[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 131 (Friday, September 20, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S11105]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NATIONAL POW/MIA RECOGNITION DAY

 Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, today is National POW/MIA 
Recognition Day and I rise to honor those brave Americans whose fate 
remains uncertain. As we reflect not only on those courageous 
servicemembers who so valiantly went off in defense of their country, 
we should also pause and remember the families and loved ones of those 
who never returned. The family who received definite notice that a 
loved one was positively killed in action could mourn and grieve and 
learn to cope with life alone; but those American families whose loved 
ones were missing, prisoners, or unaccounted for, bear an additional 
burden--the burden of uncertainty. They cannot bury their loved ones 
and work through the grief that comes with loss. They live with doubt, 
denial, and hope that somehow their son, husband, brother, or father 
will some day come home.
  There are 90,769 American servicemembers unaccounted for from wars in 
the 20th century; 1,648 from World War I, 78,794 from World War II, 
8,177 from Korea, and 2,150 from Southeast Asia. We have made extensive 
efforts to gain full accounting for all these servicemembers. We 
aggressively continue our talks with the Governments of Vietnam, 
Cambodia, and Laos to gain information about the servicemen who went 
there but did not return. Those efforts continue and have resulted in 
information about a few of our unaccounted-for servicemen and the 
recovery of 20 sets of remains between October 1995 and March 1996. 
Recent efforts with North Korea have also provided long overdue 
information about missing Americans. Additionally, we recovered the 
remains of a World War II hero this year, allowing his family finally 
to say their last farewells. However, we must not allow these small 
successes to make us complacent. We must continue our efforts and view 
the successes of today not as an end, but as a beginning in our efforts 
to gain more information in the upcoming years.
  Today, as we stop to look at the POW/MIA flag which flies not only in 
the rotunda of our Nation's Capitol but all around this great country, 
I hope all Americans will pause and remember with pride, sadness, and 
hope for the future, the valiant efforts of these brave soldiers, 
sailors, airmen, and marines who answered the call.

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