Daughters of the American Revolution searching for Vietnam War veterans

The Daughters of the American Revolution want Vietnam War veterans to know their service is appreciated. And in order to do so, they have become part of a U.S. Department of Defense initiative to find living veterans to thank them for a service for which many were never recognized.

The Department of Defense’s Commemorative Partner Program, which began in 2008 with a presidential proclamation, honors vets who served between 1955 and the Fall of Saigon in 1975 with commemorative pins, a letter of thanks and more. The goal is to reach as many veterans as possible before 2025, the 50th anniversary of the end of the American presence in the country in 1975.

“Because it was such a contentious war… there is an ongoing national effort to recognize, honor and pin the vets for their sacrifices during the war,” said Susan Harris, Chickamauga Chapter of the DAR’s 50th Anniversary Vietnam War Committee chairwoman.

In order to reach out to more vets locally, Harris will have a booth set up at the American Legion Post 257 Flea Market in Collegedale Sept. 11. Commemorative pins will be handed out until the day’s supply ends, she said.

“They came home and were not welcomed. They were spit upon,” Harris said. “There was no welcome, no thanks, no fanfare for their service, so many of them never spoke about it again…. We need to reach them.

“While we can never rewind history or go back and say ‘thanks’ or change the way they were treated, this is a small but significant gesture to go toward healing this bad feeling and bad will that was perpetrated from this time period.”

For more information on the American Legion Flea Market, call Post Commander Dennis Smith at 505-5335.

For more on the commemorative pins and honoring Vietnam vets, contact Harris at donchatt@comcast.net. Anyone who is a veteran but cannot attend the Flea Market can also receive a pin from the DAR at a later time.

Email Gabrielle Chevalier at gchevalier@timesfreepress.com.