[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 84 (Thursday, May 18, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S1752]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 222--EXPRESSING THE APPROVAL OF CONGRESS FOR THE 50TH 
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF THE HOMECOMING OF UNITED STATES PRISONERS OF 
 WAR FROM VIETNAM AND IN RECOGNITION OF THE EXTRAORDINARY SERVICE AND 
       SACRIFICES OF SUCH PRISONERS OF WAR DURING THE VIETNAM WAR

  Mr. CARPER (for himself and Mr. Moran) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 222

       Whereas more than 2,700,000 members of the United States 
     Armed Forces served in the Vietnam War;
       Whereas more than 58,000 members of the United States Armed 
     Forces lost their lives and more than 300,000 were wounded;
       Whereas, during the conflict, approximately 766 members of 
     the Armed Forces of the United States were taken captive as 
     prisoners of war by the Government of the Democratic Republic 
     of Vietnam and the allies of that Government;
       Whereas prisoners of war, the majority of which were 
     aviators, included members of the Air Force, Navy, Army, 
     Marine Corps, and United States civilians, and during 
     captivity the prisoners endured brutal conditions, including 
     torture, forced labor, and prolonged solitary confinement;
       Whereas prisoners of war were held in more than a dozen 
     prisons throughout North Vietnam and elsewhere, including in 
     the infamous prison camp known to the prisoners of war from 
     the United States as the ``Hanoi Hilton'', but despite the 
     challenging conditions, many of the prisoners of war held by 
     the North Vietnamese and the allies of the North Vietnamese 
     maintained their honor, resilience, and loyalty to their 
     country and fellow members of the Armed Forces;
       Whereas the return of the prisoners of war was a 
     nonnegotiable condition for President Richard Nixon as his 
     administration negotiated an end to the Vietnam War;
       Whereas, on January 27, 1973, the Agreement on Ending the 
     War and Restoring Peace in Viet-Nam (commonly known as the 
     ``Paris Peace Accords'') was signed, requiring the return of 
     the United States prisoners of war within 60 days of the 
     signing of the agreement;
       Whereas, between February and April 1973, 591 prisoners of 
     war were released by the North Vietnamese and their allies;
       Whereas 116 prisoners of war died in captivity;
       Whereas the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (referred to 
     in this preamble as ``POW/MIA'') movement in the United 
     States, and the National League of POW/MIA Families, made a 
     tremendous effort to return the prisoners of war held by the 
     North Vietnamese and their allies to the United States;
       Whereas, in 1972, the National League of POW/MIA Families 
     adopted the National POW/MIA flag, which flies over Federal 
     buildings, including the United States Capitol, on days the 
     United States flag is flown;
       Whereas, 50 years after the prisoners of war held by the 
     North Vietnamese gained their freedom, the resilience, 
     courage, and patriotism of the prisoners of war continues to 
     inspire generations of citizens of the United States; and
       Whereas the Richard Nixon Presidential Library will host 
     the official 50th Anniversary celebration of the homecoming 
     of United States POWs from Vietnam, from May 23 to 25, 2023, 
     in Yorba Linda, California: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) expresses approval for the 50th anniversary celebration 
     of the homecoming of United States prisoners of war from 
     Vietnam; and
       (2) recognizes the extraordinary service and sacrifices of 
     the United States prisoners of war during the Vietnam War.

                          ____________________