[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 64 (Thursday, May 10, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E787-E788]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 THE TRAGIC HELICOPTER CRASH KILLING A JOINT US/VIETNAMESE MIA SEARCH 
                                  TEAM

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LANE EVANS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 10, 2001

  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, while much of the world was focused just a 
few weeks ago on the crisis in the South China Sea, at the same time a 
tragedy occurred in that part of the world that should be remembered. 
On Saturday, April 7th, we lost seven American and nine Vietnamese 
personnel in a helicopter crash. The accident happened while this joint 
U.S.--Vietnamese team was on its way to an operation to help find the 
remains of missing US service members from the war.
  In many of my visits to Vietnam, I had the privilege to meet the 
members of the Joint Task Force--Full Accounting, the US military unit 
tasked with helping to find our missing. I

[[Page E788]]

marveled at the stories of their dangerous missions to find the remains 
of our missing servicemen. They told me of operations done on 
treacherous mountaintops surrounded by landmines and unexploded 
ordnance. Intense jungle heat, hazardous weather conditions and insects 
and animals often made their jobs incredibly tough. In more turbulent 
times, they even encountered fire from across the Cambodia border. From 
my exposure to them, it was clear to me that these were truly 
remarkable men and women. It is a tragedy that we lost these brave 
soldiers.
  I think it would be even more tragic if the important work they did 
was not remembered. They were proud of their mission, which they saw as 
a sacred duty. It was also a mission that brought our two nations 
closer together. Many of the Vietnamese who perished in the crash had 
been deeply involved for much of their lives in helping us find more 
answers about our missing. The cooperation and friendships forged by 
this work has only helped to heal the scars of a war that ended some 25 
years ago.
  These men were American heroes and we should remember their 
sacrifices as well as the Vietnamese who gave their lives in trying to 
answer the questions about our missing. My thoughts are with all of 
their families.

                          ____________________