More VVA chapters across the country commemorated National Vietnam War Veterans Day this year than ever before. Most chapters sponsored events on the holiday, Sunday, March 29; other commemorations took place earlier that weekend, and some the following week. What follows is a look at some of the commemorations.

Santa Barbara, California, Chapter 218 sponsored a Vietnam War Veterans Day observance at the local Elks Lodge that included live music, cocktails, and dinner. “This is a Welcome Home to all Vietnam War veterans, whether they served in-country or not,” said Chapter President Peter Bie. “We gather to express our deepest gratitude. This is the first dinner the chapter has sponsored and we hope it will be the first of many.”

Escondido, California, Chapter 1147 held a Welcome Home Celebration on March 29 that included a free barbeque lunch. Denver, Colorado, Chapter 1071 held its annual Vietnam Veterans Day Poppy Drive on March 28 at seven area King Soopers and Safeway grocery stores, where members greeted shoppers, offered them a poppy, and asked for donations. The funds raised support the chapter’s scholarship program, among other activities.

Courtesy Jamie DePaola/VVA

The Villages, Florida, Chapter 1036 Color Guard and chapter members took part in a Vietnam War Veterans Day March that ended with speeches, the presentation of the colors, a wreath laying, and rifle salute at The Villages Veterans Memorial Park.

Middle Georgia, Chapter 443 and Warner Robins, Georgia, Chapter 902 co-sponsored a Vietnam War Veterans Day Reception at the Museum of Aviation’s Nugteren Exhibit Hangar at Warner Robins AFB. Louisville, Kentucky, Kentuckiana Chapter 454 held its Vietnam War Veterans Day ceremonies at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Jeffersontown, Ky.

South Bend, Indiana, Chapter 1027 conducted a reading of the names of local servicemembers who lost their lives in the Vietnam War from St. Joseph County on March 27 at the city’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Howard Park. “It’s an honor to lead my chapter, an honor to be a veteran, and an honor to be an American,” chapter President Jerrol Satterfield said at the ceremony. “So, whenever you see a veteran, return that honor. Say hi or thank them for their service because it means a lot to them.”

Westfield, Massachusetts, Chapter 219 held its Vietnam War Veterans Day ceremony on March 28 at Parker Park in Westfield. “We’re here to give recognition to the men and women who served our country during the Vietnam War,” said Chapter President Kenneth Lafreniere. “They will never be forgotten.” State Sen. John Velis and State Rep. Kelly Pease also spoke at this ceremony.

Courtesy Mark O'Brien/VVA

The Clinton Township Michigan, Chapter 154 honor guard presented the Colors at the March 29 Vietnam War Veterans Day event at The War Memorial at Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., and afterward members attended a Welcome Home Luncheon at a VSO post in New Baltimore, Mich.

Vice President Ed “Doc” Ahnoen of Fargo, North Dakota, Chapter 941 was the Keynote speaker at a complimentary Vietnam War Veterans Day lunch the chapter sponsored for Vietnam War veterans and their families at a VSO post in Moorhead, Minn., on March 27.

Courtesy Lonnie Pizza/VVA

Clyde, North Carolina, Chapter 980 hosted a reception for Vietnam War veterans and their families and friends following the Vietnam War Veterans Day commemoration at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at the historic Haywood County Court House in Waynesville, N.C. A local Daughters of the American Revolution chapter sponsored the event.

Delaware County, Ohio, Chapter 1095’s annual Vietnam War Veterans Day ceremony took place on the front steps and plaza of the Delaware County Courthouse near the county’s Korean and Vietnam War Veterans Memorial. Commemorative pins for Vietnam War veterans and surviving spouses were presented at the event.

Bend, Oregon, High Desert Chapter 820 commemorated Vietnam War Veterans Day on March 28 at the Central Oregon Servicemen’s Memorial at Deschutes Memorial Gardens, which the chapter rehabilitated and rededicated last year. Chapter member George McCart was among the speakers. Preston County, West Virginia, Chapter 977 co-sponsored a National Vietnam War Veterans ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial the chapter built in 2020 on the courthouse lawn of the Preston County Courthouse in Kingwood, W. Va.

Courtesy Patrick Nugent/VVA

The 17th annual Chippewa Valley Day of Recognition, organized by Mike Croger, the chair of the local Vietnam War Veterans Day Planning committee and president of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Mike Voth Memorial Chapter 5, took place March 28 at Horizons Bar and Grill & Event Center, in Tilden, Wisc. The program included lunch, a display of military vehicles, and remarks by the Wisconsin Lao Veterans of America.

Franklin, Tennessee, Chapter 1140 held its annual National Vietnam War Vietnam War Veterans Day commemoration at The Williamson County Enrichment Center in Franklin. Ashland City, Tennessee, Chapter 1129 conducted its Vietnam War Veterans Day Celebration on March 28 at Ashland City Elementary School. The speakers included chapter President Walter Weakley. Chapter member Harold Hodges served as the event’s emcee.

Courtesy Roger A. McGill/VVA

Asheville, North, Carolina, Chapter 124 held its Vietnam War Veterans Day event at the black granite Vietnam Veterans Memorial the chapter build in 2018 at the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville. “It’s a day set aside to honor the veterans of the Vietnam War, not necessarily the war,” Ted Minnick, the chapter’s secretary-treasurer, said in his remarks. “The monument is much like the memorial in Washington, D.C., The Wall. It’s for the veterans. There are 58,000-plus names in D.C. There are 165 names here” from the 22 western North Carolina counties.

Courtesy Ace Collett/VVA

Pat Suenaga, the president of Oahu, Hawaii, Chapter 858, spoke at the March 27 National Vietnam War Veterans ceremonies at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. The event included a wreath laying and the participation of the Naval ROTC drill team from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi.

Members of Jackson, Michigan, Chapter 109, conducted a presentation for fourth and fifth graders at Dibble Elementary School in February. “The program included a presentation of the American flag and military dress-up demonstrations,” said chapter member John Grzesikowski, Sr., who took part in it, “followed by an engaging question-and-answer session with the students.”

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