RESOLUTION
BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT COLLINS-BELLAMY, MAJORITY LEADER RUBBO, MAJORITY WHIP NORMAN, MINORITY LEADER BREEN, COUNCILMEMBERS, PINEDA-ISAAC, DIAZ AND HODGES:
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RESOLUTION BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF YONKERS PROCLAIMING AND RECOGNIZING MARCH 29, 2026 AS NATIONAL VIETNAM WAR VETERANS DAY AND WELCOME HOME VIETNAM VETERANS' DAY IN THE CITY OF YONKERS
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WHEREAS, the Executive Law of New York State marks the observance of Vietnam Veterans Day on March 29, annually; many of the veterans of this war, some of whom made the ultimate sacrifice, were never properly welcomed home; and
WHEREAS, members of the Armed Services from the City of Yonkers, who have so honorably served this State and Nation, deserve a special salute from this Legislative Body; and
WHEREAS, every citizen of this great City is indebted to those brave men and women whose courage, selflessness and great sacrifice symbolize the dedication of a Nation committed to the democratic freedoms enjoyed by the people of our City and Nation; and
WHEREAS, the Vietnam War was fought in the Republic of South Vietnam from 1961 to 1975, and involved North Vietnamese regular forces and Viet Cong guerrilla forces in armed conflict with United States Armed Forces and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam; and
WHEREAS, the United States Armed Forces became involved in Vietnam because the United States Government wanted to provide direct military support to the Government of South Vietnam to defend itself against the growing Communist threat from North Vietnam; and
WHEREAS, members of the United States Armed Forces began serving in an advisory role to the Government of the Republic of South Vietnam in 1961; and
WHEREAS, as a result of the Gulf of Tonkin incidents on August 2 and 4, 1964, Congress overwhelmingly passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (Public Law 88-408), on August 7, 1964, which provided the authority to the President of the United States to prosecute the war against North Vietnam; and
WHEREAS, in 1965, United States Armed Forces ground combat units arrived in Vietnam; and
WHEREAS; by the end of 1965, there were 80,000 United States troops in Vietnam, and by 1969, a peak of approximately 543,000 troops was reached; and
WHEREAS, on January 27, 1973, the Treaty of Paris was signed, which required the release of all United States prisoners-of-war held in North Vietnam and the withdrawal of all United States Armed Forces from South Vietnam; and
WHEREAS, on March 30, 1973, the United States Aimed Forces completed the withdrawal of combat units and combat support units from South Vietnam; and
WHEREAS, more than 58,000 members of the United States Armed Forces lost their lives in Vietnam and more than 300,000 members of the Armed Forces were wounded; and
WHEREAS, renowned architectural designer Maya Lin, whose studio is located in the old Yonkers City Jail, designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington D.C., beating 1,441 other competition submissions; the black cut-stone masonry wall, with the names of 57,661 fallen soldiers carved into its face, was completed in late October 1982 and dedicated on November 13, 1982; and
WHEREAS, in 1984, the New York State Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Albany to commemorate those members of the United States Armed Forces who died or were declared missing-in-action in Vietnam, the first such state effort in the Nation; and
WHEREAS, the Vietnam War was an extremely divisive issue among the people of the United States and a conflict that caused a generation of veterans to wait too long for the United States public to acknowledge and honor the efforts and services of such veterans; and
WHEREAS, members of the United States Armed Forces who served bravely and faithfully for the United States during the Vietnam War were often wrongly criticized for the policy decisions made by four presidential administrations in the United States; and
WHEREAS, the observance of Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day on March 29, 2026, is an appropriate way to honor those members of the United States Armed Forces who served in South Vietnam and throughout Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War; and
WHEREAS, the citizens of this great City, benefactors of the sacrifices and courageous acts of the men and women who defended their freedoms and privileges under a democratic government, remain indebted and are justly proud of Vietnam Veterans of America and its members; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to pay tribute to the bravery, patriotism, and sacrifice made by the men, and women, both those still living and those who died in service of our great country in the United States Armed Forces in Vietnam during war and peace; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Legislative Body pauses, hereby proclaims March 29, 2026, as National Vietnam War Veterans Day in the United States and Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans' Day in the City of Yonkers.