American Legion Family honors Vietnam veterans at the Wall - The American Legion

Laying a wreath astatine the Vietnam Veterans Memorial successful Washington, D.C., connected Veterans Day was particularly meaningful for American Legion Auxiliary National President Vickie Koutz.  

She is joined to American Legion Past National Commander James Koutz, a Vietnam seasoned and subordinate of Post 200 successful Indiana.   

“Witnessing the emblem presumption of the colors and seeing the American flag, knowing the state it represents is precise special,” said Koutz, who was joined by American Legion Executive Director of Government Affairs Chanin Nuntavong astatine the ceremony.   

Veterans Day besides marked a peculiar anniversary for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.   

“It’s an grant to beryllium with you connected this Veterans Day to commemorate the 40th day of the dedication of this wall,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough said. “An enduring, surviving monument dedicated to remembering the 58,281 brave men and women who died successful Vietnam. Chiseled into the polished achromatic granite and etched into the past of our federation are the names of the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who answered the telephone to support a state they ne'er knew and a radical they ne'er met.”  

These names person taught america the value of remembering stories of valor and sacrifice, McDonough said.   

“It is an bonzer enactment to enactment connected the nation’s uniform, permission the information of your home, deploy to a warzone successful a overseas onshore and combat for the state of idiosyncratic else,” helium said. “Our Vietnam veterans performed that bonzer enactment during a clip of large polarization and situation present astatine home.”  

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin paid tribute to a Vietnam seasoned helium greatly admired.   

“I travel from a household with a arrogant past of subject service, and 1 of my uncles served successful Vietnam arsenic a communicator,” Austin said. “He was the precise archetypal African-American Green Beret that I ever saw. And truthful helium came location wearing his leap boots, and that greenish beret, and those leap wings. He was precise impressive. My uncle was profoundly and softly arrogant of what helium had contributed.” 

It was the pridefulness helium saw successful his uncle that inspired Austin to service arsenic well.  

“Service lifts up others. It enriches your ain life. And it makes you a portion of a arrogant American story, portion of the solemn work that has moved truthful galore patriots crossed the generations: to permission this state amended than you recovered it.”  

Austin besides told a communicative astir 1 of his chap Iraq veterans who visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial successful 2008. The servicemember near his combat boots and a enactment connected Marine Corps stationery astatine the Wall.  

“He wrote, ‘Brothers, these are my fortunate boots. They got maine done 2 tours connected the crushed successful Iraq. I figured you’d admit them much than the garbage man,’” Austin said. “His enactment continued: ‘The information of the substance is, we beryllium you an atrocious lot. If your procreation of Marines had not travel location to jeers, insults and protests, my procreation would not person travel location to thanks, handshakes and hugs.’”  

Austin thanked each past and existent servicemembers for their service, patriotism and sacrifice. 

“We beryllium our veterans not lone our deepest gratitude but besides our unwavering committedness to the antiauthoritarian values that you person been truthful arrogant to defend,” helium concluded. “Thank you, to each of our veterans, for answering your country’s call.”