On the recordDecember 10, 2015
I rise today to honor the service and sacrifice of Indiana servicemembers and their families and of all Americans who served during the Vietnam war, as this year marks the 40th anniversary of the end of that war. Here is picture from the Indiana Historical Society of some of the amazing Americans who served during that time. Tens of thousands of Hoosiers bravely answered the call when they volunteered or were drafted to serve in Vietnam in almost every single capacity you could think of. Bravely, and sadly, 1,243 Hoosier soldiers gave their lives in service to our country in Vietnam. In Vietnam, our vets endured 100- plus degree heat, monsoon rains, snake-infested rice paddy fields, staggering conditions, and incredibly dangerous situations. Our servicemembers would rather have been at home in Terre Haute, Richmond, Indy, Evansville or Fort Wayne, but they served because they loved our country and they answered when our Nation called them, and their answer was: Count on me. At the end of the war, many of our Vietnam vets didn't receive the welcome home or the recognition they deserved. Not all received huge hugs when they hit the tarmac back in America, but our Vietnam vets are heroes just like those who stormed the beaches in Normandy, trudged through frozen rivers in Korea, and went through the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan.…
