[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9353]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



             ROLLING THUNDER'S 13TH ANNUAL RIDE FOR FREEDOM

  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, today I want to recognize the 13th 
Annual Rolling Thunder ``Ride for Freedom'' and highlight the important 
role Rolling Thunder plays in making sure that our nation's POW/MIAs 
are honored and never forgotten.
  The first time that Rolling Thunder's Ride for Freedom roared and 
rumbled its way to the Vietnam Memorial on Memorial Day 1988, 2,400 
motorcycles banded together for the ride. Some 5,000 Veterans, their 
wives, children, and other citizens of all backgrounds gathered near 
the Vietnam Memorial Wall to honor and remember our nation's POW/MIAs. 
Since then, Rolling Thunder has grown into an international event that 
garners national attention and focuses it on remembering our POW/MIAs. 
In fact, Rolling Thunder has become such a large presence that anyone 
who happens to be anywhere near our nation's Capital cannot help but 
notice it. For example, last year's Rolling Thunder run included over 
250,000 motorcycles and 400,000 participants. There were people at last 
year's run from every state in the nation, and many foreign countries 
including Canada, England, Germany, France, Austria, Holland, South 
Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Made up of over 40 Chapters 
throughout the United States, Rolling Thunder is a volunteer, non-
profit organization.
  I would like to thank the several organizations whose support and 
efforts have helped make Rolling Thunder possible here in Washington 
D.C. for the past twelve years: the Virginia Police, Virginia State 
Police, Maryland Police, D.C. Metropolitan Police, Park Police, Park 
Services and the Pentagon.
  I also want to take this opportunity to highlight some legislation I 
sponsored and Rolling Thunder supports. Rolling Thunder's input and 
support has been invaluable to the legislative process.
  The first bill I want to mention is S. 484, the Bring Them Home Alive 
Act of 1999. This legislation would grant asylum in the United States 
to foreign nationals from key countries who personally deliver a living 
American POW/MIA from either the Vietnam War or the Korean War to the 
United States.
  A key section of this bill would help spread news of the Bring Them 
Home Alive Act around the world. This is needed to help make sure that 
the key foreign nationals who need to hear about this act, hear about 
it. The bill calls on the International Broadcasting Bureau to use its 
assets, including WORLDNET Television and its Internet sites, to spread 
the news. The bill also calls on Voice of America, Radio Free Europe 
and Radio Free Asia to participate.
  If this bill leads to even one long-held POW/MIA being returned home 
to America alive this effort will be well worth it--10,000 times over. 
Even though it has been decades since these two wars ended, they have 
not ended for any Americans who may have been left behind and are still 
alive or their families and friends. As long as there remains even the 
slightest possibility that there may be surviving POWs in these 
regions, we owe it to our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines to do 
everything possible to bring them home alive. This is the least we can 
do after all they have sacrificed.
  Today, I am especially pleased to announce that S. 484 passed the 
Senate last Wednesday, May 24th. Now we need to get it passed in the 
House of Representatives and enacted into law.
  Rolling Thunder was also helpful in getting another important bill 
enacted into law, the National POW-MIA Recognition Act, legislation I 
sponsored in the 105th Congress.
  This law requires that the POW-MIA flag be displayed on important 
national buildings--all across America--on six important days. These 
days include: Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Independence Day, Armed 
Forces Day, Flag Day and National POW-MIA Recognition Day.
  Rolling Thunder captures the American people's attention--and those 
elected to represent them--and then brightly focuses our attention on 
remembrance of, and continuing duty to, our nation's POWs and MIAs.
  Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.

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