The Vietnam 50th Commemorative Gift


To Honor and Remember Our Vietnam Veterans

The best way to honor our Vietnam veterans is to remember and share their stories of service, duty, and sacrifice, and that is the purpose of the Vietnam 50th Commemorative Gift.  The gift will be presented on behalf of each state to every one of its Vietnam veterans during the peak commemorative years of 2016-2017, and consists of:

  • An archival-quality hardbound book, A Time to Honor: Stories of Service, Duty, and Sacrifice, filled with stories representing all states and all services
  • The feature documentary The Journey Home, focusing on what America and the Vietnam veterans have learned since first coming home fifty years ago
  • An interactive eBook with no sharing restrictions and hundreds of additional pages of state specific stories of Vietnam veterans
  • Digitized archives of division magazines published during the Vietnam War

This gift was produced in collaboration with the Naval Historical Foundation, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, and the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.  COL Ray Bluhm, USA, Ret. served as Advising Editor of the gift and Dr. Edward Marolda, former Chief Historian of the Navy, served as a military consultant.  Each member of Congress and each state governor has received a first-edition copy of the gift in coordination with the 47,000 copies that were delivered in Utah on Vietnam Veterans Day, March 29, 2016. Click here to read more in our press release!

A Successful Model 

To honor and remember over seven million Vietnam veterans in a personal and meaningful way is a monumental task…but this is not the first time we have organized a commemorative tribute to American veterans.  On Veterans Day 2013, Remember My Service Productions spearheaded an unprecedented national recognition project to honor 250,000 Korean War Veterans.  A hardbound 160-page book, Korea Reborn, was presented as a gift to these veterans during community ceremonies hosted by a variety of organizations throughout the nation, including but not limited to: state and city Veterans Affairs offices, National Guard units, local chapters of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and of the Korean War Veterans Association, and various other veterans service organizations.  A feature-length documentary, The Remembered War, soon followed, with a national screening premiere at the GI Film Festival in Washington, D.C. on Memorial Day 2014.  The overwhelming positive response to this tribute continues to pour in through phone calls, emails, and letters.  Click here to see what people are saying about Korea Reborn. 

An Overdue “Thank You”

Because of the healing impact this gift had on the veterans of the “Forgotten War” and their families,  it becomes just as critical to ensure that the veterans of an even more controversial and painful war in the history of America, the Vietnam War, are appropriately honored.

The previous gift to Korean War veterans was fully funded by the generous companies and individuals of Korea.  This time, as a long overdue thanks to American warriors deprived of a welcome home five decades ago, the gift must come from the American people.  Over the last twelve years of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, America has learned how to welcome home our troops with honor and respect, regardless of how they feel about the policies of war.  The 50th Commemoration of the Vietnam War is the optimal time to finally show our Vietnam veterans that we have learned from our mistakes and are deeply grateful for their willingness to have served and sacrificed for their nation. 

Our campaign objectives are to:

  • Produce and distribute over seven million commemoratives as state-specific gifts to all Vietnam veterans in each state
  • Coordinate funding and sponsor development with each state
  • Assist each state with commemorative distribution and presentation ceremonies

When Will The Gift Come to My State?

Customized, state specific editions of the gift will be in production from 2016-2017  (the peak years of the 50th Commemoration), with a national edition, intended for broader distribution and purchase, scheduled for release in 2018. Each state specific edition will contain customized messages of gratitude from the state’s Governor and the Director of Veterans Affairs, and participating private sponsors, to recognize and pay tribute to all who served during Vietnam. 

Over twenty states are currently engaged in producing their custom editions of the Vietnam 50th Commemorative Gift. If you would like to check your state’s status or be notified when the gift will be ready for distribution in your area, click on the image of your state on our home page map and fill out your information in the corresponding form.