Shopsmith Forums

Today is Vietnam Veteran's Day. If you did your time in the jungle, I salute you.

Here, the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution is sponsoring a free lunch at the Bismarck Amvets club for all Vietnam, Korea, and WWII vets who want to attend.

Had no idea that a day had been set aside for us Nam vets. Kudos to the Bismark DAR.

I have the utmost respect for Vietnam Vets. I also salute you.

I had no idea that a day has been appointed for us. I can remember coming back to the States on the USS Ranger (CV 61) and the USS America (CV 66)(both either scrapped or mothballed). We manned the rails and while we sailed under the bridges, we had flowers, rocks, boards and food (some spoiled) on the flight deck. Our uniforms were also soiled with all manner of food, condiments and paint. What a nice warm welcome. Yes, first one was San Francisco, secondly in Jacksonville, FL. Attitudes have greatly changed. We who served in some capacity now wear our hats with pride and speak to each other in public. While I was on carrier for two years, I did have moments to see fireballs roll in the jungles and am tremendously thankful that I was on carrier. The Ranger did have 8" guns on sponsons located near the fantail. We did lob a few projectiles to shore. Range was up to 23 miles, but firing those guns would give a serious rock to the hull. Lesson learned: don't try to eat while the guns are firing.

To those who served, it was my honor to support you. I was a stock clerk who acquired parts and supplies to keep our A-7's flying to bomb Charlie. Thank all of you who served in any war to keep our country strong.

Steve, the old Florida gator

From what I understand this is new just this year in fact only signed on the 28th. Date because the last combat troops left on March 29. I had not heard about it and saw nothing on the news or yahoo news. Either I missed it or they just still hate us, OK too strong a word but there sure seem to be a lack of information on the day around here.

We hung our US flag for the day, and I got a Culver's turtle sundae and I got a paddy melt at a small home town diner near us. That is about all the celebrations I can take for a day. It was also of note that the NSIS show was about an honor flight of Vietnam vets..........

Well I'll be more ready next year.

Ed

I also had no idea they had set aside a day for us. It's nice that they are recognizing it as a war and honoring those who fought and died there.
Paul

The first official proclamation for Vietnam Veteran's Day was signed by Obama back in 2012 commemorating the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the US entry into Vietnam.
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/th ... terans-day
It didn't get much attention back then, but since then, some States have proclaimed their own day of celebration, usually the 29th like the Federal Gov, but some chose the 30th instead.
In the past few years, it seems to have gathered more attention. Here, the DAR has been offering a free lunch and gathering for two years now, and plans to continue it again next year.
I attended the luncheon this year. We had 5 WWII vets in attendance. One of them was brought in his wheelchair from a local nursing home by his family. Also, many Korean vets attended, and hundreds of Vietnam vets. The commanding General of the North Dakota National Guard personally presented all vets from all 3 wars with a Certificate and pin honoring their service.
North Dakota is quite different from the rest of the US in honoring its vets. Here veterans get respect and always have.
When I returned from Vietnam in the Marines, we landed in California. There, the liberal slimy people of California met the returning Marines with insults. That is the biggest reason I left California, never to return. Before going into the Marines, I lived in California, but soon found out what a sleazy place it is. Upon my return from Vietnam, I came back to North Dakota. Here, returning vets were welcomed with open arms and free drinks at the local saloons. The WWII and Korea vets went out of their way to buy us free drinks to welcome us back. They knew what we had experienced and they respected it.
Not much has really changed in this country since then, The States on the West coast are as slimy as ever. The east coast states are no better. In fact, just about every other State is much the same.
But, up here in our own little corner, vets still get the same respect they always got, even back in the 1960s.
So, if you Vietnam vets didn't get respect, it is because of the place you choose to live. Not all of the US is like that or ever was.

I guess a proclamation is fine but apparently it does not carry much weight since it was never signed into law. Probably why nobody knew about it. I sure had never heard about it. It has now been signed into law. So I guess there is a new federal holiday. I got this today in the VFW news letter.

"6. National Vietnam War Veterans Day: The president signed into law this week a VFW-supported bill that officially designates March 29 as National Vietnam War Veterans Day. The legislation was sponsored by Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., to recognize the service and sacrifice of a generation of American patriots. March 29 marks the anniversary of when combat forces departed South Vietnam in 1973, even though some troops remained until their final departure in 1975. According to Department of Veterans Affairs, there were 8.7 million Vietnam Era veterans, with 3.4 million deployed downrange. There were 47,434 combat deaths, 10,786 in-theater deaths, and 153,303 non-mortal woundings, which also include casualties from the ill-fated SS Mayaguez rescue attempt in 1975. The number of unaccounted-for Americans from the war is 1,614, of whom 1,260 are MIA in Vietnam, 298 in Laos, 49 in Cambodia, and seven in China."

I was in Thailand in 1975 and took part in the SS Mayaguez incident, Phnom Penh Cambodia evacuation and the Saigon evacuation.