CAMDEN — War Memorial Post 30, American Legion in Camden, will honor Vietnam War Veterans Day with a commemorative flag raising at 11:30 a.m., on Saturday, March 29, followed by a luncheon. The event, organized Post 30, will be held at Legion, located at 91 Pearl Street in Camden. In case of inclement weather, the flag raising ceremony will be postponed but the luncheon will be held. In support and recognition of all Vietnam and Vietnam Era Veterans Post 30 will sponsor a free luncheon for any Vietnam Veteran and guest. Veterans eat free and guests are invited to make a donation.

The Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act was signed into law in 2017 and designates March 29 as National Vietnam War Veterans Day (NVWVD), the day of the departure of the last American troops from Vietnam in 1973. Vietnam War Veterans Day is a day we honor and thank the 2,709,918 Americans and all who bravely served on active duty in the Vietnam War between Nov. 1, 1955 and May 15, 1975.

March 29, 1973, is the day U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam was disestablished, and the day the last U.S. combat troops departed Vietnam. In addition, on and around this same day, the U.S. Vietnam War Commemoration stated that Hanoi released the last of its acknowledged prisoners of war.

“It’s vitally important that we always remember the heroism of the veterans who served honorably in Vietnam,” said Post Adjutant Jeff Sukeforth, a Vietnam era and retired USAF Veteran. “A lot of my fellow service members struggle to this day from the sacrifices they made more than 50 years ago. Our nation owes it to them to never forget and ensure their needs are met.”

“Today and always, I urge the people of Camden to pause and pay tribute to those who served with courage, those who made the ultimate sacrifice, those who were wounded, and those who carry the lasting effects of their service," said Sukeforth. "To those who witnessed the cost of war and those still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, you will never be forgotten.”

More than 48,000 Mainers served in the Vietnam War, and an additional 16,000 Maine residents were serving worldwide during the Vietnam War era. The names of the 343 Maine residents who laid down their lives are etched on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. and eleven Maine servicemen remain missing in action.

Vets are asked to call Post Adjutant Jeff Sukeforth at 691-2270 to RSVP.