A forgotten war, but not forgotten soldiers

National Vietnam War Veterans’ Day is on Monday, March 29. This day is meant to honors all veterans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time from November 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975, regardless of where they served.  The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration says “It was chosen to be observed in perpetuity as March 29, 1973 was the day United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam was disestablished and also the day the last U.S. combat troops departed Vietnam.”

At the beginning of the Vietnam War, there were 2.7 million soldiers but after the war 58,000 of those were dead. Today there are still 610,000 Vietnam War veterans, but they often experience the effects of being through a war.

Vietnam War veterans were exposed to many harmful herbicides during the war that are linked to soft-tissue sarcoma, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Chloracne, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and Hodgkin’s disease. U.S Department of Veteran Affairs says, “Among Theater Veterans, 7% of females and 11% of males still had PTSD. Among theater Veterans with PTSD 37% also met criteria for major depression.”

To celebrate National Vietnam War Veterans’ Day you can attend a virtual event, donate to the Vietnam War Veterans of America at https://vva.org/donate/, or spend time with your family that served in the Vietnam War.