[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.
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