Marshall Sanford: “I rise to ask for the help of my colleague, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spence), in bringing just…”

“I rise to ask for the help of my colleague, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spence), in bringing just compensation and closure to the surviving families of a tragic accident involving United States servicemen. On September 13 of 1997, a German Tupelov aircraft veered off course and collided with a United States Air Force C-141 off the coast of Namibia. Nine American servicemen perished in the collision. Accident investigations conducted by both the United States Air Force and the German Ministry of Defense both concluded that the fault of the collision lay with the German crew, who had not only filed an inaccurate flight plan, but were also flying at the wrong altitude. Unfortunately, the German Government has been slow to show a reciprocal sense of responsibility and concern for the loss of 9 American lives. Senator Strom Thurmond has attached a resolution to the Senate defense authorization bill calling for the German Government to make a prompt, fair settlement with the families lost in this tragedy.”