ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Bay Pines National Cemetery commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War on Wednesday by honoring veterans with a "Welcome Home" ceremony and letting them know about an expansion of benefits.

What You Need To Know

  • Anniversary marks the day the last U.S. troops left Vietnam in 1973
  • Vietnam Vets represented nearly 10 percent of their generation

  • Steve Jones, 74, is an Army Veteran who served one year in Vietnam

  • Jones was the keynote speaker

“This is our day as a Vietnam veteran and we do appreciate it,” said keynote speaker Steve Jones. “Vietnam is always in my soul and in my thoughts.”

The anniversary marks the day the last U.S. troops left Vietnam in 1973. Vietnam veterans represented nearly 10 percent of their generation.

The 74-year-old is an Army veteran who served one year in Vietnam as a field crypto maintenance specialist and returned to the U.S. in 1971. Historians have called it a controversial war and Jones said they weren’t always welcome home.

“Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another,” he said. “That’s what we experienced too much of.”

As part of the "Welcome Home" ceremony, the St. Petersburg Regional Office of the Veterans Benefits Administration was on hand to provide information on the PACT Act. It was signed into law in November 2022 and has been the largest health care and benefits expansion in VA history.

“They have a current diagnosis that’s listed within the act. They don‘t have to provide a link to that anymore. We’re going to, by law, presume that happened,” said Julie Boor, Exec. Dir. Bay Pines VA Regional Benefits. “That’s a huge benefit to veterans.” 

The PACT Act adds over 20 presumptive conditions for burn pits, Agent Orange and radiation. Boor said the new law was effective in January, and so far, the VA has paid out more than $70 million in claims.

“We’re keeping up. We anticipate a little bit of an influx,” she said. “I’ve been in the VA for over 27 years and this is the largest piece of legislation that’s been so good for veterans that I’ve ever witnessed.”

Jones is the president of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 522 in Pinellas County and said he wants the younger vets to know the extra benefits they have are partially due to those who served in Vietnam.

“We never gave up. We fought for everything that is out there right now,” he said. “We’re a last man standing organization and the day’s coming when we will no longer exist.”

More than 58,000 service members gave the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam and their names are engraved on the wall.