REMARKS
Council Member Holden reflects on Vietnam War impact and acknowledges committee members
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124 sec
Council Member Robert F. Holden provides remarks on the Vietnam War, its lasting impact on veterans, and the importance of recognizing their service. He acknowledges the staff and committee members present for the hearing and vote on Resolution 441.
- Holden discusses the public perception of the Vietnam War and the challenges faced by returning veterans
- He mentions the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the number of service members killed or missing
- The council member recognizes staff members who prepared for the hearing and fellow committee members present
Robert F. Holden
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Thank you, council member.
0:04:14
And for those of us who lived through the Vietnam War, it remains an indelible memory.
0:04:19
And, you know, we all remember the nightly newsreels, the people who, you know, knew with, boots on the ground, the protests in the streets and on campuses, and the names of the faraway places that became synonymous with battle and sacrifice were all part of our everyday lives.
0:04:39
And then we'd get the scroll of the casualties of the day, on TV every night, on, on the nightly news.
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So the sir the service members who returned home often did not receive the accolades given to troops from previous wars.
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And that's been that's been really, the symbol of the Vietnam War.
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It was a very unpopular war at the time, but the service members who who who did, who went there and served, again, did not come back to parades.
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Many struggled to speak about what they endured.
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And and some for many, the struggle continues.
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The Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington serves as a stark reminder of over 58,000 service members who were killed in the war.
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And we must not forget the 1600 service members who are remain missing.
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And I wanna take a moment to thank my staff and the committee staff for their hard work in preparing for today's, hearing and and vote.
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Daniel Cozzina, my chief of staff John LaRosa, to my left here the Committee's legislative counsel, Regina Paul, the Committee's policy analyst who drafted the resolution and Ross Goldstein, the Committee's, finance financial analyst.
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And I just wanna recognize my colleagues who are, Veterans Committee, who are who are present today, council member Joanne Arriola, council member Vicki Paladino, council member Sandy Nurse, and Councilmember Mamarado.
0:06:13
And, now we'll have the vote.
