Page 18 - IAV Digital Magazine #542

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
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 vet- erans and their families for their service and sacrifice.
The first Vietnam Veterans Day, declared by President Richard Nixon in 1974, coin- cided with the one-year anniversary of the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Vietnam on March 29, 1973. Today, the holiday is officially observed on March 29th and is referred to as National Vietnam War Veterans Day.
Veterans Day is a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states with the exception of Wisconsin.
On April 30, 1975, NVA tanks rolled through the gate of the Presidential Palace in Saigon, effectively ending the war.
"Of the 2,709,918 Americans who served in Vietnam, Less than 850,000 are estimat- ed to be alive today, with the youngest American Vietnam veteran's age approximated to be 60 years old."
Many Vietnam veterans built successful lives after they returned home from the war. They finished their educations, established good careers, and had families. But many other veterans had a tough time readjusting to life in the United States after they completed their military service.
The Army had to fight in unfamiliar territory, was lacking in moral, were not prepared
for the conditions, could not shut down the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and were untrained to respond to guerilla warfare. This combination of disadvantages and the loss of public support led to the United States withdrawing from Vietnam.
The last US ground troops left Vietnam in March 1973, after which the peace talks once again broke down. Fighting resumed and South Vietnam eventually surrendered to the forces of North Vietnam in April 1975. Approximately 2,700,000 American men and women served in Vietnam.
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine