Michael Kultgen still has the banner that welcomed him home from his Honor Flight.

He remembers another homecoming, too.

When he returned from Vietnam, he was glad to be home. But the welcome he received is something he has never forgotten.

“We were treated like we were nothing,” he said. “Spit on.”

Kultgen spoke at length about the way Vietnam veterans were treated. He remembered those who died and the men and women who returned home only to face contempt. Some veterans, he said, are still a little bitter.

The hurt stayed with him. So did his pride.

“I loved being a Marine. Once a Marine — always a Marine,” he said. “It means a great deal to me. I am proud to have served.”

In 1968, Kultgen was 18 years old and fresh out of high school when he and his good friend Johnny Amador enlisted together.

“I didn’t want to be drafted. I didn’t want to be in the Army, and I don’t swim too well, so I joined the Marine Corps.”

By June 11, he was at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. By Dec. 7, after training and a 20-day visit home, he was in Da Nang, Vietnam.

“Didn’t take them long to get us there,” he recalled. “Not much training.”

He began in the infantry and later became a radio operator, despite never having trained on one. When he questioned the assignment, he was told he was “old enough to learn.”

Kultgen makes no secret of his belief that the United States should never have been involved in the Vietnam War. But his feelings about the conflict have never diminished his pride in his fellow Marines or his own service.

The discipline stayed with him. So did the importance of being on time, finishing what he started and recognizing a job well done.

“There’s no sense starting something if you aren’t going to finish it,” he said.

He also learned the value of letting people know when they were doing something right.

“A little praise goes a long way.”

For someone who remembers how it felt to have his service dismissed, acknowledgment matters.

Every year, Kultgen attends the Veterans Day program at the school auditorium. He said about 50 veterans typically attend, and students come forward to shake their hands and thank them for their service.

“It is extremely gratifying to have all those kids come shake your hand and thank you,” he said.

Even a brief encounter at Walmart can stay with him.

“It means a lot to us guys when someone comes up and thanks us for our service,” he said.

That gratitude, Kultgen said, can help heal some of the old wounds. A handshake today cannot change what happened when he came home from Vietnam, but it can remind him that his service is appreciated now.

His Honor Flight gave him that feeling, too.

“I wish everyone could experience that,” he said. “It is just the best three days for veterans.”

He still has the banner welcoming him home from that trip.

Back in Great Bend, where he was born and raised, Kultgen built a life around family, hard work and helping wherever he could. He worked alongside his father as a carpenter for seven or eight years, spent time in the oil field and later worked at Larned State Hospital until retiring in 2012.

He raised four children and remained active in the VFW and American Legion, serving as a VFW post commander, helping organize Veterans Day programs and placing flags on veterans’ graves. When the traveling Vietnam memorial came to Great Bend, he volunteered.

“They help the community and veterans. It feels like something we should do,” he said of the veterans organizations. “Most veterans I know are very involved in our community. They still keep serving when they get home.”

Kultgen has his own way of explaining that willingness to get involved.

“If the world don’t fit, make alterations.”

Sometimes, those alterations begin with a piece of wood someone else might throw away.

Kultgen makes gumball machines from scrap wood and Mason jars. His son brings him gumballs from a shop in Hutchinson. He sells some of the machines, but most he gives away.

“It’s just ole scrap wood. Junk really,” he said. “But kids just love them.”

After giving some to women on a VA bus, he received pictures of their grandchildren enjoying the machines.

“It makes you feel good.”

That pleasure in helping is something Kultgen tries to pass along to his grandchildren.

“Everyone ends up on the bad end of the stick sometime,” he said.

He tries to help however he can.

“Why are we here if we aren’t going to serve? We are here to serve.”

Now, after a lifetime of making do with what he has and helping others whenever possible, Kultgen finds himself on the receiving end.

He has lived in the same house since 1985, adding on and doing much of the work himself. He built an entire garage using wood salvaged from an old farmhouse. His parents lived through the Great Depression, and the lessons they taught him are evident throughout the house.

“Use what you have,” he said. “We learned to never throw things away. I try to reuse and make do with what I have.”

The windows came from another old house, given to him when he was newly married with children.

“They didn’t really fit, but we made it work for quite some time.”

Today, the house has no heating or air conditioning. The front porch has no railings or ramp, and the bathroom is not accessible. Kultgen has fallen several times and now uses a cane.

The man who built and repaired so much with his own hands can no longer manage the work his home needs.

His son, Ben Kultgen, sees the difficulties his father rarely complains about.

“I try to enter Dad into every giveaway I can. He needs help,” Ben said. “He never complains about anything, but it sure would be something nice after years of helping others.”

Several people at the VFW nominated Kultgen for Windows for Warriors, an initiative through MPIRE Improvements that provides one veteran with a full set of Pella windows for their home each year.

“A bunch of us nominated Dad for this at the VFW,” Ben said. “He does so much for everyone.”

When Kultgen learned he had been selected, he initially doubted the news.

“At first, I thought it was a scam. I never win anything!” he said. “I said, ‘Who the heck is this? I’m not interested.’”

Then he realized it was real.

“I was giggly when I told my family.”

His son remembers that moment, too.

“Dad showed up at work and was just so excited. I was like, ‘Slow down. What are you talking about?’”

The new windows will address one of the many repairs Kultgen’s home needs. For his family, however, the selection represents something more: an opportunity to see someone who has spent so much of his life helping others receive a little help himself.

There is still plenty of work to be done at the house, and Kultgen continues to struggle with mobility. Yet he finds ways to give back, whether through his veterans organizations or a handmade gumball machine that makes a child “happy as heck.”

A history buff with a particular interest in World War II and the Civil War, he hopes to visit Pearl Harbor someday and would love to return to Okinawa, where he was stationed after his unit left Vietnam.

“There is always something you can learn.”

Every Friday, he wears red, a tradition he began after his son served in Iraq.

“That’s a must for me,” he said. “I always make sure I have one on.”

His military service and his children are what make him proudest. His life in Great Bend has given him decades of opportunities to put that pride into practice, working hard, raising a family and continuing to show up for others.

He remembers the painful homecoming from Vietnam. He treasures the banner from his Honor Flight. And now, through Windows for Warriors, he is experiencing another kind of recognition.

This time, the man who has spent a lifetime finding ways to help others is the one receiving a helping hand.

But Kultgen doesn’t consider himself extraordinary.

“I’m just a common man who served his country and continues to serve his community.”