I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4261 
To provide eligibility for veterans benefits for individuals who served in 
the United States merchant marine in the Southeast Asia theater of 
operations during the Vietnam Era. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 9, 2005 
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To provide eligibility for veterans benefits for individuals 
who served in the United States merchant marine in 
the Southeast Asia theater of operations during the Viet-
nam Era. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. VETERANS BENEFITS FOR MERCHANT MARI-
NERS WHO SERVED DURING THE VIETNAM 
ERA IN THE SOUTHEAST ASIA THEATER OF 
OPERATIONS. 
(a) ELIGIBILITY FOR VETERANS BENEFITS.—Not-
withstanding any other provision of law, the service of an
eligible individual described in subsection (b)(1) shall be 
considered to be active duty in determining the individ-
ual’s eligibility for veterans benefits under all laws admin-
istered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 
(b) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—In this Act, the term 
‘‘eligible individual’’ means an individual in the United 
States merchant marine who— 
(1) served as a crewmember of a vessel that 
was in oceangoing service during the Vietnam Era 
in the Southeast Asia theater of operations; and 
(2) receives a certificate of honorable discharge 
under subsection (c). 
(c) DOCUMENTATION OF SERVICE.— 
(1) 
CERTIFICATE
OF
HONORABLE
DIS-
CHARGE.—The Secretary of Defense shall, upon ap-
plication, issue a certificate of honorable discharge 
to an individual in the United States merchant ma-
rine who served as a crewmember of a vessel that 
was in oceangoing service during the Vietnam Era 
in the Southeast Asia theater of operations who, as 
determined by the Secretary, engaged in service of 
a nature and duration that warrants issuance of the 
certificate. 
(2) STANDARDS
RELATING
TO
SERVICE.—In 
carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary shall
apply the same standards relating to the nature and 
duration of service that apply to the issuance of hon-
orable discharges under section 401(a)(1)(B) of the 
GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977 (38 U.S.C. 106 
note). 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act, the following defini-
tions apply: 
(1) INDIVIDUAL IN THE UNITED STATES MER-
CHANT
MARINE.—The term ‘‘individual in the 
United States merchant marine’’ means any citizen 
or resident alien of the United States serving as a 
civilian or civil service member of the United States 
merchant marine. 
(2) VIETNAM ERA.—The term ‘‘Vietnam Era’’ 
means— 
(A) the period beginning on February 28, 
1961, and ending on May 7, 1975, in the case 
of an individual in the United States merchant 
marine who served in the Republic of Vietnam 
during that period; and 
(B) the period beginning on August 5, 
1964, and ending on May 7, 1975, in all other 
cases.
SEC. 2. RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY. 
Section 1 shall apply to an individual eligible for vet-
erans benefits under subsection (a) of such section as if 
such section had been in effect as of the last date of the 
individual’s service described in subsection (b)(1) of such 
section. 
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