Vietnam Veterans Military Appreciation

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 26-1010

BY REPRESENTA TIVE(S) Willford and Bottoms, Bacon, Barron, Boesenecker, Bradfield, Bradley, Brooks, Brown, Caldwell, Camacho, Carter, Clifford, DeGraaf, Duran, English, Espenoza, Feret, Flanell, Froelich, Garcia, Garcia Sander, Gilchrist, Goldstein, Gonzalez R., Hamrick, Hartsook, Jackson, Johnson, Joseph, Keltie, Lindsay, Luck, Lukens, Mabrey, Martinez, Mauro, Nguyen, Paschal, Phillips, Richardson, Ricks, Rutinel, Sirota, Slaugh, Smith, Soper, Stewart K., Stewart R., Story, Suckla, Taggart, Titone, Valdez, Velasco, Winter T., Woodrow, Woog, Zokaie, McCluskie; also SENATOR(S) Weissman and Bright, Amabile, Baisley, Ball, Carson, Catlin, Cutter, Danielson, Exum, Frizell, Gonzales J., Hinrichsen, Jodeh, Kipp, Kirkmeyer, Kolker, Lindstedt, Liston, Michaelson Jenet, Mullica, Pelton B., Pelton R., Rich, Roberts, Rodriguez, Snyder, Wallace, Zamora Wilson, Coleman.

CONCERNING RECOGNITION AND REMEMBRANCE OF COLORADO MILITARY VETERANS WHO ·sERVED IN THE VIETNAM WAR.

WHEREAS, United States military involvement in the Vietnam War began in South Vietnam in 1964 and continued throughout the region until 197 5, involving the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong guerrilla forces in armed conflict with the United States Armed Forces and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam; and WHEREAS, During this period, more than 2.7 million American soldiers, both volunteers and draftees, served tours of duty in Vietnam, with a total of more than 9 million active-duty military personnel, including 11,000 women, in what was an extremely long, difficult, and complex war; and

WHEREAS, More than 58,000 members of the United States Armed Forces, including 623 Coloradans, lost their lives in the Vietnam War, and more than 300,000 Americans were wounded; in addition, more than 1,500 members of the United States Armed Forces are listed as prisoners of war or missing in action in the Vietnam War and remain unaccounted for, including 24 Coloradans; and WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 6 million veterans of the United States Armed Forces who served during the Vietnam era are still alive today, including, as of 2020, an estimate of more than 116,000 Coloradans; and WHEREAS, Formal acknowledgment of Vietnam War veterans is as important now as ever, not only for the veterans who served but for all citizens; bipartisan federal legislation signed in 2017 permanently enshrines March 29 as National Vietnam War Veterans Day; and WHEREAS, April 30, 2026, marks the 51st anniversary of the fall of the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon to the North Vietnamese Army and the effective end of the Vietnam War; now, therefore, Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Seventy-fifth General Assembly ofthe State ofColorado, the Senate concurring herein:

That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly, hereby: (1) Honor the service and sacrifices of Colorado military veterans who served in the Vietnam War alongside South Vietnamese soldiers; (2) Recognize the challenges faced by many veterans, both while serving in the Vietnam War and upon returning home; (3) Express our appreciation for the fortitude of Colorado veterans; their activism on behalf of fellow veterans; their patriotism; their accomplishments and contributions; and the leadership they have shown their families, their community organizations, and the state; and (4) Encourage all Coloradans to remember the sacrifices made by Vietnam War veterans.

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to Maj. Gen. Robert Davis, the Adjutant General of Colorado and Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs; the United Veterans Coalition of Colorado; Project Sanctuary; President Donald J. Trump; Governor Jared Polis; and each member of Colorado's Congressional delegation.

Julie McCluskie SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

James Rashad Coleman Sr. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE

Vanessa Reilly CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Esther van Mourik SECRETARY OF THE SENATE