[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 19 (Monday, January 29, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E102]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                USS ``PUEBLO'' 50TH ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SCOTT R. TIPTON

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 29, 2018

  Mr. TIPTON. Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the 
capture of the USS Pueblo by North Korea so I rise today in honor of 
her crew members and their unwavering courage.
  The USS Pueblo is an intelligence ship named after the city of 
Pueblo, located in Colorado's Third Congressional District. On January 
23, 1968 she was attacked and captured by North Korean forces while 
sailing in international waters during the Cold War. The unlawful 
seizure of the USS Pueblo resulted in the imprisonment and torture of 
82 of her crew members. Tragically, one crew member died during the 
seizure of the ship.
  For 11 months, the crew was subjected to brutal torture at the hands 
of their North Korean captors. In recent years, survivors have 
recounted being forced to walk around the floor on their knees, holding 
chairs over their heads for long periods of time, being slapped, 
punched and hit with gun butts, and having firearms held to their heads 
with threats of death if they did not reveal classified information.
  While the United States government was eventually able to negotiate 
the freedom of the crew members, unfortunately, the USS Pueblo was 
never released by North Korea and remains in their possession. It sits 
in the Potong River in Pyongyang where it serves as propaganda for the 
North Korean government. The state of Colorado, Pueblo County, and 
Pueblo have all passed resolutions and proclamations requesting the 
return of the ship, but to no avail. I too would like to see our ship 
returned home.
  In 1989, the United States government finally recognized the crew 
members' sacrifice and granted them Prisoner of War Medals. However, 
the public didn't truly become aware of the gruesome torture that the 
crew endured until 2012, when the National Security Agency released a 
classified report detailing the abuse and the loss of intelligence 
documents.
  Mr. Speaker, I am extremely thankful for the service of the crew 
members of the USS Pueblo. In the face of great adversity they survived 
brutal conditions, starvation, and torture, both physical and 
psychological. On behalf of Colorado's Third Congressional District I 
would like to express my deepest gratitude for their bravery. It is my 
great privilege to honor them and remember their sacrifice here today.

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