A group of 12 Vietnam War veterans returned to Southeast Asia this week, walking back onto Vietnamese soil for the first time in more than half a century as part of an organized delegation aimed at honoring fallen comrades, confronting long-unresolved trauma and preserving the living memory of one of America's most contested wars.
The trip, called Vietnam Revisited, is organized by the Eagle Society, a Nashville-based nonpartisan 501(c)(3) civic education organization known for immersive historical experiences at sites including Normandy, Iwo Jima and Gettysburg. The eight-day delegation runs March 1-8 and takes participants through Hanoi, Da Nang, Hue and Ho Chi Minh City.
A Homecoming Decades Overdue
The men making the trip range in age from 74 to 81. They are former infantrymen, helicopter pilots, combat medics, a Navy boatswain's mate and a recon soldier who crawled through jungle tunnel complexes. Several earned valor decorations. More than one came home carrying wounds that never fully healed.
"I've thought a lot about why I want to return to Vietnam," said Skip Funk, a combat Marine from Collierville, Tennessee, who served with the 1st Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment at Khe Sanh Combat Base from September 1967 to July 1968.
"First, it will be interesting to see the places where I fought after 59 years. Second, is to remember my comrades who didn't come home. I haven't forgotten them and I want them to know,” Funk said. “We never knew one minute to the next if we'd survive, and I can't believe so many of us made it home."
Among the veterans on the delegation is Robert Kiyosaki, 79, a former Marine Corps helicopter gunship pilot who flew air cavalry operations in Vietnam before becoming the bestselling author of "Rich Dad Poor Dad." Kiyosaki also serves as grand marshal of the 2026 National Veterans Day Parade. He is the only one of the veterans to have visited Vietnam since the war.
"Vietnam left a mark on every person who served there," Kiyosaki said. "For a lot of us, the hardest part wasn't the war. It was the homecoming. For some it was quiet; for others, it came with tension and controversy. This delegation is a chance to go back, face it head-on, honor the men we lost, and pass the truth on to the next generation."
The Veterans
The full group of veterans making the trip represents nearly every facet of the American war effort in Vietnam:
- Skip Funk, 81, Collierville, Tenn., U.S. Marine Corps: 1st Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment, Khe Sanh Combat Base, 1967-1968
- Robert Kiyosaki, 78, Arizona, U.S. Marine Corps: Marine helicopter gunship pilot, first lieutenant, Air Medal recipient
- Rudy Dixon, 74, New Albany, Miss., U.S. Army: Americal Division, Chu Lai, recon infantry, Bronze Star with V Device
- Abel Garcia, 76, Willis, Texas, U.S. Army: 101st Airborne, 159th Aviation Battalion, CH-47 Chinook pilot, Bronze Star, 14 Air Medals including one with V Device
- Ken Thompson, 75, Agawam, Mass., U.S. Army: 84th Engineer Battalion, combat medic, An Khe and Da Nang
- Mike Kinniburgh, 76, Green River, Wyo., U.S. Army: 101st Airborne, rifleman, walked point and entered tunnel complexes through the A Shau Valley
- Jerry Melcher, 76, Bartlett, Tenn., U.S. Army: 509th Engineer Company, combat medic, Pleiku and Dak To; later became an Army PTSD psychologist
- Larry Dobesh, 78, Hudson, Fla., U.S. Army: 25th Infantry Division, 2nd Battalion, 27th Regiment (Wolfhounds), Cu Chi and the Iron Triangle
- Jerol Arguella, 76, Thornton, Colo., U.S. Army: Americal Division, 198th Light Infantry Brigade, I Corps Northern, carried M14, M16 and M60 in combat
- Bill Hines, 77, Sandy Springs, Ga., U.S. Navy: Brown Water Navy, YTB 794, Da Nang, boatswain's mate
- Jerry Vandyke, 78, Texas, U.S. Army: 3rd Battalion, 47th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division, Dong Tam, 1967-1968
- Mike Bennett, 80, New Albany, Miss., U.S. Army: 1st Air Cavalry, Purple Heart, Combat Infantry Badge, patrolled from Cam Ranh Bay to Da Nang
The Welcome They Never Got
Michael Davidson, founder of Eagle Society, said Vietnam carries a weight the organization's previous journeys did not.
"This one is more loaded," Davidson said. "There's more of a through-line from that era to the fractures and wounds of today. It's a living process that we're contributing to."
Many of the veterans returned home to a country that had little interest in what they had been through. Some faced open hostility. Davidson said that history is impossible to separate from what this week is meant to accomplish.
"They didn't get to experience gratitude," he said. "Even now, when you call them and say thank you for your service, it sticks. I want them to come back feeling supported, thanked and respected. Honored."
Passing It On
The delegation includes civilian participants traveling alongside the veterans, part of Eagle Society's broader mission to deepen civic understanding among non-veteran leaders. Eagle Society is partnering with Forever Young Veterans and other nonprofits to support the group throughout the journey.
Vietnam Revisited is part of a series of Eagle Society initiatives tied to America's 250th anniversary, convening veterans and civic leaders at pivotal historical sites to examine what the country's hardest chapters still demand of those who lived through them.
"Don't just debate the war," Kiyosaki said. "Learn what it cost."
Vietnam Revisited concludes March 8.
