South West Illinois News

Representative Dan Swanson honored the veterans of the Vietnam War on the House floor, one of whom is Rep. Paul Jacobs.

“I was honored today to be recognized by my colleague state Represenative and retired Illinois Army National Guard Lt. Col. Dan Swanson on the House floor during the Vietnam War Veterans Ceremony,” Jacobs said. “It was my honor to serve in the United States Navy, and I will never forget the men and women who served with me, my brothers and sisters at arms.”

Here’s what Swanson said during the ceremony:

“Paul Jacobs, who in his military days was petty officer third class. During his military duty assignment in Vietnam, he actually served on the Caribbean fleet training Marines in helicopter assault aboard the U.S.S. Boxer from 1966 to 1967. His total service was from 1965 to 1971. That’s what he did.

"His military duty was actually to transfer and discharge personnel man and then also a flight deck phone operator. When I asked him about his special memory, he said while serving in the U.S.S. Boxer, which was a World War II aircraft carrier, the wooden flight deck almost sunk after receiving major damage from a hurricane north of Cuba while streaming to South Boston shipyard’s Navy base. He calls that a humorous memory.  

"He also talked about being near the equator most of the year and heading to Boston in the middle of January, and a ship with no air or heat made perfect sense. He said, ‘We quickly forgot our minor discomfort when we thought about where the Marines we previously trained were being sent to.’ Let’s go back to that funny moment — when he was on that ship heading to the Boston Navy naval yards. Boston, because of that trip, Boston is where he met his wife, Rhoda, and they’ve been together since, he said she’s put up with him for over 53 years. Thank you, Doctor Jacobs, welcome home.”

President Joe Biden also added his voice to the occasion.

“Throughout the years of the Vietnam War, 9 million Americans earned the title of U.S. veteran,” Biden said in a proclamation. “Today and every day, we honor their bravery and commitment and give thanks to a generation of Americans who valiantly fought in service of the country they love while recognizing the continuing impact on so many veterans of the Vietnam conflict, along with their families, caregivers and survivors.”

This national day of recognition was created in 2017, when President Donald Trump signed the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 into law. It designated March 29 as the day to honor veterans of the Vietnam War each year.

History wrote that approximately 3 million people died in Vietnam.

Federal law states that the U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War began in February 1961 and lasted until May 1975. Approximately 2.7 million American men and women served in Vietnam. During the war, more than 58,000 American servicemen and women lost their lives, according to History.