Saluting the life and courage of the late Commander Lloyd "Pete" Bucher, United States Navy (retired), who commanded the U.S.S. Pueblo (AGER-2) at the time of its capture by North Korea on January 23, 1968.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 407) saluting the life and courage of the late Commander Lloyd ``Pete'' Bucher, United States Navy (retired), who commanded the U.S.S. Pueblo (AGER-2) at the time of its capture by North Korea on January 23, 1968.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the concurrent resolution currently under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, some observers have argued that the United States won the Cold War without firing a shot. While we may have secured our victory without a large-scale military conflict with the former Soviet Union, there are many Americans whose lives were indelibly marked by this not-so-Cold War. One of those Americans was Commander Pete Bucher. I rise today to honor this American patriot and the men who served under his command on the USS Pueblo.

On January 23, 1968, the USS Pueblo was commanded by Pete Bucher and was monitoring Communist ship movements and intercepting messages in international waters near the North Korean coast when it was attacked by North Korean naval forces. As a result of the attack, one Navy sailor, Fireman Duane Hodges, was killed and the remaining crew members were captured. Their incarceration marked the beginning of a nearly yearlong ordeal for Commander Bucher and the crew of the USS Pueblo.

Held in concrete cells for 11 months, Commander Bucher and the Pueblo crew were starved and tortured by the North Koreans. Mostly fed turnips, many of the malnourished crew members began to lose their sight. They were repeatedly beaten and burned. According to Crewman Bob Chicca, the North Koreans would use ``rifle butts or pieces of wood, whatever they had handy, to beat us.''

By all accounts, Pete Bucher bore the brunt of the North Koreans' wrath. According to crewman Stu Russell, Bucher ``was a giant.'' As commanding officer, Bucher was the focus of the North Korean efforts. Russell recalled that ``he took the brunt of everything. No matter who did what, he was always punished. I simply don't know where he

got the strength and courage to go through what he did.'' Eventually Bucher, when he was wounded when the Pueblo was shelled, was beaten and tortured into signing a ``confession,'' an act he also felt would save the lives of his crew.

During her husband's captivity, Rose Bucher, a native of my home State of Missouri, worked hard to make sure Americans did not forget the men of the Pueblo. Rose handed out bumper stickers reminding the public to ``Remember the Pueblo.'' Finally, 2 days before Christmas 1968, Commander Bucher and the crew of the Pueblo were released one by one across the ``Bridge of No Return'' from North to South Korea. At the time Bucher stated, ``It was like coming out of the grave.''

On 28 January 2004, this courageous warrior passed from this world into the next. He was subsequently buried with honors at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in Point Loma, San Diego, California. Three men who served under Pete Bucher on the Pueblo carried the flag-draped coffin to its final resting place overlooking San Diego Bay.

Today, I am pleased to be joined by 26 of my House colleagues, both Republican and Democrat, in offering this resolution to honor Commander Lloyd ``Pete'' Bucher and the crew of the USS Pueblo. Pete Bucher and his crew sacrificed that each of us may enjoy the liberty for which so many others have given the ultimate sacrifice. In passing this resolution, we continue to remember the Pueblo.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 407 introduced by my colleague, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Akin). I would like to recognize the gentleman for his leadership and work in bringing forward this resolution to salute the service and extreme bravery of Commander Lloyd Mark Bucher and the crew of the USS Pueblo.

Sadly, Lloyd Bucher, who went by the name of ``Pete,'' passed away earlier this year. With his passing, the tragic event of the capture of the USS Pueblo in 1968 by North Korea once again brings light upon this exceptional individual. Commander Bucher did not just have the unfortunate privilege of being the commander of the USS Pueblo when it was attacked by the North Koreans on January 23, 1968. It was his bravery, loyalty and steadfastness to his men that distinguished him as an extraordinary leader during a dark and very challenging time.

Pete Bucher's life is an American story. He was born in 1927. His parents died when he was an infant. He was adopted, but tragically, his adoptive parents also died during his childhood.

After seeing the film ``Boys Town,'' he wrote to Father Flanagan asking if he could live there. According to a Boys Town account, Father Flanagan sent him a train ticket, and Pete Bucher finally found a permanent home in Omaha, Nebraska.

At 17 years of age, Pete Bucher enlisted in the Navy. He went on to college at the University of Nebraska, and after graduating he became a naval officer and served for 27 years before retiring in 1973.

He might have lived an ordinary naval life if not for the terrible events that unfolded on January 23, 1968. As commander of the USS Pueblo, an intelligence gathering ship, Commander Bucher was ordered to cruise off the eastern coast of North Korea to intercept communications and gather intelligence. While on their maiden voyage and in international waters, the Pueblo armed only with two .50 caliber machine guns was attacked by three North Korean torpedo boats and a North Korean sub chaser.

The attack ended with one American crewman killed and a number of crew wounded, including Commander Bucher.

Despite radio calls seeking air support, no help ever arrived. Instead, the crew and its captain were taken as prisoners. Beaten, tortured, and starved nearly to death, the crew endured this brutality for nearly a year. Pete Bucher, as the leader of the crew, took the brunt of these punishments.

According to James Kell, a Pueblo survivor, many more sailors would have died without Bucher's sense of bravery and leadership. He bore the worst of the tortures and inspired his men to hang on. It was his concern for saving the life of his crew that made him a sailor's sailor, a sign of respect and admiration from his crew. On December 23, 1968, 11 months after their capture, the crew and the captain of the USS Pueblo were released. Many were crippled or nearly blind because of malnourishment they endured.

Yet Commander Pete Bucher would not receive the support and recognition that he deserved from his commanding officers. Instead, he faced an official court of inquiry that criticized him for surrendering his ship and recommended a court-martial. But Bucher was never charged. He continued to serve in the Navy and retired in 1973.

Today, we remember the Pueblo, and we salute the life and the courage of this exceptional individual and recognize the bravery of all those who served with him aboard the USS Pueblo. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 407, of which I am an original co-sponsor, saluting the life and courage of the late Commander Lloyd ``Pete'' Bucher, United States Navy (retired) and the crew of the USS Pueblo.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that two of the USS Pueblo crew members, First Class Petty Officer Donald R. Peppard and Seaman Ramon Rosales, hail from my Congressional district of El Paso, Texas. Both were among the gallant men who served their country honorably in the face of much hardship. As you know, the members of the USS Pueblo, under the leadership of Commander Bucher, endured 11 months of excruciating captivity at the hands of the North Koreans without knowing if they would return to their loved ones.

Mr. Speaker, this is merely a small recognition paying tribute to the late Commander Bucher and the crew of the USS Pueblo, for this country owes much more to them than we could ever reciprocate. I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in honoring the brave men of the USS Pueblo by supporting the passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.