2026 Iowa Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day (TBD)

Details for this year's event are pending but dates will be within the above timeframe.

WHO: Iowa Vietnam Veterans; Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs; Central Iowa VA Health Care System; & all veteran supporters

WHAT: Iowa Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day

WHERE: Iowa Vietnam War Memorial Wall, south State Capitol Grounds, Des Moines

WHEN: TBD.

Background History: Why we recognize two Vietnam Veterans Recognition Days in Iowa?

The State of Iowa Official commemoration of Vietnam Veterans pre-dates the national observance by a decade, but Iowa veterans are welcome to observe both days. 

In 2007, Iowa legislators designated May 7th as Iowa Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day to coincide with the official date designated by President Ford's Proclamation as the end of the Vietnam era, which is currently recognized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for eligibiliy of war-related veteran disability claims. This date is also inclusive of the anniversary of the last flight evacuating U.S. Embassy personnel April 29-30th, 1975, which was piloted by Des Moines native U.S. Marine Col. Gerry Berry. It also includes the April 29th death of U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Darwin Judge of Marshalltown, killed while protecting the embassy evacuation in Operation Frequent Wind. Judge, and Cpl. Charles McMahon were the last two U.S. casualties in Vietnam. The People's Army of Vietnam entered Saigon within hours after, and despite immediate diplomatic requests, their remains were not returned by the new Socialist Republic of Vietnam until a year later. Judge and McMahon are included on the Iowa Vietnam War Memorial Wall in Des Moines, and the National Vietnam War Memorial Wall in Washington. 

National Vietnam Veterans Day was not recognized by congress or the White House until 2017 - 10 years after Iowa independently began recognizing Vietnam Veterans. Congress and the White House chose March 29th, 1973, to coincide with the official Paris Peace Accords U.S.  withdrawal deadline, which is also the eligibility stop-date for veterans to receive the Vietnam Service Medal. Inhereting an upopluar war they didn't start and campaigned on promises to finish, Nixon administration officials hoped the accords - especially the removal of combat troops - would bring a rapid perceived conclusion, and left a diplomatic and advisory presence in the hope South Vietnam would eventually prevail. The U.S. troop withdrawal ended up being the only part of the peace accords carried out by any country involved, and over the course of about three years, with the help of Communist China, the USSR, and initernal subversion, the PAVN slowly eroded South Vietnamese forces and the government.  

Members participating in Operation Frequent Wind and the Mayaguez Operation in Cambodia, May 15th, are normally honored and recognized by the VA, Vietnam Memorial Wall and most organizsations as Vietnam Veterans. But, like other members serving in Vietnam prior to 1965, were awarded the separate Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.

New this year, IDVA will also sponsor and host a program to honor Lance Cpl. Darwin Judge April 29th, at 10:00 a.m. at Iowa Veterans Home, in his hometown of Marshalltown. All are welcome to participate or attend. 

If you are hosting a local event and would like it publicized, feel free to add it to the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs Interactive Calendar at https://dva.iowa.gov/events. If the calendar won’t allow you to directly publish it, go ahead and submit your event and we’ll add it for you.