Nearly 60,000 American soldiers were killed or went missing during the Vietnam War, over 300,000 were wounded, while hundreds of thousands more suffered post-traumatic stress disorder or the effects of exposure to Agent Orange.

The level of sacrifice among Vietnam veterans was “absolutely unprecedented” in U.S. history, says Dan Starks, the founder of the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois. And yet, they didn’t receive a hero’s welcome when they returned home.

Retired Command Sgt. Major Kenneth Persson of Lander, who chairs the Wyoming Veterans Commission, vividly remembers one of his experiences from that era: After completing a three-and-a-half-year tour in  Germany with the Army, Persson, his wife and baby boy flew into the Philadelphia airport. It was there that protesters opposed to the long conflict in Vietnam spat on Persson’s son.

“Had it not been for some of the soldiers that I traveled with, I probably would still be in Leavenworth,” he recalled, referring to the military prison in Kansas.

Persson shared his experience Saturday at American Legion Hughes-Pittinger Post 26, as a part of Wyoming Veterans Welcome Home Day. The Legislature created the annual event in 2011 as a way to celebrate those who’ve served this country — and to make amends for the way some veterans were mistreated in the past.

The event is held each year on March 23. That’s the day in 1973 that troops began returning to Wyoming after the formal end of the Vietnam War.

The Wyoming Veterans Commission hosts annual “welcome home” events around the state. Powell was among four communities chosen this year, alongside Cody, Rock Springs and Guernsey.

Gov. Mark Gordon told a group of veterans and others gathered at the Powell legion hall that, “it’s because of people like you, the men and women of our armed forces, the families that have stood behind them, that we have the great country that we do.”

The governor’s gratitude was echoed by Major Gen. Greg Porter, the adjutant general of the Wyoming National Guard.

“Thanks really isn’t enough,” Porter said, “but from all of us, thank you for what you do.”

In his video message, Starks specifically encouraged other Wyomingites to join him in offering a thank you and “welcome home” to veterans.

“It’s not too late for those of us like me who have not served in Vietnam to make amends to the best of our ability to those who did,” Stark said.

In his remarks, Gordon noted it’s not just Vietnam veterans, either: There are service members from many other conflicts — including the Korean War, World War II, the First Gulf War and Cold War — who also never received thanks from their country, he said.

Since Persson’s dark encounter at the Philadelphia airport, the times have changed: Rather than being targets of public vitriol, today’s soldiers “come and go without so much as a nod,” he said, but that is also not the way they should be treated.

“No one deserves to be disrespected. No one deserves to be ignored,” Persson said. “Regardless of where you served or when you served, your service must be honored …”