Our mission is to tell the story … and to help the people across America express their honor and respect.
So said retired General Claude “Mick” Kicklighter, who leads the Defense Department’s Vietnam War 50th Anniversary commemoration organization. General Kicklighter and his team are set to launch an aggressive campaign to recruit organizations, schools and localities large and small to build a grassroots, “hometown centric” approach to marking the war’s 50th anniversary period—which commenced on Memorial Day and will last until Veterans Day 2025. “I’ve been really impressed with how people have said they want to be part of this, and want to do it right,” said Kicklighter, who is a Vietnam War veteran himself.
Soon after the appointment of a chairman to the 50th Commemoration Advisory Committee, which is charged with vetting commemoration plans, the formal rollout of the partnership program will begin. Kicklighter said a prominent Vietnam vet is expected to lead the committee. The organization’s goal over the next two years is to bring some 7,500 partners on board.
Partners in the commemoration are expected to be diverse in nature, running the gamut from veteran service organizations and neighborhood schools and local civic groups to towns and cities, large educational institutions, small businesses and big corporations. Partner organizations must comply with the congressional objectives and Commemorative Partner Program requirements, which include the commitment of holding two events each year from 2015 to 2017, the most active years of the commemoration period. Potential partners are encouraged to apply via the commemoration’s website, where they can also find more details on the program and assistance in planning events and activities. Materials will be made available to official partners for their local programs. The 50th Anniversary Commemoration partners will receive a copy of the official proclamation by the president of the United States and the official commemoration flag.
Originally published in the December 2012 issue of Vietnam Magazine. To subscribe, click here.
