WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) announced that he is an original cosponsor of a resolution to honor veterans who served in Vietnam by designating March 30th as “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.”

Introduced by Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Senator Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the resolution commemorates the anniversary of the day that combat and combat support units withdrew completely from South Vietnam.

“The men and women who served our country in Vietnam deserve recognition for their service and sacrifice. These servicemembers risked their lives to defend the interests of our nation, yet they did not receive a welcome that reflected their courage and sacrifice when they returned home. We now have an opportunity to demonstrate our true appreciation for everything they having given for our country,” Senator Boozman, Veterans’ Affairs Committee member said.

“Our soldiers served honorably and bravely in Vietnam. Unfortunately, they arrived home to a country in political turmoil,

and never received the recognition they deserve,” Senator Burr said. “By setting March 30th aside as a day to focus on our Vietnam veterans, we can show our unified gratitude for their service and the sacrifices that these veterans made on our behalf.”

Senators James Inhofe (R-OK), Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) are also co-sponsors of the legislation.

The United States became involved in Vietnam because policy-makers believed that if South Vietnam fell to a communist government, communism would spread throughout the rest of Southeast Asia. The US Armed Forces began serving in an advisory role to the South Vietnamese in 1961, and in 1965, ground combat troops were sent into Vietnam. After many years of combat, all US troops were withdrawn from Vietnam on March 30, 1973, under the terms of the Treaty of Paris. More than 58,000 members of the United States Armed Forces lost their lives and more than 300,000 were wounded in Vietnam.