LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Mail Call, cards and letters from home, is something many veterans looked forward to while off at war.
Mail Call came again, decades after combat, about 31,000 feet over Missouri for Honor Flight Southern Nevada veterans.
On their way back to Las Vegas in April, from touring war memorials in the Washington D.C. area, Nevada Korean and Vietnam War veterans were handed blue “Mail Call” bags on the plane. The bags contained many cards and letters from friends and family back home. The cards and letters were written before the trip and then given to veterans on the return flight.
“There’s got to be a hundred of them here! It’s awesome! Just so many good wishes from just everybody, family, relatives. And it seems like every American that really cherishes what we did. And this is really wonderful,” said Vietnam veteran Kerry Gellert.
The Mail Call surprise brought tears to several veterans, who said they finally felt appreciated after so many years.
“It’s amazing. It’s very amazing,” said Vietnam veteran Gary Sayre.
Sayre added, “When I came home it was being spit on. This makes a difference.”
“It’s the love you feel, to know that your family really appreciates you. They don’t really show it necessarily. But to get this, it’s really something, really special,” said Vietnam veteran Don Watson.
Don Watson told FOX5 the cards and letters made up for lack of recognition he got when he returned home from the Vietnam War.
“It absolutely does that,” said Watson.
Veterans said they especially appreciated cards and letters from children, some who drew pictures of tanks, American flags and soldiers.
“Kids are wonderful,” said Korean War veteran George Melanson.
Honor Flight Southern Nevada is a nonprofit that relies on donations to send veterans to the D.C. area to tour their war memorials, at no cost to them.
Copyright 2025 KVVU. All rights reserved.
