Acknowledged pullout of Vietnam 40 years ago but too many never really left

I could not bring myself to post on this yesterday for a couple of reasons. The first one was that the end date on the Vietnam Memorial Wall is not 1973, but is 1975.

The youngest Vietnam KIA is believed to be Dan Bullock at 15 years old.
The oldest person on the Wall is Dwaine McGriff at 63 years old.
At least 5 men killed in Vietnam were 16 years old.
At least 12 men killed in Vietnam were 17 years old.
There are 120 persons who listed foreign countries as their home of record.
At least 25,000 of those killed were 20 years old or younger.
More than 17,000 of those killed were married.
Veterans killed on their first day in Vietnam 997 (unconfirmed)
Veterans killed on their last day in Vietnam 1,448 (unconfirmed)
Number of Chaplains on the Wall -- 16 (2 Medal Of Honor)
Number of Women on the Wall -- 8 (7 Army, 1 USAF - 7,484 served)
There are 226 Native Americans on the Memorial.
There are 22 countries represented on the Memorial.
Most common name on the Memorial "Smith" with 667 veterans.
The most casualties for a single day was on January 31, 1968 ~ 245 casualties.
The most casualties for a single month was May 1968, 2,415 casualties were incurred.

On Vietnam pullout anniversary, veteran hopes war won't be forgotten
NECN.com
March 29, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — It was 40 years ago today that the last American combat troops left Vietnam, and one veteran hopes a younger generation won't forget the war.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund president Jan Scruggs says the war no longer resonates with most Americans, with 9/11 now serving as their seminal moment.

But as school kids stood on the National Mall gazing at the wall etched with the names of more than 58,000 U.S. troops killed in Vietnam, Scruggs was hopeful the memorial itself will keep the war's memories alive. He says it has become an educational device, and he enjoys seeing how kids react to it.

While today marks the end of the U.S. combat mission, Saigon's fall two years later is generally remembered as the end of the war.
read more here

The other reason I couldn't do it is I was working on THE WARRIOR SAW, SUICIDES AFTER WAR, and facing the daily reminder of how many we lost after Vietnam to suicide, much like we are losing today. When they came home, no one thought about them even though they are the reason we know so much about PTSD today and what can be done to save their lives by helping them heal. The acknowledged pullout anniversary of the Vietnam War was yesterday but for far too many, they never really left.