SPONSOR:	Rep. Carson & Rep. Brady & Rep. Jaques & Rep. J. Johnson & Rep. Kenton & Rep. D. Short & Rep. Smyk & Rep. Viola, on behalf of all Representatives & Sen. Ennis & Sen. Lawson & Sen. Marshall & Sen. McBride & Sen. McDowell & Sen. Richardson & Sen. Simpson, on behalf of all Senators

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

148th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 76

RECOGNIZING MAY 9-15, 2016, AS “VIETNAM VETERANS WEEK” IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE AND WELCOMING HOME THE VIETNAM VETERANS.

WHEREAS, the Vietnam War was fought from 1961 to 1975 in the Republic of South Vietnam and involved North Vietnamese regular forces and Viet Cong guerrilla forces in armed conflict with U.S. Armed Forces and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam; and

WHEREAS, Delaware men and women served in the United States Armed Forces, whether through enlistment or submission to the draft, because the U.S. Government wanted to provide direct military support to the Government of South Vietnam to defend itself against the growing Communist threat from North Vietnam; and

WHEREAS, members of the U.S. Armed Forces began serving in an advisory role to the Government of the Republic of South Vietnam in 1961; and

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 the authority to the President of the United States to prosecute the war against North Vietnam; and

WHEREAS, in 1965, U. S. Armed Forces ground combat units arrived in Vietnam; and

WHEREAS, by the end of 1965, there were approximately 80,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam, and by 1969, a peak of approximately 543,000 troops was reached; and

WHEREAS, by January 27, 1973, when the Treaty of Paris was signed and required the release of all United States prisoners-of-war held in North Vietnam and the withdrawal of all U.S. Armed Forces from South Vietnam, 173 Delawareans had given their lives in support of our State and our nation; and

WHEREAS, on March 30, 1973, the U.S. Armed Forces completed the withdrawal of combat units and combat support units from South Vietnam; and

WHEREAS, on April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese regular forces captured Saigon, the capitol of South Vietnam, effectively placing South Vietnam under Communist control; and

WHEREAS, more than 183 Delawareans were among the more than 58,000 American members of the U.S. Armed Forces lost their lives in Vietnam, and more than 300,000 members of the U.S. Armed Forces were wounded; and

WHEREAS, in 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in the District of Columbia to commemorate those members of the U.S. Armed Forces who died or were declared missing-in-action in Vietnam; and

WHEREAS, memorials in New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties to honor Delaware’s Vietnam Veterans have been established; and

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 public to acknowledge and honor the efforts and services of such veterans; and

WHEREAS, Delawareans who served bravely and faithfully for the United States during the Vietnam War were often wrongly criticized for the policy decisions made over four Presidential administrations in the United States;

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 148^th General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that the Legislature recognizes the week of May 9-15, 2016, as “Vietnam Veterans Week” in the State of Delaware, encourages the people of Delaware during the week to individually greet Vietnam Veterans with “Welcome Home” greetings and appreciation Vietnam War veterans deserve but did not necessarily receive upon returning home from war.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature honors and recognizes the contributions of Delaware’s veterans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces in Vietnam during war and during peace.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature encourages local governments to draft resolutions to acknowledge the sacrifices of Vietnam Veterans and their families and to thank them for their outreach to succeeding generations of veterans.