PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 2048
PRINTER'S NO. 2074
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
223
Session of
2023
INTRODUCED BY MATZIE, MARSHALL, VENKAT, KHAN, DONAHUE, HARKINS,
MADDEN, SCHLOSSBERG, DELLOSO, KINSEY, JAMES, SANCHEZ,
HADDOCK, HILL-EVANS, KAUFFMAN, ROZZI, T. DAVIS, McNEILL,
GILLEN, MENTZER, BELLMON, GREEN AND HOWARD,
SEPTEMBER 27, 2023
AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED,
OCTOBER 2, 2023
A RESOLUTION
Designating the month of October 2023 as "Agent Orange Awareness
Month" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, The Vietnam War was the longest conflict in American
history in which the government of South Vietnam and its primary
ally, the United States, fought against the communist government
of North Vietnam and a South Vietnamese guerrilla force,
commonly known as the Viet Cong; and
WHEREAS, During the Vietnam War, American servicepersons
displayed heroic courage and determination under some of the
most difficult circumstances ever encountered in United States
military history; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 498,000 men and women from this
Commonwealth served during the Vietnam War era, an estimated
172,000 of whom directly participated in the war; and
WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of
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Veterans Affairs, the United States military developed Agent
Orange and other herbicide combinations for use in combat
operations to remove trees and dense tropical foliage that
provided enemy cover; and
WHEREAS, The name Agent Orange comes from the orange
identifying stripes that were used on the 55-gallon drums in
which the herbicide was stored; and
WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of
Veterans Affairs, approximately 19 million gallons of Agent
Orange and other herbicides were used during the Vietnam War;
and
WHEREAS, Thousands of Vietnam War veterans have died due to
the use of Agent Orange; and
WHEREAS, The United States Department of Veterans Affairs and
Federal law provide for the presumption that certain diseases
are a direct result of exposure to Agent Orange and other
herbicides used during the Vietnam War; and
WHEREAS, VIETNAM-ERA SAILORS WHO SERVED ON SHIPS IN OPEN
WATERS AROUND VIETNAM WERE EXPOSED TO HIGH LEVELS OF CHEMICAL
HERBICIDE THROUGH THEIR SHIPS' WATER SYSTEMS; AND
WHEREAS, AGENT ORANGE, WHICH WAS USED TO CLEAR TREES AND
PLANTS IN VIETNAM, ALSO CAUSED A VARIETY OF HEALTH PROBLEMS IN
VETERANS, INCLUDING THOSE WHO SERVED ON BOATS; AND
WHEREAS, THESE VETERANS ARE COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS BLUE
WATER NAVY VETERANS; AND
WHEREAS, BLUE WATER NAVY VETERANS WHO SERVED AS FAR AS 12
NAUTICAL MILES FROM THE SHORE OF VIETNAM OR HAD SERVICE IN THE
KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE ARE PRESUMED TO HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO
HERBICIDES SUCH AS AGENT ORANGE; AND
WHEREAS, VIETNAM-ERA VETERANS MAY BE ENTITLED TO SERVICE
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CONNECTION FOR ANY CONDITIONS RELATED TO HERBICIDE EXPOSURE
UNDER THE FEDERAL PROMISE TO ADDRESS COMPREHENSIVE TOXICS
("PACT") ACT; AND
WHEREAS, THE FEDERAL BLUE WATER NAVY VIETNAM VETERANS ACT OF
2019 EXTENDED THE PRESUMPTION OF HERBICIDE EXPOSURE SUCH AS
AGENT ORANGE TO VETERANS WHO SERVED IN THE OFFSHORE WATERS OF
THE REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM BETWEEN JANUARY 9, 1962, AND MAY 7,
1975; AND
WHEREAS, AN ESTIMATED 420,000 TO 560,000 VIETNAM-ERA VETERANS
MAY BE CONSIDERED BLUE WATER NAVY VETERANS AND IT IS REASONABLE
TO INFER THAT THIS NUMBER INCLUDES A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF
PENNSYLVANIANS WHO DESERVE RECOGNITION AND RESOURCES FOR THEIR
SERVICE AND SACRIFICE; AND
WHEREAS, Thousands of veterans still suffer from cancer and
other health disorders caused by exposure to Agent Orange; and
WHEREAS, Veterans with health problems caused by Agent Orange
live with the knowledge that genetic damage resulting from their
exposure to Agent Orange may be handed down through generations;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
month of October 2023 as "Agent Orange Awareness Month" in
Pennsylvania.
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