Recognizing the historic commitment of the United States to the recovery of and full accounting for Americans who are prisoners of war or in a missing status.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague yielding me time, and it humbles me to follow the previous speaker in light of his service.

I rise in full support of this resolution and wish to fully associate myself with the comments of my colleagues with respect to the heroic rescue missions carried out 60 years ago by units of the U.S. Army in the Philippines. It allows us to follow anew not only their efforts but also the heroic effort of many, many members of the Filipino citizenry, including the Filipino scouts who rose up and fought alongside U.S. Armed Forces in the Philippines during the Second World War and allied themselves very much with the Allied effort.

I also want to take the opportunity in this resolution to highlight, as the previous speaker said, the work undone, on a broader scale, which includes almost 2,000 of our own still unaccounted for in the Vietnam War. In that spirit, I want to highlight the great commitment shown by our Joint POW/MIA Command, JPAC, which is operated by the Defense POW missing personnel office.

JPAC is headquartered in Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. It was activated in October of 2003, and its mission is to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans missing, worldwide, as a result of our Nation's previous conflicts.

Of course, the highest priority of JPAC is return of any living American that remains a prisoner of war, but equally important is bringing resolution to the families who still await news of their loved ones.

JPAC was created from the merger of the Central Identification Laboratory-Hawaii and the Joint Task Force Full Accounting and contains almost 425 personnel. One-quarter are Navy civilians and the rest handpicked soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. Every individual attached to JPAC is chosen through the specialized skills necessary for the command's unique mission.

Some brief facts about JPAC and the Central Identification Lab- Hawaii. Even today, they are still identifying roughly two individuals each week formerly listed as missing.

They have identified remains from World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Cold War, and in each of those cases where it is possible, repatriation ceremonies, with a full honor guard, are held nearly every month at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. As the remains are brought off the plane in flag-draped caskets and moved to ground transportation, a multiservice honor guard salutes the remains while family members, veterans and members of the Armed Forces offer their respects.

It is also true that JPAC's work extends well into the realm of diplomacy because especially with the countries of Asia, where we had former enemies, JPAC and its efforts have often meant the initial unifying factor, the item on which we can all agree, and they have definitely led in many cases to rapproachment between previous enemies.

In addition to its primary mission of identifying, recovering and repatriating the remains of the POWs and MIAs, JPAC personnel also support nontraditional and humanitarian missions as well. For example, in the recent tsunami effort in southeast Asia, JPAC deployed their two teams of eight people, including a forensic anthropologist, forensic dentist and other specialists to assist the Government of Thailand to identify and recover the bodies of more than 3,500 individuals who died there.

I have here for inclusion with my remarks at this point an article that recently appeared in the Honolulu Star Bulletin entitled ``Joint POW-MIA Accounting Group Using DNA Expertise,'' which acutely describes some of these humanitarian efforts and which contains this very poignant remark: ``Everybody is given a name when you are born, and everybody should have a name when you die. That's what we do.''

[From the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Jan. 21, 2005]

Joint POW-MIA Accounting Group Using DNA Expertise

(By Craig Gima)

Phuket, Thailand.--At the Tsunami Victims Assistance

Center, unanswered questions hang in the air around the

bulletin boards where family members have posted pictures of

missing friends and relatives.

The photos--a haunting reminder of lives probably lost--

mean there are lives in limbo, families holding on to hope,

however faint, unwilling to accept death without proof.

The large crowds of family members that gathered here daily

right after the tsunami are gone now. The people who show up

are sometimes friends continuing the search or, as in the

case of a visitor earlier in the day, a brother who believes

his sister needs his help.

``If his sister is dead, he doesn't want to know now,''

said Verity Cattan-Poole, a volunteer at the center who

speaks both Thai and English. ``He wants to find her. He

thinks possibly that she's somewhere and lost her memory, and

he wants to be there to help her.''

``In their heart of hearts, I think they know,'' Cattan-

Poole said. But ``if you have a loved one who has died, you

need closure.''

A little more than two hours north of the center, an

international team of forensic scientists that includes

members of the Hawaii-based Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command

are trying to bring closure to families.

JPAC is best known for its work in recovering and

identifying the remains of U.S. service members from Vietnam

and other wars. But it has deployed teams before to

disasters, including the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on

the Pentagon, the Korean Air crash in Guam and the bombing of

a Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1983.

Two teams of eight people, including a forensic

anthropologist, a forensic dentist and mortuary affairs

specialists, have been helping the Thai government identify

and recover the bodies of more than 5,300 people who died in

the tsunami.

Most of the work is done at Wat Yan Yao, a Buddhist temple

about two hours north of Phuket. JPAC also helped coordinate

the delivery of supplies and materials such as lights and

tents from the U.S. military's relief effort and is helping

to set up a temporary morgue, donated by Norway, near the

Phuket airport.

On Wednesday, JPAC members joined thousands of Buddhist

monks at a candlelight service at a stadium in Takua Pa, a

city in the province north of Phuket where about 4,000 people

died.

