The state of Michigan is recognizing its veterans who served in the Vietnam War era with a special certificate program developed by the state Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The Michigan Vietnam Veteran Recognition Certificate honors a generation of veterans — both alive and deceased — who were treated poorly by many fellow citizens for serving in an unpopular war and who found Veterans Affairs benefits lacking when they returned home in the 1960s and 70s.

More than 400,000 Michigan servicemen and -women served during the Vietnam War era. A total of 2,651 Michigan servicemembers lost their lives in the Vietnam War, including 11 from Alpena County.

The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (1-800-MICH-VET) is facilitating the certificate program. Veterans or their representatives can submit their information for a certificate at Michigan.gov/VietnamCertificate.

Gov. Whitmer said the certificate ensures that our Vietnam veterans, many who were mistreated and received insufficient VA benefits when they returned home, get the recognition they earned for serving our nation in uniform.

The certificate is available to those who served during the Vietnam War era (Feb. 28, 1961 to May 7, 1975), were honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances, and are residents of Michigan or were residents of the state while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, which includes the Michigan National Guard and Reserve.

The certificate also includes an option of a special designation recognizing individuals who were exposed to Agent Orange during their service. To receive that designation, the service member must have been exposed to dioxin or phenoxy herbicides, as evidenced by a medical diagnosis of a disease associated with dioxin or phenoxy herbicides.

According to VA projections, there were 191,632 Vietnam War-era veterans living in Michigan in 2020, making it the largest veteran population of any era. However, that population is expected to fall to 155,121 by 2025 and will be surpassed by the number of Gulf War veterans, at 167,609.

Todd Butler is Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency strategic outreach administrator.