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Pittsfield Marks Vietnam Veterans Day in Park Square

Pittsfield has a memorial to the Vietnam War honoring those who fought and those who died, including 27 from Berkshire County. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — About 50 people gathered at Park Square on Saturday to remember Vietnam veterans and mark the 53rd anniversary of the last American troops' departure. 

Vietnam veteran Lenwood "Woody" Vaspra thanked everyone for coming out on the chilly March morning. Twenty-seven Berkshire County residents were killed in action, and their names are memorialized in a Park Square marker. 

"We thank all who selfishly served and sacrificed. You are not forgotten," Vaspra said. 

"This provides us an opportunity to pay special tribute to the many Americans who served in the Vietnam War, both in country and out of country, to the 58,318 names inscribed on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., and to those who never received the recognition they deserve. It is time to say thank you and honor all Vietnam veterans."

National Vietnam Veterans Day commemorates the sacrifices of Vietnam War veterans and their families, and is part of a national effort to recognize the men and women who were denied a proper welcome upon returning home more than 50 years ago.

"When Vietnam veterans returned from Vietnam, there were no tributes, recognition, speeches, parades, or even handshakes. For many of them, it was a horrific return home, and it was also a very chaotic time. Many veterans to this day remain silent from their combat and traumatic encounters," Vaspra said. 

"It is time now to pay tribute to all veterans from all wars and conflicts, our brothers and sisters that served on behalf of our country. We must continue to remember what all veterans did for this country. They gave their lives, whether they died in battle or came home and died later, they paid the ultimate price, the memories our brothers and sisters must go on and always remain in our hearts."

The year 2026 marks 51 years since the official end of the Vietnam War in May 1975, and is the 53rd anniversary of the last American troops departing Vietnam in March 1973. The Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 designated March 29 of each year as National Vietnam War Veterans Day.

Mayor Peter Marchetti said it is important that people show up and continue to show up. 

"I would have hoped we would learn from history, but I don't know that we ever will learn from history," he said. 

"And so we need to stand up, we need to be present, and we need to say thank you, both to all of you and to all of the Vietnam veterans who never returned home, and to their families." 

Later that day, more than 1,000 people marched from The Common to Park Square as a part of the third national day of No Kings protests. This event added the grievance of war against Iran to the list of Trump administration actions being protested. 

Last year, and in 2023, the Vietnam Traveling War Memorial came to Berkshire County. 

The 493-foot wall on the National Mall is inscribed with the names of 58,318 men and women who died in combat or are listed as missing in action in Vietnam, where the United States was at war from the 1950s through 1975.

The 27 Berkshire County service members killed in the Vietnam War:

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