[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 5239-5240]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE WORK OF LEGACIES OF WAR

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 15, 2013

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the work of Legacies 
of War, a project that continues to raise public awareness about the 
unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the country of Laos dropped by the U.S. 
Air Force during the Vietnam War.
  Between 1964 and 1973, the U.S. Air Force dropped more than two 
million tons of bombs on Laos; about a third of those bombs failed to 
detonate. Today, those bombs remain lethal and embedded the ground, 
where they continue to maim, injure and kill civilians. Each

[[Page 5240]]

year, hundreds of civilians, children, women and farmers get injured, 
maimed or killed by UXO. I witnessed many first-hand accounts of tragic 
stories from UXO survivors in December 2006 when I visited the 
Xiengkhoung Province in Laos, an area that was heavily contaminated by 
UXO. While progress has been made in recent years, we must continue 
clearance efforts until UXO are no longer a threat.
  Legacies of War is a compelling and powerful educational program that 
provides needed attention to the suffering of the thousands of UXO 
victims in Laos. This month, Legacies of War is bringing two demining 
advocates from Laos to share their stories about the senseless deaths, 
injuries and tragic consequences caused by UXO. I commend Legacies of 
War for sponsoring this nationwide speaker tour series in cities across 
the U.S. to rally public support for increased urgency in the removal 
of UXO in Laos. This tour also provides an opportunity to promote 
healing and hope by creating a brighter and safer future for the people 
of Laos.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to attend any events in their district 
and support UXO clearance programs in Laos and around the world. 
Children should not live in fear of the lethal remnants from a long-
past war.

                          ____________________