[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 158 (Tuesday, September 14, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6494-S6495]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NATIONAL POW/MIA RECOGNITION DAY

  Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, in honor of the observation of National 
POW/MIA Recognition Day this September 17, 2021, I join in raising 
awareness about the more than 81,600 Americans the Defense POW/MIA 
Accounting Agency, DPAA, reports remain missing from World War II, the 
Korean war, the Vietnam war, the Cold war, the gulf wars, and other 
conflicts. Thank you to the members of the POW*MIA Awareness Rally 
Corp. of Pocatello, ID, and other similar groups for their unwavering 
commitment to keeping the need to bring all missing American 
servicemembers home at the forefront of our national focus.
  Etched on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National 
Cemetery are the words, ``Here Rests In Honored Glory An American 
Soldier Known But To God.'' The tribute prompts reflection on the 
American servicemembers, many also in graves known but to God, who have 
not yet been identified or returned home. This year marks 100 years 
since the first unknown soldier, a World War I veteran, was interred at 
the tomb. Over the century since, a World War II, a Korean war, and a 
Vietnam war veteran were also laid to rest in the tomb. Following the 
identification and exhumation of the interred Vietnam veteran Air Force 
First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, the empty crypt was 
rededicated to honor American servicemembers who remain missing in 
Southeast Asia.
  The DPAA reports 75 percent of lost Americans are located in the 
Indo-Pacific, and more than 41,000 of the missing are presumed lost at 
sea. My heart remains with the families of the missing and those 
working tirelessly, often through significant challenges to get needed 
answers, to bring them home. Despite the difficulty, the DPAA has 
reported accounting for more than 100 of America's missing since the 
start of this year. This includes Navy Fireman 2nd Class Carl M. 
Bradley who was

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killed in action aboard the USS Oklahoma on December 7, 1941. He was 
returned to rest in his hometown of Shelley, ID, earlier this year.
  To support these efforts, work continues toward reintroducing the 
Bring Our Heroes Home Act to provide a more efficient process for 
accessing records needed for recovery efforts of missing 
servicemembers. We can never let up in bringing home all our Nation's 
heroes, including the 358 Idahoans, who have yet to be returned. Our 
country's dedication to bringing our lost servicemembers home must 
mirror the precision, stamina, formality and respect with which The Old 
Guard unwaveringly protects the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They 
resolutely honor our Nation's unidentified and missing servicemembers, 
as we must in steadily pressing forward to get answers for the families 
who await their return.

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