A Bipartisan effort we should all be proud of!

From the Houston Chronicle website:

Vietnam veterans get long-awaited 'welcome home' with Texas Capitol memorial

By Peggy Fikac | March 29, 2014

AUSTIN - The dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Monument at the Texas Capitol on Saturday highlighted the pain, pride and solidarity of those who put their lives on the line in an unpopular conflict.

"They fought, they bled, all too often they died for their country. When they came home, there wasn't any parades. There weren't any picnics. Instead they were treated with indifference or, even worse, with outright scorn," said Gov. Rick Perry.

Perry said the bronze sculpture of an infantry patrol, unveiled before a throng of veterans, will "stand as a declaration that in Texas, we understand how blessed we are to have warriors ready to step forward and draw a line between us and those who would do harm to our citizens."

He noted "the many Vietnamese nationals who fought alongside us throughout that war."

Perry - an Air Force veteran who served between 1972 and 1977 flying C-130 tactical airlift in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East - formally accepted the monument on the state's behalf from Robert Floyd, chairman of a committee composed of Vietnam veterans who raised money for the $2.2 million monument and oversaw its production.

Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa - a McAllen Democrat who co-sponsored the monument authorization legislation with Rep. Wayne Smith, R-Baytown, a fellow Vietnam veteran - said that when the monument was unveiled, "I felt chills in my body."

"Welcome home, and God bless you all," Hinojosa told the crowd. He recalled his Marine squad that included people from around the country – including, he said with fond amusement, "two hillbillies from West Virginia who could make some moonshine."

They came from all walks of life but became a family willing to die for each other, their country and their way of life, Hinojosa said.

Sen. Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, spoke at the ceremony, as did Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who is facing a runoff with Sen. Dan Patrick of Houston for the GOP nomination for the job.

"We will always remember. We will always honor. And this monument allows us, for future generations, to learn," said Van de Putte, who heads the Senate.Veteran Affairs and Military Installations Committee.

She cited heroes including two Medal of Honor recipients from San Antonio honored at the White House this month – Vietnam veterans Jose Rodela and Santiago Erevia. Erevia attended the ceremony, and Van de Putte recognized him along with his wife as the crowd applauded.

Dog tags personalized for 3,417 Texans who died or were unaccounted for are inside the monument.

"You defined what it is to be an American, and what it is to be a Texan," said Dewhurst, who was in the Air Force in 1967-70 and also served in the CIA.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-te...php?cmpid=hpbn

It's a significant day for a welcome home. Today's the 41st anniversary of America's formal withdrawal from Vietnam. Let there be a salute for all who made sacrifices in that war.

From the Houston Chronicle website:

Vietnam veterans get long-awaited 'welcome home' with Texas Capitol memorial

By Peggy Fikac | March 29, 2014

AUSTIN - The dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Monument at the Texas Capitol on Saturday highlighted the pain, pride and solidarity of those who put their lives on the line in an unpopular conflict.

"They fought, they bled, all too often they died for their country. When they came home, there wasn't any parades. There weren't any picnics. Instead they were treated with indifference or, even worse, with outright scorn," said Gov. Rick Perry.

Perry said the bronze sculpture of an infantry patrol, unveiled before a throng of veterans, will "stand as a declaration that in Texas, we understand how blessed we are to have warriors ready to step forward and draw a line between us and those who would do harm to our citizens."

He noted "the many Vietnamese nationals who fought alongside us throughout that war."

Perry - an Air Force veteran who served between 1972 and 1977 flying C-130 tactical airlift in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East - formally accepted the monument on the state's behalf from Robert Floyd, chairman of a committee composed of Vietnam veterans who raised money for the $2.2 million monument and oversaw its production.

Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa - a McAllen Democrat who co-sponsored the monument authorization legislation with Rep. Wayne Smith, R-Baytown, a fellow Vietnam veteran - said that when the monument was unveiled, "I felt chills in my body."

