Many of us were eighteen-year-olds when we got on a plane and got off in Vietnam.
America paid a terrible price for its involvement in the Vietnam War – 58,220 killed-in-action, and over 300,000 wounded.
As of April 8, 2025, the number of Americans missing and unaccounted from the Vietnam War is 1,573.
Numbers certainly do not tell the who story – or all of them – but they paint a picture of lives lost and families devasted.
There is no distinction between veterans who served in-country, in-theater, or who were stationed elsewhere during the Vietnam War. Many were called to serve, and no one could determine where they would serve.
Please give thanks to our veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice.
Footnote: Still in Saigon (1982) was written by Dan Daley and performed by the Charlie Daniels Band.
Got on a plane in Fresco and got off in Vietnam.
I walked into a different world, the past forever gone.
The song is a portrayal of the plight of the American Vietnam veteran…
Rick Gale, Public Relations, VVA Chapter 788