[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 132 (Tuesday, September 28, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H7005-H7007]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              SUPPORTING NATIONAL POW/MIA RECOGNITION DAY

  Mr. CRITZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 1630) expressing support for National POW/MIA 
Recognition Day, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1630

       Whereas the United States depends upon the service and 
     sacrifices of courageous young Americans to protect and 
     uphold the nation's ideals;
       Whereas generations of American men and women have served 
     bravely and honorably in foreign conflicts over the course of 
     the history of the United States;
       Whereas thousands of these Americans serving overseas were 
     detained and interned as prisoners of war (``POW'') or went 
     missing in action (``MIA'') during their wartime service;
       Whereas more than 138,000 members of the United States 
     Armed Forces who fought in World War II, the Korean War, the 
     Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and Operation Iraqi 
     Freedom were detained or interned as POWs, many suffering and 
     thousands dying from starvation, forced labor, and severe 
     torture;
       Whereas, in addition to those POWs, more than 84,000 
     members of the Armed Forces who served in those wars remain 
     listed by the Department of Defense as unaccounted for;
       Whereas there remains today members of the Armed Forces 
     being held in Iraq and Afghanistan;
       Whereas these thousands of American POWs and MIAs gave an 
     immeasurable sacrifice for their country and for the well-
     being of their fellow Americans;
       Whereas their bravery and sacrifice should be forever 
     memorialized and honored by all Americans;
       Whereas the uncertainty, hardship, and pain endured by the 
     families and loved ones of POWs and MIAs should not be 
     forgotten;
       Whereas Congress first passed a resolution commemorating 
     ``National POW/MIA Recognition Day'' in 1979;
       Whereas the President annually honors ``National POW/MIA 
     Recognition Day'' on the third Friday of each September 
     through Presidential proclamation; and
       Whereas in 2010, ``National POW/MIA Recognition Day'' is 
     honored on September 17: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes that National POW/MIA Recognition Day is one 
     of the six days specified by law (pursuant to section 902 of 
     title 36, United States Code) as a day on which the POW/MIA 
     flag is to be flown over specified Federal facilities and 
     national cemeteries, military installations, and post 
     offices;
       (2) extends the gratitude of the House of Representatives 
     and the nation to those who have served the United States in 
     captivity to hostile forces as prisoners of war;
       (3) recognizes and honors the more than 84,000 members of 
     the Armed Forces who remain unaccounted for and their 
     families;
       (4) recognizes the untiring efforts of national POW/MIA 
     organizations in ensuring that America never forgets the 
     contribution of the nation's prisoners of war and unaccounted 
     for military personnel;
       (5) applauds the personnel of the Defense POW/Missing 
     Personnel Office, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, the 
     Armed Forces Identification Laboratory, the Life Sciences 
     Equipment Laboratory, and the military departments for 
     continuing their mission of achieving the fullest possible 
     accounting of all Americans unaccounted for as a result of 
     the previous conflicts of the United States; and
       (6) calls on all Americans to recognize National POW/MIA 
     Recognition Day with appropriate remembrances, ceremonies, 
     and activities.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Critz) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. 
Jones) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CRITZ. I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 
legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the 
resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CRITZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today in support of House Resolution 1630, expressing support 
for National Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Recognition Day. I would 
like to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski) for sponsoring 
this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, on September 17, a very important and symbolic flag flew 
over the United States Capitol, one that represents both the deepest 
and rawest wounds of war as well as uncommon valor and the most 
selfless of sacrifices. This is the POW/MIA flag. Etched in black and 
white on this flag is a silhouette of a young man whose face cannot be 
seen. This is the face of every soldier, sailor, airman, and marine who 
has endured imprisonment and the harshest of conditions as a prisoner 
at the hands of the enemy, and of every brave soul who did not return 
home from battle but remains unaccounted for in a distant land.
  As a Nation, it is our sacred duty to ensure that these missing 
soldiers are not forgotten and to work tirelessly until every story 
ends and all are accounted for. By recovering our missing soldiers, we 
also recover a missing piece of our national heritage and honor, those 
who fought to preserve it. Honoring American POWs and MIAs is a 
reminder to look back on our proud history, a tapestry woven of 
thousands of individual stories and sacrifices and of lives dedicated 
to the preservation of the freedom we hold so dear. This is the 
embodiment of our country's solemn promise to the prisoners of war and 
missing in action of our Armed Forces. We will never stop searching for 
you, and you are not forgotten.
  I urge my colleagues to recognize and commend the service of the 
thousands of former prisoners of war and servicemembers missing in 
action by voting in favor of House Resolution 1630.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1630 to express 
support for National Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Recognition Day.
  I would like to commend the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski) 
for introducing this resolution. At the heart of this resolution is the 
principle that the American military never leaves a fallen comrade 
behind. More than 84,000 members of the Armed Forces remain unaccounted 
for from World War II, the Korean war, Vietnam, the cold war, and the 
gulf war, and U.S. military personnel have been held in Afghanistan and 
Iraq.

