March 29 marked a very important national observance: National Vietnam War Veterans Day. 

On this special day of remembrance, Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services (the Center) visited several historic locations, including the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Members of our team also joined local celebrations where they live, as we recognized the service, sacrifice, and achievements of our nation’s Vietnam veterans.

Our nation owes an eternal debt of gratitude for their sacrifice and that of their families. Today’s veterans can talk about their combat experiences in large part because our Vietnam veterans could not or would not. Furthermore, much of our battlefield knowledge and effectiveness can be attributed to what we learned from our Vietnam veterans.

National Vietnam War Veterans Day was established to recognize the sacrifice of those who fought in Southeast Asia. There are roughly 610,000 living veterans out of the approximately 2.7 million Americans who served in Vietnam.