Recognizing the courage and sacrifice of those members of the United States Armed Forces who were held as prisoners of war during the Vietnam conflict and calling for a full accounting of the 1,902 members of the Armed Forces who remain unaccounted for from the Vietnam conflict.

Madam Speaker, I have the privilege to sit on the Ways and Means Committee here in Congress with Sam Johnson. I consider him to be my friend. More than that. He is a true American Hero. You see, Sam Johnson was an F-4 Fighter-Bomber pilot in Vietnam. Sam was shot down and captured by the North Vietnamese in 1966. For the next 7 and a-half years he was a prisoner of war in what the POW's referred to as Alcatraz. This was a prison for the strongest willed of American prisoners of war. A place where the Vietcong would try to break the will of those who stood against it.

For three years of his time, Sam was in solitary confinement. Other than the frequent times when the enemy took him and brutally tortured him, he never had any contact with another human being for that entire time.

To communicate with one another, the prisoners developed a system of taps with their fingers on the walls and floors of their cells. This allowed them to provide each other their names and ranks so that if one of them should escape or be released, they would be able to tell American intelligence who was alive and in what prison they were being housed.

While in Alcatraz, Sam met another pilot. This pilot was also in the camp for 7 and a-half years, three of which were spent in solitary confinement. Colonel Jeremiah Denton also endured years of torture, abuse, degradation, untreated injuries, malnutrition, years of separation from his wife and family, and conditions that most human beings would consider impossible to survive.

Both of these men were in Vietnam to serve their country. To fight for American interests and to bring democracy to an oppressed people. While some back home were protesting the war, these men didn't let that influence their mission. They were heroes who stood strong, never renouncing their nation. They always supported the United States throughout.

During an interview with the media during his imprisonment, Denton was asked about his support of U.S. policy concerning the war. He replied: ``I don't know what is happening now in Vietnam, because the only news sources I have are North Vietnamese, but whatever the position of my government is, I believe in it, I support it, and I will support it as long as I live.''

When the prisoners were released in 1973, they were flown to Clark Field in the Philippines before being flown home. President Ronald Reagan summarized that moment best in his State of The Union Address before Congress in 1982:

He said, ``We don't have to turn to our history books for heroes. They are all around us. One who sits among you here tonight epitomized that heroism at the end of the longest imprisonment ever inflicted on men of our armed forces. Who will ever forget that night when we waited for the television to bring us the scene of that first plane landing at Clark Field in the Philippines--bringing our POWs home. The plane door opened and Jeremiah Denton came slowly down the ramp. He caught sight of our flag, saluted, and said, `God Bless America,' then thanked us for bringing him home.''

As the senior officer on the plane, Denton was asked to go to the mircrophone and say a few words. What he said that day fully captures that American spirit which so motivates young men and women to serve their country. ``We are honored to have had the opportunity to serve our country under difficult circumstances. We are profoundly grateful to our Commander-in-Chief and to our Nation for this day. God bless America.''

It is no wonder to me that the American people elected Jeremiah Denton to the United States Senate, and Sam Johnson to the United States House of Representatives. But their story is repeated countless times in the thousands of American prisoners of war who returned home after that long conflict and after other wars and conflicts throughout the years.

It is repeated in every voice of every serviceman and woman who takes an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. It is echoed in every snap of the American flag as it flaps in the wind, and seen meandering through the rows of crosses in every military cemetery in which American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines are buried.

You see, America has never been an oppressor nation. Each time troops have been sent to battle, it has been to carry on the ideals of freedom and liberty. Each free breath we take, every moment we live without oppression makes that sacrifice worthwhile.

Yes, serving your country can be hard. Just ask Sam Johnson and Jeremiah Denton. But if it was easy, everyone would do it. It is the fact that it is hard that makes it worth doing.

Since the fall of Saigon in 1975, we have failed to locate 1,948 Americans in Vietnam, including 38 civilians.

It is our duty, as a nation, and as a Congress, to continue pursuing every available avenue, until we have located and brought home every one of our service personnel from Vietnam.

One veteran we were able to bring home after many years summed up this duty best before he disappeared in 1970.

Major Michael O'Donnell, who flew many rescue missions in his helicopter while in Vietnam, expressed it this way.

``If you are able, save for them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go. Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always. Take what they have left and what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own. And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind.''

