Colorado Vietnam veterans were recognized in a ceremony at Red Rocks Community College by U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen ahead of Independence Day.
The ceremony is part of a larger program that was launched in 2012 under former President Barack Obama to provide Vietnam veterans with long-overdue recognition. The program encourages members of Congress to hold ceremonies for Vietnam war vets in their respective states.
This was Pettersen’s second time hosting a ceremony.
“This ceremony, belated as it may be, is designed as a corrective,” Pettersen said to a crowd of veterans and families. “As an effort to make sure you know how much your service is appreciated and a recognition that you put everything on the line for our country.”
For most of the 17 veterans who were honored in the ceremony on Tuesday, the recognition has been half a century in the making. After returning home from the controversial war, some Vietnam veterans felt unwelcome at home, or even blamed for the unpopular war.
Greg Lobbe, a vet who served from 1968-72, drove to Lakewood from Leadville Tuesday morning for his chance to be recognized.
"I really do feel honored,” said the veteran. “I guess I've been a little surprised at how special this felt, and that was 55 years ago. I don't give that time in my life all that much thought… So to be reminded of it and to be proud of my service, that meant something to me.”
But the ceremony wasn’t just impactful for the veterans.
Anne Giesick sat in the crowd and watched as her husband, Henry Giesick, a veteran who served in the war from 1966-72, stood up to receive a commemorative lapel pin. Giesick — who married her husband 54 years ago during the war — said that witnessing how he and other family members were treated when they returned home from service was a stark contrast to the recognition he received at the ceremony. She said the moment was emotional but long overdue.
“We're just very thankful to have this opportunity,” she told CPR News. “It gave me kind of a closure in a way.”
Commemorations for Vietnam War-era veterans will continue through Veterans Day, November 11, 2025.
