MANATEE COUNTY, FL (March 10, 2023) – Manatee County is hosting a commemoration of the 50-year Anniversary of the Peace Treaty that ended the Vietnam war, releasing the remaining Prisoners of War (POWs). The event will be held Wednesday, March 29, 2023, 9 to 11 a.m. at Veterans’ Monument Park (adjacent to Manatee Memorial Hospital & the Bradenton Riverwalk).
The guest speaker will be Commander Bradley E. Smith, U.S. Navy (Retired). After enlisting in the Navy in 1961, Smith began flying combat missions in 1965. During his 77th combat mission on March 25, 1966, Smith was forced to eject over North Vietnam and was captured. He remained a POW for the next 2,516 days, until his release during Operation Homecoming on February 12, 1973.
The invocation will be given by Dr. Willie J. Holley, Pastor of the Pathways Christian Fellowship Church in Bradenton. Holley, also a Vietnam Veteran, served three combat tours in the Southeast Asia theater of operations.
District 3 Commissioner and BOCC Chair Kevin Van Ostenbridge will emcee the event. Coast Guard Veteran and Manatee County Veterans Services Division Manager Renee Medina will lead the Pledge of Allegiance.