Today is the 51st anniversary of the final withdrawal of troops from South Vietnam and a day to honor all veterans from the Vietnam War era.
March 29, 1973, is the day U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam was disestablished and the day the last U.S. combat troops departed Vietnam. In addition, on and around this same day, the U.S. Vietnam War Commemoration stated that Hanoi released the last of its acknowledged prisoners of war. ~American Legion
Though it was first commemorated in 2012, “National Vietnam Veterans Day,” was officially established in 2017 by Presidential Proclamation.
Though it took decades for this full welcome home, this video from the 50th Vietnam War Commemoration Committee shows the new broad understanding and acceptance of the complex situation our country endured—and our troops suffered under—in those final years of the Vietnam Era.
I hope in whatever way you’re able, you make room in your heart for the Vietnam Veterans today and in the future.
To hear my chapter “In Honor of Those Who Served,” listen to the first six minutes of this video.
Post Script — “Fun” Fact
When researching this commemorative date some months ago. I came across this post in National Today
I wrote to them to say that “raising” the enemy’s flag in honor of a holiday was probably not the right note to strike.
Would you, for instance, use the Confederate flag to celebrate a day in honor of the Union soldiers?
They’ve since changed the cover photo, replacing the communist Vietnamese flag for our good ol’ Stars and Stripes.
The site, as of this writing, still erroneously states that the first Vietnam Veterans Day took place in 1974. I have, naturally, sent them a message and I’m sure they’ll be updating their post again soon.
Regarding the Numbers
It can be confusing to wade through the many facts and figures regarding any historical era. I’ve encountered the tally of “Vietnam Veterans” to be anywhere from 3.4 million to 10 million troops.
I decided to ask Google’s AI tool, Gemini what the troop count was and I was rather impressed that it seemed to grasp the difficulty of the question. Here is its answer:
The number of US servicemen and women who served in the Vietnam War depends on how you define "served." Here are two breakdowns:
Total military personnel serving during the Vietnam Era (1964-1973): Over 8.7 million Americans served in the Armed Forces during this period [VA]. This includes those stationed in the US, Southeast Asia, and elsewhere.
Personnel deployed to Southeast Asia: More than 3.4 million were deployed to Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and surrounding areas [VA].
Specifically for service within the borders of South Vietnam:
Estimated total: Approximately 2.7 million US servicemen and women served in the Republic of Vietnam [VA].
It's important to note that the Vietnam War was the first major conflict with a fully integrated military. This means the 2.7 million figure includes people from all backgrounds who served in Vietnam.
In small print below the answer is this caveat: Gemini may display inaccurate info, including about people, so double-check its responses.
As I said, I had read multiple sources and found various numbers.
What I think is most important now is recognizing that each person who served during the Vietnam Era was touched deeply by the war and that they are welcome at home.
Thank you for reading.
Until next time,
Kat ❦
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To learn more about my books or school visits, visit Kat-Fitzpatrick.com.