GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2015

SESSION LAW 2016-33

SENATE BILL 160

AN ACT adopting the veterans day parade held in the town of warsaw as the official state veterans day parade.

Whereas, the State of North Carolina is proud to host every branch of military service, including Fort Bragg, the largest Army installation in the world, Camp Lejeune, the largest Marine amphibious base in the world, and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, home of the 4th Fighter Wing of the Air Combat Command; and

Whereas, North Carolina has over 775,000 veterans living in the State, ranking eighth in the nation, and more than 92,500 military retirees living in the State, ranking sixth in the nation; and

Whereas, Duplin County is located in the middle of the major military installations in North Carolina, and throughout its history has provided leaders for America's military and veterans organizations, the most recent being General Dan K. McNeill, a native of Warsaw, and former commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan; and

Whereas, the citizens of Warsaw have always been in the forefront when it was necessary to send young men and women to serve in times of war, and several of the Town's finest and brightest young men have given their lives for our country, including five who died during the Vietnam War:

Litchfield Patterson Huey, US Army, killed on February 27, 1967,

William Irvin (Guy) Turner, Jr., US Army, killed on July 8, 1968,

Charles Grey Costin, US Army, killed on November 1, 1968,

Clarence Leon (Boone) McNeil, US Air Force, killed on February 5, 1969, and

Allen Lewis Boney, US Army, killed on May 14, 1970; and

Whereas, the Town of Warsaw began sponsoring an annual Veterans Day Parade in 1921 to recognize America's military history and heritage and to honor all of America's military veterans, living and deceased; and

Whereas, the annual Warsaw Veterans Day Parade now is the oldest, continuously held Veterans Day Parade in the United States and should be recognized as the official State Veterans Day Parade; Now, therefore,

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  Chapter 145 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:

"§ 145‑48.  Official Veterans Day Parade.

The Veterans Day Parade held in the Town of Warsaw is adopted as the official Veterans Day Parade in the State of North Carolina."

SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 15^th day of June, 2016.

                                                                    s/  Daniel J. Forest

                                                                         President of the Senate

                                                                    s/  Tim Moore

                                                                         Speaker of the House of Representatives

                                                                    s/  Pat McCrory

                                                                         Governor

Approved 1:30 p.m. this 24^th day of June, 2016