Not to be confused with Veterans Day which is Nov. 11.
This special day is set aside for recognition of the Veterans who served in the U.S. Military during the Vietnam War.
Did you know that the Department of Veterans Affairs states that there is approximately 7,391,000 Vietnam ear Vets from 1964 to 1975 still alive today.
This is a U.S. Holiday that is observed on March 29 each year and it is also a National Holiday in Vietnam but is observed on Sept. 2.
9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the official Vietnam era from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975. 2,709,918 Americans served in uniform in Vietnam. 240 men were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War.
So 9,087,000 served on active duty somewhere during the years of war.
And 7,391,000 are still alive which means that
1,696,000 military personal who served during those years have died.
This information below is Not part of the above, but is the latest figures from the Veterans Administration.
My dad is a Vietnam Vet. He has a purple heart. My grandfather fought in Korea and WWII but when Vietnam came around he decided it was time to retire. He actually went from an enlisted guy to an officer during WWII. My uncle fought in Vietnam, my brother was in Iraq, I lost a brother in law in Afghanistan, My sister in law was in Iraq, My nephew was also there.... I could go on and on....My father in law fought in WWII....
Husband is not in the military but he's in one of those other organizations with the three letter acronyms so he spent some time in Afghanistan....
I always have a very high regard for our military....
I had a neighbor that fought in Vietnam, he didn't handle it well. He got really big into drugs and just was never normal. We used to call him "crazy man" because he would sleep in our woods under a tarp and he would walk for miles even though he had a car and a small apartment attached to his sisters garage. He was really nice but he was not all there. My dad used to pay him to do odd jobs. He couldn't hold a real job because he couldn't be around people unless he felt that he could trust them. We found out that he died in town several months ago. He laid in the morgue for 3 months before his nephew finally realized he was missing. It was very sad and we were really angry that he didn't tell anyone. He did at least call and have him buried at Quantico but we would have gone. He should have had someone there....
Ok. My husband was drafted, right out of high school, in 1974. He went to training in missiles, spent a couple of years in Germany. Never saw combat. Does that qualify for being an honored veteran? Let's not forget that for every combat veteran, there are probably 3 who work in support positions, do not get a purple heart, or have combat stories, etc. But, they signed the same papers.
@tinyliny Yes tiny he is a Vietnam era veteran even though he did not serve in country he was in the U.S. Military during those years. Thank him for his service , from me.
I was drafted Feb. 1970. Took basic at Fort Bragg, had my advanced individual training there too and then got stationed there and late Sept. of 1970 I was sent to Vietnam . I came back through Fort Lewis and was separated from active duty. @JCnGrace Slap on the back for your Grandson for enlisting. Will he take basic at Camp Lejeune S.Carolina or out in California ? Take a picture before he goes to basic training and one after he finishes basic. I bet you will think it is two different people.
I should correct myself, hubby knew his draft number was very soon, so he signed up, and it was 1972. I would have been 13. and he 18.
Funny how extreme that age difference was then and now is irrelevant
My Uncle signed up for a second tour in Vietnam so his younger brother (my Dad) would not have to go (my Dad had 2 young children at home and my Uncle was not married) My Dad carried around his draft card for years until it disintegrated. My Uncle will not talk about Vietnam - even if you ask direct questions. My neighbor was shot twice (2 separate occasions) he will show you the bullet holes but will also not talk much about the time he was there. My family also has a long military history - my sister is a Marine - who married a Marine who then left the Marines to join the Army so he could go to Iraq- he was there for 9 months driving convoy trucks, now my niece is in the reserves.
@carshon Thank all of your relatives for me for their service. Thank you's should also extend to the family members who wait at home while their loved ones are serving. @tinyliny yea back then that age difference would have resulted in someone going to jail if they were dating or going steady.
Camp Lejeune hope it cools off before he gets there. They have some swamps around that base with snakes and other biting critters. LOL. You should plan a vacation to go down there when he graduates basic and they give him the Globe and Anchor pin that all Marines Cherish.
Hope we can both go. We can't go to his swearing in ceremony as they aren't letting guests attend during the virus outbreak. I can't remember why but they postponed his first scheduled one and he was mad because he'd taken the day off work for nothing. Welcome to being in the military boy, you dance to their tune not your own.
I'm not going to share your information with him because he's scared of spiders so that would give him nightmares before he got there.. LOL
A fellow who I rode with before I moved to the Philippines was a finance clerk. He was stationed in California during the war. But every so often they would put him on an airplane with a trunk full of money and fly him to Saigon. He would assist with pay call, then fly back to California. No end to the weird stuff the military can dream up.
I think that is great they are honoring them. Thanks to those of you who served.
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