According to VA.com, National Vietnam War Veterans Day “is a national observance that recognizes Veterans who served in the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.”
March 29 was chosen as National Vietnam War Veterans Day because on March 29, 1973, Military Assistance Command-Vietnam (MACV) was disbanded, and the last U.S. combat troops [and most POWs] departed the Republic of Vietnam.
Last week, March 25, 2026, I attended a special program for the exhibition “Mail Call: Letters From/To Vietnam,” which has been on view in the Vietnam Memorial Gallery, Albany, N.Y., since May 2025. Two letters from my brothers, Mike and Chris, were selected for the exhibit last spring. To read about the opening event, click the headline below:
The program last Wednesday featured three special speakers—Vietnam veterans—who opened up and shared their thoughts and experiences from the war years and beyond:
Ned Foote (seated second from left), Vietnam Veterans of America, New York
State Council President,
Karl Rohde (with the microphone), Agency Director of Putnam County
Veterans Services (you can see his red journal, which he kept in Vietnam, on the table beside him), and
Bruce Pentland (seated far right), Benefits Advisor for New York State
Department of Veterans’ Services.
Benjamin Pomerance (seated far left), Deputy Counsel for the Department of Veterans’ Services, hosted the event, bringing warmth, humor, and setting the stage for the honest, heartfelt remarks and recollections of each of the panel members.
At the end of the event, which also included film clips from the HBO documentary, “Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam,” the panelists were presented with a special Executive New York Proclamation honoring Vietnam Veterans Day 2026. (Full text below.)
State of New York
Executive Chamber
Proclamation
“Whereas, throughout the history of our state and nation, countless brave individuals have answered the call to patriotic duty, including Vietnam veterans who endured unspeakable hardships and risked their lives fighting for the ideals of democracy;
and
Whereas, American involvement in the Vietnam War—one of the longest military conflicts in America’s history—began with the arrival of United States military personnel in South Vietnam in the 1950s and ended with the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, when the last Americans were evacuated from the United States Embassy; and
Whereas, during this long and difficult war, American involvement escalated to staggering statistics: more than 3.4 million personnel were deployed to Southeast Asia; 2.7 million served in the designated war zone; over 58,000 were killed in the theatre of operation; 153,000 were non-mortally wounded; and nearly 1,600 service members are still missing in action almost four decades later; and
Whereas, of the names listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in our nation’s capital, 4,119 are those of courageous New Yorkers who fought and never returned; we recognize and thank all of our state’s Vietnam veterans for their service—those who made the ultimate sacrifice, those who came home physically or emotionally scarred, and those who returned home safely to their loved ones; and
Whereas, we have not forgotten and we will never forget the men and women who served honorably in the Vietnam War, as so many others who answered the call to serve in previous and subsequent wars; the selfless service and sacrifice of Vietnam veterans is an inspiring reminder of the patriotism, spirit, and courage of all who serve in our nation’s Armed Forces; and
“Whereas, the last 2,500 American combat troops were withdrawn from South Vietnam on March 29, 1973, and we solemnly mark the anniversary of this day and reflect on its significance for past, present, and future generations;
Now, Therefore, I, Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New York, do hereby proclaim March 29, 2026, as
VIETNAM VETERANS DAY
in the Empire State.
Given under my hand and the Privy Seal of the State
at the Capitol in the City of Albany, this eighteenth day
of March in the year two thousand twenty-six.
Kathy Hokul
Governor
Secretary to the Governor
Karen Persichilli Keogh
I was honored that my brothers’ letters were included in the exhibit and grateful to be in the audience for the ceremony.
There is nothing like listening deeply to stories
as they are told by those who lived them;
the truth of the telling rings in your ears.
A great many mistakes were made during the Vietnam Era, but as Benjamin Pomerance repeated several times during the event, “It is long overdue and cannot be said too often to our Vietnam Veterans:”
“Welcome Home, welcome home, welcome home.
We are glad you are here.”
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