TULSA, Okla. — As thousands of Americans celebrate Independence Day, Tulsa's very own Coffee Bunker is also honoring veterans with it's Stars and Stripes program.
One Brookside community celebrated Independence Day by honoring those who have served our country and fought for our freedom.
The Coffee Bunker, a local organization that helps veterans and their families transition to civilian life.
For Frank Palmieri and five other Vietnam veterans, it was a very special Fourth of July. Sunday afternoon they received a special recognition from the Department of Defense.
The six veterans were given the Official Department of Defense pin for their service in the Vietnam War.
“It felt like we were back home legitimately because many of us who were drafted in the mid to late 60s like I was in 68, did not have that feeling of any kind of welcoming either going into the military or coming home after two years or three years of service, it was very special to me,” Palmieri said.
The Fourth of July is one of five holidays that the program delivers and installs flags in neighborhoods and businesses across Tulsa.
Each person or business makes an $80 donation to have a flag placed outside of their home or business. This year about 530 flags were sponsored.
“They certainly fought for our freedom over many years, different wars, and even in peace time the veterans have served and so we’re quite honored to have them as neighbors and friends,” Phillip Monhaut, president of the Brooktowne Homeowners' Association said.
The money goes to The Coffee Bunker and the services it provides for veterans.
"When active duty people transition out, when national guard transition out, back to civilian life, they go through a transition period so the bunker is there to manage and to support and to undergird them with all the challenges they have from adjusting from military life to civilian life and sometimes those can be very very significant. It could be everything from who do I call to where do I go to get information to how do I get mental health services, all those kind of things, with a very wide range of services that the funds go to support,” Horton said.
The event also included a pup parade to show the support for the veterans retirement of the flag ceremony.
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