“Through the administrations of four presidents I have seen how these collegues of mine...have guided this reconciliation process,” said Douglas “Pete” Peterson, former Ambassador to Vietnam, who spoke at last night’s event. “With the aid of John Kerry and John McCain, the people of Vietnam now have a chance for a better life.”

“This is a country where the goals [the U.S.] sought may ultimately be achieved,” Kerry added.

While remembrance and bettering relations with Vietnam were the focus of last night’s event, presidential politics also took center stage several times. McCain ran a failed bid for the presidency in 2000, and Kerry is considered a top Democratic candidate in 2004.

“People keep coming up to me and saying, ‘I voted for you, I voted for you,’” McCain said. “I’m going to demand my own recount.”

Jeffrey Robbins, who introduced Kerry, joked that while the Mass. senator had been working to normalize relations with Vietnam, he had also recently been “forging strong relations with the states of Iowa and New Hampshire,” the traditional first states in presidential primaries.

Kerry joked back by saying, “I’ve been asked whether I’m interested in the most powerful office in the land. I want to clarify that I have no interest in being the Secretary of State of Florida.”

But despite the joking comments, the pair’s service was the focal point of the night, with both men honored to receive the Herter Memorial Award.

“It was an honor to serve in war, and a blessing to serve in peace,” McCain said to the gathering. “I thank you for adding to that blessing.”

—Staff writer Imtiyaz H. Delawala can be reached at delawala@fas.harvard.edu.