After many years, Major O'Donnell's remains were finally returned home in 1995 and positively identified in 2001.

It is my hope that some day, we can say that every one of our men and women who have served their nation has finally come home.

Madam Speaker: It is my honor to stand on this floor today and express my profound gratitude for the service of our men and women in our armed forces. Their commitment and sacrifice are the ultimate price for our security and liberty. It is my prayer that every one of them would come home to us healthy and safe. It is my commitment that if that is not possible, we will still bring them all home so they may rest among those they served in the peace they helped to forge. To me, that is the greatest memorial we can provide for these brave souls.

In closing, I just want to echo the sentiment of my colleagues in saying to every POW and MIA; you are not forgotten.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 62) recognizing the courage and sacrifice of those members of the United States Armed Forces who were held as prisoners of war during the Vietnam conflict and calling for a full accounting of the 1,902 members of the Armed Forces who remain unaccounted for from the Vietnam conflict.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Res. 62.

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

I rise in strong support of this resolution authored by the distinguished majority leader and gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay). It recognizes the courage and sacrifice of American military personnel held prisoner during the Vietnam conflict and especially highlights the courage and sacrifice of one of our own, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson), a POW for 7 years.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger), and this was at the request of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson), that we have the best-looking Texans go first. We made a mistake with the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), but we are going to make up for it now.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) in the wake of that eloquent statement by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall).

Madam Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Ballenger).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling).

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Snyder) for his bipartisan gesture and great work on this particular issue.

Madam Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns).

(Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to another gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton).

Madam Speaker, in the wake of that eloquent statement by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton), I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess).

Madam Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kline).

Madam Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter), another one of Sam's Texas colleagues.

Madam Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson), another one of Sam's Texas colleagues.

Madam Speaker, first, I thank my colleague for that gracious gesture. How much time do we have remaining?

Madam Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts).

Madam Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself 2\1/2\ minutes.

In that great book, ``The Bridges at Toko Ri,'' one of James Michener's main characters was the commander of an aircraft carrier. After the hero in the book had flown off against those bridges at Toko Ri in North Korea and been lost, he stood on the ship and he asked where does America find these men who are willing to go in the service, in this case in the U.S. Navy, who fly off these small pitching aircraft carriers, fly to a distant target, heavily defended, and if they are successful in penetrating all that flack and air cover they try to get back and find that little postage stamp out at sea and make a successful landing?

That book was set against the backdrop of a war that was not widely heralded in the United States: the Korean War. It was a time when a lot of folks were focusing on having a rush-back from World War II, having families and building lives and getting jobs and building businesses; and we were not concentrating on that area of the world, that conflict. Yet a lot of Americans gave their lives. That question that was asked, where does America get these men, could just as easily have been a question about those great people that flew off the tarmac in those TAC air bases and strategic air bases or long-range air bases that flew missions over North Vietnam. Sam Johnson is one of those guys, a guy from San Antonio, Texas.

Madam Speaker, it has been brought out in all this discussion of whether we should have a draft and who participates and who bears the burden and who does not bear the burden that there is a disparate burden of defending this country, and that is why I think it is important for all of us to look to Sam because he is a model of our finest citizens. And like the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham), the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts), and others who have been pilots, like a lot of our great veterans who have been here in this body, he embodies that call to a higher duty, a duty that is most of the time inconvenient, and some of the times dangerous, but always the most important duty that one can fulfill on behalf of this country, and that is protecting us, giving us our security.

Madam Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle).

Madam Speaker, how much time do we have remaining?

Madam Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute.

Madam Speaker, I would just like to say that the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham), I know if he possibly could he would be here speaking for his old buddy, Sam Johnson, another great pilot and the only Mig ace from Vietnam, and a guy who really, really loves Sam Johnson.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson), the man who is the subject of this resolution.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. McNulty).

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

Madam Speaker, I rise and join my colleagues in support of House Resolution 62, which recognizes the courage and sacrifices of American prisoners of war during the Vietnam conflict and calls for a full accounting of those who remain unaccounted for from the Vietnam conflict.

Thirty years ago today the first group of American prisoners of war was officially released from captivity in Vietnam. Operation Homecoming began on February 12, 1973; and the last repatriation occurred on April 1, 1973. Who can forget those dramatic news photographs of families being reunited with their POWs, their loved ones. In less than 2 months, over 500 Americans returned to the United States.

