Veterans

WASHINGTON - They returned home to a politically traumatized nation that treated them with indifference and scorn. Now, veterans' advocates fear the country will again miss an opportunity to recognize the toil and torment of the 3 million service members sent to fight the Vietnam War. The Pentagon's plans to celebrate the veterans - five years in the making - are sputtering. This Memorial Day is supposed to be the curtain-raiser for a series of gatherings to mark the 50th anniversary of the beginning of US involvement in the decade-plus war and to honor those who served.

FRANK RINES JR., Merchant Marine, during WWII: ‘‘We thought [the French] hated us. They love us. " HARRY SEAHOLM, Navy, during WWII and Korean War: ‘‘Fifty years from now somebody could say ‘I remember Harry from way back' and they could check out what I did. " JIM HASTINGS, Marines, during Vietnam War: ‘‘The men I served with, guys who didn't survive, I wanted to keep their memory alive. " CONNIE NIPPERT WALSH, Navy Nurse Corps, during Vietnam War: ‘‘The most important thing that the project did was it began a formal closure to what really was still pretty raw. " ...

Editor's note: The original edition of the review below erred in saying the author mistakenly put a lieutenant colonel in charge of a brigade instead of a battalion; the error appeared in the uncorrected proof, but not in the published book. The review also says the author was hasty in referring to the targets of Vietnam's Phoenix program as Vietcong "supporters," when it was officially aimed at "cadre. " The author acknowledges that point of view, but says she "intentionally chose a less precise term to reflect the often imprecise manner the campaign was carried out on Vietnamese civilians.

A flag fund-raiser to support veterans ahead of Memorial Day has drawn an outpouring of support in the small community of Norfolk. The Lions Club is displaying its Field of Flags at Town Hill, where 1,000 American flags have been placed in memory or support of veterans. The club sold the flags for $10 each and has raised more than $12,000 for the Fisher House Boston, a place for military families to stay while their loved ones are receiving treatment at a Veterans Administration medical facility, said Don Hanssen, past president of the Norfolk Lions Club.

Paul Stewart would not have gone to Iraq if he had not needed the work. But the economy left him little choice. The Air National Guard sergeant closed his Newton scuba diving shop when the economy crashed in 2008, and after finding nothing but $15-an-hour security guard jobs, he went back on active duty, patrolling a base in 130-degree heat in Baghdad. He returned in March, but his luck has been no better. "What's available right now are just low-paying, no-benefit jobs," he said.

On Sunday morning, Kathy Pittman of Attleboro visited Fenway Park for the first time - but she was not there to see a baseball game. Pittman, 51, was there for her two sons - a 23-year-old Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran and a 31-year-old soldier stationed in Fort Bragg, N.C. She was one of thousands of people who came early Sunday to the third annual Run-Walk to Home Base, a 5.6-mile run to benefit the Home Base Program, which provides clinical...

SEATTLE -- Former US representative Jack Metcalf, who was a strong advocate for the environment and veterans in Congress until he stepped down to honor a defunct term-limit law, died Thursday. He was 79. Mr. Metcalf died at an Alzheimer's care facility in Oak Harbor, said the Rev. Matt Chambers, his family pastor. He was surrounded by relatives in his final moments, said his former aide, state Representative Chris Strow, Republican of Clinton. The longtime state lawmaker was elected to the US House in 1994 as part of the first Republican majority in 40 years.

The Duxbury Free Library will begin its Sunday Salon Series with a salute to the courage and resilience of veterans. Next Sunday at 2 p.m. in the library's Merry Room, the Book Alive Players, led by Karen Slagle, will present "Ciao Francesco," the real-life adventures of Slagle's father, Francis X. Medina, in World War II. As a 20-year-old tail gunner, Medina was shot down over northern Italy. He evaded capture and survived due to the compassion of two families in the Italian Resistance.

INDIANAPOLIS - When the Patriots clinched the AFC East title and home-field advantage as the conference's top seed, Kyle Love vowed to play with a higher sense of purpose in the playoffs. He wanted to play not only for himself but for his veteran teammates who had never had the opportunity to experience postseason success. Love, a second-year defensive tackle from Mississippi State, recalled looking across the locker room before the playoffs and asking veteran wide receiver Chad Ochocinco how many rings he had won over his 11-year NFL career.

