[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15305-15306]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             COMMEMORATING NATIONAL POW/MIA RECOGNITION DAY

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I wish to honor all of those brave 
American men and women who have suffered as prisoners of war, are 
missing in action, or remain unaccounted for with respect to their 
service to our Nation. Since 1998, we take the third Friday of every 
September--this year, the 19th--as a day to acknowledge and remember 
with these extraordinary men and women. Our servicemembers provide the 
blanket of security that allows us to sleep safely at night. We cannot 
thank them enough. But what we can do is pledge to all of the soldiers, 
sailors, airmen, and marines never to forget them and their sacrifice.
  During the course of the Vietnam war, over 2,500 military personnel 
were declared either a prisoner of war or missing in action. In 1971, 
Mary Hoff, the wife of Lt. Cmdr Michael Hoff, a missing-in-action 
military officer, saw the need for a flag to honor all of those 
classified as missing in action, MIA, or prisoner of war, POW. Newt 
Heisley, a World War II pilot, designed the flag. It is a haunting 
black flag containing a white silhouette of a servicemember. Behind 
this servicemember is a single barbed wire and a watchtower in the 
background, and underneath this image are the words ``You are not 
forgotten.'' Just as those words are written on the flag, so they are 
in my heart. As moving and poignant as this flag is, it was still not 
enough. On 1979, Congress and the President declared the first POW/MIA 
Recognition Day. On this day, all Americans shall remember those who 
gallantly sacrificed their freedom so we can remain free. Just 3 years 
later, this emblem became the only other flag to fly next to Old Glory 
over the White House. On 1989, it was installed in the Capitol rotunda 
as a representation of this Nation's vow

[[Page 15306]]

to take account for all those who remain missing. As I walk past the 
rotunda and I see that flag, I always take a moment to remember those 
who have been declared POW or MIA in my thoughts and prayers. And to 
those who are still missing, I voice our commitment of never-ending 
support in finding you and bringing you home. No matter what it takes, 
we will never stop looking.
  This day calls for remembrance of those in the past who have endured 
these awful fates, but it also reminds us to continue our efforts to 
bring every American home. From World War II to the 1991 gulf war, more 
than 83,000 Americans have been pronounced missing. That is a hard 
number to hear. I commend the actions of the Department of Defense, 
DOD, and of the personnel--military and civilian--who have 
wholeheartedly devoted themselves to the cause of finding and returning 
our courageous servicemembers. I honor and thank all of the Marylanders 
who have dedicated themselves to this cause. That quest is what our 
servicemembers and their families deserve, servicemembers such as John 
Call III of Potomac, MD, who served in Vietnam under the Air Force; POW 
survivor, Dr. Louis Haberer Tankin of Baltimore, MD, who served in 
World War II under the Army Medical Corps; Paul Carty of Frederick, MD, 
declared MIA serving in the Korean war under the Army; and Adnan al-
Hilawi, DOD contractor, who went missing on March 3, 2007, while 
working in Baghdad, Iraq, and still remains missing today.
  I have had the honor to work beside Senator John McCain, a survivor 
of a POW camp--the infamous ``Hanoi Hilton''--in North Vietnam for over 
5 years. His experience and courage and triumph and service continue to 
inspire me. I thank my colleague for his service and sacrifice on our 
Nation's behalf.
  It pains me to think about the fate of these men and women, but no 
matter the pain, we all must stay true to our pledge never to forget 
them. And we shall never forget the hardships endured by their family 
and friends who cannot receive the closure of their beloved 
servicemember's fate. The U.S. Government owes a great deal of 
compassion, appreciation, and gratitude to these families and friends.
  Joseph Campbell once said, ``A hero is someone who has given his or 
her life to something bigger than oneself.'' Every single soldier, 
airman, marine, and sailor is a hero in my eyes. I pledge to never 
forget those heroes who have been held prisoner of war or have been 
declared MIA, and I pledge to all of our service men and women that if 
you do go missing or are held captive, we will do everything in our 
power to bring you home and keep you in our memories. Today, this 
Nation reminds our servicemembers, our citizens, and the world that 
America ``leaves no man behind.''

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