[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 131 (Friday, September 20, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S11102]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NATIONAL POW/MIA RECOGNITION DAY

 Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, today in our Nation's Capital, the 
officially recognized black and white POW/MIA flag is flying over the 
U.S. Capitol Building, the White House, the State Department, the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the 
Korean War Veterans Memorial, and at national cemeteries across the 
country. Throughout the State of New Hampshire, concerned citizens have 
been gathering in Manchester, Derry, Meredith, and several other 
communities to renew our commitment to the fullest possible accounting 
of prisoners of war and missing in action personnel. Likewise, there 
are services being held across the country.
  For 12 years in Congress, I have been proud to be a leader on the 
POW/MIA issue on behalf of their families, our Nation's veterans, and 
concerned Americans. This is an honorable cause that we have embarked 
on, and we must not stop until we know the truth, and until we can 
ensure that this national tragedy can never be allowed to happen again; 
2,146 American servicemen are still unaccounted for from the Vietnam 
War, and over 8,100 are unaccounted for from the Korean War. There are 
over 100 American servicemen who were lost during cold war incidents, 
and we also cannot forget the 78,000 Americans who died during World 
War II, even though we were not able to recover their remains.
  As many of my colleagues and my constituents know, I have worked hard 
to find answers for the POW/MIA families. I have traveled to Russia, 
North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia trying to convince these 
nations to be more forthcoming with information. I authored the 
legislation which created the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA 
Affairs in 1991, and I did my very best as vice chairman to open the 
books on POW/MIA information which had previously been kept secret. I 
have also worked to pass legislation to declassify Government records 
on POW's and MIA's. Simply put, I have never let up on my commitment to 
the POW/MIA issue, and as long as I serve in Congress, I never will.
  Mr. President, I feel strongly that all of us have a solemn, moral 
obligation to continue thoroughly investigating this national tragedy 
on behalf of the families who still wait for answers on the fate of 
their loved ones. Today, on National POW/MIA Recognition Day, I urge 
our Government leaders to renew our Nation's commitment to the fullest 
possible accounting of POW's and MIA's.

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