The Vietnamese American Community of Greater Dallas is hosting the Commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of the Day of National Grief for South Vietnam April 26.
April 30 will mark the 40th anniversary of the end of action in the Vietnam War. It is a day to remember the Vietnamese and American soldiers who fought tirelessly and those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of freedom for South Vietnam.
The first U.S. combat mission was carried out January 12, 1962 and 8,744,000 personnel served worldwide during the Vietnam War era. This number included 4,368,000 from the U. S. Army, 1,842,000 from the U.S. Navy, 794,000 from the U.S. Marine Corps and 1,740,000 from the U.S. Air Force.
The Vietnam War era veterans as well as Vietnamese civilians saw horrific tragedy and suffering and more than half a million U.S. and Vietnamese servicemen were killed. 800,000 were wounded. One out of every 10 Americans in the war became a casualty of war. After the fall of Saigon, countless Vietnamese families fled to the United States, risking their lives in small wooden boats. Some made their way to camps in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Hong Kong. About half of them died at sea. Currently, there more than 400,000 Vietnamese people in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, which is the largest concentration of Vietnamese people outside of Vietnam. A continued threat still exists in Vietnam where human rights, religious freedom and protection against aggression are constant concerns. Other human rights abuses include child labor, human trafficking, political persecution and suppression of the press. North Texans are encouraged to set aside time April 30 to remember the American and Republic of South Vietnam soldiers, medical personnel and civilians who died during the war in pursuit of freedom and democracy. The current government of Vietnam is non-democratic and the basic human rights and civil liberties continue to be taken from its citizens. Join Vietnamese-American communities throughout Texas to commemorate April 30 as Black April, a day of remembrance and rededication to the principles of freedom, including freedom of expression, freedom of press, and Internet freedom. Additionally, April 23-30 is proclaimed Black April Memorial Week during which Texans reflect on the number of lives lost in the war and hope for more justice and liberty for the people of Vietnam.