Organizers said the memorial service was multi-

denominational, offering prayers to comfort survivors and to

help those who died find happiness and peace in the

afterlife.

Many of the team members are now returning to Hawaii. A

smaller group will remain for an undetermined time.

At a briefing in Hawaii earlier this month, Gen. Montague

Winfield, the commander of the unit, said his men and women

were prepared to go when they saw the extent of the tsunami

devastation.

Winfield said they had just finished a plan on how to

deploy quickly in the event of mass casualties anywhere in

the world.

Still, while the JPAC team members had planned what to take

and to get their equipment there in the event of an

emergency, ``nobody can adequately or fully prepare for

something of this magnitude,'' said Dr. Robert Mann, deputy

scientific director at JPAC.

``In this situation here, you're going to be dealing with a

lot of children, and a lot of people here have kids,'' he

said.

Mann, who was at the same briefing as the general, said the

forensic scientists in Hawaii are experts at extracting and

using DNA to identify remains. They are also bone and teeth

experts.

Bone structure, Mann explained, can show whether a person

is of Caucasian or Asian descent, a man or a woman. Dental

records also can help with identification when fingerprints

are not available.

``Everybody is given a name when you are born, and

everybody should have a name when you die,'' Mann said.

``That's what we do.''

JPAC is a vital part of our Nation's ongoing commitment to its service members, and we in Hawaii are proud and humbled by their commitment to their mission. This mission on behalf of all of us must continue until every last unaccounted American citizen is accounted for.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.J. Resolution 18, introduced by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Franks), my friend and colleague on the House Committee on Armed Services.

This resolution today recognizes our Nation's commitment to the recovery and full accounting of Americans who are prisoners of war or who are in a missing status from current and previous conflicts, and in particular, it recognizes the actions of the 11th Airborne division and the Filipino guerrillas who participated in the liberation of an internment camp in the Philippines during World War II.

Following the United States surrender on the Bataan Peninsula in April of 1942, thousands of Americans and Filipinos and Europeans, both military and civilian, were taken as prisoners of war by the Japanese. In the town of Los Banos, on the island of Luzon, over 2,000 civilians, including men, women and children, and 12 American Navy nurses, were held as captives. From May 14, 1943, until they were freed by Angels on February 3, 1945, they were held captive at the former agricultural school of the University of the Philippines.

The 11th Airborne division, also known as the Angels, arrived at Leyte Beach in the Philippines on November 19, 1944. Their first objective was to clear a mountain pass from Burauen to Ormoc. After nearly 3 months of bitter fighting, the 11th Airborne had killed almost 6,000 enemy soldiers and had driven the Japanese from the pass and surrounding areas. On January 6, 1945, the Angels landed on the island of Luzon. Their mission was to clear enemy opposition on the major highway leading to Manila.

As American forces successfully regained territory that was lost to the Japanese at the beginning of the war, General Douglas MacArthur became concerned that many of the prisoners would be killed before they could be rescued. The 11th Airborne division was given the responsibility of liberating the prisoners at Los Banos. The Angels worked with the Filipino guerrilla groups in the area to gain valuable information as to the layout of the camp, the schedules of the guards and other details that were essential for a successful mission.

It is said that the rescue of the detainees at Los Banos was one of the most successful missions ever conducted. Not one prisoner was killed or seriously injured in the assault, and not one paratrooper of the battalion that was directly involved was killed.

The historic rescue of Los Banos by the 11th Airborne and the Filipino guerrillas, and other efforts to recover prisoners of war and those missing in action are not forgotten. In fact, Mr. Speaker, they stand as testament to our Nation's strong commitment to ensure that no one will be left behind on the battlefield.

Today, the Department of Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Office continues to coordinate recovery activities and investigate locations from past conflicts to ensure a full accounting, a full accounting of those who remain missing in action from past conflicts.

Mr. Speaker, I also wish to speak briefly in support of all POW/MIAs. Over the past 100 years, over 88,000 of our fighting men and women are still classified as missing in action, remains not recovered or remains unidentified. Every American who puts on the uniform of this Nation accepts the dangers that are entailed, and I am touched by the strong efforts to recover the remains of American servicemen and -women, and to find individuals who may still be alive. Every man or woman unaccounted for is a family who never knew the fate of a loved one, and it is fitting, Mr. Speaker, that our government never let a single American be left behind. It is important to the families of our fighting men and women, and it is the duty of this government to do so.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague on this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Case).

(Mr. CASE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks, and include extraneous material.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

(Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to thank once again the gentleman from Arizona for bringing forth this resolution today calling for a full accounting for Americans who are prisoners of war or for those who are missing in action. Our speakers, today, on both sides of the aisle, have spoken so eloquently, and I thank them so much for their comments. They are great Americans.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 18) recognizing the historic commitment of the United States to the recovery of and full accounting for Americans who are prisoners of war or in a missing status.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.J. Res. 18, the legislation under consideration.

