The sea of graying heads at the Lyndora American Legion Post 778 on Thursday morning belied the courage and selflessness demonstrated 50 years ago, when thousands of young men from Butler County answered their county’s call.

Those men, some fighting tears or assisted by cane, were honored for their military service by federal, state and local officials during a ceremony at the post organized by U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and state Rep. Marci Mustello, R-11th.

The event came just a few days after national Vietnam War Veterans Day on Tuesday, which signifies the date in 1973 when the last acknowledged combat troops departed Vietnam and Hanoi released its final acknowledged prisoners of war.

One by one, more than 180 veterans at the event received and returned a heartfelt salute from Pennsylvania National Guard Col. Bob DeSousa and a lapel pin from Mustello commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.

Each veteran then shook hands with state Sen. Scott Hutchison, R-21st, and county Commissioners Kim Geyer and Kevin Boozel, all of whom heartily thanked the veterans for their service.

All veterans who served between Nov. 1, 1955, and May 15, 1975, were invited to sign up for the event.

“Early in their lives, they put their interests behind for the cause of liberty in a foreign land,” Mustello said. “You stood up when our country needed to take a stand.”

She recalled a trip to Washington, D.C., as a Butler High School senior in 1988, where she saw the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for the first time.

“As an 18-year-old, I understood it wasn’t just a bunch of names on that wall,” Mustello said. “There are families behind those names and those guys never made it back.”

DeSousa alluded to the poor and even hostile reception many Vietnam veterans received when returning home from Southeast Asia in the 1960s and 1970s as he talked about Congress creating an official program to honor those veterans.

“It’s 50 years after, but Congress finally got around to doing the right thing,” DeSousa said.

Regarding the pin received by each veteran at the event, DeSousa said the eagle represents courage, honor and dedication; the blue background represents vigilance, perseverance and justice; and the laurel wreath represents victory, integrity and strength.

The six stars on the pin represent the six allied countries in the Vietnam War.

The message on the pin states “A grateful nation thanks and honors you.”

Carl “Skip” Hesidenz of Summit Township served in Laos for about six weeks with the 3rd Marine Division, 7th Engineers during his 17 months of service overseas.

“It was very wrong how some guys were treated when they came home,” Hesidenz said. “My brother was one of them.”

He appreciated Thursday’s ceremony.

“It’s good that they brought us together so we can get to know each other,” Hesidenz said. “A lot of us are scattered and don’t know each other.”

Nick Scialabba, of Butler Township, served as a 1st class petty officer in the Navy from 1952 to 1956 on three ships.

He wore a hat commemorating the USS Helena, the final ship upon which Scialabba served.

He also appreciated the ceremony at the American Legion.

“It’s important just to keep remembering the people who served and sacrificed,” Scialabba said. “A cousin of mine was a prisoner of war in Korea.”

DeSousa played a video in which Toomey shared the importance he placed on the pin ceremony.

“It’s our duty as a nation to honor you,” said Toomey, who is the son of a Korean War veteran.

He said he represents almost 1 million veterans in Pennsylvania.

“I am committed to honoring our veterans,” Toomey said.

Dennis Matson, of Butler Township, who served in combat support in Germany during the Vietnam War with the 7101st Air Base Wing, appreciated Toomey’s efforts in supporting a nationwide 50th anniversary effort in Washington, D.C., and planning Thursday’s event.

“I think Sen. Toomey should be highly praised for this,” Matson said as he gazed at the veterans chatting and munching on cookies after the ceremony. “It’s a great honor to have him as one of our leaders.”

Matson lamented that soldiers were called baby killers and generally abused after returning home from often traumatic service in the Vietnamese jungles.

“We were there to fight communism,” he said.

Army veteran Richard Smith of Butler agreed.

“These guys used to get spit on at airports when they came home,” he said.

He called the pin ceremony a great recognition for Vietnam veterans.

“It means a lot to everyone,” Smith said. “I’m sure everyone sitting here really appreciates it.”

Walter Harriett, of Slippery Rock, who served in the Army as a military policeman in Germany from 1967 to 1969, saw the announcement for the ceremony in the Butler Eagle and asked a fellow veteran if he wanted to go.

“It’s nice to be recognized, because I never was,” Harriett said. “It’s very much appreciated.”