Jeremiah Smith: “In early April, April 6 to be exact, the Senate recessed. The following day, April 7, a Saturday, a helicopter, in the…”

“In early April, April 6 to be exact, the Senate recessed. The following day, April 7, a Saturday, a helicopter, in the fog, crashed into the side of a mountain in Vietnam. In that crash, seven American military personnel were killed as were nine Vietnamese. It is a grim yet a vivid reminder of the fact that every day American servicemen throughout the world are serving their country in harm's way. Even though the Nation is not at war, we sometimes forget these men and women put their lives on the line for us. I want to share with the Senate what these men were doing. These men were searching for the remains of American missing personnel, MIAs from the Vietnam war. These young men volunteered for this job and put their lives on the line to find answers for the families of those who are missing. I just came back about 45 minutes ago from a memorial service at Fort Myer for those seven Americans and their nine Vietnamese counterparts. To sit there with some of the families of those missing was difficult. But, again, it is a reminder of what these men and women in uniform do, all across the world.”