During the Vietnam War, over 700 American military personnel were taken prisoner by enemy forces. The first prisoner of war in the Southeast Asia conflict occurred in Laos on March 23, 1961. For some like Floyd Thompson, who was the longest held POW, it would be nearly a decade before his family saw him again. Many were held in infamous prison facilities, such as the Hoa Lo prison, which was referred to by the prisoners as the Hanoi Hilton. Many Members of the House have visited the Hanoi Hilton.

On January 23, 1973, the United States and North Vietnam agreed to a cease fire and a return of the prisoners of war. Operation Homecoming resulted in the release and return of 591 Americans. One of the prisoners held, and the one we particularly honor today, was then-Major Sam Johnson of the United States Air Force, now a Member of Congress from Texas' third district. He was shot down on April 16, 1966, while flying his 25th mission over Vietnam.

He was labeled a die-hard resister and spent the majority of his time as a prisoner of war in solitary confinement. During his captivity, Sam demonstrated an unshakeable devotion to duty, honor, and country. He retired from the Air Force with the grade of colonel in 1979. It is clearly an honor and privilege to serve with Sam in the House of Representatives.

My colleague mentioned the book that Sam wrote. It is called ``Captive Warrior: A Viet Nam POW Story.'' This is a young-looking version of Congressman Johnson here on the front, and I will take the liberty of at least plugging the book.

Texas A&M University Press is where I got my copy, and like my preceding colleague, it is an unadulterated and captivating version of what the life of these men was like in captivity.

Back home, Madam Speaker, I do a talk primarily in schools. I call it my congressional heroes speech in which I have blown up photos of Members of Congress and talk about a 1-, 2-, or 3-minute summary of their life. One of the people I talk about is Floyd Spence, our great and beloved chairman, now passed away, and his courage in the face of having an organ transplant, one of the first in the country that had, I believe, a lung transplant.

One of the people I talk about is Sam, and I make the point that Sam and I often disagree on political issues on the floor of this House. And when you see those votes where it is 220 to 190, well, I am usually in the 190 and he is in the 220; but the differences in policy and politics does not change the fact that Sam Johnson is truly one of America's heroes and I will continue to talk about him.

I also mention a former colleague of ours, Pete Peterson from Florida, who was also a prisoner of war during the Vietnam conflict, shot down on September 10, 1966. He also had a distinguished career in the Air Force and retired as a colonel in 1981. He left Congress and served with distinction as our Nation's first ambassador to Vietnam following the Vietnam conflict. I met with him in Hanoi as many Members did, and he is also a very fine American.

Also a note, Madam Speaker, about civilians. We recognize the sacrifices and courage of our servicemembers who were held as POWs. Twenty-five civilians were also released as prisoners of war during Operation Homecoming. Twelve were released prior to the operation and four escaped. Of the 97 individuals listed by the services that were not returned during Operation Homecoming, 80 were servicemembers but 17 were civilians.

Madam Speaker, recent world events remind us that our freedoms are not free. Men and women in uniform volunteer to protect the liberties and ideals that we hold dear, but there are risks. In our recognition today of our colleague, Congressman Sam Johnson, and his former colleagues that served as POWs, once again brings home the sacrifices that are made. We use Sam today as our symbol of all the POWs from that conflict, and we salute them today.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop).

Madam Speaker, I have no speakers, and I yield 4 minutes of our time to the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) to use as he sees fit.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms. Carson).

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

If I might, reference was made earlier to Sam's wife. I know this is a very small book, but I have here a picture of Shirley and Sam from 1952, and our staff member Debra Wada says Sam is even better looking today than he was here in 1952.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield whatever time I have remaining to the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) for purposes of control.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I would also like to pay tribute to those who were held prisoners of war during the Vietnam conflict.

I do not know a lot of those individuals, obviously Senator McCain; but I do know Sam Johnson, who is a representative of that, and I know that he has all the strengths that one could ever want in an American.

Sam and I are a little different politically, shall we say. I am a little more moderate than he is. He can be pretty tough on some issues. And no matter what I say today, he will probably still not vote the way I would want him to all the time. But sitting next to him in the Committee on Education and the Workforce, I can still say for certain that he is a person of tremendous character.

To go through the experience that he has gone through, to represent all the interests of defending our country, and then to come back to be able to contribute the way he has on a regular basis is something in his system that I do not think the average person has in his or her system. And for all those reasons I have to believe that all the others who went through that must have been men of incredible strength and character.

