Vietnam veteran John Tsitrian regaled an audience of about 50 members Wednesday with stories of his recent trip back to the former war-torn country in March.

Memories of time spent in the demilitarized zone and bunkers remain strong for the 62-year-old Rapid City businessman and former Marine, but he said he found much of the country has changed in 40 years, mostly in the cities, such as Hanoi. Technology and the economy are quickly advancing, but the rural areas are much the same as Tsitrian last saw them.

He showed the audience dozens of the tour photos he took while with other Vietnam veterans and Paul Jensen of Rapid City. After a 50-minute presentation, Tsitrian opened the floor to questions.

One woman asked Tsitrian how the general attitude of Vietnamese people is toward Americans. Overall, he said, it's pretty good. "Any animosity toward Americans comes from South Vietnam because we pulled out so quickly. They believed we were there to stay," he said.

However, he said, he and his travel companions were treated very well by the natives, and most of the animosity for the United States is directed at the government.

Former state senator Tom Katus asked Tsitrian if America learned anything from the Vietnam War.

"Given the way the Iraqi war has transpired, probably not," Tsitrian said. "No one wanted Vietnam to happen again, but they threw the lessons out the window. This is like Vietnam, but on a smaller scale."

Tsitrian's neighbors Leonard and Linda Iverson, both 62, attended the presentation to find out how their friend's return trip went. Leonard is an Army veteran of the Vietnam era, but he did not fight in the conflict.

"I find this intriguing. A lot of Army buddies of mine came back from Vietnam, and they didn't want to talk about it," Leonard said. "It wasn't a popular war."