On Tuesday, March 29, local veterans who served during the Vietnam war were honored at the American Legion Stallings-Williams Post 206 in Chesapeake Beach, Calvert County. There were 53 veterans recognized at the event, including veterans who reside at the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home.
The ceremony was held in honor of National Vietnam War Veterans Day which was also recognized on March 29. That day in 1973 was the day the last U.S. combat troops departed Vietnam. The holiday was created via the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 which was signed into law by the 45th U.S. President Donald Trump.
Veterans were pinned by the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs, George W. Owings III. Post Commander Scott Deacon presented a state citation and Joy Ashcraft, the director of Maryland's Commitment to Veterans, provided veterans with a challenge coin.
After the ceremony veterans were treated to a meal and social hour.
President Joe Biden issued "A Proclamation on the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War" on March 28 where he wrote in part:
"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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