2023 -- H 6226

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

THANKING AND HONORING AMERICA AND RHODE ISLAND'S VIETNAM WAR

VETERANS FOR THEIR SERVICE AND SACRIFICE ON "VIETNAM VETERANS DAY"

     Introduced By: Representatives Azzinaro, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Chippendale,
Kazarian, Casimiro, Casey, Edwards, Bennett, and Vella-Wilkinson

     Date Introduced: March 29, 2023

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, Our Nation owes an unmeasurable debt to all those individuals who have

served in the United States Armed Forces. Whether volunteering so another would not have to go

or answering the call when drafted, our country's Vietnam vets, out of a profound and selfless

sense of duty, shouldered the burden of long periods away from home, difficult and frequently

dangerous training and deployments, and inherent physical, mental, and emotional risks. Such is

the debt we owe to Vietnam War Veterans; and

     WHEREAS, More than 2.7 million United States Armed Forces personnel served in

Vietnam from 1965 to 1975, with approximately 21,000 members from Rhode Island; and

     WHEREAS, Over 58,000 members of the Armed Forces lost their lives in that conflict,

and more than 304,000 were wounded. The casualties included more than 200 service members

who called Rhode Island their home; and

     WHEREAS, Vietnam Veterans were not accorded the same welcome home as those who

served in other wars. Rather, those who had answered the call to serve the United States in

Vietnam were often treated with animosity by their fellow countrymen upon arriving home; and

     WHEREAS, Though the Vietnam War was unpopular at the time and continues to have a

complex and divisive history today, the brave American citizens who left their homes to serve in

Vietnam should be fully supported and honored by a grateful nation; and

     WHEREAS, Remembering the service of Vietnam Veterans honors their bravery and

ensures that they are not forgotten. We remain deeply appreciative of their sacrifice and

steadfastly supportive of them and their families who still often grapple with the visible and

unseen scars of war; and

     WHEREAS, In 2017, the Rhode Island General Assembly passed Rhode Island General

Law § 25-2-20, which sets aside the twenty-ninth day of March annually to be known as

"Vietnam Veterans Day"; now, therefore, be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby

thanks and honors all of America's and Rhode Island's Vietnam War veterans, and asks that all

Rhode Island residents remember their service and sacrifice on behalf of our nation on "Vietnam

Veterans Day on March 29, 2023; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Daniel McKee, Governor of the

State of Rhode Island, and Major General Christopher Callahan, Adjutant General of the State of

Rhode Island.

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