W. Todd Akin: “I rise today to honor this American patriot and the men who served under his command on the USS Pueblo. On January 23…”

“I rise today to honor this American patriot and the men who served under his command on the USS Pueblo. On January 23, 1968, the USS Pueblo was commanded by Pete Bucher and was monitoring Communist ship movements and intercepting messages in international waters near the North Korean coast when it was attacked by North Korean naval forces. As a result of the attack, one Navy sailor, Fireman Duane Hodges, was killed and the remaining crew members were captured. Their incarceration marked the beginning of a nearly yearlong ordeal for Commander Bucher and the crew of the USS Pueblo. Held in concrete cells for 11 months, Commander Bucher and the Pueblo crew were starved and tortured by the North Koreans. Mostly fed turnips, many of the malnourished crew members began to lose their sight. They were repeatedly beaten and burned. According to Crewman Bob Chicca, the North Koreans would use 'rifle butts or pieces of wood, whatever they had handy, to beat us.' By all accounts, Pete Bucher bore the brunt of the North Koreans' wrath.”