{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/photos-peters-presents-commemorative-lapel-pins-to-local-vietnam-veterans", "PHOTOS: Peters Presents Commemorative Lapel Pins to Local Vietnam Veterans", "2022-11-18", "2022", "2022-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "MI", "Gary C. Peters", "P000595", "www.peters.senate.gov", "garypeters", "https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WARREN, MI \u2013 U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, today presented commemorative lapel pins to local Michigan Vietnam veterans to thank and honor them, along with their families, for their service and sacrifice. The Vietnam Veteran lapel pins are presented to veterans as part of the national effort to honor the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War which runs through Veterans Day 2025. The ceremony was held during National Veterans and Military Families Month at Macomb Community College.\n\n\u201cFor the millions of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Coast Guard, and Marines who left their homes and families to serve in Southeast Asia, this pin represents a promise that their service and sacrifice in the Vietnam War will never be forgotten,\u201d said Senator Peters, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. \u201cThey answered the call of duty with courage and honor, and unfortunately many of these veterans did not receive the welcome home or recognition they deserve. That\u2019s why I\u2019m so honored to have presented local veterans with a lapel pin to recognize their tremendous patriotism and service during the Vietnam War.\u201d\n\nPeters\u2019 office offers the Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pins to living U.S. veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time between November 1, 1955 and May 15, 1975. Michigan veterans interested in receiving their lapel pin should complete the form available here.\n\nTo download high-resolution photos from today\u2019s ceremony, click here or on the images below.\n\nPeters is a strong advocate for Michigan\u2019s servicemembers and veterans. Last year, Peters was inducted into the Michigan Military and Veterans Hall of Honor for his efforts to support our nation\u2019s veterans and military. In 2017, Peters was recognized as Legislator of the Year by the Vietnam Veterans of America for authoring the bipartisan Fairness for Veterans Act, which was signed into law. The legislation requires veteran discharge review boards to give liberal consideration to petitions for honorable discharge status if the servicemember has been diagnosed with PTSD, TBI or other related conditions connected to their military service. As of the fall of 2020, more than 1,500 veterans have had their discharges upgraded since his legislation was enacted.\n\nPeters also recently helped enact into law the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act \u2013 which delivered VA health care and benefits to all generations of toxic-exposed veterans \u2013 and their survivors \u2013 for the first time in our nation\u2019s history. Peters also introduced bipartisan legislation to protect veterans exposed to toxic chemicals during their service. The Burn Pits Accountability Act would require that servicemembers be assessed for exposure to open toxic burn pits as part of their routine health exams, as this exposure has been known to lead to cancer, cardiovascular toxicity, reproductive issues and neurological damage for numerous Afghanistan and Iraq War veterans.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:24:37Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/photos-peters-presents-commemorative-lapel-pins-to-local-vietnam-veterans"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.6910779997706413, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}