HUMMER HOOD SPONSORSHIP 

1. 1. Weston Dealerships
   2. LaQuinta by Wyndham
   3. Chosin Few Oregon Chapter
   4. PCC Structurals
   5. NW Employment Solutions
   6. Kahut Waste Services
   7. Vietnam Veterans of Oregon Memorial Fund
   8. Dignity Memorial
   9. American Legion Post 180, Milwaukie Oregon
   10. 10.City of Canby
   11. 11.Yakama Warriors
   12. 12.Integrity PDX

PULL – UP BANNER SPONSORSHIP

1. 1. Carroll Signs and Graphics
   2. Backstop Bar and Grill
   3. Cutsforth’s Marketplace
   4. Mike Goldade, Marines, Vietnam
   5. The Whistler Group
   6. New Mexico Bataan & Corregidor Memorial Foundation Inc.
   7. Robert Forsey, Army, WWII, Europe, Underage veteran
   8. Fred Liddell, Army, Korean War, Ex-Pow, Two Purple Hearts
   9. United Mexican American Veterans Association, Orange County, CA
   10. American Legion Post 132, Orange County, CA
   11. Senter FireArms
   12. Vietnamese Community of Oregon
   13. Auto Max, Canby, OR
   14. Hunter/Davidson
   15. Hermiston American Legion
   16. New Song Community Church, Portland, OR
   17. Millar’s Point S Tire & Auto Service, Canby, OR
   18. Canby RV & Boat Storage
   19. Ron, Army, Vietnam, Purple Heart, & Shirley Cannon
   20. Jose Martinez, Marines, Desert Storm
   21. Ted & Judy Gregoire
   22. Len Kaufman, Army, Vietnam
   23. June Jones, Professional Football Head Coach

Fort Kennedy Veteran’s Gatsby Gala Night, February 18, Tigard, OR

Oregon Vietnam Veterans Foundation Memorial Annual Dinner, February 21, Portland, OR

Canby American Legion Vietnam veterans, February 24th, Canby, OR

Milwaukie High School Scholarship Fundraiser, March 4th, Milwaukie, OR

Oregon Chapter Chosin Few, Korean War Meeting (Hummer hood sponsor), March 4th, Gladstone, OR

PCC Structurals Division Veteran Employees (Iraq/ Afghanistan (Hummer hood sponsor), March 9th, Portland, OR

Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter #392, March 9th, Portland, OR

U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters 2023 National Tour, Assembly Hall at Camp Withycombe,Oregon National Guard, March 13th Clackamas, OR

Portland Roadster Show, March 17th –  March 19th, Portland Expo Center, Portland, OR

Yakama Warriors (Hummer hood sponsor) – Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home event, March 25th, Sarge Hubbard Park, Toppinesh, WA

Milwaukie HS Scholarship Fundraiser, April 1st, Milwaukie High School, Milwaukie, OR

Vietnam Veterans of America Oregon State Council Meeting, April 15, American Legion Post 21, Lebanon, OR

48th Vietnamese Remembrance Day, Saturday, April 29, 2023, 1:00PM, Hollywood Seniors Center, 1820 NE 40th, Portland OR 97212

Camp Withycombe, Oregon National Guard, May 8th, 10:30AM,Katrina T. O’Brien, Director of Programs & Services, Oregon Military Museum

Cpl Diffle Fundraiser, American Legion Post 180, Saturday, May 20th, 9:00AM – 2:00PM

Oregon Vietnam Memorial, Memorial Day Ceremony, May 29th, Portland, OR

Omega Funeral Home, Vietnamese Funeral for Major Vaughn’s wife Christina Lua., Friday, June 2nd, 3:00PM – 8:00PM

Golda Fabian, Women Marines, WWII, 100th Birthday, June 3rd, 1:00 to 5:00 pm, 18272 SW 134^th Terrace, Tualatin, OR

Oregon City Optimist Club, Tuesday, June 6th, 8:00AM, Wichita Pub, Oregon City

Golden Bond Rescue, Saturday, June 10th, 5:00PM, Tualatin Country Club, 9145 SW Tualatin Rd.

