About National Vietnam War Veterans Day
National Vietnam War Veterans Day is observed to honor and commemorate the service and sacrifices of the nearly 3 million men and women who served in the armed forces during the Vietnam War.
In early 2017, Congress passed and President Trump signed into law the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act, which establishes March 29th of each year as the National Vietnam War Veterans Day. The holiday is also known as "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day."
Although not a federal holiday, the day is set aside to recognize the sacrifices made by veterans and their families during the Vietnam War. It is also designed to honor those men and women who served in that conflict but who did not receive a proper welcome home when they returned to the United States due to the unpopularity of the war.
The date is significant because the last U.S. troops left South Vietnam on March 29th 1973.
From The American Presidency Project, Proclamation 8829—Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War (2012):
“As we observe the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, we reflect with solemn reverence upon the valor of a generation that served with honor. We pay tribute to the more than 3 million servicemen and women who left their families to serve bravely, a world away from everything they knew and everyone they loved. From Ia Drang to Khe Sanh, from Hue to Saigon and countless villages in between, they pushed through jungles and rice paddies, heat and monsoon, fighting heroically to protect the ideals we hold dear as Americans. Through more than a decade of combat, over air, land, and sea, these proud Americans upheld the highest traditions of our Armed Forces.
“As a grateful Nation, we honor more than 58,000 patriots—their names etched in black granite—who sacrificed all they had and all they would ever know. We draw inspiration from the heroes who suffered unspeakably as prisoners of war, yet who returned home with their heads held high. We pledge to keep faith with those who were wounded and still carry the scars of war, seen and unseen. With more than 1,600 of our service members still among the missing, we pledge as a Nation to do everything in our power to bring these patriots home.”
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