Date: 1981-11-12
Speaker: SAM B. HALL (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. our colleagues from South Dakota. Tom DAScHLE. and from California. LEON PANETTA. are to be commended for securing this special order to honor the 9 million men and women who served their country during the Vietnam war. When in 1961 John F. Kennedy said: Let every nation know. whether It wish us - well or ill. we shall pay any price. bear any burden. meet any hardship. support any friend. oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. The applause came from all Americans. from all regions of the country. and from those representing a wide range of political persuasions. His words contributed to the mood of the country and to the sense of national purpose and mission as we entered the Vietnamera. Further. his rhetor ic reenforced a national commitment Initiated by the late Harry Truman to contain communism in the world. It was this sense of purpose which American soldiers carried with them to Southeast Asia and. more specifical-. ly. to Vietnam. Vietnam veterans perform"d their duty to the end. and made every sacrifice demanded of them. These were Americas sons. Yet they became outcasts fighting a cause. that many of their countrymen denied. They became orphans of the storm. For many the Journey home seemed longer than their travels to the war. and for some it must have proved longer than they might ever have imagined. One must go back over 100 years In U.S. history to find a similar fate greeting American soldiers. In many respects. the War Between the States was similar to the Vietnam experience. Both wars divided the country and engendered a bitterness where friends and families divided against one another. At the outset of the hostilities in 1861. Kentuckians supportive of the secessionist movement joined the fighting for a cause their State denied and. in effect. became outcasts of Kentucky unable to see their homeland or visit their firesides. This. the 1st Kentucky Brigade. became known in annals of American military history as the "Orphan Brigade." in a very real sense. our Vitenamn veterans can be considered orphans. Four times during the 20th century. large numbers of American servicemen have returned home from a war overseas. The last homecomingthe return of servicemen from Vietnamwas different from earlier wars. There were few parades. no ticker tape. no heros welcome for the men and women who served their country during the Vietnam war. Under these circumstances. one would reasonably expect to find veterans who rejected their military service just as Americans rejected the war In wvhich their fellow citizens served. It Is of considerable significance that the greatest majority of veterans having served In Vietnam look back on their service with pride and a high sense of patriotism and commitment to country. In spite of the Nations disillusionment with the war. in spite of the disillusionment of the Nations political leaders. and the manner in which this disillusionment was projected as a burden for our Vietnam veterans to bear. those who served in Southeast Asia maintain a very real and lasting love of country and appreciation for the principles for which It stands. Six years after the end of the longest and least popular foreign war In American history. we today honor those Americans who honorably served in Vietnam. The publics sense that Vietnam veterans were received at home in a manner unappreciative of the duty that they performed and In a manner not In keeping with the receptions veterans of previous wars received has grown substantially. In observing Veterans Day 1981. Americans. more than ever before. want to recognize the sacrifices made of our Vietnam veterans and to thank them for a Job well done. At the conclusion of the U.S. presence in Vietnam. when thinkIng of the impact of the war on this country. Americans most often noted the loss of public confidence in the countrys major institutions. Today. when we think of the effect of the war on American society. our prime concern is over the personal price paid by the veterans who served in that war. In a war in which individual courage was a constant requirement and acts of heroism occurred daily. this Nation could not be too proud of the American men and women who served our Nation In Vietnam. In war they were fighters and d6ers who displayed amazing ingenuity. In the words of Gen. William C. Westmoreland. The Ingenuity of the American soldier and his compassion for the Vietnamese was only exceeded by the diversity of the Jobs he performed: computer expert. stevedore. bridge builder. aircraft. boat. or helicopter pilot. rifleman. artilleryman. door gunner. radiotelephone operator. bulldozer operator. and the entire range of military specialties. The soldier did his Job In a foreign. tropical. hostile environment in a war that was at once the most sophisticated in history and a return to the primitive. man pitted against man in a contest where wile and stamina might determine who would prevail. The service of American soldiers in Vietnam was both long and exemplary. To observe the history of the American soldier in Vietnam Is to be Impressed with the dedication. determination. and daytoday courage that he displayed. Though it is impossible to know all of those whose acts deserve recognition. a review of the deeds of those 215 men who during the course of the war received the Nations highest award for valor. the Medal of Honor. presents some very stirring memories. How short the memory of those who will not remember. The Vietnam cause was a noble cause. and one for which nearly 50.000 Americans paid the ultimate sacrifice In battle. The fighting could have stopped before it began in the 1950s had the people of South Vietnam preferred to foresake freedom for communism. The fighting began because the North Vietnamese continued their aggression and because millions of South Vietnamese fought communism to their death. Since the signing of the Geneva accords in 1954. the refugees had always flowed south. not north. Today. In the absence of a free Vietnam. the refugees flow west to the U.S. mainland by the millions. The Nation and Congress should take every opportunity to pay public tribute to those highly deserving men and women who served the United States honorably In Vietnam. The Vietnam veterans should bask in the glory of having served. We should all teach our children and grandchildren those men of Vietnamthe "Orphan Brigade" of 20th century American military historyand point to them as men on whom this country can depend In time of need. Vietnam veterans have a unique place in our history. Theirs Is a story worth remembering and worth repeating. Their example must be preserved and I thank my colleagues for presentIng this opportunity to Members of the House of Representatives to stand in recognition of this proud heritage that must not be forgotten.*