00                     SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 10 am H                                                                 
01 Encouraging the United States Congress to award Hmong veterans of the Vietnam War                                       
02 the Congressional Gold Medal.                                                                                           
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04       WHEREAS the Hmong played a crucial and often overlooked role in the Vietnam                                     
05 War, particularly in Laos, where the Hmong were recruited by the United States Central                                  
06 Intelligence Agency as part of a covert operation known as the "Secret War"; and                                        
07       WHEREAS this involvement had profound consequences for the Hmong people,                                        
08 leading to heavy casualties, mass displacement, and ongoing struggles for recognition and                               
09 support; and                                                                                                          
10       WHEREAS the conflict in the Vietnam War was not confined to Vietnam, instead                                    
11 spreading to neighboring Laos, where the North Vietnamese Army used the Ho Chi Minh                                     
12 Trail to transport troops and supplies; and                                                                             
13       WHEREAS, beginning in 1960, to disrupt that supply chain, the United States                                   
14 Central Intelligence Agency recruited and trained as many as 100,000 Hmong soldiers,                                    
15 forming Special Guerrilla Units under the leadership of General Vang Pao; and                                           
16       WHEREAS, in July 1961, Brigadier General Edward G. Lansdale wrote in a memo to                                
01 General Maxwell D. Taylor that about 9,000 Hmong soldiers were conducting guerrilla                                     
02 operations in adversarial-dominated territories in Laos; and                                                            
03       WHEREAS the Hmong soldiers played a critical role in intercepting enemy forces,                                 
04 gathering intelligence, and protecting United States Air Force radar installations; and                                 
05       WHEREAS Hmong soldiers flew thousands of combat missions in support of the                                      
06 United States Air Force, engaged in conventional and guerrilla warfare, despite being heavily                           
07 outnumbered, and rescued downed American pilots, often at great personal risk; and                                      
08       WHEREAS approximately 40,000 Hmong soldiers were killed, 50,000 Hmong                                           
09 soldiers were seriously wounded, and 3,000 Hmong soldiers went missing in action; and                                   
10 WHEREAS Hmong soldiers died at 10 times the rate of United States soldiers in the                                     
11 Vietnam War; and                                                                                                        
12 WHEREAS, as the war progressed, boys as young as 12 were conscripted into service                                     
13 because of the immense casualties suffered; and                                                                         
14 WHEREAS, after the United States withdrew from Vietnam, the Pathet Lao, an                                          
15 adversary group allied with North Vietnam, seized control of Laos in 1975; and                                          
16       WHEREAS the Hmong faced retaliation for allying with the United States; and                                     
17 WHEREAS the new Lao government labeled the Hmong as enemies of the state and                                          
18 initiated systematic efforts to eliminate the Hmong; and                                                                
19 WHEREAS reports indicate that chemical weapons were used against Hmong                                                
20 villages and thousands of Hmong were executed, with many more sent to reeducation camps,                                
21 where conditions were brutal; and                                                                                       
22 WHEREAS some Hmong fighters retreated into the jungle and continued to resist the                                     
23 government for years; and                                                                                               
24 WHEREAS an estimated 138,000 Hmong fled across the Mekong River to refugee                                            
25 camps in Thailand; and                                                                                                  
26 WHEREAS many Hmong drowned while attempting to cross the Mekong River,                                                
27 while others died from disease and starvation in the camps; and                                                         
28 WHEREAS the name Hmong is the English pronunciation of the name by which the                                          
29 Hmong people have chosen to be identified by; and                                                                       
30 WHEREAS, although historical Chinese records do not provide extensive details on                                    
31 the origins of the name Hmong, many Hmong associate the name with meanings such as                                      
01 "free" or "fate," reflecting the Hmong's enduring struggle against oppression and resilience                            
02 throughout history; and                                                                                                 
03       WHEREAS the United States, France, Canada, and Australia accepted Hmong                                         
04 refugees, with the United States accepting the majority of the refugees; and                                          
05       WHEREAS approximately 50,000 Hmong veterans reside in the United States, of                                     
06 which approximately 22 Hmong veterans of the Vietnam War call the state home; and                                       
07       WHEREAS the state has a Hmong population of over 5,500, which is the third                                      
08 highest in the country; and                                                                                             
09       WHEREAS Alaska is home to a vibrant Hmong community, which has established                                      
10 numerous organizations that provide cultural preservation, economic development, and social                             
11 support for Hmong residents across the state; and                                                                       
12 WHEREAS the United States government formally recognized Hmong contributions                                          
13 for the first time on May 15, 1997, when it dedicated the Laos Memorial at the Arlington                                
14 National Cemetery; and                                                                                                  
15       WHEREAS, in 2019, Alaska passed House Bill 56, establishing May 15 as Hmong-                                    
16 American Veterans Day to recognize the service of Hmong-American veterans; and                                          
17 WHEREAS several United States cities and states have adopted July 22 as Lao-                                          
18 Hmong Recognition Day, but federal recognition remains limited; and                                                     
19 WHEREAS, on November 9, 2023, Senator Gary C. Peters with cosponsors Senators                                         
20 Ron Johnson, Tammy Baldwin, Thomas Tillis, Amy Klobuchar, Debbie Stabenow, Sheldon                                      
21 Whitehouse, and John Tester introduced S. 3271, The Hmong Congressional Gold Medal Act,                                 
22 which was referred to committee but received no further action; and                                                     
23 WHEREAS the Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in                                      
24 the United States and is bestowed by vote of the United States Congress and signed into law                             
25 by the President as an expression of the highest national appreciation for distinguished                                
26 achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions; and                                                      
27 WHEREAS the tradition of awarding the Congressional Gold Medal originated                                             
28 during the American Revolution, and is now awarded to recipients who are recognized for                                 
29 achievements that have significantly shaped the United States; and                                                      
30 WHEREAS Congress must pass legislation to approve each Congressional Gold                                             
31 Medal and, upon enactment, each Congressional Gold Medal is uniquely designed and cast in                           
01 gold by the United States Mint, reflecting the singular nature of the honor and distinguishing                          
02 it from other national awards; and                                                                                      
03       WHEREAS United States citizenship is not a requirement for receiving the                                        
04 Congressional Gold Medal, underscoring its role in recognizing contributions to the nation's                            
05 history and culture from individuals and groups across the world; and                                                   
06       WHEREAS other allied forces who fought alongside the United States have been                                    
07 honored with the Congressional Gold Medal, including the Filipino World War II veterans, in                             
08 recognition of the veterans' bravery and sacrifices in defense of freedom; and                                          
09       WHEREAS the Congressional Gold Medal is a fitting and long-overdue honor for the                                
10 Hmong veterans of the Vietnam War, whose unparalleled bravery, sacrifice, and unwavering                                
11 commitment to securing freedom alongside United States forces exemplified the highest                                   
12 ideals of valor and service;                                                                                            
13 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature encourages the United States                                         
14 Congress to award Hmong veterans of the Vietnam War the Congressional Gold Medal.                                       
15 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President                                   
16 of the United States; the Honorable JD Vance, Vice President of the United States and                                   
17 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Douglas Collins, United States Secretary of                                 
18 Veterans Affairs; the Honorable Mike Johnson, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives;                             
19 the Honorable John Thune, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Hakeem                                      
20 Jeffries, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable Jerry Moran,                              
21 Chair of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mike Bost,                                
22 Chair of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives; the                                   
23 Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the                                         
24 Honorable Nicholas Begich, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in                                     
25 Congress; and all other members of the 119th United States Congress.