BENTONVILLE, Ark. — There was a very special welcome home at Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) for a Vietnam Army veteran returning home from his honor flight to Washington D.C. on Sunday, Sept. 18.
Veterans, family, and friends crowded XNA to welcome home 88-year-old Maynard Kennedy. They say they wanted to give him the welcome he deserved after not receiving one when he returned from Vietnam in 1975.
Kennedy was emotional when the Patriot Guard Riders of America presented him with a plaque in appreciation for serving our country.
"They sacrificed their lives, their families, and their time and they never got a welcome home for doing that," said Jim Kribs, Ride Captain with Patriot Guard Riders.
"Came home, all I got was spit in the face and called you a baby killer," Kennedy said. "Just sorry that it took us 50 years for them to realize that Vietnam was not a conflict, it was a war."
Kennedy says he was truly taken aback by all of the love shown today and wanted to thank everyone.
Vietnam Veteran welcomed home after honor flight
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