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Deschutes County proclaims April 30 as 50th Vietnamese American Remembrance Day
Summary
The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners adopted a proclamation recognizing April 30, 2025, as the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, honoring veterans and calling attention to veteran services and community support.
The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday proclaimed April 30, 2025, the 50th Vietnamese American Remembrance Day, marking the fall of Saigon in 1975 and honoring veterans and those who died in the conflict.
The board read and approved a county proclamation that mirrors a proclamation issued earlier by Oregon Governor Tina Kotek. The governor’s text cited “58,000 American servicemen and service women, including 810 from the state of Oregon, and more than 300,000 South Vietnamese soldiers” who served in Vietnam from 1955 to April 30, 1975. Commissioners then adopted a county proclamation recognizing the date and encouraging residents to honor those who served.
The proclamation drew comments from local veterans and community leaders during the meeting’s recognition segment. Pao Thu, who identified himself as president of the Vietnamese community of Oregon, joined remotely and thanked the board: “Thank you so much for your proclamation in recognition of the 50 Vietnamese American remembering day in Oregon.” County veteran services manager Sean Kirk reminded the board that Deschutes County provides a veterans services office to help connect veterans to benefits. “We do have...just over 14,000 veterans in Deschutes County,” he said when asked about local veteran counts.
Several veterans and attendees spoke about long-term health and social impacts from wartime service, including post-traumatic stress disorder and exposure to Agent Orange. Dan McMahon and JW Terry related personal experiences returning from Vietnam, and Thomas Knitcher asked the board to ensure the proclamation language included all service branches; the board amended the language to include sailors, marines and airmen in addition to soldiers.
County leaders said the proclamation also provided an opportunity to draw attention to local veteran services. Commissioners and representatives of veterans’ organizations encouraged veterans to seek aid through the county’s Veterans Services office and highlighted community programs that assist veterans with housing and reintegration.
The board voted to adopt the proclamation. A photo opportunity followed and several veterans and members of the Vietnam Veterans of America chapter participated.
