MLWAUKEE — The Milwaukee VA and the Milwaukee Vet Center are hosting a wreath-laying ceremony followed by a “Welcome Home” ceremony to honor area Vietnam Veterans March 29 in honor of National Vietnam War Veterans Day.
The wreath-laying event will take place at Wood National Cemetery, 5000 W. National Ave., Milwaukee, near the obelisk monument at 10 a.m. Beginning at 11:30 a.m., the Milwaukee Vet Center will host its “Welcome Home” ceremony at the Milwaukee County War Memorial, 750 N. Lincoln Memorial Dr, Milwaukee.
The wreath-laying ceremony will be conducted outside and is open to media seeking b-roll and sound. Details are as follows:
- WHAT: Milwaukee VA wreath-laying ceremony honoring Vietnam War Veterans Day
- TIME AND DATE: 10 a.m. (media arrive by 9:45 a.m.), Wednesday, March 29.
- LOCATION: Wood National Cemetery obelisk monument, 5000 W. National Ave., Milwaukee (enter from I-94). The obelisk is in the northwest corner of the cemetery.
- MEDIA PARKING: From I-94, enter on Mitchell Boulevard, and take the first right onto Walker Street. You may park on Walker Street.
- Please observe cemetery courtesies: Avoid sitting, kneeling, standing or placing items on headstones.
ORDER OF EVENTS: The solemn ceremony will include a short prayer by VA Chaplain Robert Allen. Local leaders from the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, the Veterans Benefits Administration and the National Cemetery Administration will place wreaths at the memorial. The ceremony concludes with taps played by a bugler.
Media interested in covering the ceremony should contact Public Affairs Officer Joe Trovato at 414-382-5364 or email joseph.trovato@va.gov.
The Milwaukee Vet Center’s “Welcome Home” ceremony for Vietnam Veterans will begin at 11:30 a.m. when members of the general public are encouraged to line the streets leading to the War Memorial with signs and flags to welcome Vietnam Veterans home as they arrive at the War Memorial for an event and “Lived Experience” panel discussion featuring Wisconsin Vietnam War Veterans.
The sold out event begins at 11:30 a.m. and concludes at 2:30 p.m. Interview opportunities with local Vietnam War Veterans will be available at the event. Details are as follows:
- WHAT: Milwaukee Vet Center “Welcome Home” ceremony honoring Vietnam War Veterans Day
- TIME AND DATE: 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, March 29.
- LOCATION: Milwaukee County War Memorial, 750 N. Lincoln Memorial Dr, Milwaukee
ORDER OF EVENTS: Members of the public are encouraged to line the streets leading to the War Memorial as Veterans arrive for the 11:30 a.m. event. The indoor event inside the War Memorial is intended for Vietnam Veterans and their families. Pre-registration is required. Registered Veterans will receive lunch followed by a “Lived Experience” panel concluding at 2:30 p.m.
Media interested in covering the “Welcome Home” ceremony at the Milwaukee County War Memorial should contact Laura Felten at 414-902-5562.
Vet Centers are community-based counseling centers that provide a wide range of social and psychological services, including professional counseling to eligible Veterans, active-duty and reserve service members, and their families. These confidential services are provided at no-cost in a comfortable, non-clinical setting.
“It’s important to remember what happened to Veterans of the Vietnam War, when they returned home,” said Laura Felten, Milwaukee Vet Center Director. “Our nation was not as welcoming to them as is the case with Veterans of the current era. Vietnam Veteran’s Day allows us to properly welcome them home and show them that we respect their service too.”
Today, there are more than 300 Vet Centers, 80 Mobile Vet Centers, and many more satellite locations offering free services across all 50 states and U.S. territories. Veterans, service members, or family members who want to find out more about specific services provided at Vet Centers should go to (Milwaukee Vet Center).
March 29, 2023 marks the 50th Anniversary of the last of America’s troops leaving Vietnam. National Vietnam War Veteran’s Day was established by a proclamation signed by President Obama on May 28, 2012.
