On behalf of the Vietnamese American community in the Tampa Bay area, we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Wreaths Across America events at Bay Pines National Cemetery and Veterans Memorial Park. These meaningful ceremonies allowed us to express our profound gratitude to our Vietnam Veterans, whose service and sacrifice we hold in the highest respect.
Each time we attend the monthly meetings of Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 787, and quietly notice members disappearing from our gatherings, our hearts grow heavy. And every year, during the remembrance of Black April, we are moved to tears as we watch our brave, aging Vietnam Veterans stand proudly at the flagpole, raising the flags of the United States, POW–MIA, and South Vietnam. The image of U.S. Marine Corps veteran Dave Miller, standing resolutely on his crutches, will forever remain etched in our memories and in our hearts.
With deepest respect and gratitude, this is the heartfelt speech we sincerely wish to deliver in honor of our Vietnam Veterans:
We stand in quiet reverence beneath open skies, surrounded by rows of headstones and memorials that bear silent witness to courage, sacrifice, and love of country. We are gathered here to honor our Vietnam Veterans — those who served, those who sacrificed, and those who never came home.
The Vietnam War claimed the lives of 58,267 American service members. Behind each name is a story, a family, and a dream interrupted.
Nearly 40,000 were 22 years old or younger.
More than 13,000 were just 18 years old — teenagers who answered the call of duty before their lives had truly begun.
Some were even younger — 17, 16, and one only 15 years old.
Many fell on their first day in Vietnam.
Others gave their lives on their final day of service.
Some families lost two brothers.
Three families lost both a father and a son.
They came from every corner of America — from farms and cities, from small towns and great neighborhoods. Fifty-four once walked the halls of the same high school in Philadelphia. Eight were women — nurses who ran toward danger to save others.
They served in a war that was controversial, divisive, and painful — yet their service was honorable. Their courage was real. Their sacrifice was absolute.
To our Vietnam Veterans who survived — many of whom returned home without parades, without thanks, and without understanding — we say today what should have been said long ago:
Welcome home.
We see you.
We honor you.
We thank you.
Your resilience, your strength, and your continued service to your families, your communities, and your country inspire generations who follow.
As we lay these wreaths today, we make a sacred promise:
We will remember their names.
We will teach their stories.
We will never forget their sacrifice.
May these wreaths remind us — and all who come after us — that freedom is not free, that peace has a price, and that the legacy of our Vietnam Veterans lives on in the nation they defended.
May God bless our fallen heroes.
May God bless our Vietnam Veterans.
And may God bless the United States of America.
Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.
With gratitude and blessings,
AnhMinh Nguyen(813) 525-0984
(VACA)
City of Tampa MAAPIAC – Director of Community Engagement
Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Festival | City of Tampa
Representative of Far East Asians – HC Diversity Advisory Council
Diversity Advisory Council (DAC) | Hillsborough County, FL