Honoring All Vietnam War Veterans
Vietnam Veterans in attendance: L-R seated: Owen Luckey, Jr., Doyle Cooper, and Danny Cassady; L-R standing: Terry Garrett, David Hill, Neal Poindexter, and Donald Lloyd. The attendance was much less than in 2024, perhaps due to the weather. Photo | PJ Martin
Information courtesy of www.vietnamwar50th.com
The Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 was signed into law by 45th U.S. President Donald J. Trump, designating every March 29th as National Vietnam War Veterans Day.
The day was first observed in 2012 after the 44th President Barack Obama signed a presidential proclamation designating March 29 as Vietnam Veterans Day.
March 29 is a fitting choice for a day honoring Vietnam veterans. It was chosen to be observed in perpetuity as March 29, 1973, was the day the United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam was disestablished and also the day the last U.S. combat troops departed Vietnam. In addition, around this same day, Hanoi released the last of its acknowledged prisoners of war.
The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that today there are between 6 and 7 million U.S. Vietnam veterans living in America and abroad, along with millions of families of those who served during this timeframe.
They make no distinction between veterans who served in-country, in-theater, or who were stationed elsewhere during the Vietnam War period. All were called to serve and none could self-determine where they would serve.
The U.S. involvement in Vietnam started slowly with an initial deployment of advisors in the early 1950s, grew incrementally through the early 1960s, and expanded with the deployment of full combat units in July 1965. The last U.S. personnel were evacuated from Vietnam in April 1975.
This national commemoration was authorized by Congress, established under the Secretary of Defense, and launched by the President to thank and honor our Nation’s Vietnam veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice.
Mr. Neal Poindexter, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired spoke about his two tours in Vietnam. As he described them, “One on the ground and one in the sky.” Photo | PJ Martin
