Why Veterans Are Important: Vietnam War Soldiers Honored As Trump Signs New Law

President Donald Trump signed into law the “Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017” on Tuesday, just in time for the annual National Vietnam Veterans Day observance, which was set to be celebrated Wednesday. The law, previosuly known as S. 305, "encourages the display of the U.S. flag on March 29," Trump announced in a tweet Tuesday night.

The legislation could also be seen as important because it can raise awareness of the plight of Vietnam War veterans, many of which have long maintained that their treatment once they returned home from fighting abroad left much to be desired.

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Former President Barack Obama called the treatment of Vietnam Veterans a "national shame" in 2012.

"It was a national shame, a disgrace that should have never happened. That's why here today we resolve that it will not happen again," Obama told veterans at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Memorial Day that year. "You were often blamed for a war you didn't start when you should have been commended for serving your country with valor."

Obama continued: "That's one more way we keep perfecting our union, setting the record straight. And it starts today. Because history will honor your service. And even though some Americans turned their back on you, you never turned your back on America."

Vietnam veterans, like other veterans, were expected to make the ultimate sacrifice – their lives – while fighting for their country and fellow Americans in an unfamiliar foreign land.

Some of the more noteworthy Vietnam War veterans include Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and decorated filmmaker Oliver Stone.

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They were among the Vietnam War veterans who prospered upon their returns home, but others were not as fortunate. Vietnam War veterans have committed suicide at a rate that was "the highest of any particular group" as of 2012. Many Vietnam War veterans also picked up heroin habits while serving during the nearly 20-year-long conflict, only to return to limited job opportunities, if any, in the U.S.

As wars rage around the world, with many involving or likely set to involve U.S. troops, the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 could serve as a reason to remind citizens why American veterans of foreign wars are of such importance to so many people.