So it has been an honor and a pleasure and a privilege to work with Sam, and to work with all the others. But I just wanted to also say thanks to Sam for his service to this country.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the military personnel who were held captive during the Vietnam conflict, and to those who have yet to be accounted for.

Today, as we consider the prospects of a war with Iraq, it is important that we remain mindful of the great sacrifices our past soldiers have made in the defense of freedom.

The Vietnam conflict has often been categorized as a dark spot in our nation's history, yet for the U.S. soldiers who suffered from unspeakable acts while prisoners within Vietnam, the pain that they carry with them is not a part of history; it is as real today as it was thirty years ago. And for the 1,902 Members of the U.S. Armed Forces who remain unaccounted for, we must emphasize our commitment to not forget their continued sacrifices.

In the midst of such uncertainty, we must honor the POWs who languished in horrible conditions until their release in beginning in February of 1973, during ``Operation Homecoming.'' A part of them may have been left behind in Vietnam, but in the end, they were able to rely upon the courage and determination that makes the U.S. Armed Services the best in the world, and ultimately survive to return home to their country and to their families.

Today, I want to remember these POWs and the 1,902 Members of the U.S. Armed Forces who remain unaccounted for. And I would also like to pay tribute to my friend Sam Johnson, who was among those released during the first day of Operation Homecoming.

Sam, whose distinguished service to his country did not end after his return, followed up an illustrious career in the Air Force with a successful career as a developer, a Texas Legislator, and a Member of Congress since 1991. I have served with Sam on the Education and Workforce Committee and value his friendship and resolve.

Like many others, who could have shrunken away from the duties of society because of the war, Sam rose above and celebrated his cherished freedom. Now a distinguished public leader, Sam has endured the horrors of war for our country, and in turn has given us much hope and optimism for the future of our nation.

In conclusion, I want to thank Sam for his service to the United States; and I want to honor all of those who were POWs in Vietnam. You all served your country admirably and we must not rest until everyone is accounted for.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 346) to amend the Federal Trade Commission Act to increase civil penalties for violations involving certain proscribed acts or practices that exploit popular reaction to an emergency or major disaster declared by the President, and to authorize the Federal Trade Commission to seek civil penalties for such violations in actions brought under section 3 of that Act.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material in the bill.

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

In the weeks since September 11, 2001, this Nation has mourned, has been angry, has been anxious, and has been very generous in response to the needs of those who were affected. This American spirit has reached record levels and now stands as symbolic as this Nation's greatness and ability to support a just cause, the relief of the victims and their families.

But we have also seen the darker side of humanity. Reports of people using this tragedy and the generous American spirit for their own gain have appeared. Scam artists and frauds know that in the aftermath, Americans are all too eager to help. They also appear in the wake of hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and other such similar disasters.

The Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, and the States' attorneys general already have some powers to prosecute those engaged in fraud and deceptive practices, but we must make it clear that we will severely punish those who aim to take advantage of America's charity or an organization's good name during such an emergency.

Congress must also make sure that consumers are not inundated with false and deceptive claims about goods and services that would exploit the circumstances of an emergency or of such a disaster. Whether it is selling Cipro and other drugs under false information or offering fraudulent terrorist insurance, these practices must carry a penalty commensurate with their nature. We cannot let stand the detestable actions of so few that mar the pride and patriotism we all share over the phenomenal generosity and outpouring of support from across the United States and world. And we cannot let the fear and anxiety of our citizens be preyed upon by scam artists peddling their cheats and their swindles.

Madam Speaker, I have no doubt that the victims of any tragedy, their families and their friends and all Americans are as humbled as I am with the response of this country to disasters. Now we need to ensure that those who would abuse this determined American spirit are equally staggered at our response.

The American Spirit Fraud Prevention Act would double the penalties that the Federal Trade Commission would levy during times of presidentially declared emergencies and disasters if the offending action aims to exploit the crisis.

These times, Madam Speaker, sadly occur more often than one might think, and the attempts to profit from them follow just as regularly. All hope of profit and gain must be removed from the equation for these people.

I personally would like to thank the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bass) for taking the initiative on this very important bill authoring H.R. 346, the American Spirit Fraud Prevention Act.

Madam Speaker, I reserve my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.