March 29 is National Vietnam War Veterans Day, uniting Americans to thank and honor Vietnam Veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is supporting the Department of Defense in recognizing and thanking Vietnam Veterans who served in the military between November 1st, 1955 and May 15, 1975 whether in-theater or anywhere in the world. Time is of the essence as this generation of Veterans are passing daily.
Becoming a Commemorative Partner (CP) is not mandatory for receiving commemorative lapel pins and stickers, but each organization is welcome to become a CP at their discretion. Visit vietnamwar50th.com for specific information on becoming a CP. More than 11,000 CPs have committed to assisting the nation in thanking and honoring our 6.4 million living Vietnam Veterans and the families of all 9 million who served.
Commemorative Partners are local, state, and federal organizations that have committed to hosting hometown-centric events and activities that thank and honor Vietnam Veterans and their families personally during dignified public ceremonies on behalf of our nation.
The Commemoration is providing Vietnam Veteran lapel pins to Commemorative Partners for presentation to Veterans who served during the Vietnam War period as a lasting memento of the nation’s appreciation and welcome home for which they have waited so long.
Living United States Veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces from November 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975, regardless of location, are eligible to receive one lapel pin.
The symbolism attached to these Vietnam Veteran lapel pins is significant. The Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pin Fact Sheet explains each of the elements incorporated into this pin.
The Commemoration is interviewing Vietnam Veterans and their families, and archiving these oral history interviews on the Commemoration website and via the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. As each Vietnam Veteran or family member is interviewed, the Commemoration is introduced to others to leverage their vast network of fellow Veterans to interview and capture a wide breadth of experiences – all ranks, Services, specialties and viewpoints – that reflect personal thoughts and opinions about all aspects of the war.
Signed into law just four years ago, The Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 designated March 29 as our Nation’s annual, national observance to honor these patriots.
Since its inception, this special day has become a focal point, attracting and inspiring our CPs to host events in their local communities on and around March 29. These local events publicly and individually honor all who served on active duty in the U.S. Military between November 1, 1955 and May 15, 1975.
However, this past year the COVID-19 pandemic challenged us all. In fact, thousands of events designed to honor those who served during the Vietnam War period were postponed. Despite this reality, resilience and creativity became watchwords for our CPs!
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Our partners fashioned new, safe approaches to thanking these previously unsung warriors. Honor Flight organizations worked with law enforcement, fire fighters, and Veterans Service Organizations to replace flights with tailored Honor Parade routes in local communities. These routes incorporated streets where Vietnam Veterans live and parade participants stopped in front of Veteran residences to honor them (see Honor Flight South Florida Drive-By Parade and Stars & Stripes Honor Flight Parade of Honor). Parade “presenters” wore masks, sanitized their hands and lapel pins each time they departed the parade to make a presentation; some wore protective gloves and clear faceguards.
In addition, event organizers took strong measures to ensure in-person recognition ceremonies were safe for Vietnam Veterans, their families and all participants. These events featured limited access, “non-touch” checking of temperatures prior to entry, social distancing, the wearing of masks, clear verbal instructions on protection measures announced upon entrance and throughout the event, appropriately spaced seating, individual bottles of hand sanitizer on every seat, no-contact presentation of lapel pins (presented on a tray from which the Veterans took the lapel pins), and no handshakes or elbow bumps.
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Further, ceremonies held outside care facility windows integrated Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pin presentations by nursing staffs and doctors to Vietnam Veterans within.
Virtual ceremonies became the norm. Various videoconferencing platforms were utilized to safely bring together individuals in local communities and throughout the nation to thank and honor Vietnam Veterans and their families. Ranging from intimate ceremonies to events boasting more than 100 participants, Vietnam Veterans were thanked and honored from a distance by local communities and national leaders alike.
Although most appearances were cancelled, traveling “Walls” occasionally moved about cautiously in various parts of the country, with significant restrictions in place to protect attendees.
Notably, safe one-on-one presentations of “Quilts of Valor” or “Quilts of Honor,” along with Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pins, continued to take place in private homes, and long-term, palliative care and hospice care facilities. These remarkable volunteers sought out and uplifted those who were isolated, separated from loved ones and discouraged due to safeguards designed to protect them from COVID, and reminded them that their service and sacrifices during the Vietnam War period mattered! Presenters were masked, socially distanced and sanitized to protect everyone being thanked and honored.
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Finally, during ongoing COVID-19 vaccinations at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in NYC, Vietnam Veterans are being identified and safely honored following their inoculation with a presentation of the Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pins by National Guardsmen in a separate area of the building.
Use the tried and true safe means outlined above to reach these patriots, or create new ways to safely connect with them. At the very least, in this “virtual” environment:
"Join the Nation and Call or Text a Vietnam Veteran!"
VA sends a newsletter out to nearly 12M each Wednesday night to share VA and non-VA resources and events. If you have resources or events to share in #VetResources newsletter e-mail VAVEOCommunications@VA.gov.
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