Central Minnesota to Honor Vietnam War Veterans Day March 29th

(KNSI) — Friday will see plenty of smiles and a warm welcome for some local veterans.

March 29th is Vietnam Vietnam War Veterans Day, and it will be marked with an extra dose of courtesy at the St. Cloud VA to those who served during that conflict. Public Affairs Officer Barry Venable wants others to join in. “I would encourage everyone in the community, take note of the opportunity to not only thank those warriors but appreciate their service, not only during that conflict, but in some unfortunate circumstances following that conflict, which, in fact, caused them to not be adequately recognized.”

There is a special fish fry on Friday at the Sauk Rapids VFW hosted by the Sauk Rapids VFW Auxillary 6992 and Vietnam Veterans of America. It goes from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with a meat raffle at 5:00. The cost is $13 per person.

Venable says no generation of soldiers has ever had to advocate as hard for their deserved benefits as they did. He says this year is different, though, with new legislation like the PACT Act. Many of those unmet promises are finally being fulfilled.

“In anticipation of the new law coming into effect at the beginning of the month we did supplement our eligibility office with some additional staff and space in the event that we did have an influx. On [March] 5th and 6th, we did show definitely an increase in our throughput. So far, it hasn’t been overwhelming.”

The VA says it is processing claims faster than ever before to handle the increased demands of the PACT Act.

Those with questions can attend a claims clinic in late May cohosted with the St. Paul Regional Office of Veteran Benefits Administration. The PACT Act applies to those exposed to toxic substances like Agent Orange beginning in the Vietnam War.

National Vietnam War Veterans Day is honored every year on March 29th, marking the date more than 50 years ago when the last combat troops were withdrawn from the country, and the last POWs held in North Vietnam arrived home. The date was made official through the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 and signed into law by then-President Donald Trump. Though long overdue, it is the day when America recognizes each and every Vietnam War veteran, including those who have yet to return home and are still unaccounted for. More than 58,000 lost their lives, and 1,580 are still unaccounted for.

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