Honoring the Vietnam veterans

For far too long, veterans returning from what was probably our nation's most politically divisive war since the Civil War were unappreciated, denigrated, scorned. Vietnam War veterans received little positive recognition compared to veterans of other wars.

In 2008, the National Defense Authorization Act Vietnam War declared that the Secretary of Defense should conduct a program to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, coordinating federal, state and local governments and other organizations. Iowa does its part today. Vietnam veterans will be honored at a state recognition ceremony at 11 a.m. at the Iowa Vietnam Memorial on the State Capitol's south side.

The guest speaker is Robert Myers, a decorated Vietnam War vet who went on to become president/CEO of the Iowa-based Casey's General Store company.

While no one ceremony can begin to repay the veterans of Vietnam, the event in Iowa and others across the nation this year are important. During the Vietnam War, 115,000 Iowans served in all branches of the military. Their average age was 19. Five Iowans earned the Medal of Honor for bravery; 869 were casualties of the war.

As a nation, our armed services lost 58,253 and 153,363 others were wounded. At our peak involvement, there were more than 543,00 U.S. troops in Vietnam.

The U.S. Vietnam War Commemoration website notes that the average U.S. infantryman in Vietnam saw 240 days of combat in one year, largely because of helicopter mobility and other technology advances. By comparison, the typical infantry man in the South Pacific during World War II saw 40 days of combat in four years of service.

The Vietnam War was one of the darkest chapters in our nation's history. Political and military objectives became tarnished, clouded, failed. Yet the outcomes don't diminish the sacrifice and hardship endured by those who were drafted or volunteered to serve.

Learn more at http://www.vietnamwar50th.com/

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