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A day of recognition coming for Vietnam War vets |
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Wednesday, 19 March 2008 |
T.W. Budig
ECM Capitol Reporter
A bill designating March 29 Vietnam Veterans Day in Minnesota is heading to the Senate floor after hearings last week and on Monday was passed by the Minnesota House.
“The Vietnam veteran was never officially welcomed back and given the respect they deserve,” said Diane Finnemann of Forest Lake, testifying before the Senate Agriculture and Veterans Committee.
Finnemann, who lost her Vietnam veteran brother to suicide, said rather than welcomed back, Vietnam veterans were spat on for their service. “I don’t ever want people to forget their sacrifice,” she said March 11.
Christy Sauro, North Branch, author of “The Minnesota Twins Platoon,” testified that in writing his book — a story about a group of young Minnesotans sworn into the military on the Twins baseball field — he became aware how little people actually knew about the war.
“I don’t ever want people to forget these soldiers,” he said.
Sauro and Finnemann’s brother, Skip Schmidt, were part of the Twins Platoon in 1968. Schmidt, was posthumously awarded the Silver Star in 1998 for his service in Vietnam.
Some 1072 Minnesota soldiers are listed on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington.
House bill OK’d
The House voted 130-0 on Monday to designate March 29 as Minnesota Veteran Veteran’s Day. The legislation sparked a brief debate on the House floor.
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