Texas, Remember to Honor Our Vietnam Veterans On March 29th

One thing I love about being a Texan is that many of us appreciate our veterans regardless of the conflict or war they served in. Texas veterans are our heroes. Some years ago, President Barack Obama signed a proclamation designating that March 29th be observed annually as Vietnam Veterans Day.

I believe that there probably isn't a family in America that doesn't have a relative who served during the Vietnam War era. This March 29th as we commemorate and honor our veterans, we must remember the three million American service members that served in Vietnam.

Get our free mobile app

Of those three million service members who made the sacrifice to serve our country in Vietnam, over 58,500 were killed. Thousands more were wounded, injured, or are still missing in action (MIA). Interestingly the signing of the proclamation by President Obama was signed on the 50th anniversary of when the last American troops made their departure from South Vietnam.

On March 29th, 1973, only the United States Embassy personnel, employees, and support staff remained in South Vietnam until the fall of Saigon. On April 30th two years later, the US Embassy personnel and all other Americans vacated the embassy and returned to the United States.

The Vietnam War story is a sad one - and a pride-filled one too. The Vietnam War is a story of service members of different backgrounds, ethnicities, and creeds, who all came together to complete the mission as one large American family.

"It's a story of Americans from every corner of our nation who left the warmth of family to serve the country they loved. It is a story of patriots who braved the line of fire, who cast themselves into harm's way to save a friend, who fought hour after hour, day after day to preserve the liberties we hold dear." Source: US Department of Defense.gov

What I strongly believe is the most tragic part about this war is when our American service members came home, many were shunned, neglected, and belittled.

This March 29th show your pride and appreciation of all our Vietnam veterans.