News Staff Report
The headline for a story that appeared in last week’s Atmore News contained the incorrect date (May 30) for the community’s designated Vietnam Veterans Day, although the body of the story had the correct date (March 30).
Atmore Memorial VFW Auxiliary members announced plans to place yellow ribbons on public buildings and on trees in public parks in the days leading up to the designated day of observance.
Auxiliary members are asking businesses to participate by displaying yellow bows on shop and store doors and windows in support of the men and women who served in the bloody conflict, in which the U.S. was involved for more than a decade. More than 58,000 American military members lost their lives in the war.
Vietnam Veterans Day proclamation
On January 12, 1962, United States Army pilots lifted more than 1,000 South Vietnamese service members over jungle and underbrush to capture a National Liberation Front stronghold near Saigon. Operation Chopper marked America’s first combat mission against the Viet Cong, and the beginning of one of our longest and most challenging wars. Through more than a decade of conflict that tested the fabric of our Nation, the service of our men and women in uniform stood true. Fifty years after that fateful mission, we honor the more than 3 million Americans who served, we pay tribute to those we have laid to rest, and we reaffirm our dedication to showing a generation of veterans the respect and support of a grateful Nation.
The Vietnam War is a story of service members of different backgrounds, colors, and creeds who came together to complete a daunting mission. It is a story of Americans from every corner of our Nation who left the warmth of family to serve the country they loved. It is a story of patriots who braved the line of fire, who cast themselves into harm’s way to save a friend, who fought hour after hour, day after day to preserve the liberties we hold dear. From Ia Drang to Hue, they won every major battle of the war and upheld the highest traditions of our Armed Forces.
Eleven years of combat left their imprint on a generation. Thousands returned home bearing shrapnel and scars; still more were burdened by the invisible wounds of post-traumatic stress, of Agent Orange, of memories that would never fade. More than 58,000 laid down their lives in service to our Nation. Now and forever, their names are etched into two faces of black granite, a lasting memorial to those who bore conflict’s greatest cost.
Our veterans answered our country’s call and served with honor, and on March 29, 1973, the last of our troops left Vietnam. Yet, in one of the war’s most profound tragedies, many of these men and women came home to be shunned or neglected – to face treatment unbefitting their courage and a welcome unworthy of their example. We must never let this happen again. Today, we reaffirm one of our most fundamental obligations: to show all who have worn the uniform of the United States the respect and dignity they deserve, and to honor their sacrifice by serving them as well as they served us. Half a century after those helicopters swept off the ground and into the annals of history, we pay tribute to the fallen, the missing, the wounded, the millions who served, and the millions more who awaited their return. Our Nation stands stronger for their service, and on Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home Day, we honor their proud legacy with our deepest gratitude.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Jim Staff, Mayor of the City of Atmore, do hereby proclaim Saturday, March 30, 2024 as Vietnam Veterans Day and henceforth declare the last Saturday of March as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day in the City of Atmore. I call upon all citizens of Atmore and surrounding communities to display yellow ribbons on doors, mailboxes and other pertinent areas to support our Vietnam Veterans the week leading up to March 30th.