Honoring the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the 50th
Anniversary of the start of the Vietnam War.

The treatment so many of our veterans faced when they returned home
from tours of duty was and is unacceptable. It is a dark chapter in our
nation's history that we must never allow to be repeated. It is a
testament to our veterans' unyielding call to duty that so many of them
remain involved in veteran's service organizations and continue taking
care of our troops as they return home from the conflicts in
Afghanistan and Iraq.

Georgia has a rich military heritage and her involvement in the
Vietnam War is no different. Out of the 228,000 sons and daughters of
our state that served in the military during the war, 1,584 were
killed, 8,534 were wounded, 21 were held as prisoners of war and 35 are
missing in action. Today, it is our honor to be the home state of an
estimated 254,000 Vietnam veterans.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of the First District of
Georgia, it is my honor to extend to our veterans this long overdue
welcome home with the thanks of a grateful nation.

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