BOSTON — Dozens of war veterans gathered at the Vietnam War Memorial in Dorchester for an annual event, just two days after a man was arrested for vandalizing it.
American veterans stood side by side with South Vietnam veterans to honor lives lost. It's a tradition in Dorchester where veterans from both countries come together to remember.
Memorial Day service begins at the Vietnam Memorial in Dorchester @boston25 pic.twitter.com/GW55Qt7lUW
— Natalie Rubino (@newswithnatalie) May 27, 2019
This year's memorial service has a deeper meaning to many who attended. Just last week, a man was arrested for defacing the memorial site.
>> Vietnam War Memorial in Dorchester vandalized days before Memorial Day
John Hogan served in Vietnam. For him, attending the service every year is a call of duty.
"I grew up in Dorchester and I knew some of the people that were on that memorial and it’s just I made it back, and they didn’t and I owe them something," said Hogan.
Each one of the flowers represents the 80 Dorchester men and women killed in Vietnam. A call to many to recognize that freedom isn't free.
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