Vietnam and veterans welcome home and thank you day.

WORKING DRAFT

ORIGINAL HOUSE
BILL

NO.
0177

ENROLLED ACT NO. 15, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF
WYOMING
2011 GENERAL SESSION

AN ACT relating to
state holidays
and observances
;
making
finding
s
with respect to the
veterans of the
Vietnam War
and other wars
;
providing for
a
Wyoming
Veterans
Welcome Home
D
ay;
specifying
the
effect of the day of recognition;
and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of
Wyoming
:

Section 1.

(a)

The
l
egislature hereby finds and declares all of the following:

(
i
)

In 2007, the United States Congress, by separate Senate and House Resolutions, declared that a
Welcome
Home
Vietnam
Veterans Day should be established
;

(
ii
)

The Vietnam War was fought in
Vietnam
from 1961 to 1975, and involved
North Vietnam
and Viet Cong in conflict with the
United States
and
South Vietnam
;

(
iii
)

The
United States
became involved in
Vietnam
because policymakers in the
United States
believed that if
South Vietnam
fell to a communist government, communism would spread throug
hout the rest of southeast Asia;

(
iv
)

Members of the
United States
armed f
orces began serving in an advisory role
to the South Vietnamese in 1961;

(
v
)

As a result of the
Gulf
of
Tonkin
incidents on August 2 and 4, 1964, the
United States
overwhelmingly passed the
Gulf
of
Tonkin Resolution
(Public Law 99-408), on August 7, 1964, which effectively handed over the war-making powers to President Johnson until such time as "peace and security" had returned to
Vietnam
;

(
vi
)

In 1965, there were
eighty thousand (
80,000
)
United States troops in Vietnam, and by 1969 a peak of approxima
tely
five hundred forty-three thousand (
543,000
)
troops was reached
;

(
vii
)

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 withdr
awal of all
United States
armed f
orces from
South Vietnam
;

(
viii
)

On Mar
ch
29
, 1973, the
United States
armed f
orces completed the withdrawal of combat troops from
Vietnam
;

(i
x
)

More than
fifty-eight thousand (
58,00
0
)
members of the
United States
armed f
orces lost their lives in
Vietnam
and more
than
three hundred thousand (
300,000
)
were wounded;

(
x
)

In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in the District of Columbia to commemorate those
members of the United States armed f
orces who died or were declared missing in action in Vietnam
;

(
xi
)

The Vietnam War was an extremely divisive issue among the people of the
United States
;

(
xii
)

Upon their return home
, members of the
United States
a
rmed
f
orces who served bravely and faithfully for the
United States
during the Vietnam War were caught in the crossfire of public debate about the involvement o
f the
United States
in the war
. Many of these veterans were treated with disrespect and their leaders recommended they not wear their military uniform as they returned home
;

(
xiii
)

Additionally, many veterans returning home from previous wars or overseas duty, especially Korean War, Gulf War and Cold War veterans, were not properly welcomed home and did not receive the thanks of a grateful
state and nation;

(xiv)

Our state and nation has learned the value of a simple "t
hank you" and "welcome home" as shown by the recognition and celebrations for t
hose who are serving in the ongoing War on Terror
;

(xv)

The establishment of a
Wyoming
Veterans
Welcome Home
Day
to
thank

Vietnam

and other
v
eterans
would be an appropriate way to honor thos
e members of the
United States
armed f
orces who
were not properly welcomed home following their military service.

Section 2
.

W.S. 8
‑
4
‑
109 is created to read:

8
‑
4
‑
109.

Wyoming
Veterans
Welcome
Home
Day
.

(a)

In recognition of the
members

of the United States armed forces who served bravely and faithfully for the United States during the Vietnam War
,
and to all those members of the United States armed forces who were not properly thanked or welcomed home following their military service,
March 30 of each year is designated as "
Wyoming
Veterans
Welcome Home
Day
.
"

The day shall be appropriately observed in the public schools of the state and by organizations within the state.
Additionally, it is recommended that
Wyoming
communities host "Wyoming Veterans Welcome Home Day" celebrations to ensure those members of the
United States
armed forces can be properly thanked and welcomed home.

(b)

The governor, not later than
March 20
of each year, s
hall issue a
proclamation
requesting proper observance of
Wyoming Veterans Welcome Home Day
and requesting military and veterans' organizations to work with
Wyoming
school districts to
observe
the contributions and sacrifices of
Vietnam

veterans and other
veterans.

(c)

This section shall not affect commercial paper, the making or execution of written agreements or judicial proceedings, or authorize public schools, business or state and local government offices to close.

Section 3.

This act is effective immediately upon co
m
pletion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constit
u
tion.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.

Chief Clerk

1