[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 29 (Tuesday, March 17, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2137-S2138]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 196--RECOGNIZING THE COURAGE AND SACRIFICE OF SENATOR 
 JOHN McCAIN AND MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES HELD AS PRISONERS OF WAR 
                      DURING THE VIETNAM CONFLICT

  Mr. LOTT (for himself, Mr. Daschle, Mr. Warner, Mr. Kempthorne, Mr. 
Hatch, Mr. Coats, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Abraham, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Allard, Mr. 
Ashcroft, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Biden, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Bond, 
Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Breaux, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Bryan, Mr. Bumpers, Mr. 
Burns, Mr. Byrd, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Chafee, Mr. Cleland, Mr. Cochran, 
Ms. Collins, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Coverdell, Mr. Craig, Mr. D'Amato, Mr. 
DeWine, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Domenici, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Enzi, Mr. 
Faircloth, Mr. Feingold, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Ford, Mr. Frist, Mr. 
Glenn, Mr. Gorton, Mr. Graham, Mr. Gramm, Mr. Grams, Mr. Grassley, Mr. 
Gregg, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Helms, Mr. Hollings, Mr. Hutchinson, Mrs. 
Hutchison, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Inouye, Mr. Jeffords, Mr. Johnson, Mr. 
Kennedy, Mr. Kerrey, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Kyl, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. 
Lautenberg, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Levin, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Mack, 
Mr. McCain, Mr. McConnell, Ms. Mikulski, Ms. Moseley-Braun, Mr. 
Moynihan, Mr. Murkowski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Nickles, Mr. Reed, Mr. Reid, 
Mr. Robb, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Roth, Mr. Santorum, Mr. 
Sarbanes, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Shelby, Mr. Smith of New Hampshire, Mr. 
Smith of Oregon, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Specter, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Thomas, Mr. 
Thompson, Mr. Thurmond, Mr. Torricelli, Mr. Wellstone, and Mr. Wyden) 
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to.

                              S. Res. 196

       Whereas participation by the United States Armed Forces in 
     combat operations in Southeast Asia during the period from 
     1964 through 1972 resulted in several hundreds of members of 
     the United States Armed Forces being taken prisoner by North 
     Vietnamese, Pathet Lao, and Viet Cong enemy forces;
       Whereas John McCain's A-4E Skyhawk was shot down over 
     Hanoi, North Vietnam on October 26, 1967, and he remained in 
     captivity until March 14, 1973;
       Whereas John McCain's aircraft was shorn of it's right wing 
     by a surface-to-air missile and he plunged toward the ground 
     at about 400 knots prior to ejecting;
       Whereas upon ejection, John McCain's right knee and both 
     arms were broken;
       Whereas John McCain was surrounded by an angry mob who 
     kicked him and spit on him, stabbed him with bayonets and 
     smashed his shoulder with a rifle;
       Whereas United States prisoners of war in Southeast Asia 
     were held in a number of facilities, the most notorious of 
     which was Hoa Lo Prison in downtown Hanoi, dubbed the ``Hanoi 
     Hilton'' by the prisoners held there;
       Whereas historians of the Vietnam war have recorded that 
     ``no American reached the prison camp of Hoa Lo in worse 
     condition than John McCain'';
       Whereas his North Vietnamese captors recognized that John 
     McCain came from a distinguished military family and caused 
     him to suffer special beatings, special interrogations, and 
     the cruel offer of a possible early release;
       Whereas John McCain sat in prison in Hanoi for over 5 
     years, risking death from disease and medical complications 
     resulting from his injuries, steadfastly refusing to 
     cooperate with his enemy captors because his sense of honor 
     and duty would not permit him to even consider an early 
     release based on special advantage;
       Whereas knowing his refusal to leave early may well result 
     in his own death from his injuries John McCain told another 
     prisoner ``I don't think that's the right thing to do . . . . 
     They'll have to drag me out of here'';
       Whereas following the Paris Peace Accords of January 1973, 
     591 United States prisoners of war were released from 
     captivity by North Vietnam;
       Whereas the return of these prisoners of war to United 
     States control and to their families and comrades was 
     designated Operation Homecoming;
       Whereas many members of the United States Armed Forces who 
     were taken prisoner as a result of ground or aerial combat in 
     Southeast Asia have not returned to their loved ones and 
     their whereabouts remain unknown;
       Whereas United States prisoners of war in Southeast Asia 
     were routinely subjected to brutal mistreatment, including 
     beatings, torture, starvation, and denial of medical 
     attention;
       Whereas the hundreds of United States prisoners of war held 
     in the Hanoi Hilton and other facilities persevered under 
     terrible conditions;

[[Page S2138]]

       Whereas the prisoners were frequently isolated from each 
     other and prohibited from speaking to each other;
       Whereas the prisoners nevertheless, at great personal risk, 
     devised a means to communicate with each other through a code 
     transmitted by tapping on cell walls;
       Whereas then-Commander James B. Stockdale, United States 
     Navy, who upon his capture on September 9, 1965, became the 
     senior POW officer present in the Hanoi Hilton, delivered to 
     his men a message that was to sustain them during their 
     ordeal, as follows: Remember, you are Americans. With faith 
     in God, trust in one another, and devotion to your country, 
     you will overcome. You will triumph;
       Whereas the men held as prisoners of war during the Vietnam 
     conflict truly represent all that is best about America;
       Whereas Senator John McCain of Arizona has continued to 
     honor the Nation with devoted service; and
       Whereas the Nation owes a debt of gratitude to John McCain 
     and all of these patriots for their courage and exemplary 
     service: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) expresses its gratitude for, and calls upon all 
     Americans to reflect upon and show their gratitude for, the 
     courage and sacrifice of John McCain and the brave men who 
     were held as prisoners of war during the Vietnam conflict, 
     particularly on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of 
     Operation Homecoming, and the return to the United States of 
     Senator John McCain; and
       (2) acting on behalf of all Americans--
       (A) will not forget that more than 2,000 members of the 
     United States Armed Forces remain unaccounted for from the 
     Vietnam conflict; and
       (B) will continue to press for the fullest possible 
     accounting for such members.

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