Brotherhood Bravo Company honors Vietnam vets
Members of the Vietnam Brotherhood Bravo Company gathered at Eco Park in Cape Coral last Friday to commemorate those who served during the Vietnam War, dedicating bricks to honor soldiers who are still with us, and those who are gone, but not forgotten.
Nearly 40 bricks inscribed with a veteran’s name, branch and timed served line the pavement in front of Eco Park’s veteran tribute monuments.
“It’s a memorial for the time we spent in Vietnam, and I’d say it’s our gift to America. Just showing how proud we are to be Americans and we’re able to serve our country, is what it’s all about,” said Dick Kennedy, Vietnam Brotherhood’s media liaison.
“It means a lot to us,” said Vietnam Brotherhood’s Commanding Officer, Eddy Bellefeuille. “Somebody else probably doesn’t even understand it-but it means something to us.”
Bellefeuille has been a member of the Vietnam Brotherhood for eight years, and served 10 months in Vietnam as part of the Navy Seabees, his six years total of service ending in ’69.
The Massachusetts native got emotional, just for a brief moment, talking about his time overseas and the challenges he faced, along with countless others, coming back from duty.
“The Vietnam veterans didn’t talk too much-for a little while,” he said of soldiers returning home. “I met this crew eight years ago, and became CO four years ago. They’re a great group.”
The Vietnam Brotherhood is a Florida-only group and is a U.S. Charter that supports all veteran groups they can, and look out for one another as well.
Bellefeuille even mentioned a time the group rallied around a member whose house had burned down.
Kennedy said the brotherhood tries to spread the word about the Vietnam veterans, as the reception post-war in America wasn’t a hero’s welcome.
“After we came back, we weren’t treated well,” he said. “The whole nation was against the war after a while. We try and do positive things. We’re proud Americans. We got caught up in a bad thing, we don’t make judgments on the war, that wasn’t our duty. We went because we were either drafter or volunteered to serve. That’s somebody else’s judgement. We had no choice over there. All we did is serve, like soldiers do in other wars.”
Though the war may have been frowned upon by many Americans, Kennedy is grateful for the opportunities the military provided him, as he served in the Air Force as a medic, spending time in Vietnam as well.
“The service really made me,” said Kennedy. “I was a poor boy from Michigan that had no money and freezing to death in the winter, so my cousin and I joined the Air Force in the buddy system, and it was a wonderful experience spending time in the states, and then went overseas. I was a flight medic and flew into several different bases in Vietnam.”
Upon returning home, Kennedy was able to enter a nursing program thanks to his time as a medic, and used the GI Bill to attend college, while working in a local hospital.
The group has been in Fort Myers for 15 years, and provides scholarship opportunities to veterans at Fort Myers Technical College each year, as well as trips to Washington D.C., the money being raised through dues and fundraisers.
They also recognize students in Lee County who display excellence in exhibits such as poems, paintings and videos honoring soldiers, veterans and America, as part of the Pride & Patriotism Awards Program.
The bricks were purchased by the group, which plans to add more as membership increases.
There were 15 original bricks to start and that number has nearly tripled since the first ones were inscribed.
U.S. Marine Corp and Vietnam veteran, Gene Hika, played a big role in ensuring all members of the Vietnam Brotherhood would get their rightful remembrance.
The annual Pride & Patriotism event will be held on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, at 6 p.m. at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall.
Barbara B. Mann Hall is at 13350 FSW Parkway in Fort Myers.
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