| |
| |
|
|
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
|
|
|
WHEREAS, April 30, 2025, marks the 50th anniversary of the |
|
|
end of the Vietnam War, providing a fitting opportunity to honor the |
|
|
dedicated members of the U.S. military who courageously served |
|
|
their country in the conflict; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The Vietnam War pitted the communist government of |
|
|
North Vietnam and its Viet Cong supporters in South Vietnam against |
|
|
the South Vietnamese government and its main ally, the United |
|
|
States; America's military involvement in the war officially began |
|
|
in August 1964 when U.S. ships were attacked in international |
|
|
waters in the Gulf of Tonkin near North Vietnam; following that |
|
|
incident, the U.S. increased its military presence in South |
|
|
Vietnam, and its first regular combat units arrived in the country |
|
|
in March 1965; by 1969, more than 500,000 U.S. military personnel |
|
|
were stationed in Vietnam; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The signing of the Paris Peace Accords in January |
|
|
1973 ended direct U.S. military engagement in Vietnam, and on |
|
|
April 30, 1975, the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to the |
|
|
North Vietnamese Army, effectively bringing the war to a close; the |
|
|
conflict claimed a terrible death toll, and the names of the more |
|
|
than 58,000 U.S. servicemen and women who lost their lives during |
|
|
the war are inscribed on the wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial |
|
|
in Washington, D.C.; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Americans owe a profound debt of gratitude to those |
|
|
who fulfilled the highest ideals of the U.S. armed forces during the |
|
|
Vietnam War, and it is indeed appropriate to reflect on their |
|
|
immeasurable fortitude and valor and on the exceptional sacrifice |
|
|
of all those whose lives were touched by the war; now, therefore, be |
|
|
it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas |
|
|
hereby commemorate the 50th anniversary of the conclusion of the |
|
|
Vietnam War. |