CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -- SENATE

January 18, 1968

Page 245

PRESIDENT JOHNSON AIDS PUBLIC SERVANTS IN VIETNAM

Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, in a bill signing before Christmas at the White House, President Johnson said:

Not all soldiers in freedom's cause carry guns, or wear their country's uniform.

The President was referring to hundreds of American Government civilian personnel who toil day in and day out in the villages, towns, and cities of Vietnam to carry out the diplomatic, economic, and information policies of the United States.

These men and women -- who by the way receive too little attention in the press and publicity media -- are as much soldiers for the American cause as are the marines, airmen, sailors, and fliers who carry out the military policies of our Government.

President Johnson and his administration have not forgotten these public servants. The bill which President Johnson signed on December 23 now permits American Government employees in Vietnam to rejoin their families more frequently each year at Government expense. It provides transportation in the event of a family emergency. It provides special medical benefits for the employee and his family.

As one who has always been interested in improving the public service of this country, I applaud President Johnson for having signed this bill which recognizes the importance of our foreign and domestic service people in USIA, the State Department, and AID now assigned to Vietnam.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the statement by the President, made on the occasion of signing S. 1785, be printed in the RECORD.

There being no objection, the statement was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT ON SIGNING S. 1785

Not all the soldiers in freedom's cause carry guns, or wear their country's uniform. The war they fight is against the enemies that breed war -- hunger and sickness and ignorance.

They fight this war not with bullets but by building the foundations of peace. They advance the cause for which the soldier serves.

And when they carry on their work in the heat of armed conflict -- in Vietnam or any other background -- they share the soldier's risk.

American public servants in the villages and hamlets of Vietnam are helping a small nation shape its destiny. Their quiet labors are a shield against aggression's success. But they are exposed to the hazards of a war which knows no fixed battle lines. Some have been kidnapped by the enemy. Some have been killed. Some are missing today.

The bill I sign recognizes the hardships those civilians face as they serve their country.

Here is what it does:

It lets them go home twice a year to rejoin their families. And the government pays the cost of the trips.

It provides free transportation home in the event of a family emergency.

It gives a year of convalescent leave to those injured in hostile actions. And this is not charged to their annual or sick leave.

It provides special medical benefits for employee and his family.

These are small compensations measured against their sacrifice. But they show that America cares. They show that America has not forgotten its public servants in the State Department, A.I.D. and U.S.I.A. whose courage and dedication to humanity are a badge of our commitment in Vietnam and the other troubled areas of the world.