More than 100 veterans of the Vietnam War received a 50-year commemoration pin at the Illinois Veterans Home in Anna recently, according to a press release.
“The celebration is to honor and thank veterans of the Vietnam War, including personnel who were held as prisoners of war, or listed as missing in action, for their service and sacrifice on behalf of the United States, and to thank and honor the families of these veterans,” Erica Jeffries, director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs said in a statement. “These veterans put their lives on the line for us. They deserve our recognition and respect for the sacrifices they undertook for our nation.”
This recognition was approved by Congress in 2007 when the Legislature authorized the secretary of defense to start planning for the war's 50th anniversary. The commemoration is applicable to all American veterans who served between November 1955 and May 15 of 1975.
The Veterans Admnistration has estimated that between 7 million and 9 million Vietnam veterans are still living nationwide.
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