A salute to homeless vets at Pioneer Square mission

Forty homeless veterans stood silently before an immense American flag as the recorded country song, "In God We Still Trust," played over a crowd sitting in the warm late afternoon sun.

For many veterans, coming forward for applause on a day veterans are memorialized is the only recognition they've had for their service — especially for those who served in Vietnam.

"This Memorial Day is the most emotional one ever for me," said Vietnam vet Roy Metcalf before he went to the microphone Monday at the Bread of Life Mission's "You are not Forgotten, a Salute to Homeless Veterans."

Metcalf, 61, entered the Navy as a 17-year-old, coming from a family with a strong military tradition. He was sent to Vietnam and for six months was on a patrol boat, cruising up and down a river.

Unlike the troops who now come home in large groups to waiting families and cheers, Vietnam vets usually came home by themselves. And when they did, they often encountered hostility from a public that was hotly divided about the war, said Metcalf, who addressed the crowd.

It made his experience in Vietnam even harder, he said, but it would be years, drug and alcohol addictions and two failed marriages before he'd be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In 1998, he was homeless and ended up at the mission, where he received the help that saved his life, he said. He's now the mission's facilities manager and supports other vets.

Many vets come through the doors of the Pioneer Square shelter. Some are homeless because they've fallen on hard times; others also have PTSD or other mental issues as well, said Willie Parish, executive director.

Whatever their issues, on Memorial Day they were treated to a steak and chicken dinner at the mission, where for several hours the smoky aroma of barbecue drifted over the crowd and out onto the street.

In a speech, U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert praised the vets, and so did Seattle City Councilman Tom Rasmussen.

"They're heroes," Reichert said.

Nancy Bartley: 206-464-8522 or nbartley@seattletimes.com