[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 127 (Tuesday, September 13, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 13, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
             MIDDLETOWN VFW PAYS TRIBUTE TO POW'S and MIA'S

                                 ______


                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 13, 1994

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, on Friday, September 16, 1994, the 
Middletown, NJ, Post 2179 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars will hold 
candlelight services in honor of our Nation's prisoners of war and 
missing in action.
  Mr. Speaker, like most of our colleagues in this Congress and most of 
the American people, I feel very strongly that we must never forget our 
service men and women whose whereabouts remain unaccounted for. 
Furthermore, we should not let any nation off the hook that has any 
knowledge or responsibility for our POW's and MIA's. I was opposed to 
the decision last year to lift the trade embargo against Vietnam 
because I believed that the Vietnamese officials had not done nearly 
enough to provide an accounting of the fate of Americans left behind. 
There is compelling evidence that at least 80, and possibly many more 
Americans could have been left behind in 1973 when their comrades in 
arms--supposedly all of our prisoners--came home. Now that the trade 
embargo has been lifted, I believe that we should use the opportunity 
of the increased commercial ties with Vietnam to press for a full 
accounting of those missing Americans. I firmly believe that we should 
not grant Vietnam diplomatic recognition until all records are opened, 
full access to crash sites and other locations is permitted, and 
complete investigations of other sightings are pursued.
  Additionally, we should use our new relationship with Russia to 
follow up on statements and documents offered by President Boris 
Yeltsin that American prisoners from Vietnam--and also from earlier 
wars--were kept in the Soviet Union. President Yeltsin has indicated 
that he wants to be a friend of the United States and his country 
clearly needs our help and support. We must insist on a complete 
opening of all the dark secrets from the Soviet Union as one of our 
conditions for friendlier relations. We should also see to it that our 
own Government provides a full accounting to families.
  Mr. Speaker, to the families of POW's and MIA's who have agonized for 
decades over what happened to their loved ones in a time of war, we owe 
at the very least the peace of mind that comes with knowing their fate. 
I salute the members of the Middletown VFW--and servicemen and women 
all over the country--who are fighting to keep alive the memory of 
their missing comrades. By their loyalty to their comrades, they ensure 
that the rest of us will never forget the sacrifices of those brave 
Americans who served their country at a terrible personal risk.

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