Hawaii-2013-SR97-Introduced

WHEREAS, General John H. Rogers' dedication to his country, the active duty and retired military community, and others, has inspired others to live up to standards and traditions for which Americans are known and respected for around the world; and

WHEREAS, General Rogers has worked tirelessly to ease the suffering of those unfortunate children who were directly affected during and after the conflict in Viet Nam, where he served in the United States Army from 1967 to 1972; and

WHEREAS, when Saigon fell in 1975, General Rogers, whose wife and daughter are Vietnamese, was in the United States and lost track of his daughter; and

WHEREAS, his daughter, Gloria Jean Rogers, was reunited with General Rogers in a subsequent trip to Vietnam in search of her, and now lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and

WHEREAS, on his 1988 trip to Vietnam to find Gloria, he discovered the plight of American-Asian children that were fathered by American servicemen and orphaned by the war; and

WHEREAS, in compassion for these children, General Rogers founded FACES-USA (Foundation for Amerasian Children Emergency Support), and established orphanages and safe houses for American-Asian children, who had been living as beggars on the streets of Saigon and other large cities; and

WHEREAS, after opening the first halfway house for American-Asian children in Ho Chi Minh City on May 2, 1989, General Rogers became known as the "Pied Piper of Vietnam", and was applauded by President George H.W. Bush and the United States Department of State for his efforts to improve the welfare of American-Asians in Vietnam; and

WHEREAS, since the end of the war in 1975, General Rogers appeared on numerous national television broadcasts for his humanitarian work for Vietnamese-Americans, veterans, and homeless persons, including NBC's "Today Show" FOX's "Inside Edition", and many local affiliates of ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX, as well as television programs in Australia, France, Germany, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Spain, as well as been the subject of newspaper reports on his efforts; and

WHEREAS, inspired by the World War I Veterans Bonus March and the 1995 Million Man March, General Rogers brought together private corporations, concerned individuals, and national and grass roots veterans organizations nationwide, for the inaugural National Veterans Rights March / Rally in 1996, which saw the participation of hundreds of thousands of veterans; and

WHEREAS, General Rogers founded BRAVO HAWAII, the Hawaii chapter of the Brotherhood Rally of All Veterans Organizations, and collaborated with agencies and other groups in organizing humanitarian activities and programs to support veterans, such as "Picnic in the Park", "Stand Downs", and weekly meals for homeless veterans and the homeless at Fort DeRussy Beach; and

WHEREAS, on April 26, 1997, General Rogers opened Hawaii's first ever "Homeless Veterans Transitional Center", in Wahiawa for homeless veterans, their spouses, and children who have fallen on hard times, to give them a hand up, not a hand out, and preserve their sense of their own human dignity; and

WHEREAS, past governors of Hawaii and mayors of the City and County of Honolulu have honored General Rogers for his humanitarian work; and

WHEREAS, General Rogers produces and hosts a monthly community television program called "BRAVO HAWAII VETERANS TALK, BRINGING VETERANS TOGETHER" to discuss veterans and military related issues, activities, and programs; and

WHEREAS, the third of eleven children and a native of Oxford, Mississippi, General Rogers served in the Army for twenty-two years, retired on June 1, 1988 as a Master Sergeant, and earned several awards and decorations, including the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal and Vietnam Service Medal with six campaign stars; and

WHEREAS, on January 10, 1994, General Rogers was invited by Congressman Lucien E. Blackwell of Pennsylvania to join him and members of Congress on fact finding mission to the Philippines pursuant to House Resolution 2013, "Commission on Filipino War World II Veterans" and House Resolution 2429, "The Philippines Amerasians Act of 1993"; and

WHEREAS, General Rogers has received several proclamations from the governor of Hawaii and the Mayor of Honolulu, and governors of twelve states, for "Amerasians Awareness Day" in their states, now therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2012, that the Mayor and Council of the City and County of Honolulu are requested to recognize and honor General John H. Rogers, Jr. for his tireless dedication and efforts to humanitarian causes by placing a plaque in the place where he waved his flag to remind others of the ideals and compassionate acts for which America stands; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Mayor and Council of the City and County of Honolulu.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Honoring General John Rogers For Humanitarian Efforts

THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	97
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013
STATE OF HAWAII