[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 96 (Wednesday, June 26, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S6906]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   TERRORIST ACT AGAINST UNITED STATES FORCES SERVING IN SAUDI ARABIA

  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, on behalf of all Americans I wish to 
express my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of our 
service-members involved in yesterday's tragic terrorist attack in 
Saudi Arabia. While the situation is still developing, we know that 19 
U.S. service personnel were killed, 80 are hospitalized, of which 60 
are in critical condition.
  Our servicemembers in Saudi Arabia are stationed there to keep a 
steady and keen vigilance against the very threat to peace to which 
they were victims. Most of these U.S. servicemembers are performing 
daily missions and maintaining a deterrence against longstanding and 
well-known threats in the Persian Gulf.
  This unfortunate act of cowardly terrorism is against all who have an 
interest in peace. Our British, French, and Saudi allies apparently 
were also targets of this senseless act.
  The Senate is now deliberating on important legislation which affects 
the brave American servicemembers in Saudi Arabia, and all our forces 
world-wide. In doing this very important business, we should be mindful 
of what happened in Saudi Arabia last night. Last night's tragedy is 
another reminder that the absence of war does not mean that the world 
is at peace. Our soldiers, sailors, and airmen stand at the ready under 
the constant threat of violence. This is the world we live in today, in 
which the United States must continue to show leadership and 
determination.
  Our job in the Senate now is to be unexceptionally serious about the 
Defense authorization bill which is now under consideration. The 
American people, our Government, and the U.S. Senate are duty-bound to 
provide the very best for those in our Armed Forces who knowingly stand 
in harm's way for us.
  We can not fall short in supporting our men and women in uniform and 
their families, insuring the best possible benefits, and providing the 
best equipment for the dangerous missions in a still very dangerous 
world.
  Mr. NUNN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Coverdell). The Chair recognizes the 
Senator from Georgia.
  Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I strongly endorse the remarks of Chairman 
Thurmond in the great sympathy that we express in this Chamber on both 
sides of the aisle to the service people involved in this tragedy in 
Saudi Arabia, and I certainly endorse President Clinton's strong 
statement of determination to find the perpetrators of this act and 
bring them to justice. I am confident that the Saudi Arabian Government 
has the same view.
  This is a constant reminder of the kind of dangers and risks that our 
military personnel are under everywhere in the world. We are in a 
different era now. We are not in an era where we are threatened by 
massive annihilation from nuclear war, but we are in an unstable era 
where terrorism rears its ugly head in unexpected places. All of our 
military forces abroad and their families are under this kind of risk.
  So as we join the families and express our great sympathy to those 
families, I think we ought to bear in mind that all of our military 
personnel all over the world are basically risking their own lives to 
defend this great Nation.
  I am informed there are 19 dead, 80 hospitalized, and 60 seriously 
wounded. I am also informed that they have not completed the 
identification of the remains and that the families have not yet been 
notified. Certainly that will be done in a timely fashion as quickly as 
they possibly can. The Air Force is working on that.
  We sent medivac teams there with our aircraft. We sent all of the 
personnel that we can, and of course the President announced last night 
that we are sending FBI agents to help find the perpetrators of this 
terrible tragedy.
  Mr. President, I am also informed that the families will begin being 
notified sometime around noon today. Certainly I know that there are a 
lot of anxious families in the Air Force community and military 
community all over the country.
  So I join Senator Thurmond in expressing great sympathy to the 
families and absolute determination to prevent this kind of tragedy 
from recurring in every way that we possibly can.

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