{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://sablan.house.gov/vietnam-war-veterans-finally-get-recognition", "Vietnam War veterans finally get recognition", "2017-11-13", "2017", "2017-11", "Democrat", "House", "MP", "Gregorio Sablan", "S001177", "sablan.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Marianas Variety \u2014 AFTER more than 50 years, about 40 Vietnam War veterans in the CNMI received recognition during the Veterans Day commemoration on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, at American Memorial Park.\nThe Vietnam War ended in 1975, U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan said in an interview. \u201cMany of the servicemembers that went to Vietnam were drafted and yet when they came home there was no parade or anything \u2014 nothing.\u201d\nThe theme for this year\u2019s Veterans Day was, \u201cHonoring all who served in times of war \u2014 in time of peace.\u201d\nKilili said it was about time that the Vietnam War veterans were recognized. \u201cIt is just a way to say thank you to them and welcome them home, after more than 50 years.\u201d\nOscar C. Torres, executive officer of the CNMI Military and Veterans Affairs Office, said it was only proper for the U.S. and the CNMI governments to honor the Vietnam War veterans.\n\u201cMany [Americans] did not really appreciate what they did,\u201d he said, referring to the veterans. \u201cNobody wanted the Vietnam War.\u201d\nTorres said the recognition for Vietnam War veterans started last year.\nOne of them, Saipan Mayor David Apatang, recalled that during the war, \u201cthere were a lot of other problems in the U.S., and the war was never supported \u2014 people were demonstrating against it.\u201d\nApatang said he is thankful to then-President Barack Obama for recognizing the Vietnam veterans in 2012.\n\u201cA lot of vets that came back from Vietnam are still suffering from various kinds of ailments. Finally, President Donald Trump is taking care of the veterans.\u201d\nApatang was deployed as an infantryman to Vietnam from 1967 to 1968 and from 1970 to 1971.\n\u201cIt is an experience that we usually don\u2019t discuss. It is hard for many of us to come out and disclose our feelings,\u201d he said.\nRobert \u201cCal\u201d Colavechio, another Vietnam War veteran, said he was thankful that they were finally being given national recognition. \u201cTimes have changed and I hope it will stay that way,\u201d he added.\nIn her keynote speech, District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona noted that \u201cthere are a thousand veterans now on Saipan, Tinian and Rota, and we are grateful for their service.\u201d\nUnlike before, she said, the U.S. has an all-volunteer military. \u201cEvery man and woman who puts on the uniform made a personal choice to serve. It is noble that they make that choice for the values that we stand for.\u201d\nGov. Ralph D.L.G. Torres said Veterans Day is also a time for gratitude.\n\u201cThe work [the veterans] do, or have done, for us is sometimes a task that goes unnoticed or underappreciated, but it is work that carries with it a great deal of nobility. It takes a very special breed of man or woman to serve in this way. Some of them have sacrificed their lives for our peace and security. For their selflessness, for their efforts to liberate the oppressed and defend freedom and all it stands for, this is a day and honor that they all truly deserve,\u201d he said.\n\u201cAs a group of grateful islands who are part of an even more grateful nation, let us all do our part to honor our troops, those who serve us in all branches, those who have retired, and those whose memories live on in our hearts, and take a moment to simply say to each and every one of them \u2014 thank you.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://sablan.house.gov/vietnam-war-veterans-finally-get-recognition"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9783068671822548, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}