Gov. Perry Remarks at Vietnam Veterans Monument Dedication Ceremony

Thank you, Robert and on behalf of more than 26 million Texan, more than 500,000 of whom are Vietnam-era veterans, I proudly accept this monument onto our Capitol grounds.

I also thank you and all of the committee members for your hard work in making today possible.

Chuy, Wayne: nine years ago, it was your legislation that started us toward where we are today.

What started with your efforts has grown with the support of your fellow legislators, other state and federal officials and donors from across Texas culminating with today's dedication of this proud monument.

Texas has always enjoyed a special bond with our military heritage.

We've always been proud of our sons and daughters who bravely step forward when the nation calls.

However, the veterans of Vietnam through no fault of their own found themselves stuck between the call of duty and the turmoil of a lost decade.

As children, they'd seen the honors bestowed upon their forbears celebrated for valor on the battlefield in World War II and later during the Korean conflict.

They witnessed joyous homecomings, waved as veterans passed by in hometown parades and heard lofty speeches at Fourth of July picnics.

They witnessed as American veterans were celebrated, justly, as the best and brightest of the United States.

When their generation's time to serve the country came in an Asian country all too few could even find on a map they went willingly, draftees and volunteers, side by side.

While others chose deferments and some even fled the nation of their birth, these brave individuals decided to do what was right.

They served in harrowing circumstances, fighting a concealed enemy in some of the most difficult terrain imaginable.

Through it all, they exhibited the same brand of courage and loyalty the members of America's armed forces have capably demonstrated throughout our history.

They fought and they bled for our country, but upon returning home there were no parades.

There were no picnics. Instead they were treated with indifference or, even worse, outright scorn.

They'd been subjected to unbearable stress and injury on the battlefield, and then suffered even more damage back home.

Perhaps as a result of that, our Vietnam veterans bonded in a way even more profound than the bonds they formed on the battlefield.

In a nation that wasn't supporting them they learned to depend upon each other, to a degree greater even than their forebears.

They knew nobody would care for them or understand them as well as those they'd served alongside.

It's a lesson that wasn't lost on those who followed them and today. The veterans of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan know they can lean upon one another in a similar way, and perhaps that's the most fitting legacy possible for the veterans of Vietnam.

Of course, we're a wiser nation now.

The fact we're gathered here today is one small piece of evidence to that.

We now better understand the obligation we have to honor those who fought, and died, for our freedom.

We now better understand that celebrating the values that make our nation and our military great must always supersede the political arguments of the day.

We should also remember the many Vietnamese nationals who fought alongside us throughout that war.

After the war, many of them pursued freedom right here to the United States, and many of them settled right here in Texas.

They should always be aware that we also appreciate their own service. We appreciate how they stood shoulder-to-shoulder with our troops and we honor them for their contributions as well.

The monument we dedicate today, crafted with the deepest of care and profoundest of skill by Duke Sundt, will stand as an ongoing demonstration of the depth of our appreciation for the sacrifices made by all our Vietnam Veterans.

It will stand as a reminder of what is noble and good about the human spirit. And it will stand as a declaration that in Texas, we understand how blessed we are to have warriors ready to step forward and draw a line between us and those who would do us harm.

Our Vietnam veterans truly were our best and brightest, and I'm proud that a reminder of that will stand forevermore on the grounds of the most beautiful Capitol building in the United States.

Once more, I thank everyone who helped make today possible.

May God bless you and, through you, may He continue to bless the great State of Texas.