MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2014 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Representatives Jennings, Alday, Bain, Baker, Beckett, Bell, Bennett, Bounds, Boyd, Brown (66th), Byrd, Calhoun, Carpenter, Chism, Clark, Currie, DeBar, Denny, Dixon, Evans (43rd), Evans (91st), Formby, Gibbs, Gipson, Guice, Hamilton, Haney, Hood, Horne, Howell, Kinkade, Ladner, Martinson, Massengill, Mayo, Middleton, Miles, Moore, Oberhousen, Pigott, Powell, Rogers (14th), Rogers (61st), Rushing, Shirley, Shows, Smith (39th), Staples, Steverson, Straughter, Sullivan, Taylor, Thomas, Turner, Watson, Weathersby, Willis, Zuber
A RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VIETNAM WAR.
WHEREAS, it is the custom of this Legislative Body to honor those who served in the American Armed Forces during wartime and strengthen our shared commitment to the exercise of freedom, and therefore the Mississippi House of Representatives commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War; and
WHEREAS, Mississippi House of Representatives members Mac Huddleston (United States Army Captain - 1966-67), Manly Barton (United States Army Specialist 5 - 1969-70), Thomas G. Taylor (United States Army Specialist 5 - 1968-69), Representative Rufus Straughter's brother, Robert Laurence Straughter (United States Army First Sergeant) and Representative Wanda Jennings' husband Terry Jennings (United States Air Force Captain) each bravely and patriotically served in Vietnam; and
WHEREAS, in the late 1950s, the United States began sending advisors to help train the South Vietnamese Army and Air Force to withstand the onslaught from Communist North Vietnam, and American troop involvement in the Vietnam War escalated in the early 1960s, and combat units were deployed beginning in 1965, and more than three million servicemen and women left their families to bravely serve a world away in places such as la Drang to Khe Sanh, from Hue to Saigon, and countless villages in between; they pushed through jungles and rice paddies, heat and monsoons, fighting to protect the ideals we hold dear as Americans along with other anticommunist forces including the Republic of South Vietnam, Republic of Korea, Australia, Philippines, New Zealand, Thailand and other Asian nations; and
WHEREAS, through more than a decade of combat, over air, land, and sea, these proud Americans upheld the highest traditions of the United States Armed Forces; and
WHEREAS, an estimated 227,335 Mississippians served in Vietnam, with 636 killed; and
WHEREAS, today, there are an estimated 71,364 Vietnam-Era veterans living in the State of Mississippi, the largest single block of veterans in Mississippi's population; and
WHEREAS, where ground combat was sometimes made complicated by unconventional military opposition and difficult terrain, United States air superiority remained constant, and throughout the Vietnam War, various policies and strategies were put in place by the United States military to take advantage of that strength; and
WHEREAS, over the course of the conflict, United States forces dropped over seven million tons of bombs through Southeast Asia, compared to two million tons dropped during all of World War II; and
WHEREAS, the large, well-coordinated surprise campaign on cities and United States targets throughout South Vietnam, named the Tet Offensive, was North Vietnam's attempt to end the war in one swift blow, and the morning of January 31, 1968, saw many provincial capitals and cities such as Saigon and Hue under siege from large numbers of Communist fighters who had apparently infiltrated the South Vietnam in the months and weeks leading up to the planned offensive; and
WHEREAS, in the aftermath, many cities and towns in South Vietnam were devastated with thousands of casualties sustained by forces and civilians in the region; and
WHEREAS, the North Vietnamese-led Tet Offensive in early 1968 brought a new wave of criticism from the American public as images of those events shocked many across the nation; and
WHEREAS, Operation Homecoming, a result of the Paris Peace Accords, made possible the return of nearly 600 American prisoners of war held by North Vietnam, and groups of released POWs were selected on the basis of their length of time in prison, with the first group consisting of POWs that had spent six to eight years as prisoners of war, and after Operation Homecoming, about 1,350 Americans were still listed as prisoners of war or missing in action, and another 1,200 Americans were reported killed in action without their bodies being recovered; and
WHEREAS, beginning on Memorial Day 2012 through November 11, 2025, the federal government began a partnership with local governments, private organizations and communities across the country to participate in the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War, a 13-year program to honor and give thanks to a generation of proud Americans who saw our country through one of the most challenging times; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of the men and women who served with dignity and honor during this historic time period, let us remember them and thank them for their service:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby pause to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War, and to pay tribute to those who served and to recognize the achievements of these special individuals, fully confident that such procedure mirrors our shared commitment to preserve and ensure our American freedom.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be furnished to the Mississippi Department of Veterans' Affairs, and to the veterans listed in this resolution and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.