Delegate Hull 's

Richmond Report

Celebrating Great Achievements

Congressional Schools of Virginia. Congratulations are in order on the occasion of their 65 th anniversary.

Students, faculty, staff, and parents celebrated this grand achievement last Friday on the beautiful grounds of their Sleepy Hollow Road campus.

Ray Worley. Congratulations to Dr. G. Ray Worley on being awarded the “2004 Fairfax County Citizen of the Year” award.

This is an annual award by the Fairfax County Federation of Citizen’s Associations and the Washington Post.

Ray was honored for his decades of work in support of adult education in Northern Virginia in a ceremony on March 13.

Peg Corl. A tip of the hat to a hardworking citizen activist for being awarded “Mason District Citizen of the Year.”

Given by the Mason District Council of Civic Associations, Peg received this honor at a ceremony last night.

Ernestine Heastie. This former Fairfax County School Board member will receive a “2004 Human Rights Award” tonight.

Given by the Fairfax County Human Rights Commission, Ernestine will be honored for her efforts to ensure that disadvantaged children flourish in school.

The first person of color elected in Fairfax County in the 20 th century, Ernestine was also received the 2003 NAACP Outstanding Leadership Award.

Remembering the Fallen

April 30 marked the 30 th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the capture of South Vietnam by Communist North Vietnam.

That morning, I traveled to a rain-swept ceremony on a hill overloooking the Vietnam War Memorial on the National Mall.

It was a memorial service and wreath laying ceremony at “The Wall” to honor the more than 245,000 South Vietnamese veterans who died in the war.

The next day, at Constitution Garden Plaza, I joined veterans of the Vietnam War, both American and South Vietnamese, in another ceremony.

We honored the 58,000 American soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen, and Coast Guardsmen died during our 16 years of involvement in Vietnam.

Also honored were the seven other countries that sent troops to assist South Vietnam in its struggle along with the U.S.

Then, in a moving tribute, we marched down and laid wreaths at “The Wall,” the “grunts” statue adjacent to it, and the nurses memorial near that.

They Thank Us

On the evening of April 30, I attended an event on the grounds of the U.S. Capital at the conclusion of a “Vietnam Freedom March.”

Attended by Vietnamese-Americans from across the country, the event highlighted the gratitude that the feel towards their adopted country.

I was honored there for my efforts to have the South Vietnamese flag designated in Virginia as the Vietnamese-American Heritage Flag.

In remarks, I stated that it is my hope that one day those they left behind in their native country can once again live in freedom.

Honoring Human Rights

May 11 marked the 11 th anniversary of “Vietnam Human Rights Day,” designated by Congress in honor of those who are working to achieve freedom for the people of Vietnam.

It was former Congresswoman Leslie Byrne and former Senator Chuck Robb who spearheaded the drive to pass this congressional resolution in 1994.

The day was so designated to support the many organizations, including Amnesty International, that are working to free Vietnamese political prisoners.

In a reception that evening, Nobel Laureate and Lake Barcroft resident Dr. Jerome Karle spoke of the work of the scientific community to help this effort.

While the Communist Vietnamese government has freed some prominent political prisoners recently, religious persecution by the government there is still rampant.

Delegate Bob Hull represents the 38th District in the Virginia House of Delegates. He may be emailed here.