Charles Crane/MDN Attendees stand during the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance after the presentation of the colors at the 11th Annual Vietnam Veterans Celebration at the Sleep Inn & Suites in Minot on Wednesday.

March 29 is a date that slips by most Americans, but it has had great importance for many Americans, as it was the day when the last U.S. combat troops were withdrawn from Vietnam in 1973. Since 2012, March 29 has been a day for citizens to pay tribute to veterans of that conflict, as well as those who perished on the battlefield or are still missing in action.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the American involvement in the Vietnam War, the Minot Vet Center hosted its 11th Annual Vietnam Veterans Celebration at the Sleep Inn & Suites, which was packed to the gills with Vietnam veterans and family members.

The event began with some live music before retired Chief Master Sgt. Louis “Mac” McLeod took the stage. After the presentation of the colors and the Pledge of Allegiance McLeod spoke on the collective experiences all Vietnam vets share, and the enduring connections they share with everyone who didn’t make it back home.

“When you came back from 8,000 miles away, you get off the flight and you kiss the ground because you think you are home. You go to get to your next flight and a colonel tells you, when you go inside change into your civvies. What you find out is there’s people out there who won’t like us,” McLeod said, “They don’t know them, and they don’t know us. We were called baby killers, a couple things I won’t repeat. They spit on us, not knowing the trauma we all went through. Even though we came back, that doesn’t mean we came back in one piece.”

The conflict in Vietnam lasted nearly 20 years. Approximately 2.7 million American men and women served in Vietnam. Of that an estimated 58,000 were killed in action, while approximately 1,500 are still missing in action to this day.

Kayla McCuddin, a social worker and counselor at the Minot Vet Center, read a proclamation from President Joseph Biden, but also used her time to point out that Vet Centers came about primarily to assist the significant number of Vietnam veterans returning who struggled to readjust to civilian life and process their experiences.

“We were made about by our Vietnam veterans in the 1970s and continue to have the privilege of getting to speak and learn about them every day. We often hear that they did not that welcome home that many of our military members receive,” McCuddin said, “So on behalf of the Vet Center and all others, welcome home. We appreciate the service that you gave and continue to give our country. Thank you.”