Keeping Posted Online: Tennessee Riders Honor Vietnam Vets

Riders from AMVETS Riders Chapter 104 in Strawberry Plains, Tenn., came together on Monday, March 29 to honor those who served in Vietnam.

The Chapter 104 Riders held a brief ceremony at the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial in Knoxville, then rode to the East Tennessee Veterans Cemetery to memorialize Vietnam veterans Hugh "Rabbit" Snow and others who had fallen in the conflict.

March 30 is considered Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day by many states across the country, including Tennessee, marking the final withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Vietnam.

Links to other AMVETS-supported Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans ceremonies around the country are included below:

AMVETS Post No. 113, Irwindale, Calif. Click Here.

AMVETS Post No. 6, Gary, Ind., Click Here.

AMVETS National Service Foundation also hosted a Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans ceremony at AMVETS National Headquarters last week.

If your post or department has a Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans story you would like to share, please send photos and details to rgallucci@amvets.org.

(Photos: Top: Vietnam veteran Jerry Taylor takes an etching at the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial. Bottom: AMVETS Riders National 2nd Vice Commander Bruce "Bruiser" McElhaney clears the headstone of Hugh "Rabbit" Snow at the East Tennessee Veterans Cemetery. Photos courtesy of Bruce McElhaney and AMVETS Riders Chapter 104.)

AMVETS Riders Lead an American Warrior Home

On Sunday, Nov. 15, AMVETS Riders from Chapter No. 7 in Morristown, Tenn. joined the local Patriot Guard Riders and members of the Tennessee Highway Patrol to escort the body of Army Spc. Fred Greene back to his hometown of Mountain City, Tenn.

Greene, a 29-year-old Army combat engineer, was one of the 13 victims of the Nov. 5 shooting at Fort Hood, where Army Maj. Nadal Hasan opened fire on a crowded room of soldiers preparing to deploy.



Alan Sipe, president of AMVETS Riders Chapter No. 7, said the AMVETS Riders joined up for a 45-mile stretch of the journey, which passed through the mountains of eastern Tennessee on Sunday morning. Sipe said that entire congregations of small churches along the route lined the streets to pay their respects to Greene.

"The Tennessee Chapter No. 7 Riders were very moved at each and every moment of the ceremonies as they led one of their fallen brothers to his final resting place," said Sipe. "May he forever rest in peace."

Greene was laid to rest on Wednesday at his family church in Mountain City. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was in attendance to pay his final respects. Sipe said that Greene was buried with full military honors and treated as a KIA.



According to the Associated Press, Greene enlisted in the Army in 2008 and was assigned to the 16th Signal Company, which was heading overseas. Greene is survived by his wife, Christie, and his two adopted daughters, Haley and Allison.

(Photo: AMVETS Riders served as members of the Honor Guard when Spc. Greene arrived at the Tri-Cities Airport on Nov. 15. Photo courtesy of Alan Sipe. Video: TriCities.com news coverage of Spc. Greene's ride home and his funeral on Wednesday, Nov. 18. Embedded using HTML code provided by TriCities.com.)