On the recordJuly 9, 2015
this week the United States held a special ceremony to commemorate one of the longest wars in our Nation's history--the Vietnam war. It was a ceremony to honor the men and women who served in that long and searing conflict, especially the more than 58,000 young Americans who did not come home from the battle. The Congressional ceremony was held to commemorate what organizers, including the Department of Defense, call the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam war. The milestone is a little ambiguous. You see, it was 50 years ago, on March 9, 1965, that the first U.S. combat forces--3,500 members of the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade--arrived at the port city of Da Nang, in what was then the Republic of South Vietnam. The arrival of those young Marines marked the beginning of a massive U.S. military buildup that lasted nearly a decade. But America's military presence in Vietnam actually began several years earlier, with the deployment of military advisors to assist the South Vietnamese armed forces. All told, 9.2 million Americans served in uniform during the Vietnam war; 7.2 million Vietnam-era veterans are still with us, along with 9 million families of Vietnam-era veterans. Most of the men who served in Vietnam came home to build successful careers and strong families. More than a few went on to serve in Congress and we have benefited greatly from their wisdom and continued commitment to duty.…
