We the People: Honoring a Vietnam veteran in New Paris

NEW PARIS, Ind. (WNDU) - Steve Schermerhorn is one of 2.7 million Americans who fought in the Vietnam War.

But he says when they returned home, they weren’t welcomed.

“They say we lost a war. And, for years, I believed that,” Schermerhorn said. “But I’ve came to the conclusion over the years, we won that war. We did our job… We did our job.”

Retired Army veteran Col. Jack Jacobs wrote to NBC News in 2015, saying “Americans who didn’t believe in the war blamed the soldiers, and some took their anger out on service members.”

Soldiers came home quietly and were told not to wear their uniforms.

“And you say, whoa, whoa. You... you left. You... you guys left. Our job was to kill people. That’s a fact,” Schermerhorn said. “And we lost 58,000 people. And they lost 550,000 people. That’s a 10 to 1 kill ratio. That was our job. To get that kill ratio.”

Schermerhorn joined the U.S. Navy when he was 18, and he calls himself an adventure enthusiast.

STEVE SCHERMERHORN: I did it because I wanted to see the world. And I did see the world.

JOHN BEOMSOO KIM: Did you know something about the country called Vietnam before?

STEVE SCHERMERHORN: No. Simple. No, I didn’t know.

He didn’t know it then, but the country he never knew before turned into a country he’ll never forget.

“I was in the Vietnam War very early,” Schermerhorn recalled. “The action I saw was when we landed the 9th Marine. I was in the amphibious force of the Navy. And we landed the Marines at Da Nang and Hue.”

In 2019, Schermerhorn applied for an Honor Flight. And this year, the organization reached out to him.

“I get a call. ‘You’re on the next... You’re on the next tour,’” he said. “’Congratulations. Do you still want to go?’ Well, yeah.”

The day finally came last week, and Schermerhorn hopped on Honor Flight 52 from Fort Wayne to Washington, D.C. He was joined by 80 other veterans from northern Indiana.

Following the U.S. Navy and World War II memorials, veterans were given free time to visit any of the Lincoln, Korean, or Vietnam war memorials.

Once there, Schermerhorn was able to find the find names of his companions beside him.

“I’m glad it’s there. His name’s going to be there for a lot longer than he lived,” Schermerhorn said while fighting back tears. “I’m glad, at least, he got that.”

Hours later, veterans flew back to Fort Wayne. And, for the first time in his life, Schermerhorn was welcomed by hundreds of people who gathered to welcome our once neglected heroes.

“I hope they get a chance to experience this,” Schermerhorn said tearfully. “I was not expecting any of this.”