Residents in San Mateo and other nearby cities, including Foster City, Burlingame and Hillsborough, enjoyed a love affair Thursday night that most towns don't get to experience.
Troops in the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army deployed to Afghanistan and stationed in Fort Campbell video chatted with citizens back home Thursday night as part of a celebration of a documentary chronicling their relationship with San Mateo.
The documentary, "City With a Heart," focuses on the activites surrounding Operation Eagle Visit, the 2012 Memorial Day Weekend celebration of the 40th anniversary of San Mateo's welcome home parade for returning Vietnam War veterans in 1972.
The movie was screened at San Mateo City Hall, followed by a live Skype video call with the 101st Airborne Division troops, also known as the Screaming Eagles, in Afghanistan and Fort Campbell.
On March 4, 1968, the San Mateo City Council unanimously approved a resolution to adopt the troops and San Mateo became the first city in the U.S. to proactively support a deployed combat unit in the Vietnam War.
The troops described their lives in Afghanistan, and shared which Super Bowl team they're rooting for Sunday.
