12:00 AM - 12:00 AM
General Mark Welsh III, CSAF, will officiate at an unveiling of an Air Force art display commemorating the Air Force in Vietnam. Paintings will feature a variety of Air Force missions and weapons systems, in addition to honoring POWs, their families, and others who contributed to the mission.
The Director of the Air Force Art Program, who is also a permanent member of the HQ USAF Vietnam Commemorative Partner Working Group, created a display of Air Force art paintings depicting a variety of Air Force weapon systems, missions, and aspects of the Air Force experience during the Vietnam War. It featured work by such well-known artists as Keith Ferris and Maxine McCaffrey, along with many others. The variety of themes fulfilled all five objectives of the Vietnam Commemoration, honoring veterans and their families, highlighting the contributions of the Air Force and other services, paying tribute to the contributions of the American people, highlighting technical and scientific advances that were related to the war effort, and recognizing the contributions of allies.General Mark Welsh III, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, presided at the event. He spoke of the Vietnam experience and also presented Vietnam Veteran pins to the Vietnam Veterans who were present. We had one issue that was not anticipated during the planning. We had gone to great lengths to identify Vietnam Veterans on the Pentagon staff who could attend so that we could ensure sufficient seating and Vietnam Veteran pins, and we had an accurate account on the morning of the event. As it turned out, a group of Native American Veterans happened to be touring the Pentagon that afternoon and saw one of the announcements of the event and asked to attend. While we were able to provide seating, there were more veterans than we had planned for, and we did not have enough Vietnam Veteran pins. General Welsh worked the issue very well, posing for pictures with them and presenting them his persona