About 15,000-plus veterans from North Dakota served in Vietnam.

Today the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot will honor those who served during that wartime with a special event, “A Tribute to Vietnam Veterans.” The event begins at 3 p.m. in the Flying Legends Hangar and is also open to guests of veterans and anyone else who would like to attend.

The Vietnam veterans tribute is part of an ongoing effort of the air museum to honor those who have served this country. This past June Korean War veterans, their families and others attended a program, “The Forgotten War: Korea.”

It is anticipated a large number of Vietnam veterans will be attending the patriotic program planned for today at the air museum.

For a brief recap of history, the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War began shortly after the end of World War II in a very limited capacity, then escalated for more than 20 years. It peaked in the late 1960s when more than 540,000 troops were stationed in Vietnam. By the end, more than 3.1 million Americans were stationed in Vietnam, according to historical accounts.

We honor, remember and thank the men and women who served in the Vietnam War, and all who serve in the military. Thank you for your service.

We also appreciate the work of the air museum and other groups, organizations, businesses and individuals in this community and throughout North Dakota who support military veterans and those currently serving in the armed forces.