Getdown in Grady: Community supports veterans with concert, ‘Iron Soldiers’ exhibit
Published 11:11 am Monday, July 3, 2023
- BY THE ROCKET'S RED GLARE: Cairo High student and Stage Maker Eden Singletary sings the Star Spangled Banner prior to the concert.
CAIRO – The Vietnam War ended for the U.S. in 1973. Fifty years later, the conflict still resonates for those who lived through it.
“It was a very underrated war that really nobody wanted to recognize at the time. It really lacked a lot of support like World War I and II and Korean War. In Vietnam it was a whole different thing. People just didn’t feel like we needed to be there,” said John Ulrich, commander of American Legion Post 122 in Cairo. He was a Vietnam era veteran, having served in the Air Force, working in the hospital laboratory.
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“I think that’s why it’s so hard for some of the guys to come back and not feel like they were appreciated for what they had done.”
That was certainly not the case Saturday night in Cairo. Ulrich and fellow veterans in Grady County were recognized Saturday night during a downtown concert on Broad Street. A new art exhibit was also unveiled in the Vietnam Veteran’s Pocket Park. Multiple iron pieces saluting the U.S. military were made by a veteran at Tired Creek Ironworks, Moe Ruff. Residents can visit the Park and view the “Iron Soldiers” exhibit, located in downtown by the pedestrian crossover on Broad Street.
“It’s something that the city of Cairo can be real proud about, to recognize the Vietnam veterans,” Ulrich said. “When a lot of them came back, of course, they weren’t recognized like they are today. It’s just a nice tribute. It’s a peaceful, pretty place.”
Cairo resident and Vietnam veteran Jesse Hobby, who conducted two tours in Vietnam, added, “It’s an honor for all of us.”
The event attracted veteran groups from the American Legion, VFW, Women’s Auxillary and Dog Tags to provide resources to local veterans in attendance.
“We have a lot of veterans in Grady County, and we really want our veterans to know how much we appreciate their service,” said Shelly Searcy, director of tourism for the City of Cairo. “We try to give as many opportunities as we can to do that. That Pocket Park has been something we’ve been wanting to make it even bigger and make it even better. We knew that working with a local veteran who is an artist would be a really great way to do that.”
