2011
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 11-1021
       
       
       BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Ryden, Todd, Brown, Court, Duran,
       Hamner, Jones, Joshi, Labuda, Lee, McCann, McNulty, Murray,
       Pabon, Peniston, Vigil, Williams A., Wilson, Acree, Balmer, Barker,
       Baumgardner, Becker, Beezley, Bradford, Casso, Conti, Coram,
       DelGrosso, Ferrandino, Fields, Fischer, Gardner B., Gardner D.,
       Gerou, Holbert, Hullinghorst, Kagan, Kefalas, Kerr A., Kerr J.,
       Levy, Looper, Massey, McKinley, Miklosi, Nikkel, Pace, Priola,
       Ramirez, Riesberg, Schafer S., Scott, Solano, Sonnenberg, Soper,
       Stephens, Summers, Swalm, Swerdfeger, Szabo, Tyler, Vaad,
       Waller;
       also SENATOR(S) Shaffer B., Boyd, Cadman, Carroll, Foster,
       Grantham, Mitchell, Spence, Tochtrop, Williams S., Aguilar, Bacon,
       Brophy, Giron, Guzman, Harvey, Heath, Hodge, Hudak, Jahn,
       Johnston, King K., King S., Lambert, Lundberg, Morse, Newell,
       Nicholson, Renfroe, Roberts, Scheffel, Schwartz, Steadman, White.
       
       
          CONCERNING RECOGNITION AND REMEMBRANCE OF
       MILITARY VETERANS IN COLORADO WHO SERVED IN THE
       VIETNAM WAR. 
       
       
          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 United States
       Armed Forces and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam; and
       
       
       
       
       
       
          WHEREAS, During this period, more than 3 million Americans, both
       volunteers and draftees, served tours of duty in Vietnam in what was an
       extremely long, difficult, and complex war; and  
       
          WHEREAS, More than 58,000 members of the United States Armed
       Forces, including 611 Coloradans, lost their lives in Vietnam, and more
       than 300,000 members of the Armed Forces were wounded; and
       
          WHEREAS, In addition, over 2,500 members of the United States
       Armed Forces were listed as Prisoners of War or Missing In Action,
       including 41 Coloradans, 27 of whom remain unaccounted for; and
       
          WHEREAS, More than 7 million members of the United States
       Armed Forces still alive today, including 138,667 Coloradans, served
       their country during the Vietnam era, according to the Denver Regional
       Office of the federal Department of Veterans Affairs; and
       
          WHEREAS, On January 27, 1973, the Paris Peace Accord 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, The United States Armed Forces completed the
       withdrawal of combat units and combat support units from South
       Vietnam by March 30, 1973; and
       
          WHEREAS, On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese regular forces
       captured Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, marking the official end
       of the Vietnam war; and
       
          WHEREAS, As American military personnel completed their tours of
       duty in Vietnam, they returned home to a citizenry that was divided in its
       opinions of that conflict, and many people failed to distinguish their
       political and philosophical viewpoints toward the war from the
       individuals who had served; and
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
          WHEREAS, In the intervening decades, our citizenry has come to
       understand more clearly the importance of recognizing and respecting the
       service of military veterans, regardless of any other opinions or issues;
       and
       
          WHEREAS, The need for a formal recognition of the return of
       veterans from the Vietnam war is as important now as ever, not only for
       those veterans who served but for all citizens; and
       
          WHEREAS, April 30, 2011, marks the 36th anniversary of the end of
       the Vietnam war; now, therefore,
       
          Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Sixty-eighth
       General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:
       
          That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly, hereby:
       
          (1)  Honor the service and sacrifices of the military veterans in
       Colorado who served in Vietnam, including the South Vietnamese
       soldiers who served alongside the American troops;
       
          (2)  Recognize the particular challenges faced by many of these
       veterans, both while serving in Vietnam and upon returning home; and
       
          (3)  Express our appreciation for their fortitude, their activism on
       behalf of fellow veterans, their steadfast patriotism, and the many
       accomplishments, contributions, and leadership that these veterans have
       made to their families, community organizations, and the state.  
       
          Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to
       the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs;  the United
       Veterans' Committee of Colorado; Project Sanctuary; the United States 
       
       
       
       
       
       
       Vietnamese American Volunteers Alliance; the President of the United
       States, Barack Obama; the honorable John Hickenlooper, Governor of
       Colorado; and the Colorado Congressional delegation.
      
       
       
       
       ________________________________________________________
       Frank McNulty                    Brandon C. Shaffer 
       SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE                    PRESIDENT OF
       OF REPRESENTATIVES                        THE SENATE
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       ____________________________  ____________________________
       Marilyn Eddins                        Cindi Markwell
       CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE                SECRETARY OF
       OF REPRESENTATIVES                        THE SENATE