Posted on 03/30/2012 11:03:57 AM PDT by fatrat
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release March 29, 2012 Presidential Proclamation -- Vietnam Veterans Day
VIETNAM VETERANS DAY
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
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. 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. Fifty years after that fateful mission, we honor the more than 3 million Americans who served, we pay tribute to those we have laid to rest, and we reaffirm our dedication to showing a generation of veterans the respect and support of a grateful Nation.
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 Americans from every corner of our Nation who left the warmth of family to serve the country they loved. It is a story of patriots who braved the line of fire, who cast themselves into harm's way to save a friend, who fought hour after hour, day after day to preserve the liberties we hold dear. From Ia Drang to Hue, they won every major battle of the war and upheld the highest traditions of our Armed Forces.
Eleven years of combat left their imprint on a generation. Thousands returned home bearing shrapnel and scars; still more were burdened by the invisible wounds of post-traumatic stress, of Agent Orange, of memories that would never fade. More than 58,000 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.
Our veterans answered our country's call and served with honor, and on March 29, 1973, the last of our troops left Vietnam. Yet, in one of the war's most profound tragedies, many of these men and women came home to be shunned or neglected -- to face treatment unbefitting their courage and a welcome unworthy of their example. We must never let this happen again. Today, we reaffirm one of our most fundamental obligations: to show all who have worn the uniform of the United States the respect and dignity they deserve, and to honor their sacrifice by serving them as well as they served us. Half a century after those helicopters swept off the ground and into the annals of history, 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, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 29, 2012, as Vietnam Veterans Day. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that commemorate the 50 year anniversary of the Vietnam War.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.
BARACK OBAMA
First I have heard about this. My surviving buddies didn’t hear about this either.
Same here. It don’t mean nuthin anyways.
I’m sorry for your loss, ExTexasRedhead. We lost a lot of great guys. No doubt your husband was one of the finest...
Gritty - ‘68-’69
I join you in thanks for your husband Rich and for all those who served in Vietnam. Always good to see you posting,K.
Thank YOU, gentlemen.
And don’t pass by the POW/MIA.
(Don’t bother with me. Went into Naval Air ‘65 and never managed to talk my way outta Training Command until I finally quit in ‘76.)
Rich was a true patriot (and brave warrior). God blessed him with you, his loving wife and best friend. Thank you for making his life the best it could be. Rich certainly gave America the best he could do.
Yeah.
I knew all about it, as of about five minutes ago.
Now; therefore, I, the undersigned, do hereby proclaim and aver that Barack Obama is an obfuscating obscurantist who osculates Muslim/Marxist posteriors and who is also a pandering pusillanimous prevaricating political prick.
/s/ miele man
VietNam Veteran
PS: Can you believe this peckerhead releases this on the day the “celebrations” are to occur? He can take his “proclamation” and place it where only his proctologist can palpate it
So, FUBO, and welcome home to my brother Vietnam veterans.
173rd //// 1966-67 /// the Herd . . .
A little too late for my Vet. He died in 1995 at 54 years of age from Agent Orange .
Thank you very much, ETR.
I appreciate your vet’s service and i am very sorry for your loss.
I have a lot of admiration for Vietnam vets. Iraq sucked hard, but I’d fight that kind of fight any day over jungle warfare. What a miserable environment...
“Did any of the vets (my dad included)even know this?”
Just heard it today.
Vietnam 1970
Thank you for your service, sir.
Actually I thought the people in the sandbox were probably in more misery. Parts of Vietnam are beautiful. There are jungles but also mountains and beautiful beaches. I always thought that if they could get a stable govt, it could become the vacation spot of the far East.
Thanks you to both you and your husband for your sacrifices! Thanks you to him for his service, and I Thank my dear brother Rick for his, as well as ALL the Viet Nam Veterans!! It is ABOUT TIME!!!!!
Dang it’s over already :(
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