[[Page H7006]]

  Since the Vietnam war, achieving the fullest possible accounting of 
our POWs and MIAs has been a national priority. The Department of 
Defense organizations principally responsible for the accounting effort 
have made significant progress even at the cost of the lives of some 
involved in the physically demanding, dangerous fieldwork required. So 
I want to especially commend the efforts of the Defense POW/Missing 
Persons Office, the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command, the Armed Forces 
Identification Laboratory, the Life Sciences Equipment Laboratory, and 
each of the military services. They make up the core of the Department 
of Defense's accounting community.
  Yet with all the progress that has been made, more needs to be done. 
The House Armed Services Committee took the lead a year ago with the 
enactment, for the first time, of a statutory requirement that the POWs 
and missing from all America's prior wars be fully accounted for. In 
addition, the legislation mandated that by 2015, the Department of 
Defense achieve the fullest possible accounting of no less than 200 
persons a year. To achieve this requirement will require additional 
resources and an improved integration of effort among the DOD 
accounting community. We look forward to the Department of Defense plan 
to improve the way it has conducted the accounting mission.
  It is also important for us to understand and commend the efforts of 
the families and loved ones of those who remain unaccounted for. Their 
unflagging grassroots efforts, as well as those of national POW/MIA 
organizations, have been essential to ensure that both the Congress and 
the executive branch remain committed to the accounting effort.
  Finally, we must not forget those who died as POWs or survived 
captivity despite starvation, forced labor, and severe torture. For 
this reason, this resolution in support of National Prisoner of War/
Missing in Action Recognition Day is an important one, and I urge 
unanimous support for its adoption.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CRITZ. I yield such time as he may consume to my friend and 
colleague, and the sponsor of this resolution, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Lipinski).
  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1630, 
expressing support for National POW/MIA Recognition Day, which occurred 
on September 17.
  With every war America wages, our Nation owes a greater debt to the 
courageous and selfless members of the United States Armed Forces who 
have fought to secure our freedom and liberty. During the course of 
these conflicts, more than 138,000 brave American service men and women 
have been detained or interned as prisoners of war. Many suffered 
through torture, forced labor, and unspeakable hardships. Some POWs 
return home; others did not. They all deserve our recognition and our 
gratitude.
  Also deserving special recognition are those Americans who never 
return from war--who are missing in action. Indeed, there remain today 
over 84,000 missing in action soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines 
who are unaccounted for on the battlefields of World War II, Korea, 
Vietnam, the cold war, and the gulf war.
  One particular group of American heroes I want to mention today are 
the more than 500 U.S. marines and sailors from World War II who remain 
unaccounted for on the small Pacific atoll of Tarawa. I worked with 
Armed Forces Committee Chairman Ike Skelton to include language in the 
2010 defense reauthorization urging the Defense Department to review 
new research on the location of the remains of U.S. servicemen on 
Tarawa and to do everything feasible to see that they are recovered.

                              {time}  1240

  The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, JPAC, has just returned from 
Tarawa with word that they have recovered the remains of what they 
believe to be two U.S. servicemen. I, along with the families of those 
missing servicemembers, look forward to receiving the full report on 
this mission.
  It is our obligation to honor the extraordinary service of all 
American POWs and MIAs. Congress first passed a resolution 
commemorating National POW/MIA Recognition Day in 1979. Since then, the 
third Friday of every September has been set aside to give remembrance 
to our Nation's prisoners of war, unaccounted for military personnel, 
and their families and friends.
  So long as members of our Armed Forces remain unaccounted for, we 
must expend every effort to bring them home to the country in whose 
defense they fought and sacrificed. It is vital that today's troops and 
their families know the U.S. will pursue all possible measures to 
fulfill the promise of recovery.
  I want to highlight the unwavering commitment of the military 
commands devoted to recovering remains and providing solace and closure 
to the families of Americans who remain missing in action from previous 
conflicts. The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command has successfully 
undertaken countless missions throughout the world to bring home the 
remains of fallen servicemembers, and the efforts of the Defense 
Department's POW/Missing Personnel Office, the Armed Forces 
Identification Laboratory, the Life Sciences Equipment Laboratory, and 
numerous veterans and POW/MIA organizations are more than deserving of 
recognition as well.
  And, unfortunately, we cannot forget the two U.S. servicemen who are 
currently listed as held captive in Iraq and Afghanistan. We will 
continue to pray for a swift and auspicious end to their ordeal.
  I want to thank my colleagues who joined me in cosponsoring this 
resolution, as well as House Armed Services Committee Chairman Skelton 
for his help in moving that resolution.
  I want to thank Mr. Critz for his work on this issue and other issues 
in serving our veterans, and also Mr. Jones for all his work for our 
veterans.
  Until they are home, our thoughts and prayers will forever remain 
with the families, friends and loved ones of those Americans who have 
suffered through tremendous hardship for their country.
  I ask all my colleagues to join in support of National POW/MIA 
Recognition Day and to take a moment to reflect upon the immeasurable 
sacrifices made by America's service men and women to ensure our 
freedom.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I rise today in support of H. Res. 1630, a 
resolution expressing support for National POW/MIA Recognition Day.
  Mr. Speaker, as Members of Congress our most solemn obligation is to 
defend the United States and protect the American people from those who 
would do them harm. But we merely make national security policy. The 
men and women in uniform who shoulder the burden of defending our 
nation--who fight and sacrifice around the world on our behalf--they 
are the tip of the spear, who risk life and limb to keep us safe.
  Those American warriors who are captured or missing in action must be 
honored, and this resolution does honor them. We extend the gratitude 
of this body and the nation to those who have served and continue to 
serve the United States in captivity to hostile forces as prisoners of 
war, and those who remain missing. But more importantly, we must make 
every effort to find and liberate them. American service men and women 
must know that they will not be forgotten. They will not be abandoned.
  More than 138,000 members of the Armed Forces who fought in World War 
II, the Korean war, the Vietnam war, the cold war, the gulf war, and 
Operation Iraqi Freedom were detained or interned as POWs. Many of them 
endured unimaginable suffering. Today, more than 84,000 members of the 
Armed Forces remain unaccounted for. And there remain today members of 
the Armed Forces held captive in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  Mr. Speaker, let us pause to honor those who have been captured or 
missing while serving our country at war. I urge my colleagues to 
support this resolution, a small token of our solemn appreciation.
  Mr. CRITZ. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Critz) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1630, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

[[Page H7007]]



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