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United Mine Workers President and Vietnam War veteran Cecil Roberts will serve as keynote speaker during an 11 a.m. Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day program on Thursday at the State Capitol.
Roberts will be among hundreds of Vietnam veterans in attendance. The formal program is part of a three-hour "reunion" gathering (11 a.m.-2 p.m.) of state Vietnam veterans.
West Virginia's chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) is hosting the event, with help from the West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance (WVDVA).
· 36,578 West Virginia soldiers served in U.S. armed forces during the Vietnam era.
· 732 West Virginia soldiers died during the Vietnam War, according to our memorials. The Vietnam Veterans of America group in West Virginia believes that the actual total is more than 1,100 deaths. The difference comes because many West Virginia soldiers had moved out of state before serving. The listed home state, as a result, was not West Virginia.
· West Virginia experienced the highest soldiers' death rate during the Vietnam War.
· More than two-thirds of the nation's Vietnam veterans have died.
See SECOND CALHOUN VIETNAM CASUALTY FOUND - Remembering Darrell West And Dean Starcher
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