COMMISSARIES IN VIETNAM: U.S. troops, families, government civilians, contractors received the benefit of groceries in a war zone

NOTE:Click here to see a DeCA video related to military commissaries in Vietnam.

FORT LEE, Va. - National Vietnam War Veterans Day on March 29 honors Vietnam War era veterans and their families, thanking them for their service and sacrifice during the conflict that lasted more than two decades.

As the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) joins the nation's salute, the agency reflects on the commissaries that provided the benefit in that war zone.

"We at DeCA are privileged to acknowledge our military's service and sacrifice during the Vietnam War," said Marine Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Saucedo, senior enlisted advisor to the DeCA director. "As commissaries supported them over there more than 55 years ago, I welcome and encourage our Vietnam War veterans, who are also disabled veterans, to use their on-base shopping benefits today."

Those commissary benefits, now expanded for veterans with a disability rating, include huge savings and an enhanced shopping experience with Commissary CLICK2GO online ordering/curbside pickup and dietitian-approved products.

March 29 was chosen as the date of the national observance because on that day in 1973 the Military Assistance Command in Vietnam (MACV) was disbanded and the last U.S. combat troops left the Republic of Vietnam.

During the Vietnam War, about 9 million Americans served on active duty. The American involvement in Vietnam began Nov. 1, 1955. Around 2.7 million American troops served in Vietnam where more than 58,000 were killed and 304,000 were wounded.

The first U.S. combat troops came ashore at Da Nang in the spring of 1965. Until then, many American military advisors had been stationed in South Vietnam for nearly a decade, some had their family members living with them. Before American troops arrived, the French military had occupied Vietnam in an unsuccessful attempt to regain control of their Indochina colony after World War II.

The U.S. Navy operated the first American commissary in Saigon in 1959. Several branches of commissaries later opened in Cholon, Newport, Long Binh, and near Tan Son Nhut Air Base. These military commissaries served American service personnel and their families, as well as news reporters, contract workers and government employees stationed in South Vietnam.

American military family members were evacuated from South Vietnam after the expansion of hostilities and the Gulf of Tonkin incident in August 1964. This shift in population caused a change in commissary patronage.

Initially, the Saigon Commissary could not accommodate the thousands of incoming combat troops scattered all over South Vietnam, so those troops were given dining facility privileges and separate rations pay to allow them to shop on the local economy. As the war expanded so did the availability of products in commissaries.

At the start of the war there were practically no dairy operations in Vietnam. Foremost Dairy of California opened a dairy in Saigon in December 1965 and Meadow Gold Dairy of Lexington, Kentucky, opened dairies in Cam Ranh Bay and Qui Nhon in 1967 and 1968. These dairies received whole milk solids from the U.S. which were then reconstituted with purified water and packaged in cartons for the commissaries and the troops.

By 1969, over 75,000 cases of fresh milk were being distributed in Vietnam to the troops each month. Some former servicemen later recalled that the chocolate milk was absolutely outstanding.

In April 1966, the U.S. Army took over running the commissaries in South Vietnam. The commissaries remained in operation after the 1973 ceasefire because many American personnel were still there in non-combat and embassy missions.

On April 30, 1975, communist forces overran Saigon. American and Vietnamese support personnel began fleeing for the airports, desperately trying to evacuate. Some of the commissaries were looted by locals who stole as much food as they could carry in the wake of the South Vietnamese surrender.

Since the Vietnam War ended, military commissaries have supported American troops in war zones from Tehran to North Africa, ensuring the benefit follows U.S. service members during peacetime and war.

-DeCA-

About DeCA:The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America's military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.