U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly Thursday announced the location of the March 29th event honoring Vietnam Veterans: Plainfield High School—just outside of Indianapolis. The event will recognize and welcome home Hoosier Vietnam War Veterans with their families and members of the community. The evening will kick-off with a resource fair at 6 PM. The resource fair will give veterans and their families the opportunity to learn more about the kinds of services that veteran-focused agencies and organizations have to offer. The event will begin promptly at 7 PM. All Hoosier Vietnam War veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time between November 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975, regardless of duty location, and their families, are invited to attend this event.
Donnelly said, “I look forward to honoring our Hoosier Vietnam War Veterans at Plainfield High School on the evening of March 29. During this event we will give our veterans the welcome home they deserve and should have received when they returned home from serving our country. This day of recognition is a result of my bipartisan legislation with Senator Pat Toomey that is now law, officially designating every March 29 as National Vietnam War Veterans Day.”
Donnelly originally announced the event in December 2017, alongside U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Vietnam War Veteran, POW, and Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. McCain will not be joining Donnelly for the event at Plainfield High School.
Bipartisan legislation authored by Donnelly and Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) permanently designating March 29 as National Vietnam War Veterans Day was signed into law by President Trump in March of 2017. The inaugural National Vietnam Veterans Day was celebrated on March 29, 2017. The Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act was passed unanimously by both chambers of Congress.
BACKGROUND:
- The Vietnam War Veterans Day Act permanently designates March 29 as National Vietnam War Veterans Day.
- On March 29, 1973, the last combat troops were ordered out of Vietnam.
- While many troops remained behind before the fall of Saigon – March 29 holds great meaning for many Vietnam War Veterans.
- In addition, this includes March 29th as a day “the flag should be displayed.”
- WATCH: Donnelly announce the location of his event in Indiana celebrating National Vietnam Veterans Day 2018
Transcript of Donnelly’s video statement:
Hello, I’m Senator Joe Donnelly.
I recently announced that I will be hosting an event in Indiana to honor our Hoosier Vietnam War Veterans.
Today, I’m pleased to share more details with you. On March 29, National Vietnam War Veterans Day, the event will be held at Plainfield High School, just outside of Indianapolis. On the evening of the 29 we will give our Vietnam veterans the welcome home, with their families, that they deserve and should have received when they returned home from serving our country.
This day of recognition is a result of my bipartisan legislation with Senator Pat Toomey that is now law, officially designating every March 29 as National Vietnam War Veterans Day.
I hope you will join me in Plainfield on March 29. You can learn more about this event by visiting my website: www.donnelly.senate.gov or by calling my Indianapolis office at 317-226-5555.
God bless you, God bless Indiana, and God bless America.
