Vietnam Veterans Memorial Day

NPS/Terry Adams

Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Servicemen Statue

Following the Fall of Saigon in 1975, the Chinese backed North Vietnamese slaughtered an estimated 30,000 South Vietnamese and sent about 300,000 to prison camps. The event marked the end of two decades of efforts to contain communist aggression in South East Asia.

According to journalist Marshall McLuhan “Vietnam was lost in the living rooms of America, not the battlefields of Vietnam.” Television turned popular opinion against the war, making members of congress into “armchair generals”. According to the DOD, more than 1500 service members remain unaccounted for in Vietnam.

The mistreatment of returning Vietnam veterans was one of the greatest embarrassments in American history. They were routinely spit on, had rocks thrown at them and were denied employment and housing. In a time before the recognition of PTSD, many Vietnam veterans struggled with drug addiction, homelessness and mental illness. Memorials like the Wall in Washington D.C. and others around the country made steps towards healing the wounds. Unfortunately, these are sometimes vandalized by Americans who do not understand what it takes to protect their rights.

President Obama proclaimed 29 March 2012 Vietnam Veterans Day, in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the war. In 2017 President Trump signed an act recognizing 29 March every year as National Vietnam War Veterans Day. The day is not a federal holiday, but it is recognized in the Flag Code as a day to fly the American Flag.