Defense Department names Carson City a Commemorative Partner
The community of Carson City has been awarded official commemoration by the United States Department of Defense for its efforts to honor and recognize Vietnam War veterans, Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell said.
"As a city we already do muchto support our veterans and our Vietnam Veterans, in particular," he said. "This designation highlights the support that Carson City provides to veterans and our community willingness to assist and thank our Vietnam War Veterans."
Crowell said most of the commemorative partners are private businesses, and Carson City is one of the only municipalities to receive this recognition.
The Nevada capital's recognition is part of the ongoing 50th anniversary observance of America's official involvement in the Vietnam War.
Objectives of the commemoration are to thank and honor Vietnam War veterans and their families, including those held as prisoners of war or designated as missing in action, for their service and sacrifices; to highlight the service of the United States Armed Forces, as well as the advances in technology, science and medicine made during the war; to pay tribute to the contributions made on the home front on behalf American service men and women; and to recognize the contributions and sacrifices made by U.S. allies during the war.
The Department of Defense made official its commemoration of Carson City on March 4, 2016, corresponding with the month that U.S. military forces withdrew from Southeast Asia.
Crowell said the city only recently received the commemorative certificate in June. The document is currently displayed on the front counter at city hall, he said.
The United States engaged in direct, full-scale military operations against North Vietnam after Congress had passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution on Aug. 7, 1964. The act authorized President Lyndon Baines Johnson to use whatever means necessary to defend Southeast Asia.
Hostilities involving the United States there lasted more than eight years, ending in March 1973 after a cease-fire agreement was signed in January of that year.
Although North Vietnam violated the cease fire two years later, there was no American retaliation. The last American civilians and South Vietnamese refugees were airlifted out of Saigon by U.S. Marine and Air Force choppers on April 29, 1975.
America's first casualty in Vietnam occurred in June 1956, according to the National Archives. In total, more than 58,000 American lives were lost and over 1,600 service personnel went missing in action throughout the period in which the United States was engaged in the Vietnam conflict.
There were 151 casualties from Nevada, seven of which from Carson City, and all of their names are inscribed on the Nevada Vietnam Memorial at Mills Park.
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