[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 50 (Thursday, April 7, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE ORGANIZERS OF ``LZ: RGV''--A FITTING WELCOME HOME TO 
                        VETERANS OF VIETNAM WAR

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HENRY CUELLAR

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 7, 2011

  Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the important 
work of Manuel Cantu, Jr., Judge Ramon Garcia and the American Legion 
Post 408 of Edinburg, Texas. These gentlemen, along with the Legion 
Post, are planning a remarkable and poignant event for this Saturday in 
McAllen, Texas, that pays a debt 38 years overdue.
  Four years ago, Judge Ramon asked Mr. Cantu, then Legion Post 
commander, if the Vietnam Veterans in South Texas had ever gotten a 
proper homecoming celebration after their service in the war. No such 
recognition had ever been given and the good people of South Texas have 
worked to correct that omission.
  Their efforts culminate in the three day ``LZ: RGV''--Landing Zone: 
Rio Grande Valley--a sincere welcome home to the veterans of the 
Vietnam conflict.
  The honor, duty and sacrifice of these veterans could not be clearer. 
Of the two and a half million men and women who served in Vietnam, six 
hundred and sixty spent time as prisoners of war, three hundred 
thousand were wounded--seventy-five thousand suffering permanent 
disability, over two thousand remain missing, and fifty-eight thousand 
died in service to their country.
  However, when these servicemembers returned home, they were 
overshadowed by the crossfire of public debate over our nation's 
involvement in the Vietnam War. As a result, these brave men and women 
never received the welcome home, salute and gratitude they justly 
deserved.
  Today, thanks to the efforts of Post 408, as well as other veteran 
organizations and fellow Texans, there will be a spectacular and 
fitting recognition of the Vietnam veterans. Centered around the 
McAllen, Texas Convention Center and stretching from Thursday, April 7 
to Saturday, April 9, LZ: RGV will feature the traveling Wall That 
Heals (a half scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial), dedication of a 
new memorial to Texans who died in the Vietnam War, a day of education 
and exhibits, dramatic presentations, and a motorcycle procession 
headed by the Warriors Watch Riders.
  I am heartened by the support of the whole community in making this 
event special and meaningful for Vietnam Veterans. Five countries, 
several cities, and the Texas House and Senate in concurrent 
resolution, have proclaimed Saturday, April 9 as Welcome Home South 
Texas Vietnam Veterans Day. The list of sponsors is long and filled 
with public agencies, businesses, nonprofit groups, and private 
individuals. Several individuals have given their time and talent to 
produce a first-class experience.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to have had the time to recognize LZ: RGV, 
which so fittingly and joyously acknowledges, appreciates, and 
celebrates the sacrifice of Vietnam veterans and provides the welcome 
home they deserved.

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