Vietnam War Veterans Day March 29

by   Linda Bartkoski

National Vietnam War Veterans Day honors a generation of men and women who served and sacrificed during the longest conflict in U.S. history. March 29 marks the anniversary of when combat forces departed South Vietnam in 1973, even though some troops remained until their final departure in 1975.

According to Department of Veterans Affairs, there were 8.7 million Vietnam Era veterans deployed . There were 47,434 combat deaths, 10,786 in-theater deaths, and 153,303 non-mortal wounding, which also include casualties from the ill-fated SS Mayaguez rescue attempt in 1975.

Many members of the local VFW 257 are veterans of the Viet Nam war. Some served in the Navy, others in the Army or the Marines or Air Force. It was a hard time for those who served and for those back home who waited for the safe return of their loved ones.  The VFW meets at the Post on the corner of First and Pine streets at 7:00 p.m. on the first Monday night of each month. There is a local chapter of the Viet Nam Veterans of America (918) that meets on the second Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at the Eagles Club in Nevada. If you are a veteran, come and join your brothers in service to the community.

In 2017, U.S. Senators Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., introduced legislation to honor Vietnam Veterans with a day on the anniversary of the withdrawal of military units from South Vietnam. President Donald Trump signed the Vietnam War Veterans Day Act on March 28, 2017, calling for U.S. flags to be flown on March 29 for those who served.

On March 29 members of the VFW 257 Auxiliary will place flags in front of the post home on the corner of First and Pine streets to honor the Veterans of the Viet Nam War. If you have a  Viet Nam veteran in whose name  you would like to place a flag please contact the auxiliary president, Linda Bartkoski at 876-5068. You can place the flag in person or the auxiliary members will place one for you.