PRINTER'S NO. 3846
No. 775 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY BOYD, BELFANTI, FAIRCHILD, ARGALL, BEYER, BRENNAN,
CALTAGIRONE, CLYMER, COHEN, CREIGHTON, CUTLER, DALEY,
DiGIROLAMO, EVERETT, FLECK, GALLOWAY, GEIST, GIBBONS,
GINGRICH, GODSHALL, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HARHART, HELM,
HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, HESS, JAMES, KAUFFMAN, KULA, LENTZ,
MAJOR, MANTZ, MILLARD, MOYER, MURT, MUSTIO, MYERS,
M. O'BRIEN, PAYNE, PHILLIPS, PICKETT, QUIGLEY, QUINN,
READSHAW, REICHLEY, ROCK, ROHRER, ROSS, RUBLEY, SAINATO,
SANTONI, SAYLOR, SCAVELLO, SIPTROTH, STERN, SWANGER, THOMAS,
VULAKOVICH, WATSON AND J. WHITE, JUNE 4, 2008
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
JUNE 4, 2008
A RESOLUTION
1 Designating July 22, 2008 as National Lao-Hmong Recognition Day.
2 WHEREAS, The Lao-Hmong, which means "free people," are
3 Laotian hill tribesmen noted for their warrior tradition,
4 loyalty and bravery; and
5 WHEREAS, Beginning in 1960, the United States recruited
6 thousands of members of the Lao-Hmong, which included the
7 Montagnards and other ethnic hill tribes, to fight against the
8 communist Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese Army regulars in Laos;
9 and
10 WHEREAS, The United States relied heavily on the Lao-Hmong
11 special guerrilla units to engage in direct combat with North
12 Vietnamese troops from 1960 to 1975; and
13 WHEREAS, The Lao-Hmong conducted tactical guerrilla actions,
1 flew thousands of deadly combat missions in support of the armed
2 forces of the United States and the Central Intelligence Agency
3 and fought in conventional and guerrilla combat clashes with
4 extreme casualties; and
5 WHEREAS, The Lao-Hmong, although outnumbered, fought against
6 enemy forces to disrupt the flow of troops and war supplies
7 along the Ho Chi Minh Trail; and
8 WHEREAS, The Lao-Hmong protected United States personnel,
9 guarded United States Air Force radar installations, gathered
10 critical intelligence about enemy operations and undertook
11 rescue missions to save the lives of downed American pilots; and
12 WHEREAS, More than 35,000 members of the Lao-Hmong lost their
13 lives defending the democratic way of life and many more were
14 seriously injured and disabled; and
15 WHEREAS, Thousands of Lao-Hmong suffered grievous injuries
16 and permanent disabilities and thousands more were captured and
17 sent to communist concentration camps; and
18 WHEREAS, After the conclusion of the war, many Lao-Hmong
19 soldiers were the victims of retributive acts and atrocities by
20 the Pathet Lao, leading many to flee to neighboring Thailand and
21 to become refugees; and
22 WHEREAS, Beginning with Golden, Colorado in 1995, various
23 state and local governments have issued proclamations declaring
24 July 22 as Lao-Hmong Recognition Day, and the establishment of a
25 National Lao-Hmong Recognition Day would recognize the bravery,
26 sacrifice and loyalty to the United States exhibited by the Lao-
27 Hmong in Southeast Asia; therefore be it
28 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
29 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania designate July 22, 2008, National
30 Lao-Hmong Recognition Day and call on the people of this
20080H0775R3846 - 2 -
1 Commonwealth to recognize the service and sacrifice of the Lao-
2 Hmong men and women with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
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