AMONG VIETNAM VETERANS AND THEIR
FAMILIES.
GABRIELLA:
HE'S A VIETNAM VETERAN HIMSELF
AND MAKES SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE
PLAQUES FOR PEOPLE
ASSOCIATED WITH THE WAR.
WATE, SIX ON YOUR SIDE REPORTER
DON DARE WENT TO SOUTH KNOXVILLE
WHERE HE TALKED WITH THE VETERAN
AND VISITED HIS WORKSHOP.
DON:
HE CALLS THE PLAQUES THAT HE
HANDS OUT: "A LABOR OF LOVE AND
RESPECT."
FOR VIETNAM VETERANS, THEIR
FAMILY, AND OTHERS WHO REMEMBER
THAT ERA, THAT WAR
DIVIDED THE NATION. ONE
PARTICULAR VETERAN, MICKEY
WILSON, A RETIRED INSURANCE
AGENT, ISN'T SHY ABOUT HIS
SERVICE.
AND, HE WANTS NOT ONLY VIETNAM
VETERANS, BUT THEIR WIVES,
BROTHERS, AND SISTERS TO SHARE A
LITTLE OF HIS GENEROSITY
WHICH STARTS IN HIS WORKSHOP.
MICKEY WILSON IS A CRAFTSMAN.
FOR SEVERAL YEARS, HE HAS
METICULOUSLY
PREPARED SPECIAL PLAQUES THAT HE
GIVES AWAY TO A GROUP HE HOLDS
DEAR TO HIS HEART -- VIETNAM
VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
THESE TOKENS OF GRATITUDE ARE
NOT EXPENSIVE TO MAKE, HE SAID,
BUT TELL THAT TO THE PEOPLE WHO
RECEIVE THEM.
MICKEY WILSON: IT'S A VERY
LITTLE THING. IT'S NOT A
MILLION DOLLARS. BUT SOMETIMES
IT MAKES THEM
FEEL LIKE A MILLION DOLLARS.
THIS IS A PICTURE OF ME IN
SAIGON.
LOOKING AT A SCRAPBOOK HIS WIFE
PUT TOGETHER, MICKEY
SHOWED US PICTURES OF FELLOW
SOLDIERS WITH THE 4TH
PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE GROUP. HE
SAID HIS UNIT MOVED
THROUGHOUT VIETNAM DURING HIS
TOUR OF DUTY IN 1969.
IN HIS TRAVELS, THE FORMER ARMY
SPECIALIST MET UP WITH MANY
AMERICAN SOLDIERS. IT WASN'T
UNTIL A FEW YEARS AGO
THAT HE DECIDED HE WANTED TO SO
SOMETHING FOR FELLOW SERVICE
MEN AND WOMEN.
MICKEY WILSON: BEING A VIETNAM
VETERAN, WE GOT NOTHING BUT A
HARD TIME WHEN WE CAME BACK FROM
VIETNAM.
SO HE WAS INSPIRED TO
DESIGN A PLAQUE OF RECOGNITION.
MICKEY: TO SAY THANK FOR YOUR
SERVICE AND WELCOME HOME.
DARE: HOW MANY OF THESE HAVE YOU
GIVEN OUT? MICKEY:
BETWEEN 4 AND 5 HUNDRED OF THEM.
IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY
HAVE TO BE A VETERAN. IF I FIND
A FAMILY THAT'S LOST A VETERAN
-- A HUSBAND OR A BROTHER -- I
ALSO GIVE THEM A
PLAQUE.
BEVERLY JOHNSON SAYS: HI.
MICKEY: HI THERE, HOW ARE
YOU? BEVERLY: I'M GOOD. DID YOU
HAVE A GOOD BIRTHDAY?
MICKEY: I HAD A WONDERFUL
BIRTHDAY.
BEVERLY JOHNSON -- ONCE A
STRANGER TO MICKEY -- IS ONE OF
THOSE WHO HAS RECEIVED HIS ACT
OF KINDNESS.
A FEW WEEKENDS AGO, MICKEY HELD
A GARAGE SALE WHEN BEVERLY
STOPPED BY HIS HOME IN SOUTH
KNOXVILLE.
WHEN SHE SAW HIS HAT, SHE TOLD
MICKEY THAT HER BROTHER HAD BEEN
IN VIETNAM.
IT WAS THEN THAT MICKEY GAVE HER
ONE OF HIS PLAQUES. SHE'LL
DELIVER IT TO HER BROTHER IN NEW
YORK STATE WHEN BEVERLY VISITS
HIM NEXT MONTH.
BEVERLY JOHNSON:THE ONLY TIME HE
DISCUSSED VIETNAM
WAS WITH MY SON, STEVE, WHO WAS
IN DESERT STORM. ONLY
THEN DID MY BROTHER OPEN UP.
THEN HE SAID TO ME, HE
STARTED CRYING, YOU DON'T KNOW
WHAT THIS MEANS TO ME.
I SAID, I THINK I DO.
MRS. JOHNSON SAID THERE'S A
SPECIAL PLACE IN HER HEART FOR
VETERANS LIKE MICKEY WILSON.
BEVERLY: THEY'RE ANGELS. I THINK
THEY ARE GOD'S ANGELS
TRYING TO SPREAD SOME WONDERFUL
WORDS BECAUSE
VIETNAM VETS HAVE NOT HAD THE
ACKNOWLEDGMENT THE
APPRECIATION THAT SOME OF THE
OTHER WAR VETERANS
HAVE HAD.
THEY'RE SMALL TOKENS OF
APPRECIATION CAREFULLY PREPARED,
GENEROUSLY
GIVEN, AND RECEIVED BY GRATEFUL
HEARTS.
DON:
READY TO BE HANDED OUT ARE ABOUT
THREE DOZEN "WELCOME
HOME" PLAQUES.
MICKEY SAID HE PLANS TO
DISTRIBUTE DOZENS OF THEM AT THE
ANNUAL VETERANS DAY
PARADE IN DOWNTOWN KNOXVILLE
THIS NOVEMBER.
HE'S CERTAIN MANY VETERANS WILL
"APPRECIATE" THE GESTURE.
KRISTIN AND GABRIELLA HE GAVE ME
ONE OF THE PLAQUES
GABRIELLA:
IF YOU HAVE A CONSUMER QUESTION
FOR DON -- SEND HIM AN EMAIL AT
D-DARE AT W-A-T-E DOT COM,
OR CALL HIS SIX ON YOUR SIDE
HOTLINE
NUMBER AT 865- 633-5974.
KRISTIN:
LEGO LOVERS ARE ABOUT TO