March 30, the Daughters of the American Revolution Mary Ellen Robertson Chapter joined the nation in honoring those who served during the Vietnam War, paying tribute to all Vietnam-era veterans in Lake County for Vietnam Veterans Day, March 29.
The City of Eustis Mayor Michael Holland and Commissioner Nan Cobb were two of the 18 officials who thanked the 160 Vietnam veterans in attendance, according to Juanita LeBarron, chairman, Service to Veterans, NSDAR Mary Ellen Robertson Chapter.
“It was a great day in Lake County, with around 500 attending the Welcome Home Vietnam Veteran Day event,” she wrote in an email.
The event, held at the Venetian Center in Leesburg, was organized by LeBarron and drew over 340 residents, in addition to the veterans and officials, from Leesburg, Clermont, Eustis and other areas of the county.
In their keynote speeches, retired Major General David W. Coffman and retired Brigadier General Timothy I. Sullivan each reflected on the challenges faced by those who served and the enduring impact of their contributions. They emphasized the importance of remembering the sacrifices made by veterans and ensuring their stories are passed down to future generations.
Congressman Daniel Webster gave a Congressional thank you to the veterans, and Leesburg commissioner Allyson Berry read a proclamation marking March 29 as Vietnam War Veteran Day in Leesburg. Other government representatives who thanked the veterans were Lake County Property Appraiser Carey Baker, State Representatives Taylor Yarkosky and Keith Truenow, Supervisor of Elections of Lake County Alan Hays, Sheriff Peyton Grinnell, Clermont Mayor Time Murry, Groveland City Council member Dina Sweatt, and Leesburg Police Chief Robert Hicks, Fire Chief Joe Mera and City Manager Al Minner. George Wanberg, former Florida Marine Corps League chaplain, served as chaplain for the ceremony.
Each attending veteran was presented with a pin commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Bagpipe music was provided by Marion Loghrin Bolton during the pinning.
In addition, Bettsie Chandler and the Lake Concert Band performed, as did Pam Jones, Betsey Chandler, Carolyn Pankalla and Kirk Goad, who performed various patriotic songs.
After the event, the DAR chapter heard from one attendee, who said, “You and your ladies of the DAR put together and orchestrated an amazing program to honor our deserving Vietnam vets. I had the honor of accompanying an Army nurse, who was stationed at Ft. Carson taking care of long-term wounded. She was very pleased and said that she had never ever been honored or thanked in anyway before today. I saw a lot of smiles, as they were walking back with their pins.”
According to the DAR chapter, Congress authorized The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration in 2008, and the Secretary of Defense and President launched the program in 2012. By Presidential Proclamation, the commemoration continues through Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2025.
Congress outlined five objectives for the Commemoration, with the primary objective to thank and honor Vietnam era veterans and their families, on behalf of the nation, for their service and sacrifice.
The commemoration honored all veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces from Nov. 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975, regardless of location.
Since 2012, Commemorative Partners, a network of about 13,000 organizations, businesses and federal, state and local government agencies, have hosted some 25,000 ceremonies to publicly honor and thank more than 3.6 million Vietnam era veterans and their families.
