PRINTER'S NO. 3431
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
806
Session of
2020
INTRODUCED BY STEPHENS, READSHAW, KORTZ, HILL-EVANS, DONATUCCI,
KIM, RYAN, DELLOSO, BURNS, MURT, HOWARD, BARRAR, ROTHMAN,
ULLMAN, SCHMITT, CONKLIN, COX, MALAGARI, POLINCHOCK, ROZZI
AND MACKENZIE, MARCH 10, 2020
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, MARCH 10, 2020
A RESOLUTION
Requesting that the President and the Congress of the United
States recognize naturalized Korean Americans who served
during the Vietnam Conflict as veterans of the armed forces
of the United States, making these individuals eligible for
benefits through the United States Department of Veterans
Affairs.
WHEREAS, The United States, having recognized the commitment
of European allies in the aftermath of World War I and World War
II, is expanding recognition for allied forces from the Vietnam
era; and
WHEREAS, For the duration of the Vietnam Conflict, United
States military and paramilitary operations in Southeast Asia
involved various allied combatants; and
WHEREAS, Lao-Hmong tribe members, in keeping with their
warrior culture, served in guerilla units the United States
formed in Laos; and
WHEREAS, These fighters, recruited and trained by the United
States, guarded the Long Tieng air base, rescued downed American
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
pilots and disrupted enemy movements and supplies along the Ho
Chi Minh trail; and
WHEREAS, The Hmong Veterans' Naturalization Act of 2000
established special naturalization provisions for Hmong refugees
from Laos who supported United States forces between February
28, 1961, and September 18, 1978; and
WHEREAS, The Hmong Veterans' Service Recognition Act, signed
in 2018, provided that individuals naturalized under the 2000
act were eligible for interment in certain national cemeteries;
and
WHEREAS, South Korea, our largest allied force, deployed more
than 325,000 troops for counterinsurgency, offensive and
pacification operations; and
WHEREAS, South Korean troops were instrumental in protecting
overland supply, helping to retake and hold the line from Cam
Ranh Bay to Qui Nhon; and
WHEREAS, South Korea entered the war in 1964 and maintained a
presence through the final phase; and
WHEREAS, Honoring a ceasefire in effect as United States
troops exited the region in 1973, South Korean troops incurred
casualties during that period; and
WHEREAS, Through years of combat, the South Korean nation
sustained nearly 11,000 casualties and 5,099 deaths; and
WHEREAS, An estimated 3,000 Korean-American veterans of the
Vietnam Conflict are excluded from benefits provided by the
United States Department of Veterans Affairs; and
WHEREAS, Granting treatment for combat-related conditions
such as posttraumatic stress disorder or Agent Orange exposure
and extending eligibility for burial and memorial benefits would
rightfully honor their contributions to American security; and
20200HR0806PN3431 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
WHEREAS, The House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania affirms that Korean-American veterans of the
Vietnam Conflict have earned access to veterans benefits and
services, being part of an integral contingent committed to
military action along with United States service members;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania request that the President and the
Congress of the United States recognize naturalized Korean
Americans who served during the Vietnam Conflict as veterans of
the armed forces of the United States, making these individuals
eligible for benefits through the United States Department of
Veterans Affairs; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
the President of the United States, the presiding officers of
each house of Congress and each member of Congress from
Pennsylvania.
20200HR0806PN3431 - 3 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17