PORT ANGELES — U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer has invited veterans of the Vietnam War to participate in a pinning ceremony in Port Angeles as part of the 50th anniversary commemoration of the Vietnam War.
The event will be held at the Northwest Veteran Resource Center, 216 S. Francis St., at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
At the ceremony, Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, will present a commemorative pin created by the Department of Defense to attending United States veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time between Nov. 1, 1955, and May 15, 1975, regardless of location.
“[Fifty] years after the Vietnam War, too many of the 7.2 million living Vietnam veterans who served our nation have not been recognized for their service and sacrifices,” Kilmer said in a statement. “This simple pinning ceremony is a small way for our community to do something the nation should have done 50 years ago — say thank you.”
The pinning program was established by the Secretary of Defense after receiving a 2007 directive from Congress to establish an official commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. Kilmer is one of 10,000 commemorative partners nationwide who have volunteered to host veteran-pinning events.
So far this year, Kilmer’s office has presented pins to 131 veterans at events in Ocean Shores and Elma. Port Angeles Mayor Sissi Bruch will join Kilmer at the event in Port Angeles.
Community members are welcome and encouraged to attend and show their support for their friends and neighbors who served in Vietnam.
In addition to the pin authorized for veterans who served, the commemoration also authorized lapel pins for former and living American military POWs, the immediate family members of American military personnel listed as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, the immediate family members for any veteran listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and surviving spouses of deceased Vietnam veterans.
There is no need to RSVP in advance. Veterans with questions can contact Rob Richards by calling Kilmer’s Tacoma office at 253-272-3515 or emailing Rob.Richards@mail.house.gov.
