| R 249 |
| 2025 -- H 6281 Enacted 04/29/2025 |
| H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N |
| COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF THE VIETNAM WAR ON APRIL 30TH, 2025 |
Introduced By: Representatives McEntee, Azzinaro, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Chippendale, Paplauskas, J. Lombardi, Hull, Abney, and Craven |
| Date Introduced: April 29, 2025 |
| WHEREAS, The Vietnam War was a conflict fought primarily in Vietnam, and also in |
| Laos and Cambodia, between the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) and its allies, primarily |
| the United States, and North Vietnam and the Viet Cong, who were South Vietnamese insurgents |
| supported by communist North Vietnam, with military aid from China and the Soviet Union. The |
| war was a major battleground in the broader Cold War between Western democracies and |
| communist powers; and |
| WHEREAS, The Vietnam War is generally considered to have begun in 1955, escalating |
| significantly in 1965 when President Lyndon B. Johnson deployed American ground forces |
| following the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964, in which it was alleged that North Vietnamese |
| forces fired on U.S. Navy vessels. In response, the United States Congress passed a resolution |
| granting President Johnson the authority to increase the U.S. military presence in Vietnam |
| without a formal declaration of war; and |
| WHEREAS, American involvement in the Vietnam War expanded massively in 1965, |
| commencing with a bombing campaign against North Vietnam that lasted from March 2, 1965, to |
| November 1968, which resulted in the deaths, capture, or wounding of 1,054 American pilots and |
| aircrew members over North Vietnam, with additional losses over South Vietnam; and |
| WHEREAS, Ground combat by American forces also intensified in 1965, beginning on |
| March 8, 1965, when President Johnson deployed two battalions of United States Marines to |
| South Vietnam. By the end of that year, the U.S. had 184,500 troops stationed in Vietnam. Over |
| the next decade, the war raged throughout Vietnam and spread into Laos and Cambodia. By the |
| end of 1968, the U.S. had 536,000 troops in Vietnam, peaking in April 1969 at 543,000 personnel |
| under President Richard Nixon; and |
| WHEREAS, The Vietnam War finally ended on April 30, 1975, when North Vietnamese |
| forces captured Saigon, renamed it Ho Chi Minh City, and unified the country under communist |
| control. The Vietnam War is regarded as a tragedy of epic proportions that left deep scars on both |
| the United States and Vietnam-scars that persist to this day. The United States suffered 58,281 |
| deaths (47,434 in combat) and 303,644 wounded. The war deeply divided the American public |
| and eroded trust in government and elected officials; and |
| WHEREAS, The war also devastated the Vietnamese economy and infrastructure, |
| affecting both North and South Vietnam and causing widespread destruction in Cambodia and |
| Laos. South Vietnam suffered between 195,000 and 430,000 civilian casualties and 313,000 |
| military deaths. North Vietnam and the Viet Cong suffered between 30,000 and 182,000 civilian |
| deaths and between 66,000 and 950,765 military deaths, with more than 600,000 military |
| personnel wounded and approximately 232,000 listed as missing. Other nations that suffered |
| casualties in the war included South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, the Philippines, and |
| others; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby |
| commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War on April 30, 2025. We thank |
| all of the brave American service members who served our nation with honor and valor in the |
| Vietnam War. This House also expresses its deep grief for all Americans who perished, suffered |
| injuries, or were prisoners of war during the conflict, and for all people of any nation who died or |
| were grievously wounded. We urge all to reflect on the lessons and consequences of the Vietnam |
| War and to support ongoing efforts to heal and rebuild from its enduring impact; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be, and hereby is, authorized and directed to |
| transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Mr. Kasim Y. Yam, Director of the Rhode |
| Island Office of Veterans Services, and Brigadier General Andrew Chevalier, Adjutant General, |
| Rhode Island National Guard. |
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| LC002826 |
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