Red River resident Chuck Wagner continues to appreciate the opportunities he has to connect with fellow Vietnam veterans more than 50 years after the United States ended its involvement in the war.

More than 58,000 names line the wall at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring those who died during the conflict. Thousands more were disabled, and another 1,600-plus are still considered missing in action, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Wagner is thankful he is not a part of those statistics, though he believes they are the true heroes of the Vietnam War. He still carries bad memories of his return home from the war due to the verbal abuse he received from those who were against the conflict. He believes those experiences are why many Vietnam veterans stay quiet about their service and part of the reason why veterans of subsequent wars were treated much better when they came back.

Of the 2.7 million Americans who served in Vietnam, less than half are estimated to be alive today. March 29th was officially designated National Vietnam Veterans Day in 2017.