[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9484]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 120--COMMEMORATING THE 25th ANNIVERSARY OF VIETNAM 
                          VETERANS OF AMERICA

  Mr. JEFFORDS submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 120

       Whereas the year 2003 marks the 25th anniversary of the 
     founding of Vietnam Veterans of America;
       Whereas the history of Vietnam Veterans of America is a 
     story of the United States' gradual recognition of the 
     tremendous sacrifices of its Vietnam-era veterans and their 
     families;
       Whereas Vietnam Veterans of America is dedicated to 
     advocating on behalf of its members;
       Whereas Vietnam Veterans of America raises public and 
     member awareness of critical issues affecting Vietnam-era 
     veterans and their families;
       Whereas the local grassroots efforts of Vietnam Veterans of 
     America chapters, such as Chapter One in Rutland, Vermont, 
     which was founded 23 years ago in April of 1980, have greatly 
     contributed to the quality of the lives of veterans in our 
     Nation's communities;
       Whereas Vietnam Veterans of America promotes its principles 
     through volunteerism, professional advocacy, and claims work; 
     and
       Whereas the future of Vietnam Veterans of America will rely 
     not only on its past accomplishments, but also on the future 
     accomplishments of its members, and these will ensure that 
     Vietnam Veterans of America remains a leader among veterans 
     advocacy organizations: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commemorates the 25th anniversary of the founding of 
     Vietnam Veterans of America, and commends it for its efforts 
     in the advancement of veterans rights, which set the standard 
     for all other veterans organizations around the country;
       (2) asks all Americans to join in the celebration of the 
     25th anniversary of Vietnam Veterans of America, and its 25 
     years of advocacy on behalf of Vietnam veterans; and
       (3) encourages Vietnam Veterans of America to continue to 
     represent and promote its goals in the veterans' community 
     and on Capitol Hill, and to continue to keep its national 
     membership--consisting of 45,000 members and 600 chapters--
     strong.

  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I rise today with great pride and 
enthusiasm to submit a Senate resolution commemorating the 25th 
Anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam Veterans of America. The 
resolution also points out that April marks the 23rd Anniversary of the 
founding of Vietnam Veterans of America's first local chapter in my 
hometown of Rutland, VT.
  The VVA is a Congressionally chartered national veterans service 
organization exclusively dedicated to Vietnam-era veterans and their 
families. In the late 1970s, America had come through its longest and 
most divisive war. Many of the millions of veterans who served during 
that period felt that the veteran community and the Federal Government 
failed to address their specific concerns.
  In January 1978, Bobby Muller and a small band of Vietnam veterans 
came to Washington, DC to create an advocacy organization to push for 
Federal action to address the needs of this unique veteran population. 
The VVA, initially known as the Vietnam Veterans Coalition and then the 
Council of Vietnam Veterans, went to work focusing first on the 
dissemination of government information and coordination of relations 
between the Federal Government and veterans.
  In time, it became clear that, like many other organizations, this 
one could not survive simply by making a good case for its 
initiatives--it needed to build a strong membership base in order to 
wield political power. By the summer of 1979, the new Vietnam Veterans 
of America began to focus on building its membership.
  While the growth of the organization was slow initially, a 
breakthrough came following resolution of the American Hostage Crisis 
in Iran in January 1981. While watching the jubilant homecoming given 
the American hostages, many Vietnam veterans were poignantly reminded 
of the hostile reception they faced upon their return home. Vietnam 
veterans began to clamor for action in the form of programs that would 
place the latest generation of wartime veterans on the same footing as 
veterans from previous wars.
  The strength of the organization grew with the increase in 
membership. The public also became more willing to deal with the 
neglected veterans issues unique to the Vietnam War. An important 
manifestation of this increased public awareness was the opening of the 
Vietnam Veterans Memorial in November 1982. The activities around the 
Memorial rekindled a sense of camaraderie among the veterans and the 
feeling of a shared experience too significance to ignore.
  Since then, the VVA has broadened the scope of services it provides 
to its membership, including the founding of the Vietnam Veterans of 
America Legal Services that provides assistance to veterans seeking 
benefits and services from the Federal Government. An example of the 
critical information dissemination function of the VVA is the 
publication of information on the manifestations of Post-Traumatic 
Stress Disorder and Agent Orange illnesses, as well treatment and 
compensation available to veterans.
  The legislative accomplishments of the VVA through its high-profile 
presence on Capitol Hill have been impressive. Organizations like 
Vietnam-era Veterans in Congress have served the overall membership 
well by supporting the pragmatic agenda of the VVA and championing its 
founding principle that ``Never again will one generation of veterans 
abandon another.''
  Today, the VVA has a national membership of 45,000 in more than 600 
chapters. VVA state councils in 43 states coordinate the activities and 
programs of its national organization, ensuring that grassroots input 
to Congress continues to ensure that the Federal Government meets its 
obligations to its Vietnam veterans.
  This resolution expresses the Senate's gratitude to the Vietnam 
Veterans of America for its strong advocacy on behalf of its members 
and wishes it continued success in the years to come.

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