NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY SOUDA BAY, Greece (March 29, 2023) Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay commemorated National Vietnam War Veterans Day with a ceremony paying tribute to veterans of the Vietnam War and their families during an event on March 29, 2023.

The ceremony was held on the 50-year anniversary of the day the last of the U.S. Armed Forces left Vietnam and included speakers from NSA Souda Bay who highlighted different individuals, forces and teams who led America’s effortsover the course of the 11-year war.

“This year marks the 50th remembrance of the war”, said Chief Navy Counselor Megan Steffy. “Unlike other wars, where the blood of U.S. service members was spilled, those who fought in Vietnam were, for the first time in our nation’s history, not welcomed home as the heroes that they were. After five decades, it is time that these extraordinary patriots are recognized for their incredible, selfless service and sacrifice in defense of the pillars of freedom that America was built upon.”

National Vietnam War Veterans Day honors the special operations teams, Seabees, air support, intelligence experts, medical personnel and more that banded together to answer the nation’s call and their legacy continues to live on. Several of the advances he U.S. made when it came to technology, equipment, science and medical advances still stand today.

“The benefits that we have – the medical, the psychological, the emotional support structure that exists today – we would not have had without those heroes,” said Capt. Odin J. Klug, commanding officer, NSA Souda Bay. “Those proud Americans, our allies and our partners suffered, fought and endured throughout those 11 years. What they had around them were their teammates that forged a tight bond between each other. That allowed our veterans to weather through. It just goes to show that we stand on the shoulders of giants and that we are a part of the legacy that has gone before us.”

NSA Souda Bay is an operational ashore base that enables U.S., allied, and partner nation forces to be where they are needed and when they are needed to ensure security and stability in Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia. For more information, visit us at www.cnic.navy.mil/SoudaBay or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NSASoudaBay.