PARKERSBURG — A Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day event occurred Friday in the National Guard Armory at 1500 Blizzard Dr., south Parkersburg.

The front lawn of the armory was lined with American flags to honor every fallen Vietnam soldier from West Virginia.

Also on display at the entrance of the armory was a race car from Veterans of Foreign Wars for visitors to observe.

Event coordinator and Vietnam veteran Jerry Smith has run the event for the past 13 years. He was amazed to see how much it’s grown over the years as the event gained more attraction from the community and surrounding cities.

What started out as a small ceremony years ago has grown to become an annual event with a resource fair and over 700 visitors. Roughly 120-130 of those visitors are veterans from Vietnam.

The resource fair inside of the armory hosted roughly 65 vendors for guests to discover. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

“We have the Welcome Home Vietnam Veteran celebration because the welcome home celebration we first got wasn’t good,” said Smith. “This is a way to honor those veterans.”

The resource fair consisted of more than 65 vendors featuring veteran assistance programs, health care, education and more.

Rows of tables lined the armory with vendors providing resources and outreach opportunities for veterans and their loved ones.

For lunch, visitors and veterans enjoyed fresh brisket from KCBS champions T&S BBQ. Each meal included a sandwich with fresh coleslaw and a slice of cheesecake for dessert.

Starting at 11 a.m. Friday, there were a few speeches and a poem reading from one of the veterans while he was in Vietnam.

T&S BBQ provided a selection of brisket and sauces for visitors to enjoy at the ceremony. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

Following the daytime event at the armory, a concert was held Friday evening in the Parkersburg High School Auditorium. The concert featured Jimmy Fortune and all proceeds from the concert general admission went towards the Welcome Vietnam Veteran mission.

The community has responded well to the event over the years and Smith has hopes to keep the momentum going, he said.

“It’s just gotten bigger and bigger and the community response has been so amazing,” said Smith. “I generally try and go out to do door prizes but I haven’t been able to this year.”

Smith said that he would receive calls from members in the community expressing their gratitude for hosting this event each year.

Prior to the Friday morning event, Smith held a smaller ceremony earlier in the week on Sunday afternoon. Smith honored all of the fallen West Virginian soldiers by reading their names out loud and recognizing the sacrifices they made.

Veterans of Foreign Wars and its race car parked in front of the armory. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

Amber Phipps can be reached at aphipps@newsandsentinel.com

American flags line the front lawn of the armory in honor of every fallen West Virginian Vietnam soldier. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

The entrance of the National Guard Armory where the Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans event occurred. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

The American flag flies high above the National Guard Armory where the Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans event was held Friday in south Parkersburg. (Photo by Amber Phipps)