John Kerry: “Two years ago Senator McCain and I offered legislation, enacted as part of the FY 97 Defense authorization bill, to…”

“Two years ago Senator McCain and I offered legislation, enacted as part of the FY 97 Defense authorization bill, to reimburse some 500 Vietnamese commandos who were funded and trained by the United States and infiltrated behind enemy lines to perform covert operations during the Vietnam War. Many of them were captured and incarcerated by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam for years and ultimately removed from the payroll by the U.S. government. Our legislation authorized $20 million for reimbursement of the commandos for their years of imprisonment in North Vietnamese prisons and mandated that a lump sum be provided to each claimant determined eligible by the Secretary of Defense. Pursuant to this legislation a commission has been established in the Defense Department and is now in the process of reviewing claims. Today I am offering three amendments, with Senators McCain and Smith (of New Hampshire) related to the commando issue.”