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The 2021 Legislative Session started with the hope that our Vietnam veterans would be honored by lawmakers with the passing of a bill to establish a Vietnam War Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol grounds.
Senate Bill 319 was introduced by the Senate Committee on Veterans and Emergency Preparedness. This bill dedicates a portion of Capitol State Park to a Vietnam War Memorial to be funded and constructed by a qualified nonprofit corporation.
SB319 in its last paragraph declares an emergency. Its preamble states over 180,000 Oregonians served during the Vietnam War of which about 100,000 are alive today. The average age of these Oregon veterans is 70.