[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 76 (Tuesday, May 25, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1077]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT FOR THE BRING THEM HOME ALIVE ACT OF 1999

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                            HON. JOEL HEFLEY

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 25, 1999

  Mr. HEFLEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce today the Bring 
Them Home Alive Act of 1999. This legislation provides a powerful 
incentive to persuade foreign nationals to identify and return to the 
United States any living American POW/MIA who served in the Vietnam or 
Korean War. I am pleased to be joined in this effort by 28 bipartisan 
co-sponsors.
  The on-going war in Yugoslavia has brought the plight of American 
POW/MIAs to the forefront of the nation's psyche. We all watched in 
horror several weeks ago as three captured American servicemen were 
displayed with visible cuts and bruises on Serbian television. We 
feared for their lives, their safety and their well-being. It was with 
great relief that we watched as Staff Sergeants Christopher Stone and 
Andrew Ramirez and Specialist Steven Gonzales were released, relatively 
unharmed, from a Serbian prison.
  The story of the capture of these three servicemen ended with family 
reunions and a safe return home to America. However, too many POW/MIAs 
were not so fortunate. There is the possibility that soldiers from the 
Vietnam and Korean Wars are still living as prisoners of war. It is our 
duty to do all that we can to bring them home.
  The Bring Them Home Alive Act would grant asylum in the U.S. to 
foreign nationals who help return a living American POW/MIA from either 
the Vietnam War or the Korean War. The bill specifically allows 
citizens of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, China, North Korea, or any of the 
states of the former Soviet Union who assist in the rescue of an 
American POW/MIA to be granted asylum. The legislation would also grant 
asylum to the rescuer's family, including their spouse and children, 
since their safety would most likely be threatened by such a rescue.
  While there is some doubt as to whether any American POW/MIAs from 
these two wars remain alive, the official U.S. policy distinctly 
recognizes the possibility that American POW/MIAs from the Vietnam War 
could still be alive and held captive in Indochina. The official 
position of the Defense Department states, ``Although we have thus far 
been unable to prove that Americans are still being held against their 
will, the information available to us precludes ruling out that 
possibility. Actions to investigate live-sighting reports receive and 
will continue to receive necessary priority and resources based on the 
assumption that at least some Americans are still help captive. Should 
any report prove true, we will take appropriate action to ensure the 
return of those involved.'' The Bring Them Home Alive Act supports this 
official position and provides for the possibility of bringing any 
surviving U.S. servicemen home alive.
  In order to inform foreign nationals of this offer, the bill calls on 
the International Broadcasting Bureau to draw upon its resources, such 
as WORLDNET Television and its Internet sites, to broadcast information 
that promotes the Bring Them Home Alive asylum program. Similarly, the 
bill calls on Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia to broadcast 
information.
  Mr. Speaker, we are less than two weeks away from celebrating 
Memorial Day. This holiday is an opportunity for us, as a nation, to 
honor the soldiers and veterans who so valiantly served and protected 
our nation and our freedoms. American servicemen and women deserve this 
recognition, as well as our respect and appreciation. I believe it 
would be a fitting tribute to American soldiers to pass the Bring Them 
Home Alive Act. As long as there remains even the remotest possibility 
that there may be American survivors, we owe it to our servicemen and 
their families to bring them home alive.

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