Commander to be part of the Vietnam vets salute in Beantown
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Charles E. Schmidt (an American Legion National Commander) will be joining his fellow Vietnam War veterans during the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital's 8th annual “Run to Home Base” fundraiser to be held on the 15th of July, at Boston’s legendary Fenway Park. The Vietnam veterans will be honored during a ceremony, before starting the Red Sox game against the New York Yankees.

Proceeds that will be got from the 9k run and 5k walk, will benefit the Home Base program. This is a program initiated by the Red Sox Foundation and it’s dedicated to healing invisible wounds for post-9/11 veterans and their families through clinical care, wellness, education and research. The Run to Home Base will hold a pre-game ceremony to honor Vietnam veterans at 7:15 am.

Schmidt, (who is a retired Air Force veteran), served in Vietnam 50 years ago. In his speech Schmidt said he will always be grateful and whenever he gets an opportunity he will thank the men and women who served in the military. He will always be there to welcome the veterans back home. Apart from that he said he will constantly advocate for the rights of the veterans, he also thanked American Legion for the continuous support that they have offered to the veterans. It’s about serving the people who served us.

Vietnam War veterans will also have the opportunity to share their personal experiences with a film crew from the 2017 Vietnam Veteran Oral History Project. The crew has also scheduled some interviews with the veterans that will be done at the Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall from 17th July to 21st July. The objective of this historical project is to utilize the footage and use it as a tool to have records of the event, and will be kept on file. The file will be later shared with the Library of Congress Veterans History project. Participants will be given a complimentary footage of their interview.

To take part in the History Project, you can contact Andrew Ringlee at andrew.j.ringlee.civ@mail.mil or call (515) 441-1519. Information about the Run to Home Base can be found at www.runtohomebase.org. Although the pre-game ceremony for the Red Sox game is already filled to capacity, Vietnam veterans who wish to participate can be placed on a waiting list by emailing redsoxfoundation@redsox.com or calling (617) 226-6012.