[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 55 (Wednesday, March 29, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H2548-H2549]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   NATIONAL VIETNAM WAR VETERANS DAY

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

[[Page H2549]]

  

  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor 
the first official National Vietnam War Veterans Day. Just yesterday, 
President Trump signed a bill into law permanently designating March 29 
as the day we honor our Vietnam veterans.
  Madam Speaker, in many instances, our Vietnam veterans often did not 
receive a warm welcome home when they returned from war. This is a 
small step toward giving these brave men and women the recognition they 
deserve.
  It was on this day in 1973 that the last combat troops were ordered 
out of Vietnam. Forty-four years later, the House and Senate 
unanimously approved this Federal statute recognizing and honoring our 
Vietnam veterans who answered the Nation's call and served with honor 
and distinction.
  This effort began in Pennsylvania as the brainchild of Sergeant 
Harold Redding, a Vietnam veteran from York, Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania's own Senator Pat Toomey led the charge to make this day a 
reality.
  Madam Speaker, we all know someone who served in Vietnam. Those 
veterans are our friends, our family, our neighbors. Thank you to all 
of our Vietnam veterans. May God bless you on this National Vietnam War 
Veterans Day.

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