Press Release
March 21, 2023
Contact: Steve Hawkins
Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-0754
steve.hawkins@history.ok.gov
www.okhistory.org/historycenter
Governor Stitt to Honor All Vietnam War-Era Veterans in Oklahoma History Center Pinning Ceremony
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma History Center (OHC), in association with Villages OKC, the local offices of Humana, Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight and the Force 50 Foundation, is proud to host a pinning ceremony honoring all the servicemen and servicewomen, active or reservists, who served anywhere in the world during the Vietnam War-era. The event will be held in the Devon Great Hall of the OHC on Wednesday, March 29, from 10 a.m. to noon, with the doors opening at 9:30 a.m. This event is free and open to the public.
March 29 was designated as Vietnam Veterans Day by the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, to be commemorated with annual nationwide events. Guided by the stipulations in that act, only Vietnam War veterans and their families are recognized. However, the Vietnam War Commemoration organization is providing recognition pins to honor any US veteran who served on active duty or in the reserves in the US Armed Forces at any time during the period of November 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975, regardless of location, Vietnam or otherwise. Family members of any veteran unable to be present may also receive this pin.
Governor Kevin Stitt will be introduced by Trait Thompson, executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society. Governor Stitt will welcome the attendees and offer his remarks on the importance of this opportunity to honor the veterans of the Vietnam War-era. Michael Do, an Oklahoma City businessman, will speak on behalf of the Oklahoma City Vietnamese community and the South Vietnamese military. Music will be provided by the 145th Army Band, known as “The Governor’s Own.”
The keynote speaker will be Harvey Pratt, a Vietnam War veteran and world-recognized forensic artist largely responsible for the conviction in many high-profile murder cases such as Ted Bundy and the Green River Killer. In 2018 the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian announced that Pratt had submitted the winning concept design for the National Native American Veterans Memorial. On Veterans Day 2020, Pratt’s Warriors’ Circle of Honor was dedicated. It is located on the museum grounds on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
The Oklahoma History Center is located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. in Oklahoma City. For additional information, call 405-522-0765 or visit www.okhistory.org.
The Oklahoma History Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
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