Friday, November 08, 2013

Operation Dustoff: Vietnam Remembered

10:00 AM - 02:00 PM

Wisconsin Capital Building
201 W. Washington Ave.
Madison , WI , 53707

608-266-1311

Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) Secretary John A. Scocos today announced

that the WDVA will host Operation Dustoff: Vietnam Remembered on Friday, November 8, 2013 as part of its

Veterans Day celebration at the State Capitol in Madison. All events are free and open to the public.

“Every year the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs is honored to host a Veterans Day ceremony for our

veterans at the State Capitol,” Secretary Scocos said. “This year, while we will always make sure to thank and

pay tribute to all veterans from all service eras on Veterans Day, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the

Vietnam War, we have expanded our event to include displays and speakers from the Vietnam era.”

Operation Dustoff will include displays on the Capitol Square as well as a Veterans Day ceremony that will

recall the history of and the lessons learned during the Vietnam War as the country marks the Commemoration

of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War.

At 10:00 a.m., there will be a veteran-led motorcycle rally and displays on the Capitol Square that will include

military tribute vehicles. Inside the Capitol there will be historical displays set up by the Wisconsin Veterans

Museum and other veterans tribute displays.

At 11:00 a.m., there will be a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda that will feature special guests including: U.S.

Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary of Intergovernmental Affairs John Garcia, Vietnam

veteran George Banda (101st Airborne, Silver Star recipient), and Vietnam Veteran and Medal of Honor

recipient Gary Wetzel (173rd Assault Helicopter Company).

Following the ceremony, veterans, their families and friends are invited to an open house at the Wisconsin

Veterans Museum to view its latest exhibit, The Last Full Measure: Wisconsin in the Civil War, 1863 – 1865.

The exhibit commemorates the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, focuses on Wisconsin’s role in the last two

years of the war, and includes never before seen Civil War artifacts from the Museum’s collection.

Wisconsin’s Vietnam veterans are also encouraged to visit www.WisVets.com to join the Vietnam Veterans

Registry. Veterans who join will receive a certificate of recognition from Governor Scott Walker and Secretary

Scocos thanking them for their service to our country, as well as updates about 50th Commemoration events.

President Barack Obama has proclaimed May 28, 2012 through November 11, 2025 as the Commemoration of

the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War to honor Vietnam veterans, the fallen, the wounded, those

unaccounted for, former prisoners of war, their families and all who served. The WDVA has joined the Vietnam

War Commemoration as a commemorative chair.

More than 165,000 Wisconsinites served in Vietnam. 1,239 paid the ultimate sacrifice. With about 135,000,

Vietnam veterans are the largest group of living veterans in Wisconsin.