Mark Warner: “I am sure you witnessed operational accidents in those instances that you saw on active duty probably as I did when I…”

“I am sure you witnessed operational accidents in those instances that you saw on active duty probably as I did when I was a ground officer in the aviation unit in Korea. But some of those who shared the tents with me never came back. Some were operational. I remember our commanding officer, a tried and trusted combat veteran from World War II. His name was Al Gordon. His plane took off on a mission and burst into flames. He crashed not a few miles distant from our field. Again, accidents happen with great frequency. It is a dangerous business for all those involved. They accept those risks, expecting those of us in Congress to support them and their families such as the purport of this legislation.”