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Vietnam Veterans Recognized in Arcadia March 29 – National Vietnam War Veterans Day
Arcadia Weekly Mar 26, 2021
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By Gene Glasco
The Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 was signed into law by 45th U.S. President Donald J. Trump, designating every March 29 as National Vietnam War Veterans Day. It is considered a national holiday and is intended to unite Americans to thank and honor Vietnam veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice.
We lose more than 390 Vietnam veterans every day — many residing in hospice and long-term care facilities. National Vietnam War Veterans Day was signed into law to honor these brave men and women who served and sacrificed before our opportunity to do so vanishes.
This special day joins six other military-centric annual observances codified in Title 4 of the United States Code §6 (i.e., Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, Navy Day, Veterans Day).
March 29 is a fitting choice for a day honoring Vietnam veterans. It was chosen to be observed in perpetuity as March 29, 1973 was the day United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam was disestablished and also the day the last U.S. combat troops departed Vietnam. In addition, on and around this same day Hanoi released the last of its acknowledged prisoners of war.
The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that today there are more than 6 million U.S. Vietnam veterans living in America and abroad, along with 9 million families of those who served during this timeframe.
“Of the 2,709,918 Americans who served in Vietnam, less than 850,000 are estimated to be alive today, with the youngest American Vietnam veteran’s age approximated to be 60 years old.” Nov 11, 2020
As of May 2018, there are 58,320 American names, which includes eight women, on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Fourteen names on the Wall in Washington DC are Arcadia, California heroes and whose names are also inscribed on the Vietnam War Memorial in the Arcadia County Park.
There were four of us from my graduating class at Arcadia High School who deployed to Vietnam. Only two of us returned home to rejoin society and live out a full life. {Gene Hicks-KIA 01/16/68 13 days after arrival in-country. Vaughn Hines- MIA. 11/08/67 –3 months after arrival in-country.}
There won’t be any formal Vietnam Veterans Day activity this March 29 at the Arcadia Park Monument this year due to Covid and any possible variant concerns.
Arcadia’s Vietnam War Fatalities
PFC ROGER ALLEN BOOMSMA-USMC
1 LT THOMAS EDWARD CAMPELL-USA
PFC RODNEY WILLARD CASSELMAN-USA
2 LT VINCENT EDWARD DUFFY-USA
PFC JAMES CARL FOX-USA
SPC4 EUGENE STANLEY HICKS-USA
PFC VAUGHN MAURICE HINES-USA
PFC RICHARD RAY IRWIN-USA
PFC WILLIAM EDWARD KENNEDY-USA
PFC JAMES ANDREW LEACH-USMC
LT BRUCE PHILLIP ROWE-USN
SPC4 CRAIG RAY SCHOLENBAUM-USA
CPT PATRICK MICHAEL WARD-USA
2LT EDWARD ARTHUR ZAGER-USA
