Chief Master Sgt. Jim Richards spoke to fellow veterans Saturday at the American Legion post in Villa Ridge. Twelve Vietnam veterans, including Richards, gathered this weekend from as far as Seattle to reunite after 42 years. “Many of us didn’t even recognize each other, we kind of had to squint. We didn’t recognize faces but the voices were unmistakable and then it all started coming back,” said Superintendent Tom O’Neill.  The men first met at Blytheville Air Force Base in Arkansas in 1966 and went on to serve as part of the 97th Bomb Wing as B52 crew members. They were involved in air strikes, aerial fueling and transporting goods and people. They traveled back to the Blytheville base early Friday and spent the rest of the weekend catching up and reminiscing about their time in the service. “We went back to the base after all these years, and it felt like we were there two weeks ago,”  said Carl Thomas Aarland, one of the 12 veterans. – Lynnette Oostmeyer | Daily Egyptian