Veterans Day brings a final salute for South Dakota's Vietnam-era vets

'It’s one of the most meaningful parts of my job': Congressman Johnson, military families gather for what could be final Department of Defense Vietnam War Commemoration ceremony

Dozens of Vietnam-era and Vietnam combat veterans received challenge coins and lapel pins Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at the South Dakota Military Heritage Alliance in Sioux Falls.

2025 marked a half century since the end of one of the nation’s costliest wars — conflict in southeast Asia that took innocence from hundreds of thousands of American boys.

It cost the lives of tens of thousands more.

This year also brought to close a long-running Department of Defense Vietnam War Commemoration program celebrating their sacrifices — with Veterans Day designated as the final day for federal initiative.

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