[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 85 (Thursday, June 23, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1323]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   TO WELCOME HIS EXCELLENCY PHAN VAN KHAI, PRIME MINISTER OF VIETNAM

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ROB SIMMONS

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 22, 2005

  Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, as the Republican Chairman of the U.S.-
Vietnam Caucus here in the House, I rise today to welcome His 
Excellency Phan Van Khai, Prime Minister of Vietnam.
  I am delighted to be here to celebrate this historic occasion--the 
first official visit of the Prime Minister of Vietnam to the United 
States Capitol here in Washington, DC.
  Thirty five years ago I served in Vietnam as a soldier. Two years ago 
I returned to that country searching for the remains of a fellow 
soldier from my district, Captain Arnold Holm, who was shot down in 
Thua Thien Province in 1972. Although we never found his crash site or 
his remains, the Vietnamese Government and people were extraordinarily 
generous and helpful as we searched.
  And while we did not find the crash site of Captain Holm, we did find 
something else of great value. We found Americans and Vietnamese of 
courage, good will and generous spirit who believed the time had come 
to heal the wounds of war. As Senator John McCain said last night, we 
found people who were willing to forget the pain of the past and move 
forward as friends to build a better future for all our people.
  When I returned from my visit to Vietnam I joined my friend and 
colleague Lane Evans to create the U.S.-Vietnam Caucus. The purpose of 
this caucus is to build constructive relationships between our two 
countries; to search for and recover the remains of soldiers of both 
countries; to develop tourism and trade; to promote educational 
exchanges; and to build better relations between our people.
  Sir Winston Churchill once remarked, ``The pessimist sees difficulty 
in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every 
difficulty.'' I am an optimist. While there is much work left to do, 
today is a day of optimism--a day to celebrate the progress we have 
made so far and a day to let that progress encourage us as we walk 
together towards an even better future.

                          ____________________