[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 103 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 103
Designating March 29, 2017, as ``Vietnam Veterans Day''.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 29, 2017
Mr. Burr (for himself and Mr. Manchin) submitted the following
resolution; which was considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Designating March 29, 2017, as ``Vietnam Veterans Day''.
Whereas the Vietnam War was fought in the Republic of Vietnam from 1955 to 1975
and involved regular forces from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and
Viet Cong guerrilla forces in armed conflict with the United States
Armed Forces, the armed forces of allies of the United States, and the
armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam;
Whereas the United States Armed Forces became involved in Vietnam because the
United States Government wanted to provide direct support by the Armed
Forces to the Government of the Republic of Vietnam to defend against
the growing threat of Communism from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam;
Whereas members of the United States Armed Forces began serving in an advisory
role to the Government of South Vietnam in 1955;
Whereas 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 to the President of the United
States the authority to use armed force to assist the Republic of
Vietnam in the defense of its freedom against the Democratic Republic of
Vietnam;
Whereas, in 1965, United States Armed Forces ground combat units arrived in the
Republic of Vietnam to join an already present 23,000 United States
Armed Forces personnel;
Whereas, by September 1965, there were between 150,000 and 190,000 United States
Armed Forces troops in Vietnam, and by 1969, a peak number of United
States Armed Forces troops in Vietnam of approximately 549,500 troops
was reached, including United States Armed Forces members supporting the
combat operations from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and aboard Navy
vessels;
Whereas, on January 27, 1973, the Agreement on Ending the War in Vietnam and
Restoring Peace (commonly known as the ``Paris Peace Accords'') 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;
Whereas, on March 29, 1973, the United States Armed Forces completed the
withdrawal of combat units and combat support units from South Vietnam;
Whereas, on April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese regular forces captured Saigon, the
capital of South Vietnam, effectively placing South Vietnam under
Communist control;
Whereas more than 58,000 members of the United States Armed Forces lost their
lives in the Vietnam War, and more than 300,000 members of the United
States Armed Forces were wounded in Vietnam;
Whereas, in 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in the District of
Columbia to commemorate the members of the United States Armed Forces
who died or were declared missing-in-action in Vietnam;
Whereas 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 those veterans;
Whereas 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 decisions of policymakers that were beyond
the control of those members of the United States Armed Forces; and
Whereas designating March 29, 2017, as ``Vietnam Veterans Day'' would be an
appropriate way to honor the members of the United States Armed Forces
who served in South Vietnam and throughout Southeast Asia during the
Vietnam War: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates March 29, 2017, as ``Vietnam Veterans Day'';
(2) honors and recognizes the contributions of veterans who
served in the United States Armed Forces in Vietnam or in
support of operations in Vietnam during war and during peace;
(3) encourages States and local governments to designate
March 29, 2017, as ``Vietnam Veterans Day''; and
(4) encourages the people of the United States to observe
Vietnam Veterans Day with appropriate ceremonies and activities
that--
(A) provide the appreciation that veterans of the
Vietnam War deserve;
(B) demonstrate the resolve that the people of the
United States shall never forget the sacrifices and
service of a generation of veterans who served in the
Vietnam War;
(C) promote awareness of the faithful service and
contributions of the veterans of the Vietnam War--
(i) during service in the United States
Armed Forces; and
(ii) 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 service in the United States Armed Forces;
and
(E) promote opportunities for veterans of the
Vietnam War--
(i) to assist younger veterans returning
from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in
rehabilitation from wounds, both seen and
unseen; and
(ii) to support the reintegration of
younger veterans into civilian life.
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