<BillNo> <Sponsor>
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 381
By McCalmon
HJR0381
005112
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A RESOLUTION to commemorate Vietnam Veterans Day.
WHEREAS, on January 12, 1962, United States Army pilots lifted more than 1,000
South Vietnamese service members over jungle and underbrush to capture a National
Liberation Front stronghold near Saigon. Operation Chopper marked America's first combat
mission against the Viet Cong and the beginning of one of our longest and most challenging
wars; and
WHEREAS, through more than a decade of conflict that tested the fabric of our nation,
the service of our men and women in uniform stood true. More than sixty years after that fateful
mission, we honor the Americans who served, pay tribute to those we have laid to rest, and
reaffirm our dedication to showing a generation of veterans the respect and support of a grateful
nation; and
WHEREAS, the Vietnam War is a story of service members of different backgrounds,
colors, and creeds who came together to complete a daunting mission; it is a story of patriots
who braved the line of fire, who cast themselves into harm's way to save a friend, and who
fought hour after hour, day after day, to preserve the liberties we hold dear while upholding the
highest traditions of our Armed Forces; and
WHEREAS, in 2008, Tennessee became the first state in the nation to pass legislation
observing Vietnam Veterans Day; every year on March 29, we honor and recognize those who
served during the Vietnam War; and
WHEREAS, 9,087,000 personnel served from August 5, 1964, to May 7, 1975, and
2,709,918 served on the ground in Vietnam; two-thirds of those who served were volunteers
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and not drafted, and 11,000 women served in Vietnam in various roles, including nursing, the
Red Cross, and other military roles; and
WHEREAS, more than 2.5 million personnel served in the Republic of South Vietnam,
including 1,736,000 in the Army, 391,000 in the Marines, 174,000 in the Navy and Coast Guard,
and 293,000 in the Air Force; and
WHEREAS, as of 2020, there were approximately 6.3 million veterans of the United
States military still alive who served during the period of the Vietnam War; of these veterans,
155,261 were from Tennessee; and
WHEREAS, 240 servicemembers have been awarded the Medal of Honor for their
service in Vietnam; among those honored recipients from Tennessee are James Gardner of
Dyersburg, Don Jenkins of Nashville, David Robert Ray of McMinnville, and Walter K. Singleton
of Memphis; and
WHEREAS, eleven years of combat left their imprint on a generation; some 150,000
returned home bearing shrapnel and scars; 271,000 were burdened by the invisible wounds of
post-traumatic stress, with 30 percent of all servicemembers experiencing some form of post-
traumatic stress disorder in their lifetimes; 2.6 million were exposed to Agent Orange; and
58,479 laid down their lives in service to our nation. Now and forever, their names are etched
into two faces of black granite, a lasting memorial to those who bore conflict's greatest cost; and
WHEREAS, the United States lists 2,500 Americans as prisoners of war or missing in
action in Vietnam; of the 684 prisoners of war who returned home from Vietnam, the longest-
held enlisted servicemember was Bill Robinson from East Tennessee; and
WHEREAS, 1,200 Americans are reported to have been killed-in-action with no body
recovered, and approximately 1,584 Americans are still missing; Tennessee has recovered
twenty-one servicemembers to date, while twenty-six Tennesseans are still recorded as
missing-in-action; and
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WHEREAS, over half a century after the last of our troops left Vietnam on March 29,
1973, we pay tribute to the fallen, the missing, the wounded, the millions who served, and the
millions more who awaited their return. Our nation stands stronger for their service, and on
Vietnam Veterans Day, we honor their proud legacy with our deepest gratitude; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED
FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE
CONCURRING, that we hereby commemorate Vietnam Veterans Day in Tennessee on March
29, 2025.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared
for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear
without House or Senate designation.