WASHINGTON - Civil liberties officials at the Homeland Security Department did not agree with some of the language in a controversial report on right-wing extremists, but the agency issued the report anyway. The intelligence assessment issued to law enforcement last week said some military veterans could be susceptible to extremist recruiters or commit lone acts of violence. That prompted angry reactions from some lawmakers and veterans' groups. Amy Kudwa, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said the report was issued before...

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1274 in Natick will dedicate a memorial Sunday to those who have died while serving in the military. The memorial includes a panel listing the names of 104 of Natick's fallen service members, from World War I to the present, and another two panels bearing the names of 157 of the state's fallen. ‘‘I just think our fallen soldiers should be recognized, and . . . it's only right that we as veterans recognize our fellow comrades and the sacrifices that they made," said Ken Gidney, the post's incoming commander.

Jessica Bartlett Brendan Barry stands next to his latest community service project to rededicate the Sgt. Michael J. Kelley memorial bridge. By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent Scituate eighth-grade student Brendan Barry said he regularly walks on the Sergeant Michael J. Kelley memorial bridge that spans the North River on the Scituate/Marshfield line, yet never really knew about the man to whom it was dedicated. Yet when the time came for the eighth grader to choose a community service project — part of his job as an eighth grade ambassador to...

President Barack Obama's re-election campaign is airing two new ads, one focusing on his work with veterans returning home from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and another aimed at seniors dependent on Medicare. In the veterans spot, Obama credits veterans for allowing the U.S. to "go after al-Qaida and kill (Osama) bin Laden" and says the nation has a "sacred trust" to help veterans heal their wounds, find jobs and go back to school. The ad on Medicare notes that Obama was raised by his grandparents and cites his administration's efforts to...

On Sunday morning, Kathy Pittman of Attleboro visited Fenway Park for the first time - but she was not there to see a baseball game. Pittman, 51, was there for her two sons - a 23-year-old Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran and a 31-year-old soldier stationed in Fort Bragg, N.C. She was one of thousands of people who came early Sunday to the third annual Run-Walk to Home Base, a 5.6-mile run to benefit the Home Base Program, which provides clinical...

(Patrick D. Rosso/Boston.com/2012) Members of the William E. Carter Post making their way along Shawmut Avenue to the Edward O. Gourdin Veterans Memorial Park in Dudley Square. By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent Saturday was a day of remembrance for residents of Roxbury and the surrounding communities as they came together to reflect on the people of color who gave their lives defending the United States. Held at the Edward O. Gourdin Veterans Memorial Park in Dudley Square, the 9th Annual African-American Military Heritage Day,...

There's a full slate of events and activities leading up to Memorial Day this year. On Wednesday, students from Plympton Elementary School will place flags at Mt. Feake Cemetery, and Thursday students from the Henry Whittemore Elementary School will do the same at Calvary Cemetery. Then, on Saturday, National Guard veterans and Boy Scouts will place flags at Mt. Feake Cemetery. Next Sunday, the John M. Sullivan Memorial Service will take place at Lincoln and Lake streets at 9 a.m., and at 11 a.m., Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Parish at 920 Trapelo Road...

FORT MYERS, Fla. - For his first few years in the big leagues, his eyes were always on Josh Beckett. Jon Lester would follow him around, ask questions, observe. That was how he learned what to do, where to be, and how to act. Sure, some he learned on his own, but quite a bit was because of Beckett. Now Lester is one of the veterans to whom the younger guys should go. And yet he's still learning, like many of the pitchers who have recently come through the Red Sox farm system. So that's where Beckett, new acquisition John Smoltz, and Lester come in. "If they're smart, they'll watch," manager Terry...

When Nahant's Tara Butler crosses home plate at Fenway Park on Sunday, her hometown can take credit for doing a good thing for area veterans. Butler plans to be one of 2,000 participants in today's Run-Walk to Home Base, a fund-raising run/walk to benefit the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program. Funds raised will provide clinical care and support services for returning veterans with combat stress or traumatic brain injury and their families.

By Nick Ironside, Globe Correspondent The Malden softball team avenged its only loss of the season, knocking off No. 12 Lynn Classical, 3-2, at Malden. The No. 4 Golden Tornadoes (15-1) trailed, 2-1, entering the bottom of the seventh. Senior pitcher Kiara Amos — who is heading to Providence in the fall — struck out 11 in seven innings. Lynn Classical (13-2) defeated Malden, 7-5, earlier this season. "We came out swinging," said Malden coach John Furlong.