Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day
The Virginia Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) is following through on a concept that was started as a grass roots effort in Whittier, California to basically say thank you to the brave soldiers returning home from Vietnam who were more often than not faced with social unrest and civil turmoil rather than the thank you they deserved.
The overall mission of the Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day organization is to insure all honorably discharged veterans are received with more than just a thank you or a pat on the back when they have completed their tour of duty. However, their immediate focus is toward the debt of gratitude that Vietnam Veterans particularly deserve.
March 30th was chosen because it was on that date in 1973 that the U.S. Armed Forces completed withdrawal of combat troops.
Last year, Congress (patroned by Rep. Linda Sanchez and co-patroned by Frank Wolfe) passed a national Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day. Each state chapter of VVA is now trying to get similar recognitions passed by state legislators.
In Virginia the state joint resolution is in progress. There was a hearing in the House of Delegates last Wednesday, January 20th. George Corbett, Secretary, Vietnam Veterans of America, Virginia State Council testified. House Joint Resolution No. 136 was patroned by Delegate David Bulova, et. al., and Senate Joint Resolution No. 42 was patroned by Senator Chap Petersen.
In Fairfax County on March 23rd at 8:30am, in the auditorium at the Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035-0071, the Board of Supervisors will present Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 227 with a proclamation declaring March 30th as “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day”. Please consider being there in support of the proclamation. We want everyone, regardless of conflict. Please contact Bruce Waxman at bruce_waxman@vva227.org for further details.
Further details about “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day!” is available at www.whvvd.org.