On Saturday, March 27th at 10 a.m. there will be a Ceremony memorializing National Vietnam War Veteran Day at Veteran’s Memorial Park located at 701 West Lime Street. The City of Lakeland will join other Polk County municipalities and organizations as a member of the Vietnam War Commemorative Partners Program to thank and honor the veterans of the Vietnam War. Interim City Commissioner and Vietnam War Veteran Don Selvage said, “The public is invited to join us in a ceremony that will honor those that served during the Vietnam War including the soldiers that were held as prisoners of war and our comrades listed as missing in action. It is time to thank them and honor the families of these veterans.”
The ceremony will highlight the service of the Armed Forces during the Vietnam War and the contributions of Federal agencies and organizations that served or supported war efforts. David J. VanMeter will be the keynote speaker for the event. He is currently the Acting Director of the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital and Clinics. He will touch on the contributions made on the home front by the people of the United States during the Vietnam War; and highlight the advances in technology, science, and medicine related to military research conducted during the Vietnam War.