Vietnam Veterans – A Remembrance on Vietnam War Veterans Day!
Vietnam Veterans Day is March 29th and for veterans of the Vietnam War, it is a well-deserved day of recognition for all to honor.
This day of appreciation, which was commemorated in 2017, pays tribute to the many veterans who returned to America after their service in Vietnam during what was one of the most significant wars with American participation in the modern day.
Though some might wonder why Vietnam veterans have been given their own special veterans day especially considering the controversy over U.S. participation in the Vietnam War, one only needs to understand the history behind it to grasp its importance and what brought about the declaration of this important military day of recognition.
American Troops Return Home To Face More Conflict
When the United States entered the Vietnam War, it created a controversy that rippled throughout the entire nation.
A large portion of America was against it and very outspoken about this fact, with protests happening throughout the country during the period that U.S. soldiers were being sent to the Pacific.
Upon their return when American troops were withdrawn, the controversy continued, and instead of being welcomed home as the soldiers who fought in America’s name where the military sent them, they were shunned and cast out.
For many years, the public’s opinion was that those who fought in the Vietnam War did not deserve recognition, even though they had no control over where they were sent.
Considering the draft and that troops had no choice in the matter, it was a sad state as countless veterans were disrespected and even hate directed at them from the American public upon their return home and for many years afterward.
Vietnam Veterans – Upstanding Force For Veteran Recognition
In spite of the poor treatment by their own peers or possibly because of it, something interesting has happened with regard to the veterans of the Vietnam War.
They started stepping up to make sure that what happened to them would never happen to another American veteran returning from war, regardless of where the war was and what the political discourse was about it.
Starting with veterans returning from more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, Vietnam veterans have led the effort to recognize these soldiers and stand up for their rights.
They have welcomed them at airports, sat with them in hospitals, petitioned for better veteran care, and make up the largest group of veterans still visiting elderly World War II veterans.
March 29th Named Vietnam Veterans Day
After decades of Vietnam veterans being viewed negatively, two members of the United States Senate decided to do something about it.
Senators Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Senator Joe Donnelly of Indiana introduced legislation to make March 29th Vietnam Veterans Day in order to shed a brighter light on these veterans who were just as deserving as any other and highlight their continued community service.
The disrespect displayed to them had to be ended and since the respect normally given to combat veterans had been delayed, the Senators saw this as a way to apologize and give credit where it had been due for decades.
They chose the date of March 29, 1973, the day on which the last American troops were withdrawn from Vietnam, as the day to remember the service of these Veterans.
President Trump signed the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 on March 28th, making March 29th a new official military day of recognition.