Bill Text: MO HCR29 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Designates November 11, 2011, as "Vietnam Veterans Day" in Missouri to be observed in conjunction with Veterans Day
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-03-16 - Referred: Tourism and Natural Resources [HCR29 Detail]
Download: Missouri-2011-HCR29-Introduced.html
FIRST REGULAR SESSION
House Concurrent Resolution No. 29
96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES CONWAY (27) (Sponsor), TALBOY, McMANUS, KRATKY, QUINN, LAMPE, FALLERT, McNEIL, OXFORD, ATKINS, PACE, MEADOWS, SCHUPP, JOHNSON, HOLSMAN, KELLY (24), HARRIS, ANDERS, ELLINGER AND STILL (Co-sponsors).
WHEREAS, in 1961, President John F. Kennedy sent 100 Special Forces Troops to Vietnam to help the South Vietnamese government in its war against the Vietcong guerrillas; and
WHEREAS, on February 13, 1965, President Johnson authorized Operation Rolling Thunder, a limited but long lasting bombing offensive which began on March 2, 1965; and
WHEREAS, on June 27, 1965, General William Westmoreland launched the first purely offensive operation by American ground forces in Vietnam; and
WHEREAS, by the end of 1966, American forces in the Vietnam Conflict reached 385,000 men and women, plus an additional 60,000 sailors stationed offshore; and
WHEREAS, in November of 1968, three and a half years after it began, Operation Rolling Thunder came to an end, with losses totaling more than 900 American aircraft, 818 pilots dead or missing, and hundreds in captivity; and
WHEREAS, when President Richard Nixon took office in January 1969, he promised to achieve "Peace With Honor" by negotiating a settlement that would allow our then 500,000 United States troops in Vietnam to be withdrawn while still allowing South Vietnam to survive; and
WHEREAS, by the beginning of 1972 only 133,000 United States service men and women remained in South Vietnam. Two-thirds of the American forces had been removed in the previous two years, with the ground war almost exclusively the responsibility of the South Vietnamese; and
WHEREAS, on January 8, 1973, North Vietnam and the United States resumed peace talks in Paris, resulting in the warring parties signing a cease fire on January 27, 1973; and
WHEREAS, in March 1973 the last American combat soldiers left South Vietnam, marking the official end of United States involvement in the Vietnam Conflict. Many military advisors and the Marines remained to protect United States military installations. Of the more than 3 million Americans who served during the Vietnam Conflict, almost 58,000 were killed, over 1,000 were missing in action, and 150,000 were seriously wounded; and
WHEREAS, at 4:03 a.m. on April 30, 1975, two United States Marines became the last two American casualties in the Vietnam Conflict. At dawn, the last Marines of the force guarding the United States embassy lifted off. Only hours later, looters ransacked the embassy and North Vietnamese tanks rolled into Saigon, ending the 15-year war; and
WHEREAS, many veterans of the Vietnam Conflict came home not only to no parades, ceremonies, and public celebrations in honor of their courageous service to our nation, but in too many instances to scorn and ridicule for their participation in an unpopular war; and
WHEREAS, many of these Vietnam Veterans are now in the sixties and have lived in silence about their past experiences; and
WHEREAS, a special recognition and welcoming may serve to open a dialogue with these Vietnam Veterans and allow the State of Missouri to show its appreciation for the courage and unwavering patriotism of those valiant men and women of the armed forces of the United States who served during the Vietnam Conflict:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-sixth General Assembly, First Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby designate November 11, 2011, as "Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day" in Missouri to be observed in conjunction with Veterans Day; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the General Assembly encourages the citizens of this state to observe the day with appropriate events, activities, and remembrances in honor of the veterans who bravely fought, served, and sacrificed during the Vietnam Conflict and returned home to no parades, ceremonies, or public celebrations to welcome them in gratitude for their courageous service given and sacrifices made on behalf of our nation.
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