"National Vietnam Veterans Day" Topic

Today is National Vietnam Veterans Day. A salute to all those who served, fought and died in that war. Many of them my friends and family.

Subject: Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 – Wikipedia


link

Thank you to all the Vietnam Vets for your service and courage.

Thank you Vets.

Thank you veterans! You got a raw deal going and coming.

Thank you to all who served

All people who serve their county in any war, whether just or unjust, deserve recognition.

I am not casting aspersions on any who served in any capacity in any war – lest people get the wrong idea.

When people join the military, be it as volunteers or conscripts, they don't get to choose where they go, who they fight or how. They all suffer and die.

This prompted me to ask what Vietnam now does to remember its war dead, whether NVA, VC or ARVN. Whatever I tried as a search term, it came back to the topic of the title. I did read of a monument in Hanoi and even that ARVN cemeteries are now better maintained, but wonder if Skarper could enlighten us?

They all suffered or died and I wonder if that is acknowledged now.

How come it's not a national holiday like some other days that have far less significance?

Oldnorthstate,it's because nobody cares. Proclamation 4270—Vietnam Veterans Day February 26, 1974 was proclaimed by Nixon and nobody paid attention and when Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 was signed March 28,2017, nobody that I know of had ever heard of it. On the day in 2018, I did see three people sitting behind a card table in the VA hospital in New Orleans and handing out lapel pins for the occasion but nobody knew what they where for. I was in that same hospital yesterday and there was no reference to the day anywhere. Same as everywhere else I have lived when I got out of the Army.

LT

I typed a long reply but the updating deleted it!

In VN as you might expect the war dead, war invalids and veterans are well remembered and treated. Not the ARVN side of course – which I think is wrong but not unusual.

There are well tended cemeteries of war dead and memorials everywhere. It is common for school children to visit the cemeteries and burn incense and pray at every grave – this is a long process.

Flags are out on a number of days to commemorate war related events. It's not compulsory but 99% of people do this – I always did.

Veterans of the war have free medical treatment – albeit at a fairly basic level. VN was, is and will for a long time remain a poor 3rd world country.

I had to leave VN last summer but hope to go back soon.

Well there are multiple people here, so some remember. Also a service at our Vietnam Memorial in our town on that day. Small, but a service.

The most forgotten I know of, are the Korean War veterans.

I never heard of it or seen it mentioned anywhere.

Wolfhag

Rarely any ceremony on mention on TV about the Korean War veterans. There is a memorial by the Miami River in Dayton for the war. I am sure there are bigger ones elsewhere. They are dying as quickly as the WW2 vets.