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Joint Resolution to Honor Vietnam War Remembrance Day on March 30, 2012
WHEREAS, the State of Maine passed Public Law 2011, chapter 92, which established that March 30th of each year is Vietnam War Remembrance Day, to honor the service and sacrifice of those veterans of the United States Armed Forces who served during the Vietnam War; and
WHEREAS,  the Vietnam War was fought in the Republic of South Vietnam from 1961 to 1975 and involved North Vietnamese regular forces and Viet Cong guerrilla forces in armed conflict with the United States Armed Forces and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam; and
WHEREAS,  the United States Armed Forces became involved in Vietnam to provide direct military support for the Republic of South Vietnam to defend itself against the growing communist threat from North Vietnam; and
WHEREAS,  members of the United States Armed Forces began serving in an advisory role to the Republic of South Vietnam in 1961, and, as a result of the Gulf of Tonkin incidents on August 2 and 4, 1964, the United States Congress overwhelmingly passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which provided the authority to the President of the United States to prosecute the war against North Vietnam; and
WHEREAS,  in 1965, United States Armed Forces ground combat units arrived in Vietnam, and by the end of 1965 there were 80,000 United States troops in Vietnam; by 1969, a peak of approximately 543,000 troops was reached; and
WHEREAS,  on January 27, 1973, the Treaty of Paris was signed, which required the release of all United States prisoners of war held in North Vietnam and the withdrawal of all United States Armed Forces from South Vietnam; and
WHEREAS,  on March 30, 1973, the United States Armed Forces completed the withdrawal of combat units and combat support units from South Vietnam; and
WHEREAS,  more than 58,000 members of the United States Armed Forces lost their lives in Vietnam and more than 300,000 members of the United States 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 United States Armed Forces who died or were declared missing in action in Vietnam; and
WHEREAS,  the establishment of Vietnam War Remembrance Day is an appropriate way to honor those members of the United States Armed Forces who served in South Vietnam and throughout Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War; and
WHEREAS,  we must honor the establishment of Vietnam War Remembrance Day for the millions of men and women who served with valor during the Vietnam War, those who were wounded with wounds both seen and unseen during the conflict and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to their State and Nation; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That We, the Members of the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Maine now assembled in the Second Regular Session, on behalf of the people we represent, take this opportunity to join in the observance of Vietnam War Remembrance Day in order to honor the contributions of veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces in Vietnam during war and during peace; and be it further
RESOLVED: That suitable copies of this resolution, duly authenticated by the Secretary of State, be transmitted to the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management.