Political Quotes

“I am proud to offer an amendment to S. 1226 that extends bereavement counseling services to the families of prisoners-of-war and those missing-in-action. Our Government has an obligation to help these families cope with the emotions surrounding the uncertain fate of their loved ones. While our Government officially acknowledges that only one service person is still missing from the conflict in southeast Asia, thousands of family members do not know with certainty what happened to their loved ones. When these doubts remain about the final fate of loved ones, family members can find it difficult to heal. It has been 18 years since the end of the Vietnam war. During this time family members of POW and MIAs have suffered great emotional and psychological distress. I have been contacted by many POW/MIA family members in Vermont who have been trying to find out what happened. What had happened to their father or their son or their brother? You can read stories in any paper over the past 18 years about sightings of Americans in southeast Asia or stories about the Korean war POWs--stories that have reopened emotional wounds for the families whose loved ones were left behind. Many family members understandably need assistance to cope with these feelings. In recent years the U.S. Government has made significant progress in repatriating the remains of servicemen from both Vietnam and Korea and releasing information to family members of those whose fate is still unknown.”