A crowd gathered at the Dudley Brown VFW in Onset Sunday morning for a memorial brunch honoring those lost in the Vietnam War.

The PFC. Carlos James Rose Memorial Brunch honored Wareham residents Rose, Richard Arruda, Ronald Bumpus and James Crowley, who were killed in action while serving in southeast Asia.

The event also marked one of the first uses of the VFW’s newly remodeled kitchen, which Commander Benjamin Baptiste said was made possible through donations and fundraisers held by the post and auxiliary.

Baptiste called the renovations a “major undertaking.”

“Our auxiliary has grown a great deal,” he said.

Post Auxiliary President Mary Ann Silva said the organization now counts more than 60 members. Anyone interested in joining the post or auxiliary, which requires certain connections to the military, can contact Silva at 508-295-8547, she said.

At Sunday’s brunch, the families of several Wareham residents who died in action were honored. The event came two days before National Vietnam War Veterans Day, a day of federal recognition.

The families received honorary citations from Rep. Bill Keating, who attended the brunch alongside Sen. Marc Pacheco and Rep. Susan Gifford. Keating promoted a bill he cosponsors that recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives, the “Honoring our PACT Act of 2021.” The law aims to address the health care of veterans exposed to toxic substances during their military service.

The legislators addressed how Vietnam War veterans were welcomed – or not – when they returned from their service. Pacheco said people treated soldiers returning from the war poorly, as the Vietnam War was unpopular with many Americans.