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Heroes from the Heart of Virginia: Vietnam War
12/08/09 6:52 pm   |   reporter: Jeremy Mills   producer: Amy Foster
ABC 13 - Heroes from the Heart of Virginia: Vietnam War
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Lynchburg, VA - Our week-long series honoring our Heroes from the Heart of Virginia, takes a look back at the Vietnam War.

Believe it or not, some who fought in Vietnam are now revisiting the place where they witnessed the horrors of war.

Lynchburg's Lou Cincinelli says he could never forget his time in Da Nang, Vietnam. He was an Army MP, but spent much of us his time at a local orphanage.

"That's the best thing that I did there. Everything else was not so good," Cincinelli said.

Five years ago, his daughter bought him a plane ticket to go back.

"It's a beautiful place to be. It was beautiful 40 years ago but they were shooting at us then. It's so much better now," he said.

So good, in fact, he built his own house exactly three miles from the Da Nang Red Cross Orphanage.

"Kids need interaction, they need to be held and played and talked to and picked up and that's what I do. I do that."

He's even approached other Vietnam Vets, offering them a free place to stay.

"If any of ya'll want to go, okay fine, let me know. If it is open, ya'll have got a place to stay. So I thought it was pretty neat," Vietnam veteran David Stokes said of Cincinelli's offer.

Former Marine Lee Cobb also had an urge to see the country again. He went on vacation with his son.

"I enjoyed doing it. I would like to go back again," Cobb said.

Cobb had expected to encounter at least a little hostility.

"They weren't bitter at all towards Americans, in fact they were very welcoming towards us, which I was rather surprised about."

Lou Cincinelli has become friends with some he used to fight. He plans to keep going back as long as he can.

"The Vietnamese people, they're just hard working, beautiful people. I just love them, I don't know, I can't explain it," Cincinelli said.

Cincinelli always visits Vietnam for three months at a time. He goes in February, March and April to avoid the rainy season.

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