"Welcome home, and God bless you all," Hinojosa told the crowd. He recalled his Marine squad that included people from around the country – including, he said with fond amusement, "two hillbillies from West Virginia who could make some moonshine."

They came from all walks of life but became a family willing to die for each other, their country and their way of life, Hinojosa said.

Sen. Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, spoke at the ceremony, as did Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who is facing a runoff with Sen. Dan Patrick of Houston for the GOP nomination for the job.

"We will always remember. We will always honor. And this monument allows us, for future generations, to learn," said Van de Putte, who heads the Senate.Veteran Affairs and Military Installations Committee.

She cited heroes including two Medal of Honor recipients from San Antonio honored at the White House this month – Vietnam veterans Jose Rodela and Santiago Erevia. Erevia attended the ceremony, and Van de Putte recognized him along with his wife as the crowd applauded.

Dog tags personalized for 3,417 Texans who died or were unaccounted for are inside the monument.

"You defined what it is to be an American, and what it is to be a Texan," said Dewhurst, who was in the Air Force in 1967-70 and also served in the CIA.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-te...php?cmpid=hpbn Originally Posted by bigtex

+1

I am looking forward to returning to Austin next week and visiting the monument.

Thanks to Richard Nixon for ending that war started by LBJ. (Or was it Kennedy?)

JL, why do you have to start shitting on everything? Inappropriate, tasteless and altogether tacky.

Good job asshole.

I'll see the monument this week. Photos look great.

Since the cherry is popped, don't forget the democratic base that mistreated the returning veterams and the democratic congress who pulled funding from South Vietnam making all the sacrifice for nothing. Lets raise a glass to democratic fickleness and faithlessness and the late realization that those men and women were heroes.

what an asshole.

We could not stop the spread of communism in Vietnam any better than we could stop it right here in America.
It was a damn shame that politicians would not let the military do their job and so many volunteers, as well as those forced by their government to fight in a war controlled by politicians, were killed or disabled by the failure of our elected officals.

We as a nation should never ever go to war without the purpose of winning.

I salute all of our veterans from all of our causes and efforts. I especially salute our Vietnam veterans.

We as a nation should never ever go to war without the purpose of winning.

I salute all of our veterans from all of our causes and efforts. I especially salute our Vietnam veterans. Originally Posted by The2Dogs

We'll said! Thank you for trying to steer this wayward ship back on course.

I have a special affinity our Vietnam veterans. I salute them as well!

We could not stop the spread of communism in Vietnam any better than we could stop it right here in America.
It was a damn shame that politicians would not let the military do their job and so many volunteers, as well as those forced by their government to fight in a war controlled by politicians, were killed or disabled by the failure of our elected officals.

We as a nation should never ever go to war without the purpose of winning.

I salute all of our veterans from all of our causes and efforts. I especially salute our Vietnam veterans. Originally Posted by The2Dogs

They did the same thing in Korea. Salute all of them.

JL, why do you have to start shitting on everything? Inappropriate, tasteless and altogether tacky.

Good job asshole.

I'll see the monument this week. Photos look great. Originally Posted by Yssup Rider

Co-religionist, please! That was an extremely politicized war and the soldiers were mistreated at home by hippie, left wing communist students, and everyone knows it.

Thanks to Richard Nixon for ending that war started by LBJ. (Or was it Kennedy?) Originally Posted by Jewish Lawyer

Actually, it was Eisenhower.... but not in this thread. OK?

That was an extremely politicized war and the soldiers were mistreated at home by hippie, left wing communist students, and everyone knows it. Originally Posted by Jewish Lawyer

I would agree with that statement, and I don't think we would have seen this day in Austin had there not been a sea change in attitude during the last decade or so by most of our citizens for those who are called to represent us around the world with honor, blood, and life.

I will point out there are some of us who never had to change their minds and see the light. We always recognized the sacrifice of those who went and served honorably. Part of this memorial should be an apology for the johnny come lately's.