Wreath-laying ceremony held for National Vietnam War Veterans Day

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Memorial Day is still a couple months away, but Friday is a day to honor those men and women who served in the Vietnam War. 

It's National Vietnam War Veterans Day, and Wood National Cemetery in Milwaukee was the setting for a wreath-laying ceremony.

"Whether they served, sent a loved one off to war, or spoke out against it, every citizen of our state was affected by the Vietnam War."

The numbers tell the story: 57,000 Wisconsinites served in southeast Asia during the Vietnam War era from 1959-1973. 

More than 1,200 were killed in Vietnam, 80 died in other parts of Asia, and there are still 26 Wisconsin veterans listed as missing. 

One surviving veteran tells us it's important to remember their service and sacrifice, though he understands it's easy to forget. 

"So many things have happened since then, you know. Desert Storm and Afghanistan and Iraq, and so many others. And then like I said, more than 50 years ago, that's half a century, so yeah, people started to forget," said Vietnam War veteran George Banda. "That's why we have these ceremonies."

George Banda tells us he served about a year in Vietnam as a combat medic, assigned to the 101st Airborne Division.