Veterans get Las Vegas salute at Venetian’s ‘wounded warrior’ event

Ulf Buchholz

Sen. John Ensign mingles with veterans and active duty military personnel after speaking to a group of injured veterans who were invited for a four-night stay at the Venetian.

By Richard N. Velotta (contact)

Fri, Nov 20, 2009 (3 a.m.)

The Great Hall at the Venetian was lined with shouting, sign-carrying employees, but this was no organized labor demonstration.

It was Veterans Day and for the fourth straight year, Las Vegas Sands employees, from the public-meeting desk personnel to housekeeping staff, lined up from the front entrance to the outdoor lagoon to create a path for the day’s honorees — 70 “wounded warriors” and their families and friends.

As the vets entered to cheers and applause, their reaction moved from surprise to glee.

As they made their way through the casino, slot players looked up for a few seconds to watch the celebration. Some joined the greeting line as the vets made their way to a public welcome from Venetian President Rob Goldstein, Sen. John Ensign and some of the people who made the event possible.

Active-duty troops from Nellis Air Force Base joined in.

Many — veterans and greeters — teared up as they made their way to their places.

It was a military welcome Las Vegas-style.

The tribute to the troops included a flight from military medical facilities in Washington and San Antonio to McCarran International Airport, which had its own red-carpet welcome, then three nights at the Venetian punctuated with a welcome reception, dinners at its best restaurants and a performance by the Blue Man Group.

“I felt like I was one of those superstars,” said Staff Sgt. Charles Eggleston, who traveled from Walter Reed Medical Center and had 2 1/2 tours in Iraq. “I was like Michael Jackson for just a few minutes.”

Navy veteran and former National Football League star Napoleon McCallum — now a Venetian employee — led the Pledge of Allegiance, and “America’s Tenor” Steve Amerson sang the national anthem.

“We’ve done this four times now, and it always seems to get more emotional,” Goldstein said at the welcome. “But it’s part of our duty, part of our honor and part of our privilege to welcome you so that you can experience some wonderful hospitality.”

Ensign, noting that he felt “very inadequate before you,” said he gets to do his job as a U.S. senator “because you don that uniform of the U.S. military.”

He said he admired the sacrifices made by military personnel as well as the sacrifices made by their families. And he encouraged them never to be ashamed of post-traumatic stress disorders and to seek out the help they need after being exposed to the horrors of war.

“Today is the one day civilians set aside to thank you,” he said.

The veterans also were thanked by Bob Okun, chairman and CEO of ThanksUSA, and founder Deanna Okun, and Jim Palmersheim, who heads veteran initiatives for American Airlines. American has painted yellow ribbons on three of its aircraft used to transport the veterans to Las Vegas.

Proceeds from one of the Blue Man Group shows during the long weekend benefited ThanksUSA, a 4-year-old nonprofit organization that gives scholarships to children of veterans.