By Blake Deshazo
The Selma Times-Journal

This week veterans across the United States are being honored for their service, but it wasn’t always that way.

Sam Johnson, who spoke Wednesday at a veteran’s appreciation breakfast, recalled a time when vets weren’t always welcomed home.

“Thinking about the Vietnam era and the war compared to World War I, World War II and the Korean War, completely different,” Johnson said. “When you guys came back … you had the flags, the parades. People just loved you because you were victorious, but the Vietnam vet, when he came back it was different. There were no parades; there were no marches to support the war and everything.”

Johnson served in Vietnam and spoke to a room full of veterans from World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Johnson recalled vivid memories of Vietnam protestors chanting at them when they came back to the states and being spit on.

“That’s what we were faced with,” Johnson said. “But something has happened in this United States of America. Now we recognize the Vietnam vets. We recognize the vets, what they have done, the sacrifice they have made, that we can have this wonderful nation. And we need to appreciate this wonderful nation.”

Sam Johnson said events like Wednesday’s breakfast and Friday’s Veterans Day programs coming up are proof that times have changed and people do indeed honor veterans for making sacrifices.

“Because of their service we have the opportunity to be right here today, enjoying this great, wonderful food. No one is coming in knocking the doors down saying you cannot do this,” Johnson said. “We live in this great wonderful nation. We appreciate this great and wonderful nation because of what men and women have done to make this country what it is, the greatest nation on the face of the Earth.”

After a salute from Johnson and the other veterans for the ones that died while serving their nation and a performance of “I’m Proud To Be An American” by Joe Thomas, the vets showed their thanks for the ones that served them breakfast.

The breakfast was hosted by Johnson’s son’s foundation, MJ93-90, and the Selma and Dallas County Chamber of Commerce. Johnson’s son is Michael Johnson, who plays in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals. Hardee’s, Dave’s Market and Calhoun Foods pitched in for the food, and Wallace Community College Selma hosted it in the Hank Sanders Conference Room.