Whereas the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces performed admirably during a long and difficult struggle; Whereas the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, despite political and social instability formed into an effective fighting force with the assistance of American advisors; Whereas the Army of the Republic of Vietnam bore the brunt of early fighting during the 1968 Tet Offensive and repelled Viet Cong attacks with bravery and élan, in the words of Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker, it reacted strongly, quickly, and decisively. It set about the task of recovery with great energy ; Whereas the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces displayed an ability to conduct independent offensive operations and determined resistance against incursion on multiple occasions; Whereas 275,000 Republic of Vietnam servicemembers lost their lives during the Vietnam War in defense of their nation; Whereas after the Fall of Saigon, many South Vietnamese veterans spent a decade or more in incarceration or re-education camps; Whereas veterans of the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces, and their families, have during the more than four decades since the conclusion of the war comported themselves respectably and contributed importantly as citizens of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; Whereas, as many as 15,000 South Vietnamese veterans still reside in Vietnam, surviving with little support or acknowledgment from their government; Whereas those veterans and their families have in many instances not been accorded support and services comparable to that accorded their fellow citizens; and Whereas cemeteries and other memorials to the fallen comrades of these veterans and their families have not been maintained and respected appropriately: Now, therefore, be it