Federal

A joint resolution to acknowledge the courage and sacrifice of veterans of the Vietnam war and formally apologize for the treatment they received upon returning home.

Source: Congress.gov · 814 words in original text

What This Bill Does

Congress formally apologizes to Vietnam War veterans for the mistreatment they received when returning home. The bill acknowledges the courage and sacrifice of these veterans and calls for increased education in American schools about their service and the lack of support they faced.

Who It Affects

Vietnam War veterans and their families receive the apology. American schools may be affected by the education provisions. The President is urged to take action.

Key Provisions

* Congress recognizes the extraordinary sacrifice of Vietnam War veterans and commends them for their courageous service to the United States (Sec. 1(1)) * Congress issues a formal apology on behalf of the American people to Vietnam War veterans and their families for the mistreatment they endured during and after the war (Sec. 1(3)) * Congress urges the President to formally acknowledge the widespread mistreatment of Vietnam War veterans as part of the ongoing Vietnam War Commemoration (Sec. 1(2)) * Congress expresses urgent support for increased education in American schools to better reflect the courage and sacrifice of Vietnam War veterans and the lack of support they received back home (Sec. 1(4))

What Changes

If this becomes law, Congress will have officially apologized to Vietnam War veterans and their families. The bill calls for the President to acknowledge the mistreatment these veterans faced and encourages schools to teach more about their experiences.

Important Definitions

None defined in bill text.

IIA 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. J. RES. 17 To acknowledge the courage and sacrifice of veterans of the Vietnam war and formally apologize for the treatment they received upon returning home. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES FEBRUARY 16, 2023 Mr. SULLIVAN (for himself, Mr. BRAUN, Mr. SCOTT of Florida, Mr. CASSIDY, Mr. BUDD, Mr. WICKER, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. CORNYN, and Mr. HOEVEN) introduced the following joint resolution; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs JOINT RESOLUTION To acknowledge the courage and sacrifice of veterans of the Vietnam war and formally apologize for the treat- ment they received upon returning home. Whereas members of the Armed Forces of the United States began serving in an advisory role to the Government of South Vietnam in 1955; Whereas, in 1965, ground combat units of the Armed Forces of the United States arrived in the Republic of Vietnam to join approximately 23,000 personnel of the Armed Forces who were already present there; Whereas, by 1969, the number of such troops reached a peak of approximately 549,500, including members of the VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:42 Feb 17, 2023 Jkt 047007 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SJ17.IS SJ17 pbinns on DSKBC47HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •SJ 17 IS Armed Forces in the region who were supporting the combat operations; Whereas, on January 27, 1973, the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Viet-Nam (commonly known as the ‘‘Paris Peace Accords’’) was signed, which required the release of all prisoners of war of the United States held in North Vietnam and the withdrawal of all Armed Forces of the United States from South Vietnam; Whereas, on March 29, 1973, the Armed Forces of the United States completed the withdrawal of combat units and combat support units from South Vietnam; Whereas, on April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese forces cap- tured Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, effectively placing South Vietnam under Communist control; Whereas more than 58,000 members of the Armed Forces of the United States lost their lives in the Vietnam war, and more than 300,000 members of the Armed Forces of the United States were wounded in Vietnam; Whereas many thousands of veterans of the Vietnam war were exposed to Agent Orange and other harmful herbi- cides during the course of their service, carrying home delayed wounds of toxic exposure at the highest rate of any generation of veterans before; Whereas the Vietnam war was an extremely divisive issue back home in the United States, as a result of biased and shameful attacks from the media, academia, politicians, and many others; Whereas some opponents of the war did not limit their oppo- sition to normal political discourse, but engaged in violent protests, including the targeting of Reserve Officers’ Training Corps facilities and recruiting stations and the VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:42 Feb 17, 2023 Jkt 047007 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SJ17.IS SJ17 pbinns on DSKBC47HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •SJ 17 IS bombing of the Army Mathematics Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Whereas members of the Armed Forces who served bravely and faithfully for the United States during the Vietnam war were repeatedly targeted with shameful attacks as the result of decisions that were beyond their control; and Whereas Vietnam Veterans Day will be observed on March 29, 2023, which marks the 50th anniversary of the with- drawal of combat troops from Vietnam: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives 1 of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. RESOLUTION OF APOLOGY TO VETERANS OF 3 THE VIETNAM WAR. 4 The United States, acting through Congress— 5 (1) recognizes the extraordinary sacrifice of vet- 6 erans of the Vietnam war and commends them for 7 their unwavering and courageous sacrifice to the 8 United States; 9 (2) urges the President to formally acknowledge 10 the widespread mistreatment of veterans of the Viet- 11 nam war as part of the ongoing Vietnam War Com- 12 memoration; 13 (3) on behalf of the people of the United States, 14 issues the long overdue formal apology to veterans of 15 the Vietnam war and their families for the mistreat- 16 ment they endured during and after the war; and 17 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:42 Feb 17, 2023 Jkt 047007 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SJ17.IS SJ17 pbinns on DSKBC47HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •SJ 17 IS (4) expresses urgent support for increased edu- 1 cation in the schools of the United States to better 2 reflect the courage and sacrifice of veterans of the 3 Vietnam war and the lack of support back home. 4 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:42 Feb 17, 2023 Jkt 047007 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SJ17.IS SJ17 pbinns on DSKBC47HB2PROD with BILLS

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