SALT LAKE CITY – March 29 is officially Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day in Utah after Gov. Gary Herbert put his signature on House Bill 275.
Utah joins more than two dozen other states that have a day devoted to honoring Vietnam veterans, and Saturday’s celebration at the Utah State Capitol Rotunda was the state’s first official celebration of the holiday.
According to a press release from Vietnam Veterans of America, Nearly 28,000 young men from Utah served in the Vietnam War, and an estimated 50,000 Vietnam veterans live in Utah today.
March 29 was chosen because it was on that day in 1973 that the last U.S. combat troops were withdrawn from Vietnam, according to the press release.
HB 275, which designated March 29 as Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day, was unanimously passed by both houses of Utah government.
