National Vietnam War Veterans Day- March 29th
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Addendum: 3-29-2025
To Vietnam War Veterans: Your courage amid chaos, your sacrifice amid a divided nation, and your unwavering duty to the country shine as a testament to honor. On this Vietnam Veterans Day, we salute you—heroes of a hard-fought era, forever etched in America’s story. Thank you.
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This day was first recognized by proclamation in 2012 and subsequently by an Act signed by the President in 2017. March 29 was chosen as National Vietnam War Veterans Day because on March 29, 1973, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam was disbanded, and the last U.S. combat troops left the Republic of Vietnam.
Please don’t tell me we lost the war or that it wasn’t worth it. You would be deprecating those who sacrificed, and the sacrifice was great.
More than 58,000 young men and women lost their lives there. This includes three from a little town in Ohio called Mantua, including a friend known to all as Bobby Zoller. In addition, more than 300,000 were physically wounded in Vietnam. It’s estimated that 75,000 were left severely disabled from their physical wounds.
There are also the emotional scars of battle. We call it PTSD. The numbers aren’t precisely known, but the range is 15% of those serving to as many as 30% have gone through the tortuous journey of PTSD at some point. When you consider 2.7 million served, well, do the math.
This day was created in 2017 “to give Americans the opportunity to say ‘Welcome Home’ to a group of veterans who never got the reception they deserved when they returned to the United States.”
