Sign the Pledge to Honor Our Vietnam Veterans
Final signature count: 78,798
78,798 signatures toward our 100,000 goal
Sponsor: The Veterans Site
Honor our veterans and fallen soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice to fight for freedom in Vietnam.
Raging for just short of 20 years, the Vietnam War is one of the longest-running wars in American history.
Over 58,000 American soldiers died in Vietnam, 98,000 were left disabled, 5,000 lost limbs, 800 were taken as prisoners of war, and at least 1,600 still have not been accounted for to this day.
The average age of those killed in Vietnam was just over 23 years old. Of those killed, 61% were younger than 21, and 11,465 were younger than 201.
As the years pass, we must continue to honor veterans and fallen soldiers who sacrificed everything for America in Vietnam.
We must also pay tribute to the soldiers who returned and faced difficulties coming back into society. Many of them were met with disrespect, the American public having blamed them — not the government — for the war. Many sustained severe PTSD. Some described the after-effects of Vietnam to be worse than the war itself.
According to a survey by the Veterans Administration, some 500,000 of the 3 million troops who served in Vietnam suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and rates of divorce, suicide, alcoholism and drug addiction were markedly higher among veterans2.
More than 2.5 million U.S. soldiers were also exposed to Agent Orange.This defoliant caused health problems in 3 million Vietnamese, according to the Vietnamese Red Cross, and causes cancer, diabetes, and birth defects in the children of those affected3.
The VA is still paying out compensation benefits for Vietnam veterans and families to the tune of $22 billion a year. Since 1970, the post-war benefits for veterans and families have cost $270 billion4.
It’s still not enough.
Vietnam veterans served their country with honor, though they faced an unpredictable and vicious enemy abroad and derision back at home. It’s time they understood what their service means to all Americans.
Sign the pledge declaring your support for all of the Vietnam service members — both the fallen soldiers and living veterans — for their tremendous sacrifice to our country.