Annual VeteranFest Will Include Vietnam Veterans Pinning Ceremony

The 2nd annual VeteranFest is taking place Sunday, Aug. 5 at the Downtown Event Centre (700 Crockett Street) in Beaumont, Texas, from 2 to 8:30 p.m.

The event is hosted by Young Americans Overseas, a nonprofit that assists Post-9/11 veterans with housing and is building Texas’s first Women Veterans and Women First Responder Park. The event is sponsored by Humana, a leading health and well-being company, and MARVIC International, LLC, a veterans-owned general contractor.

The event will include live performances by Highway Sisters, Byrd Law, Wild Rabbit Salad, John Cessac, Courtney Hale Revia, Dustin Kelley, John Thibodeaux, iRule Dance and free food and drinks. The event is free with RSVP. For tickets call (409) 923-0804 or visit: youngamericansoverseas.org/veteranfest2018/

Proceeds from the VeteransFest will go towards building Texas’s first Women Veteran and Women First Responder Park. For more information visit youngamericansoverseas.org.

In addition, Young Americans Overseas and Humana will host a Vietnam Veterans Pinning Ceremony at 2:30 p.m. Young Americans Overseas and Humana are Commemorative Partners for the Vietnam War Commemoration, a federal program established in 2012 by the President and Congress to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, and to thank and honor Vietnam veterans. Veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces between Nov. 1, 1955, and May 15, 1975, regardless of location, are eligible to participate in the ceremony. This is anticipated to be one of the largest pinning ceremonies in Southeast Texas to date.

The Vietnam Veterans Pinning Ceremony is meant to recognize Vietnam veterans and their families for their service and serves as a welcome home. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 9 million Americans served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War; approximately 7 million are living today. For more on the program, visit www.vietnamwar50th.com.