Evening of Honor Timeline
Location: Waverly Area Veterans Post - 1300 4th St NW, Waverly, IA 50677 Phone: (319) 483-9287
*Please note the downtown Waverly bridge is under construction so you may encounter detours to get to the Waverly Area Veterans Post depending on your location.
4:00 - 4:45 PM: Arrival and registration of Vietnam Veterans. We will have signage up at the event to direct Vietnam Veterans where they need to sign in for the evening. Vietnam Veterans will be given pins to wear throughout the evening to identify them for their service. We will assign them a seat on the pontoon boats.
4:45 - 5:00 PM: Move towards the dock to be seated on pontoon boats.
5:00 PM: Grilling begins and food will be served throughout evening. All Veterans eat free.
5:00 - 6:00 PM: Pontoon boat rides on the Cedar River.
6:00 - 6:30 PM: Welcome Home Ceremony. Family, friends, and fellow patriots there to provide them the Welcome Home they never received. Once they depart the boat, the fun will begin as they walk up to the post. We wont spoil the details, but it is sure to bring a lasting memory to you.
6:30-7:00 PM: Our ceremony inside the post will commence. We will have Vietnam Veteran Johnnie Clark, author of “Guns Up”, as our guest speaker.
Notes:
● A golf cart will be on site if needed to assist with transportation and avoid excess walking
● We will host an AR15 raffle to raise money for VFI
● Have family and friends bring chairs if they want while waiting for the Welcome Home Ceremony
Mr. Clark joined the Marine Corps at 17 years of age after graduating from St. Petersburg High School. He served as a machine gunner with the famed 5th Marine Regiment during the Tet Offensive in Vietnam. He was wounded 3 times, mortar round, grenade, and gunshot. During his rehabilitation from gunshot wounds in Okinawa, Mr. Clark began training in Martial Arts as part of his rehab program. In 2015 Mr. Clark returned from Korea after testing for his 8th Dan in Tae Kwon Do. He was also promoted to 9th Dan in the Ji Do Kwan. Grandmaster Clark owns and operates Johnnie Clark Tae Kwon Do and Judo school in St. Petersburg and has been inducted into the U.S.A. Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
Mr. Clark’s books, Guns Up! and Semper Fidelis, are recommended reading by Lt. Col. Madonna, former MCG, to all newly commissioned officers at The Basic School. His books have been required reading in many colleges and high schools around the country as well as the Commandant’s List of suggested reading for all Marines. Many commanders have distributed Mr. Clark’s books to our troops now fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is the recipient of the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association Brigadier General Robert L. Denig Memorial Distinguished Service Award for writing.
Mr. Clark has been awarded America’s 3rd highest medal for bravery and gallantry in combat, The Silver Star, 3 Purple Hearts, Vietnam’s highest Medal of Honor, The Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm, The Civil Action Combat Medal, The Marine Combat Ribbon among other decorations.
Mr. Clark currently resides in St. Petersburg, Florida with his wife, Nancy, and dog, Gunner.