Oregon American Legion State Convention, June 14th – 18th, North Bend, OR

Chosin Few Picnic, Saturday, June 24th, 10:00AM, Red Sunset Park

American Legion Post 2 Family Day, Forest Grove, OR, Saturday, June 24th, 2:00PM

VVA Chapter 389, Spokane, WA, July 1st, from 10:00AM – 12:00PM, Yokes Fresh Market on Montgomery Ave / Argonne Rd, 9329 E Montgomery Ave, Spokane Valley, WA

Blackfeet Veterans 4th of July POW-WOW,

July 4th, Blackfeet Reservation

North American Indian Days (Largest POW – WOW in North America), July 6th – 9th, Blackfeet Reservation, Browning, MT

Hot Rod Round Up, Saturday, July 15th, 10:00AM – 2:00PM, Gracepointe Church, 10750 SE 42nd Ave, Milwaukie, OR

Oregon Korean War Veterans Memorial, Interpetive Center Grand Opening, Wilsonville, OR, Saturday, July 29th, 10:00AM

Camp Withycombe, Oregon National Guard, Saturday, August 5th, 12:00PM – 2:00PM

American Legion Williams Valley Post 50, 4:00PM – 9:00PM, 132 Blodgett Rd, Williams, OR

Clackamas County Fair Military Appreciation Day, Friday, August 18th, Canby, OR, 9:30AM – 11:00PM

Clackamas County Fair Rodeo, Malinda sings National Anthem, Hummer driven into Rodeo arena with veterans, Friday, August 18th, Canby, OR, 6:30PM

Cutsforth’s Cruise In, Saturday, August 26th, 9:00AM – 2:00PM

Washington State Fair Veterans Appreciation Day, 110 9th Avenue SW, Puyallup, WA 98371, Monday, September 4th

Albany Veteran of the Year Banquet (Honoring our veterans with the Veteran of the Year and Distinguished Veteran awards), Nov. 10, Linn County Expo Center, Albany, OR

Albany Veteran’s Day Parade, November 11th, Albany, OR

About five years ago, I approached a gentleman at a restaurant in Portland, Oregon who was wearing a Vietnam veteran cap. He had a very strong accent and I asked where he was originally from. “I’m from New Zealand and yes we had troops in Vietnam just like the Aussies. We had your Yank’s backs”, he laughed.

I responded, “Wow, I had no idea, well I bet you weren’t treated like our veterans when they came home”?

He got tears in his eyes, raised his voice and said “Oh hell yes, it happened to us and the Aussies too. After a moment of silence, he then said, “I was spit on and called a baby killer”.

“I’m so sorry, I had no idea”.

But then he smiled and proudly said “In 2008, New Zealand had a National Vietnam Veterans Apology Day. It was so emotional, powerful and healing”. There were thousands of people including us veterans there hugging and crying with each other. It was a day I’ll never forget” he stated with tears in his eyes.

Thus became our dream of possibly getting the United States to finally apologize to our Vietnam veterans was going to be a reality. In June of 2022, I met with Jan and Jay Weston, and their executive team and immediately after my pitch, they gave me a thumbs up and Jay stated “We’re in”. Jan then said “We should let him use the Hummer.”

The Hummer was then wrapped by Mark Carroll of Carroll Signs and Graphics and paid for by Weston Dealerships. I started soliciting sponsorships and donations, organizing, planning, and reaching out to Veteran organizations across America in July. The response and generosity was incredible.

Fast forward to October 28th, my wife, Malinda, and I left Canby, Oregon with an escort out of town from the Canby Fire Department and Police Department. We drove to a kick off celebration at Weston Dealerships with many Vietnam veterans in attendance. Afterwards, we set across Oregon to the Midwest to Washington DC for the 40th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Memorial “The Wall”.

On our return journey, we then drove through the south and the southwest to Southern California and back home. We were on the road forty-one days and held presentations to Vietnam veterans in thirty-seven cities. The emotional responses from our veterans were unbelievable, from tears to crying to anger, but 100% were extremely grateful for our efforts. We ended every presentation with Malinda singing “Wind Beneath My Wings”.

The most powerful presentation was at the home of Terry and Percy Piestewa in Flagstaff, Arizona. Their daughter Lori was the first Native American woman to die in combat while serving in the U.S. military and the first woman in the U.S. military killed in the Iraq War. Terry passed a few years ago of Agent Orange Cancer from his tours in Vietnam.

