National Vietnam War Veterans Day is March 29

SERVICE CIRCUIT

Members of the Mount Clemens Rotary Club recently served dinner to 23 people at the Vets Returning Home shelter in Roseville. Tim Morabito, Julie Miller, Alyssa Keurig, Diana Djokic and Tom Welsh were the volunteers of the day. PHOTO COURTESY OF TIM MORABITO

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National Vietnam War Veterans Day is March 29.

The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration, a program that thanks and honors veterans of the Vietnam War, came about in 2008. The National Defense Authorization Act empowered the Secretary of Defense to conduct the program that commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. The commemoration concludes on Veterans Day this year but the special day continues.

Over the years, the commemoration focused on families on the homefront, prisoners of war and missing in action, federal agencies and government agencies, NGOs and allies that supported the armed forces, and technology, science and medicine related to military research conducted during the Vietnam War. See vietnamwar50th.com.

March 29 was chosen as National Vietnam War Veterans Day because on March 29, 1973, the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam — or MACV — disbanded as the last U.S. combat troops departed the Republic of Vietnam. The observance was established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law.

The Grosse Pointe War Memorial at 32 Lake Shore Road, Grosse Pointe Farms, planned several events to commemorate National Vietnam War Veterans Day.

A National Vietnam War Veterans Day luncheon is for veterans and their families on March 29, an expression of the War Memorial’s gratitude and appreciation for Vietnam and Vietnam-era service. The luncheon is free to veterans but $22 for each guest with them. There is a resource fair to connect with veterans organizations and learn about additional programs and resources in the area. Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency Director Brian Love holds a pinning ceremony for Vietnam veterans in attendance. Reservations are required at warmemorial.org/eventcalendar11/vietnam-veteran-luncheon

An Evening with Karl Marlantes — “Echoes of the Vietnam War” is with best-selling author and Vietnam veteran Karl Marlantes, a discussion about his life, military service, and literary career. It is 6-9 p.m. April 9. See warmemorial.org/eventcalendar11/karl-marlantes for various kinds of ticket packages. A Yale graduate and Rhodes Scholar, Marlantes served as a Marine in Vietnam, being awarded the Navy Cross, the Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation medals for valor, two Purple Hearts, and ten Air Medals. Marlantes is featured in Ken Burns’ and Lynn Novick’s 10-part documentary series, “The Vietnam War.” In 2018, Marlantes was featured in “Going to War,” a documentary about what it means to train for, serve in, and return from war.

The War Memorial’s Veterans Committee holds vet-to-vet gatherings.

Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 154, with more than 800 members and more than 100 Associates of VVA, are partying 3-8 p.m. March 29 at Veterans of Foreign Wars Menge Post 6756 in Center Line. Life membership in the chapter is $50 and life membership in the AVVA is $100, or $20 per year. VVA national has decided to dissolve but AVVA plans to continue its work on the chapter or local level.

Former U.S. Congressman from Michigan, Rep. David Bonior, was the founding chair of Vietnam Veterans in Congress Caucus. He spoke on Nov. 7, 1983 at the founding convention of Vietnam Veterans of America (formerly called Council of Vietnam Veterans.) He coined the VVA motto: “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.” One of his books is: “The Vietnam Veteran A History of Neglect.”

Call the chapter’s Veterans Support Center in Clinton Township at 586-776-9810 for Chapter 154 information. Veteran and military families in need of food can apply to use the Veterans Food Pantry 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays.

The VFW Wood-Reid Post 6691 invites all veterans of any era to visit its post on March 29 at 17075 Anita Street, Fraser. Fraser High School students recently donated $11,000 to the post after working for a week at various on-and off-campus fundraisers to support the vets’ programs.

Many veterans service organizations who meet at local posts will hold celebrations for Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day for their members and their guests. Contact neighborhood VFW, American Legion, AMVETs, etc. posts individually about details.

Three LTC. Charles S. Kettles locations of the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System — in Ann Arbor, at the Toledo VA Clinic, and at the MG Oliver W. Dillard VA Clinic in Canton — hold Vietnam War Veterans Day 50th Anniversary Commemorations on March 28. The events offer a light breakfast, information tables, and the Vietnam War Veteran Commemorative Pin. Spouses and caregivers are welcome.

More than three million Americans served in Vietnam, and there are 58,281 men and women listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. who sacrificed their lives. There are 1,573 missing in action, 48 from Michigan. A wreath-laying ceremony in partnership with Vietnam Veterans of America national is at 1 p.m. March 29 in the nation’s capital.

March 29 also happens to be the deadline to apply to have a Vietnam veteran enrolled in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial’s “In Memory” program. That is for memorializing those who served, but died after the war ended, no matter the cause of death. A plaque on the grounds of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site in Washington, D.C. reads: “In Memory of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and later died as a result of their service. We honor and remember their sacrifice.”

More than 6,500 veterans have been added to the “In Memory Honor Roll” since the program began. To see all the honorees, visit In Memory Honor Roll.

There is a spring ceremony where each new name is read aloud, families receive a tribute certificate with the vet’s photo, an online remembrance page where people may leave stories and anecdotes, and they become part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s mobile exhibit, The Wall That Heals, that travels around the country. Download the In Memory application at vvmf.org/inmemory-apply There are about seven million living veterans who served during the Vietnam War era, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs that uses the dates Nov. 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975 to mark the Vietnam era.

Send news of service clubs and veterans organizations to Linda May at lindamay@ameritech.net or call landline 586-791-8116