| The United Mine Workers of America says a West Virginia Vietnam veterans' remembrance event will be observed Friday, March 30, at the state Capitol grounds in Charleston.
United Mine Workers International President Cecil Roberts will join Dave Simmons, president of the West Virginia Council of Vietnam Veterans, at the 11 a.m. event.
In 2017, Congress permanently designated March 29 as National Vietnam Veterans Day to honor those who served in the war. March 29 was the day when the last combat troops were ordered out of Vietnam in 1973.
"The men and women who served in Vietnam do not always get the appreciation they deserve," Roberts said in the news release. "This day will give Americans an opportunity to express their gratitude towards the Vietnam veterans who served our country."
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.
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