English poet Geoffrey Chaucer once said,
“
all good things must come to an end,” but that doesn’t mean the mission of thanking and honoring Vietnam veterans will.
The Commemoration is formally preparing to conclude its operations on November 30, 2025. As we approach this important milestone, final activities, content publication, and public engagements are being carefully coordinated to ensure a respectful and impactful close to more than a decade of dedicated work honoring Vietnam veterans and their families.
We extend our deepest gratitude to you, our 13,498 Commemorative Partners, whose steadfast support, outreach,
and local leadership made this national effort possible. Your commitment helped ensure Vietnam veterans across America received the thanks and recognition they earned and so richly deserve. From ceremonies and educational events to parades and oral histories, you have carried the message of honor and remembrance to every corner of the nation. From 2012 to 2025, you have thanked and honored over 4.4 million Vietnam veterans and their families and conducted over 29,316 events across the 56 U.S. states, commonwealths, and territories. Well done!
Fairly new to the events roster, but highly successful, was our participation in the
Navy Weeks events. Sponsored by NAVCO (Navy Office of Community Outreach), the Navy Week program has served as the Navy's principal outreach effort into areas of the nation without a significant Navy presence, with over 300 Navy Weeks held in 95 different U.S. cities.
From 2023 to 2025, the Vietnam War Commemoration successfully engaged veterans, their families, and the public through participation in Fleet Weeks and Navy Weeks across the country. These events served as powerful platforms to recognize and honor our Vietnam veterans, raising public awareness and generating heartfelt appreciation for their service. The Navy and supporting commands displayed tremendous professionalism and support, allowing the Commemoration to connect directly with thousands of Americans in communities large and small. As a result of this surge effort, we were able to present 14,159 Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pins! What an amazing accomplishment!
With November rapidly approaching, here are a few more things to note:
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August 7, 2025 will be the final publication date of "This Week in History" (TWIH). Since its inception, TWIH has brought attention to pivotal events of the Vietnam era and served as an educational tool for both the public and our Partners. Its final edition will honor the service, sacrifice, and enduring legacy of those who served.
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We will be taking Speaking Requests from April 1 until our office closes in November 2025. Please send us information about your event for consideration to whs.vnwar50th@mail.mil and include the following with your request:
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Subject Line: Speaker Request
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Body of Email: Who (Name of Organization); What (Event Title or theme), When(Day and Time), Where (Location and Name/Address of Venue), Why (Purpose of Event) and Contact (Name and preferred contact method, email/phone number.
Finally, here’s a special farewell message from our Director, Major General Edward J. Chrystal, Jr., U.S. Army:
“Greetings to all of you! I hope you are all having a great summer. This being the final edition of our SITREP, I wanted to take the time to recognize and thank all of you for your tireless efforts. Our mission to thank our Vietnam War era veterans and their families would not have been so successful without your hard work, feedback and support.
As you know, we will officially close our doors on November 30, 2025. Even now, many of our staff have transitioned to, or are in the process of transitioning to, their next assignments or their retirements. We will continue to have a small staff working the Commemoration and we will continue to be active in speaking engagements and pinning ceremonies right till the end.
It is bittersweet that I bid you farewell and wish you all the best as we wind down our Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War. We do close our doors, however, with confidence and pride that we’ve reached out and recognized an incredible amount of Vietnam War era veterans and their families since our inception. This was accomplished because of YOU. You were truly an inspiration to us and to your communities. Thank you, again, and WELCOME HOME to our Vietnam veterans!”