02/09/2012 01:00 PM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS

            HB 281-WELCOME HOME VIETNAM VETERANS DAY                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:09:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  THOMPSON announced  that  the first  order of  business                                                               
would be  HOUSE BILL NO.  281, "An  Act establishing March  30 of                                                               
each year as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day."                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:09:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
AARON SCHROEDER,  Staff, Representative Bill Thomas,  Jr., Alaska                                                               
State Legislature, introduced HB  281 on behalf of Representative                                                               
Thomas,  prime sponsor.   Mr.  Schroeder  informed the  committee                                                               
that last  year - on  the 30th  anniversary of the  withdrawal of                                                               
U.S.  combat and  combat support  units from  Vietnam -  the U.S.                                                               
Senate designated March 30 as  Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.                                                               
House  Bill 281  proposes that  March 30  of each  year would  be                                                               
designated as Welcome  Home Vietnam Veterans Day,  to be observed                                                               
by suitable  observances and  exercises by  civic groups  and the                                                               
invited public.  Mr. Schroeder added  that the bill does not call                                                               
for a state holiday.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:11:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  LYNN said  he was  in Vietnam  on ceasefire  day,                                                               
March 30, 1973, and he will remember it for a long, long time.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SADDLER  asked what kinds of  observances and activities                                                               
would be appropriate on this day.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MR.  SCHROEDER suggested  that  groups such  as  the Veterans  of                                                               
Foreign Wars  (VFW) would hold  services, and  that organizations                                                               
of younger troops would also  want to acknowledge the services of                                                               
Vietnam vets to the veterans' communities.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:12:39 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  SADDLER encouraged  observers  to be  happy and  upbeat                                                               
when recognizing this day.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR THOMPSON opened public testimony.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:13:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BILL THOMAS, JR.,  Alaska State Legislature, prime                                                               
sponsor of  HB 281, stated  he is  one of 2,500,000  soldiers who                                                               
served   in-country    during   the   Vietnam    War,   including                                                               
Representative  Lynn,  Representative  Gruenberg,  and  the  late                                                               
Representative  Richard Foster.    He noted  that  of the  58,272                                                               
soldiers who died in the war  many were young; in fact, 25,000 of                                                               
those who died were 20 years  old or younger and 57 soldiers from                                                               
Alaska were  killed in  action.   Representative Thomas  said the                                                               
bill is  not just to  honor those  who served in-country,  but is                                                               
for  all of  the veterans  in all  branches of  the services  who                                                               
served during  the time period from  1964 to 1973.   He related a                                                               
few  of  his  experiences  during  that  time  and  reminded  the                                                               
committee of the  suffering of surviving family  members and that                                                               
of  returning  soldiers  who are  afflicted  with  post-traumatic                                                               
stress syndrome.  He recalled the  day he returned to the U.S. in                                                               
1968: There  were wire screens  on the  windows of the  buses and                                                               
the  back  door  was  welded   shut  because  of  the  protesters                                                               
surrounding  Travis   Air  Force   Base,  and  there   were  more                                                               
protesters at the Presidio.  He  was very upset and angry on what                                                               
should have  been the happiest  day of his life.   Representative                                                               
Thomas  noted  that "the  attitude  is  a little  different"  for                                                               
veterans  returning now.   In  addition, he  opined the  military                                                               
from any  war should  be buried with  honors, with  no protesting                                                               
allowed,  and assured  the  committee that  others  feel just  as                                                               
strongly.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:21:27 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CISSNA  observed  that  Alaska  has  the  highest                                                               
number of veterans per capita in  the nation.  She asked how many                                                               
veterans in Alaska are veterans of the Vietnam War.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  THOMAS  said  he  was unsure,  but  in  his  home                                                               
village 1  percent of  the population was  serving in  Vietnam at                                                               
one time.   The percentage  of Vietnam-era veterans in  Hoonah is                                                               
approximately 40 percent.  The  percentages in Native communities                                                               
are very high because many of the residents were drafted.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:23:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CISSNA  said  the   nation  has  changed  in  its                                                               
understanding  of the  Vietnam War  and many  veterans sacrificed                                                               
their lives  or their quality of  life; in fact, as  veterans age                                                               
they have  much greater needs.   She expressed  her understanding                                                               
that Alaskans - especially rural  Alaskans - have played a bigger                                                               
role in the U.S. military than the residents of other states.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:25:02 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS agreed.  His  family includes many veterans                                                               
of the Army and the National  Guard, and they are very patriotic.                                                               
Veterans  are treated  with respect  now, but  when he  came home                                                               
he threw his  medals and uniform in the trash.   Now, however, he                                                               
said he is very proud and celebrates with other veterans.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR THOMPSON  said he  and others offer  to pay  for troops'                                                               
meals.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS said when  he encounters service members in                                                               
airports he welcomes them home.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:27:28 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  LYNN noted  there  is a  tradition among  Vietnam                                                               
veterans  to welcome  troops home  now.   He shared  some of  his                                                               
experiences  while serving  in the  military,  and expressed  his                                                               
strong support for the bill.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS agreed.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:30:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SADDLER asked whether the  country has changed enough so                                                               
that  this type  of  bill will  not be  necessary  for those  who                                                               
return from other conflicts.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  THOMAS  said  each   conflict  is  different  and                                                               
deserves its own honor.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR THOMPSON determined that no one else wished to testify.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:31:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SADDLER  moved to report  HB 281, identified  as Version                                                               
27-LS0791\M,  out of  committee  with individual  recommendations                                                               
and  the  accompanying  zero  fiscal   notes.    There  being  no                                                               
objection, HB 281  was reported from the  House Special Committee                                                               
on Military and Veterans' Affairs.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:32:50 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 1:32 p.m. to l:35 p.m.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:35:54 PM