    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book I)]
    [May 29, 1995]
    [Pages 758-760]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the POW/MIA Postage Stamp Unveiling Ceremony
    May 29, 1995

        Thank you very much, Secretary Brown, for your remarks and for your
    service. Postmaster General Runyon, Senator Simpson, Congressman Bishop,
    Secretary and Mrs. West, General and Mrs. Shalikashvili, to the
    distinguished service chiefs who are here, members of the Armed Forces,
    and especially to our veterans on this Memorial Day: We are proud to
    have you all

    [[Page 759]]

    here at the White House and honored to have the opportunity to unveil
    this stamp, which honors the extraordinary sacrifice of American
    prisoners of war and the memory of all those who never came home. It
    will help to ensure that all these Americans who gave so much to our
    freedom are never forgotten.
        We are especially fortunate to have a number of former prisoners of
    war joining us here today. They represent a half-century of commitment
    to the principles that our Nation has stood for throughout the world.
    They embody a level of devotion and service almost unimaginable. And I
    am proud to recognize several of them who are here today.
        Lieutenant Colonel Charles Prigmore was a young bombardier during
    World War II. On his 14th mission over Germany, his plane was shot down,
    and he spent a year as a POW. Today, he is the national commander of the
    American Ex-Prisoners of War. Colonel Prigmore, would you be recognized,
    please? [Applause] Thank you.
        Infantryman Bill Rolen fought at Anzio Beach and helped to liberate
    Rome. During the invasion of southern France he was captured and forced
    to spend the rest of the war in a slave labor camp. Mr. Rolen, welcome.
    [Applause] Thank you.
        When the Philippines were attacked in 1941, Ruby Bradley had already
    been an Army nurse for 7 years. She was captured just days after
    Christmas, and her internment lasted until 1945. Ms. Bradley. [Applause]
    Thank you.
        Robert Fletcher was serving in Korea in 1950 when he was captured.
    He spent nearly 3 years as a prisoner of the North Korean and Chinese
    forces before he finally could return home. Mr. Fletcher. [Applause]
    Thank you.
        Captain Isaac Camacho, a green beret, was captured outside Saigon
    when his camp was overrun in 1963. He endured the jungle prisons of the
    Viet Cong for nearly 2 years and was one of the very few to escape and
    to survive. It is especially appropriate to have him here today because
    he is still a servant of our country; he is the U.S. Postal Service
    station master in El Paso, Texas. Captain Camacho. [Applause] Thank you,
    sir.
        And finally, Lieutenant Colonel Rhonda Cornum is a flight surgeon
    who served in Operation Desert Storm. On a rescue mission in Iraq, her
    helicopter was shot down. She was badly injured, with broken arms and a
    gunshot wound, captured by Iraqi forces, and held until the end of the
    fighting. Colonel Cornum. [Applause] Thank you.
        Ladies and gentlemen, these and the others who have suffered similar
    fates are American heroes, among the finest and bravest individuals our
    Nation has ever produced. They had to bear hardships, but never
    faltered. They inspire us still, and will for generations to come. I am
    pleased now that millions of Americans will be reminded every day of the
    extraordinary service they rendered, and all others like them rendered,
    by this new stamp.
        On this Memorial Day, as every year, we also remember those who
    answered the call but never came home. Their loss is the greatest cost
    our Nation has paid for freedom. We can only imagine the pain their
    families have experienced, the grief that comes with uncertainty, the
    grief that comes with being denied a proper and clear grave. We know
    very well our obligation to them and their families to leave no stone
    unturned as we try to account for their fate and, if possible, to bring
    them home.
        We have worked hard and made good progress. We have put the issue of
    MIA cases ahead of all others in our dealings with Vietnam. And today I
    am proud to say that we are receiving more cooperation from Hanoi than
    ever before.
        A Presidential delegation headed by the Veterans Department Deputy
    Secretary, Hershel Gober, has just returned from Vietnam and Laos, and
    we believe that cooperation with both these nations will continue. Our
    joint investigations are moving forward, and the Vietnamese are turning
    over essential documents. More than 200 sets of remains have been
    returned since I became President. Of the nearly 200 so-called
    discrepancy cases, we have confirmed the fate of all but 55. And we will
    not stop until we have taken every possible step for every MIA and every
    MIA family.
        I want to say a special word of appreciation to all those who have
    participated in this remarkable effort. There is nothing like it in all
    the history of warfare. Never has so much been done to get this kind of
    accounting. I thank the families involved, the veterans groups involved,
    those who have served in the active duty military as a part of this, and
    others who have played critical roles.
        I also thank the Americans who have worked to help the Vietnamese to
    identify their MIA's

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    as well. That, too, is an astonishing development in the history of
    warfare. And the American people are indebted to all of you who have
    played a role in this remarkable endeavor.
        Thanks to our new relationship with Russia, we're also making
    progress on the MIA cases from World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam,
    and a number of cold war incidents. The U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on
    POW-MIA's has gained access to thousands of pages of once-classified
    documents, conducted hundreds of interviews in Russia and in the other
    New Independent States, received important information about the fate of
    American service personnel.
        Those missing from the war in Korea, along with the MIA's from all
    our Nation's conflicts, will not be forgotten in the heart of America.
    Our work will go forward until we have done all there is to do. We owe
    it to them, to their families, and to our country to work on this until
    the job is done.
        And we must remain true to our entire commitment to stand by all
    those who stood watch for freedom. Whether it is protecting benefits
    that veterans have earned or improving health care or breaking the cycle
    of despair for homeless veterans or confronting the legacy of Agent
    Orange or getting to the bottom of Gulf war-related illnesses, we must
    uphold our solemn obligation to our veterans, not for a few months or
    for a few years but for the entire lifetime of this Nation.
        And we owe it to the legacy of our veterans to protect the national
    security in the future. We are working hard to end the legacy of the
    cold war. The United States and Russia are destroying nuclear arsenals.
    And I am proud that for the first time since the dawn of the nuclear
    age, there are no nuclear weapons pointed at the children of the United
    States of America. I am proud that the United States and Russia joined
    together to secure the indefinite extension of the Non-Proliferation
    Treaty, so that more and more nations will be making and keeping a
    promise not to develop nuclear weapons.
        But we know that we have challenges from other weapons as well, from
    biological and chemical weapons. We must work to contain them. And we
    know that we have the challenge not only of nations that still seek to
    do us and other freedom-loving peoples harm but also from terrorists
    around the world and here at home who would threaten our security and
    our way of life.
        We must stand up to all these security threats as a way of honoring
    those who have sacrificed and served our country. They brought us to
    this point, and we owe it to them to give our children the opportunities
    we have all enjoyed.
        So on this Memorial Day, I say to all of you, we honor the
    sacrifices of those who never came home, the sacrifices of those who
    were imprisoned but came home, the sacrifices of all who gave and all
    who serve. God bless you all, and God bless America.
        And now, for the proper unveiling of this much-deserved stamp, let
    me introduce our very fine Postmaster General, Mr. Marvin Runyon, and
    thank him again for the outstanding job he has done.
        Mr. Runyon.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:15 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White
    House.