Vietnam vets get the welcome they were hoping for, decades later, at Airpower museum in Farmingdale

Vietnam veteran Gregory DiMaria recalled landing at Kennedy Airport in the summer of 1970, and stripping out of his Army jacket and hat to blend into the crowd.

DiMaria said he didn’t want a repeat from days earlier when he stepped off a plane in Los Angeles and was taunted for being in the military.

“I was stupid enough to wear my uniform,” said DiMaria, who was 19 when he was first drafted and 20 when he was dispatched to Vietnam, where he experienced intermittent mortar and rocket attacks in July of 1969.

DiMaria, and many others, slowly returned home to scorn and little fanfare as anti-war sentiment swept across the nation. “I was harassed by people who didn’t know anything about us," said DiMaria, 75.

But on Saturday, at the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale, DiMaria and 36 other Vietnam War veterans, along with two World War II and five Korean War comrades, were celebrated in a ceremony hosted by the museum and Honor Flight Long Island, which since 2007 has flown over 1,900 veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit war memorials.

Accolades for the 44 servicemen kicked off in April, when Honor Flight Long Island flew them to Washington, D.C. to visit monuments erected in their honor. They continued to be honored with patriotic festivities Saturday afternoon.

“This is our welcome home,” said DiMaria, from Oakdale, who considered not taking part in the expedition but was glad he did.

Many veterans took turns standing up as the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla band played the well-known medley known as the “Armed Forces Salute,” featuring five official melodies from the U.S. Armed Forces. Friends and family sat in the audience and snapped photos of their loved ones, who received photo journals with trip highlights. 

Carla Matyasovsky, 63, was very young when her brother, Earl Maksin, joined the Navy and was sent to Vietnam. She flew in from Pittsburgh to watch him receive the recognition she feels he rightly earned. Maksin, now 80, was an electrician’s mate in the Navy who served from 1961 to 1967.

“I am very proud of him,” Matyasovsky said. Maksin said the event made him feel appreciated, in contrast to what he felt when he returned home.

“We were subjected to a lot of ridicule from others … This was very heartwarming,” said Maksin.

“It means a tremendous amount to them because they didn’t receive a welcome home and this has helped heal some of their wounds,” said Honor Flight Long Island president Bill Jones. 

"Recognizing our veterans for the sacrifices that they made along with their families is always an important thing to be done," Jones added. "They all preserved the freedoms that we all get to enjoy today."

World War II veteran Lloyd Schairer, 95, was an aviation technician in the Navy who said he volunteered to go to the war after his brother was drafted, then relieved of duty due to a minor disability. He was proud to stand among the distinguished group. 

“I have full respect for the government protecting democratic principles throughout the world and I appreciate the attitude and action taken on behalf of all Americans. This is a wonderful experience,” said Schairer, of Bellport.