Serving up camaraderie: Vietnam vets meet weekly for breakfast and stories
On Monday mornings in the dining room at Revel Spokane, you might spot quite a few military ball caps.
Air Force veterans mingle with Army, Marine and Navy vets over breakfast at the retirement community.
The gatherings are facilitated by members of the Inland Empire Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America, but one World War II veteran and two Korean War vets regularly attend.
“They’re not official meetings,” said chapter president Bob Stepp. “It’s just for camaraderie. All veterans are welcome to attend.”
Marine Jim Schwab, 94, is a regular.
“I joined the day after the Korean War started,” he said. “I’m a Nevada atomic test site survivor.”
Schwab was sent from Camp Lejeune to the Nevada site.
“One night, we watched a blast from a jeep three miles from ground zero–we were guinea pigs!” he said. “Then they sent me back to Camp Lejeune.”
Doug DesChamps joined the Marines with several buddies right out of high school.
“They wanted to get guys to join the Army and go Airborne,” he said.
He served from 1953-1956.
“We were headed to boot camp when the truce was signed.”
Fellow Army veteran, Dennis Pirello, served from 1966-1971.
He’s the second vice president of the local VVA chapter and said the weekly breakfasts have allowed many vets to finally talk about their experiences.
“This is a big part of the week for most people. The guys that have been coming are beginning to share more.”
The three bronze stars on a ribbon on Gary Hanna’s jacket tell part of his story.
“I was a machinist mate on the USS St. Paul and the USS Canberra,” he said. “I was sent to Vietnam three times.”
He’d enlisted in the Navy in 1963.
“I would have been drafted.”
He enjoys the weekly breakfasts.
“We mostly talk about the old days.”
Vietnam veteran Mike Jones, first vice president of the VVA chapter, served seven years in the Navy.
“When I got out, I decided to do something safer and got into law enforcement,” he said. “At least they weren’t trying to shoot my aircraft down.”
Army veteran Gary Warner served in a transportation company in Vietnam.
“I was there when they tried to overrun the embassy in Saigon,” he said. “The non-combat troops were told to go to the top floor of the barracks and stay there. We surrounded ourselves with mattresses. Every now and then, you could hear a bullet ping off the roof. We didn’t sleep.”
In April, he traveled to Washington, D.C. with Honor Flight.
“I was reluctant to go, but my daughter volunteered as my escort,” Warner said. “Two of my high school buddies are on the wall.”
He’s glad he went.
“The welcome home at Spokane International Airport was amazing! I didn’t get that welcome when I came home from Vietnam.”
Many of the breakfast attendees are also part of the Inland Empire Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America.
“We are one of the hundreds of chapters nationwide who support various causes for veterans,” Stepp said. “Our membership consists of veterans aged 70-85.”
Fundraisers allow them to host an ice cream party in November and a pizza party in February at the Spokane Veterans Home. Each year, they award thousands of dollars in scholarships to local students.
But chapters of the VVA are disappearing at a rapid rate – and so are their members.
“It’s a finite group. Vietnam Veterans of America lost 122 chapters nationwide,” said Stepp. “We’re dying off.”
That’s why he encourages Vietnam vets to join the local chapter and invites all veterans to meet for breakfast on Mondays.
“Come swap your stories,” Stepp said. “Our vets are interested.”
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct the service that Doug DesChamps joined.