Press Release
March 12, 2018
Contact: Steve Hawkins
Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-0754
shawkins@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org/historycenter
National Vietnam War Veterans Commemoration Event to be Held at the Oklahoma History Center
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma History Center is proud to announce that it will be recognizing all Vietnam War veterans in a commemoration event on March 29 from 10–11 a.m. This event is in response to the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 signed into law by President Donald J. Trump on March 28, 2017. The recognition celebration is open to the public at no charge and will include music by the 145th Army Band and dedications from Maj. Gen. Michael Thompson, retired Maj. Gen. Myles Deering, retired Brig. Gen. Pete Costilow and retired Capt. Bob Ford. The ceremony will take place in the Devon Great Hall at the Oklahoma History Center, located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma City.
The Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 was introduced in the U.S. Senate as S. 305 and sponsored by Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., on February 3, 2017. It was passed by the Senate by unanimous consent on February 3, 2017, and then passed by the House of Representatives on March 21, 2017. The bill was signed into law by President Trump on March 28, 2017. Initially, the bill simply encouraged flying the U.S. flag on March 29 to commemorate the service of all Vietnam War veterans. In response to a letter from Maj. Gen. James T. Jackson of the Pentagon to the governors of every state requesting that the states host a commemorative event to “celebrate the first anniversary of our nation’s newly established National Vietnam War Veterans Day,” the Oklahoma History Center, in conjunction with the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, will host such an event.
The Oklahoma History Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
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