[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2255 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2255

To amend chapter 1 of title 36, United States Code, to add Welcome Home 
      Vietnam Veterans Day as a patriotic and National observance.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 29, 2012

 Mr. Burr (for himself and Mrs. Boxer) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend chapter 1 of title 36, United States Code, to add Welcome Home 
      Vietnam Veterans Day as a patriotic and National observance.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. WELCOME HOME VIETNAM VETERANS DAY.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) the Vietnam War was fought in the Republic of South 
        Vietnam from 1961 to 1975, and involved North Vietnamese 
        regular forces and Viet Cong guerrilla forces in armed conflict 
        with United States Armed Forces, allies of the United States, 
        and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam;
            (2) the United States Armed Forces became involved in 
        Vietnam because the United States Government wanted to provide 
        direct military support to the Government of South Vietnam to 
        defend itself against the growing Communist threat from North 
        Vietnam;
            (3) members of the United States Armed Forces began serving 
        in an advisory role to the Government of the Republic of South 
        Vietnam in 1961;
            (4) as a result of the Gulf of Tonkin incidents on August 2 
        and 4, 1964, Congress overwhelmingly passed the Gulf of Tonkin 
        Resolution (Public Law 88-408), on August 7, 1964, which 
        provided the authority to the President of the United States to 
        prosecute the war against North Vietnam;
            (5) in 1965, United States Armed Forces ground combat units 
        arrived in Vietnam;
            (6) by the end of 1965, there were 80,000 United States 
        troops in Vietnam, and by 1969, a peak of approximately 543,000 
        troops was reached;
            (7) on January 27, 1973, the Treaty of Paris was signed, 
        which required the release of all United States prisoners-of-
        war held in North Vietnam and the withdrawal of all United 
        States Armed Forces from South Vietnam;
            (8) on March 29, 1973, the United States Armed Forces 
        completed the withdrawal of combat units and combat support 
        units from South Vietnam;
            (9) on April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese regular forces 
        captured Saigon, the capitol of South Vietnam, effectively 
        placing South Vietnam under Communist control;
            (10) more than 58,000 members of the United States Armed 
        Forces lost their lives in Vietnam and more than 300,000 
        members of the Armed Forces were wounded;
            (11) in 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated 
        in the District of Columbia to commemorate those members of the 
        United States Armed Forces who died or were declared missing-
        in-action in Vietnam;
            (12) the Vietnam War was an extremely divisive issue among 
        the people of the United States and a conflict that caused a 
        generation of veterans to wait too long for the United States 
        public to acknowledge and honor the efforts and services of 
        such veterans;
            (13) members of the United States Armed Forces who served 
        bravely and faithfully for the United States during the Vietnam 
        War were often wrongly criticized for the policy decisions made 
        by 4 presidential administrations in the United States;
            (14) the establishment of a ``Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans 
        Day'' would be an appropriate way to honor those members of the 
        United States Armed Forces who served in South Vietnam and 
        throughout Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War; and
            (15) March 29 would be an appropriate day to establish as 
        ``Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day''.
    (b) Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.--Chapter 1 of title 36, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 145. Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day
    ``The President may issue each year a proclamation--
            ``(1) designating March 29 as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans 
        Day;
            ``(2) honoring and recognizing the contributions of 
        veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces in 
        Vietnam during war and during peace;
            ``(3) encouraging States and local governments to establish 
        a Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day; and
            ``(4) encouraging the people of the United States to 
        observe Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day with appropriate 
        ceremonies and activities that--
                    ``(A) provide the appreciation veterans of the 
                Vietnam War deserve, but did not receive upon returning 
                home from the war;
                    ``(B) demonstrate the resolve that never again 
                shall the people of the United States disregard and 
                denigrate a generation of veterans;
                    ``(C) promote awareness of the faithful service and 
                contributions of the veterans of the Vietnam War during 
                military service as well as to the communities of the 
                veterans since returning home;
                    ``(D) promote awareness of the importance of entire 
                communities empowering veterans and the families of 
                veterans in helping the veterans readjust to civilian 
                life after military service; and
                    ``(E) promote opportunities for veterans of the 
                Vietnam War to assist younger veterans returning from 
                the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in rehabilitation from 
                wounds, both seen and unseen, and to support the 
                reintegration of younger veterans into civilian 
                life.''.
    (c) Conforming Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 1 of 
title 36, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

``145. Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.''.
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