RI National Cemetery hosts Vietnam War commemorative ceremony
The Rock Island National Cemetery will host the Vietnam War – 50th Anniversary Commemorative Ceremony at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 28, a news release says.
This ceremony, held annually on National Vietnam War Veterans Day, will consist of these elements coordinated by local Vietnam Veterans of America chapters:
Welcome and introductions – Matt Tomes, director, Rock Island National Cemetery
National Anthem – Jim Bell, Vietnam Veterans of America 299
Intro of keynote – Matt Tomes
Keynote address – Terry Lynch, Vietnam veteran
Wreath laying – Matt Tomes and Terry Lynch
Rifle salute – Local Vietnam Veterans of America Chapters
Taps – Tracy Hepner, Moline American Legion Post 246.
National Vietnam War Veterans Day is a U.S. holiday observed annually on March 29. It honors all United States veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. armed forces from Nov. 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975, regardless of location.
On March 28, 2017, President Donald Trump signed the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017. This act officially recognizes March 29 as National Vietnam War Veterans Day. The Act also includes the day among those days on which the U.S. flag should especially be displayed.
A history of National Vietnam War Veterans Day
According to the news release, U.S. involvement in Vietnam started slowly with an initial deployment of advisors in the early 1950s, grew incrementally through the early 1960s and expanded with the deployment of full combat units in July 1965. The last U.S. personnel were evacuated from Vietnam in April 1975. This national commemoration was authorized by Congress, established under the Secretary of Defense, and launched by the President to thank and honor our Nation’s Vietnam veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice. Vietnam War – 50th Anniversary Commemorative Ceremony 2-2-2 In 2007, the 110th Congress incorporated language in House of Representatives (H.R.) 4986 authorizing the Secretary of Defense to conduct a program commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.
H.R. 4986 was signed into law as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2008 by President George W. Bush on Jan. 28, 2008. President Barack Obama officially inaugurated this Commemoration at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Memorial Day, May 28, 2012.
Congress outlined a total of five objectives for this U.S. Vietnam War Commemoration, with the primary objective being to thank and honor Vietnam veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice on behalf of the Nation, with distinct recognition of former prisoners of war and families of those still listed as missing in action.
The four remaining objectives highlight the service of our Armed Forces and support organizations during the war; pay tribute to wartime contributions at home by American citizens; highlight technology, science and medical advances made during the war; and recognize contributions by our Allies.
By Presidential proclamation, The U.S. Vietnam War Commemoration will continue through Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2025. In part, the 2022 presidential proclamation, signed by President Joe Biden, stated, “In 2012, our nation launched a 13-year long commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War to ensure that every veteran, family, caregiver, and survivor impacted by the difficult years in Vietnam feels our nation’s gratitude for their sacrifice. Every service member of the Vietnam generation should know that their sacrifices mattered and that their service made a difference. The names etched in The Wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial remind us of our loved ones who gave their all and never came home. To the families, caregivers, and survivors of the more than 58,000 service members whose names are memorialized in the black granite, we pledge to never forget the eternal sacrifice of your loved ones and what you have sacrificed for the nation.”
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