Thirty-one years of coming home: Kansas veterans celebrate service, sacrifice

The Kansas Veterans and Family Reunion is celebrating its 31st anniversary this weekend at El Dorado lake.

The reunion was established in 1988 as the Kansas Vietnam Veterans and Family Reunion where the common greeting between veterans was “welcome home, brother.”

This greeting was due to the soldiers leaving for and returning from an unpopular war without an entire unit, thus parades welcoming them home were not common as they were for vets from the Korean War or World War II.

This weekend, the greeting remains the same.

Each morning the reunion begins with a reveille at 6 a.m. The gates open at 8 a.m. and registration will begin at 9 a.m. each day for those attending one day.

Events include a car show, live auctions, a kids’ tent and live music. Friday and Saturday night end with fireworks and “Taps.” A full schedule of events can be found on the reunion website, www.kvfr.us.

Prior service military, military retirees, active duty, reserve and national guard service members receive free lake access with a valid DD214, VA card, or military ID to prove service, but still need to buy the wristband for access to the reunion.

Wristbands are available for $3 for adults 12 and up, and are required to get past the security gate on Veteran’s Point.

David Burditt, Kansas Veterans and Family Reunion past president, said the reunion was started 31 years ago by Ben Mitchell.

“It started out as the Kansas Vietnam Veterans and Family Reunion, but around 11 years ago we changed it to Kansas Veterans and Family Reunion,” Burditt said. “There were more Middle East veterans that were coming home and needed somewhere to go. We wanted to be able to include them and anyone who has served our country.”

Last year, Burditt passed the Kansas Veteran and Family Reunion presidency to Rich McDoniel.

McDoniel and Burditt agreed that while they were looking forward to the entire reunion, Saturday includes the opening ceremonies, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter coming in with the Kansas National Guard, a flag parade, a car show and live music.

Burditt said people attend from across the state and most of them will be camping throughout the lake grounds. Food vendors and merchandise will be available at the reunion and guests can bring their own cooler for beverages.

“This is a very family-oriented event,” Burditt said. “There is a kids’ tent with games, contests, crafts—every kid will go home from this with a prize.”

Money raised at the event will help cover the reunion’s expenses and prepare for the following year.

Guests can buy a $5 chance ticket as a donation to be put in the drawing to win one of two 1911 .45 handguns. One of the guns is full-size and one is compact, and choice of gun goes to the first winner. The winner must be able to legally carry a weapon.

A shuttle service will be available to take handicap guests from the parking lot to the event.

All veterans are encouraged to attend, Burditt said, and the event is open to the public.

“If you support veterans’ organizations and appreciate the sacrifice that veterans have made for this country, we’re more than happy to have you.”

Kansas Veterans and Family Reunion

When: July 20-22

Where: Veteran’s Point, Shady Creek, Loop 3, El Dorado Lake

Tickets: $3 wristbands. Guests 11 and under are admitted free. Daily vehicle pass is $5 at the park office. Daily camping fee is $10, plus $3 for every overnight stay at the park office.

This story was originally published July 19, 2018 at 5:17 PM.