state, partner to serve veterans with gift

The Iowa Veterans Commission and the Franklin County Veteran Affairs Commission have joined forces to honor local Vietnam veterans for their service overseas with a physical tribute.

When many Vietnam veterans returned to American soil close to 50 years ago, they were met with disrespect, said Dan Gannon, chair of the Iowa Veterans Commission. Today’s America is very different, he added, and citizens now hold the ability to separate warriors from the war. What started as a project to represent that sentiment in several states — put together by Remember My Service (RMS), a company that makes books to commemorate the legacy of service members —has grown into a national effort to recognize Vietnam veterans with a customized commemorative book. The project reached Iowa over the last month.

Read the full article in the July 13 edition of the papers.