COMMEMORATION EVENTS

The VFW commemorates multiple events in our nation's history and celebrates our bravery to stand up for freedom, liberty, and love for our fellow humans across the globe. Below are the events recognized each year and links to additional information about them. 

  • Paris Peace Accords – Agreement to Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam (January 27, 1973)
  • Sinking of USS Maine – Catalyst for starting the Spanish-American War (February 15, 1898)
  • Liberation of Kuwait – Completion of Operation Desert Storm (February 28, 1991)
  • NATO Kosovo Campaign – Start of humanitarian insurgency into the Republic of Yugoslavia (March 24, 1999)
  • National Vietnam War Veterans Day – Recognition of when MACV was disabled and last American troops evacuated Vietnam, the fiftieth anniversary, and annual recognition (March 29, 1973, 2012, 2017)
  • Unified Task Force (UNITAF) – Operation Restore Hope in Somalia ends (March 31, 1995)
  • Loyalty Day – Annual day to declare loyalty to the United States of American and recognize American history (May 1, 1955)
  • Victory in Europe (VE) Day – End of World War II on the European continent with Germany’s unconditional surrender (May 8, 1945)
  • Memorial Day– Annual day to honor American service members that have passed away (Last Monday of May since 1868)
  • D-Day– Allied invasion of Europe (June 6, 1944)
  • Flag Day – Commemoration of adoption of the United States Flag (June 14, 1777) - US Flag Etiquette
  • Independence Day – Commemoration of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and birth of the United States of America (July 4, 1776)
  • Korean Armistice – Established the DMZ between North and South Korea, ending the Korean War (July 27, 1953)
  • Operation Iraqi Freedom – Liberation of Iraq from oppression and verification that weapons of mass destruction were removed completes (August 31, 2010)
  • VJ Day – Victory over Japan when Imperial Japan surrendered, ending World War II (September 2, 1945)
  • POW/MIA Recognition Day – Annual day of remembrance for military service members that are or were prisoners of war (POW) or missing in action (MIA) (September 3, 1990)
  • Patriot Day – Annual day of remembrance for the lives lost in the terrorist attack from aircraft impacting the World Trade Center buildings in New York, the Pentagon in Washington DC, and another plane intended for the US Capitol building that was forced to crash in a Pennsylvania field by the passengers (September 11, 2001)
  • Operation Enduring Freedom – Start of the war on terrorism in response to the attack of September 11, 2001 (October 7, 2001)
  • Women in Military Service Recognition Day – Annual day to honor women who serve(d) in the military with a memorial in Arlington National Cemetery (October 18, 1997)
  • Beirut Bombings – An act of terrorism against a Multinational Force (MNF) in Lebanon during their civil war (October 23, 1983)
  • Veterans Day – Annual day to honor military service member veterans since the signing of the World War I Armistice (November 11, 1918)
  • Pearl Harbor Day – Annual day to remember the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii that drew the United States into World War II (December 7, 1941)

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