Percy invited around fifty Vietnam veterans and their spouses to her home for lunch. They represented the Apache, Hopi, and Navajo tribes. After Malinda sang, a veteran in the back started sobbing uncontrollably.

His wife waved me over and he said, “Had Percy told me what this was about, I wouldn’t have come as I have had nothing to do with veteran related stuff my whole life. But I’m glad I came. I was badly wounded in Vietnam and was carried off the plane on a stretcher at McCord Air Force base. Protesters were at a fence about fifty yards away trying to hit us with eggs.”

He started crying again and his wife finished, “He was hit by two eggs and then crawled into a bottle for years, two ruined marriages, and lost jobs.”

“She saved my life and you and your wife have given me some healing and closure. Thank you so much!”

There are many more experiences to share and if you would like to hear about some of them, we would like to tell everyone about the Miracle at Exit 110 in a small town in Pennsylvania, or the special tour of the Pentagon with about fifty Gold Star Families (All were babies, toddlers, and children when their dads were killed in Vietnam) or “Hero Street USA” in Silvis, ILL.

We know this cause touched the lives of hundreds of Vietnam veterans and this will continue thanks to Jay and Jan Weston, who told us, “We have a feeling that you will be asked to take this Hummer around the State, so keep the hummer for now?”

They were right, as we are being asked to bring the Hummer not only around Oregon but to Montana, and Washington also. We are so grateful to all who have supported this cause and thank you to Portland Roadster Show for this opportunity also.

If you go to our Facebook page “Honoring Vietnam Veterans Across America” you can see pictures and video footage of our trip.

As you may know, the Honoring Vietnam Veterans Across America cross-country trip to honor and thank Vietnam veterans with its message of hope and healing was held. I do not have the words to express how powerfully emotional it was meeting Vietnam veterans across America. The only words I can come up with is that it was extraordinarily remarkable!

Although the trip has ended, we are still driving the Hummer around to events, and every time we stop anywhere people come up to us and ask about it. When we tell them about Honoring Vietnam Veterans Across America and how the majority of veterans responded with emotion, whether it was tears in their eyes or breaking down and crying when seeing the apology on the back of the Hummer. Then after each time

Malinda sang “Wind Beneath My Wings” the appreciation and gratitude from every Vietnam veteran has been priceless.

For the majority of our Vietnam veterans how they were treated when they returned is still a wound that has never healed. I absolutely know that our message of hope and healing is helping veterans to find some peace and healing.

Updates – It is unbelievable how many requests we have received to bring the Hummer to events this 2023. At 100% of every single event, we have experienced very emotional responses from tears to anger and Vietnam Veterans telling us how they were treated. I wish you could experience this. 100% of every veteran is grateful. Spouses, and family members’ reactions are just as powerful. I could write about literally dozens and dozens of our experiences.

At the Canby Car show on Saturday, August 26th. A lady approached me sobbing. She had just lost her husband to Agent Orange. She told me that he had never gotten over being spit on by protestors and was so thankful to us. She then told us their son served in Iraq and Afghanistan and a couple years ago committed suicide. Standing near us was a young lady who served in the Navy, She starts crying and tells us her fiancé was an Iraq veteran and committed suicide the day after he proposed to her. Malinda is a hugger and hugged both women and cried with them.

During the Portland Roadster Show a lady was sitting nearby knitting and supporting her husband’s hobby. At the end of the evening, she waves for me to come over. She says “I’m a psychologist and I work with teenagers with severe PTSD. I have been watching you all day. I’ve witnessed these veterans unload their pain on you. Do you know how to take care of yourself”? No, I do know after a long day of this, I’m emotionally and physically exhausted. She was very helpful with advice and tips for dealing with our emotional experiences.

We drove the Hummer to the Washington State Fair for Military Appreciation Day this past Labor Day. Many soldiers from Ft. Lewis and lots of Vietnam Veterans. Several broke down and cried and another one got very angry. Everyone was grateful. Amazing Day

Thank you so much-

KEN BUCKLES

Executive Director & Founder Remembering America’s Heroes

“OUR HEROES ARE VETERANS”

kenwaynebuckles@gmail.com • 503-758-4672 PO Box 586, Canby, OR 97013

www.rahusa.us