NATIONAL VIETNAM VETERANS DAY 2022: VENERATING VIETNAM VETS
When is Vietnam Veterans Day? Vietnam Veterans Day is March 29th. That means it’s time to throw a little extra honor and support toward our Vietnam Vets today! We know venerate might seem like a bit of a strong word for most Vets, but just remember that the first definition for venerate says “regard with great respect.” We can think of no better sentiment for our battle-hardened, dedicated, bad*ss Vietnam Vets! Read next:What Is Veterans Day? Honoring All Who Served
Why Do We Have Vietnam Veterans Day?
You may think having a Veterans Day and then a separate day for Vietnam Veterans seems a little redundant. Well, we may bring up the same point when you go to tune in to three different country music awards on television this year.Vietnam Veterans Day was first recognized in 2012 thanks to a proclamation by then-President Barack Obama to mark the anniversary of the date that the U.S. escalated its involvement in the struggle. Each war our country has faced has presented a unique set of circumstances and problems to overcome. With these problems, we need a unique set of service members to face them and defy any odds that may be against us. We think most Vets can agree with us when we say that the over 2.7 million Vietnam Vets were a different breed, in a league of their own, or any other metaphor you want to throw at them. That’s why we need a special day to honor these special service members. Vietnam Vets Day is a time for us to look at the challenges these service members overcame, the work they put in, and the sacrifices they made in an attempt to end a growing communist regime.More like this:11 Veterans Day Facts You Never Knew
Why the Vietnam War Was Unique
If you look up Vietnam Veterans Day images, you’ll find row upon row of Google images filled with American flags and colorful fonts. If you look up images from the Vietnam War itself, however, you’ll get a much more realistic and telling story rife with explosions, helicopters, injuries, and obvious struggles of almost every kind imaginable. The Vietnam War was a vicious battle primarily between communist North Vietnam and their Viet Cong allies in the south against South Vietnam, who the U.S. was fully allied with. North Vietnam sought to unite the two areas under a communist regime. The war began in 1954 with North Vietnam’s defeat of the French colonial administration of Vietnam. Large numbers of advisory U.S. military personnel were introduced into the area in 1961, with U.S. combat units coming to Vietnam by 1965. South Vietnam strove for Western ideals, unlike communist-minded North Vietnam, which preferred the model of communist China and the Soviet Union, both of which supplied the North with ample weapons and supplies during the war.The Vietnam War was the first war that Americans fought in during the growing era of television, meaning every American could sit down with their frozen dinners – which had only recently reached full production in 1954 – and experience the war up close and personal like never before. An estimated 87% of U.S. households had at least one television by 1960. The televising of the war created easy access to images of violence, which caused excessive turmoil on the home front and led to anti-war sentiment and protests becoming a mainstay in some facets of American culture. This war is also unique in that there isn’t a clear answer to the question, “Who won the Vietnam War?” It all depends on how you define “winner.” The U.S. suffered fewer casualties than their opponents, but the two states of Vietnam were eventually united under communism in 1976 – not to mention the neighboring nations of Cambodia and Laos that also fell to communism.
Is National Vietnam War Veterans Day a Federal Holiday?
Vietnam Veterans Day, also sometimes called Vietnam War Day, is not a federal holiday. This means that no one gets off work or school to celebrate it. November’s Veterans Day, however, is a federal holiday, as is Memorial Day. You don’t need time off to properly respect and support Veterans of the Vietnam War on this day or any day. Vietnam Veterans Remembrance Day, another common term for the commemoration, can be celebrated by spending time with any Vietnam Vets you know and contributing to Veteran causes and charities.If you’re lucky enough to know one of the 850,000 or fewer Vietnam Veterans who are still alive, call them up, invite them to dinner, bring them to movie night, and see if they need anything. Keep in touch with them, even when it’s not Vietnam Veterans Day. Make sure they know you’re there for them whenever they need you. Now the next time someone asks you, “Is there a Vietnam Veterans Day?” you can proudly tell them all about why we celebrate and what makes these Vets special. Suggested read:The Meaning of Veterans Day: A Combat Veteran’s Perspective
TAGS: