Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1630, expressing support for National POW/MIA Recognition Day, which occurred on September 17. With every war America wages, our Nation owes a greater debt to the courageous and selfless members of the United States Armed Forces who have fought to secure our freedom and liberty. During the course of these conflicts, more than 138,000 brave American service men and women have been detained or interned as prisoners of war. Many suffered through torture, forced labor, and unspeakable hardships. Some POWs return home; others did not. They all deserve our recognition and our gratitude. Also deserving special recognition are those Americans who never return from war--who are missing in action. Indeed, there remain today over 84,000 missing in action soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who are unaccounted for on the battlefields of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the cold war, and the gulf war. One particular group of American heroes I want to mention today are the more than 500 U.S. marines and sailors from World War II who remain unaccounted for on the small Pacific atoll of Tarawa. I worked with Armed Forces Committee Chairman Ike Skelton to include language in the 2010 defense reauthorization urging the Defense Department to review new research on the location of the remains of U.S. servicemen on Tarawa and to do everything feasible to see that they are recovered.…”