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

When the Philippines fell in April of 1942, more than 75,000 American and Filipino servicemen and countless civilians became prisoners of war. This number was decimated during the brutal Bataan Death March, which saw the death of over 16,000 POWs. Many soldiers survived the march, only to find themselves facing murderous treatment in prisoner- of-war camps scattered throughout the island.

When General MacArthur began his campaign to retake the Philippines in 1945, he made it a priority to liberate soldiers and civilians who were interned in these camps. This commitment was particularly important, since it was widely believed that captives would be killed by their retreating captors if measures were not undertaken to liberate them in advance of the main campaign.

General MacArthur's commitment to the civilian internees and prisoners of war on the island manifested itself in a particularly heroic way in the Allied raid on the prison camp at Los Banos. It was here that Filipino guerrilla forces and the men of the 511th parachute infantry regiment of the 11th Airborne division worked in concert to organize a multipronged assault with elements attacking from land, air and sea to liberate the prisoners of the camp.

The Allied forces took great risks to free their fellow soldiers and civilians who had fallen behind enemy lines. These truly heroic acts serve not only as examples of the humanitarian compassion of American servicemen and -women but also as an example of our Nation's longstanding commitment to leave no fellow soldier, living or dead, in enemy hands.

Mr. Speaker, as we have military personnel spread throughout the world today, many of whom are daily risking capture and torture at the hands of brutal terrorists, it is more important now than ever to recognize and honor the heroism and willing sacrifice of those soldiers who risked their own safety not to take a strategic objective, but simply to bring a comrade home.

Our soldiers, marines, airmen and sailors must be able to take a small measure of comfort that whatever happens to them in battle, that this Nation will always have the will and the resolve to find and repatriate all of those who were lost while on duty.

Mr. Speaker, evil has aggressively manifested itself in many forms throughout human history, and for the last 200 years, whether fighting totalitarian evil of monarchial, fascist or fanatical roots, American servicemen have made a habit of putting themselves squarely in evil's way. They have done so, secure in the knowledge that if they fall into the hands of the enemy, they will not be forgotten. Indeed, every effort possible will be undertaken to bring them home.

Mr. Speaker, this is the 60th anniversary of the liberation of over 2,000 prisoners from the camp at Los Banos, and

at a time when our military is deployed in harm's way around the globe, let us recognize those individuals who sacrificed to bring their brothers and sisters home, and let us honor the heroic actions of the past by officially reaffirming our Nation's commitment to leave no fighting man or woman in enemy hands at any time, now or in the future.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson), a true American hero.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to simply say that I think all of us hold the commitment in our hearts and the understanding in our hearts that no greater love hath any man than this, than a man who lays down his life for his friends.

There are so many men and women who have laid down their lives for American causes and for the cause of human freedom. This is our day to recognize that, and I pray that we never forget them.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.J. Res. 18. Today, we recognize the heroism of America's POWs, and we recognize the heroism as well of those men and women of our military who rescued our POWs in various conflicts.

We are focusing mainly on the Philippines. And, of course, in the Philippines there were so many thousands of Americans that were captured by the Japanese and held and who were rescued by Filipino Americans, or Filipinos I should say, and by U.S. troops near the close of the war.

Let me note that the Filipinos who fought side by side with us, and there were many thousands of Filipinos who were also held as prisoners of war during the war with Japan. During those 4 years, those Filipinos who fought, those Filipinos as well as those Americans who fought with us to liberate the Philippines and rescued our POWs as the war ended, were shortchanged. Today, the Filipinos who fought alongside Americans, many of those were promised veterans status, and they never received the veterans status we promised them when they helped us liberate the Philippines. So they were shortchanged.

Our own POWs were shortchanged. Those Americans held in the Philippines have been prevented by our own government from suing the Japanese corporations that used them as slave labor during the war. This is a horrendous gift to give a POW, like the survivors of the Bataan Death March who then were used as slave labor by the Japanese. They cannot even be compensated by suing the Japanese.

And this is not something that happened just in history. American POWs from the last Iraq war, who were held prisoner and tortured by Iraq, are now being prevented by our government from suing the Iraqis who tortured them. We should be on the side, if nobody else, of our greatest heroes, America's POWs; but we have shortchanged them at every step.

And what do we say about those who fought in Vietnam, along with some of those Vietnamese, those Americans that were captured in Vietnam and were not returned after the war and that we abandoned? We know that is true. We know a number of them were taken to Russia. We do not even know their names. We have not even insisted on their names. As we expand our trade now and begin selling things in our stores, we are not even demanding that Vietnam please give us the full accounting we deserve.

They have not, for example, given us the records from the prisons in which our POWs were kept so we can check to see who was kept in those prisons. I have asked for that for 20 years and have never received it. Obviously, they are covering something up. But we are letting it slide. We are letting it slide.

We ended up turning against our POWs in the Bataan Death March and not letting them sue the Japanese, and we are turning against our POWs from the last Iraq war by not letting them sue their torturers. We need to start thinking about where our loyalties lie in this country of the American heroes. We have a lot to stand up for, because these men and these people, the men and women who sacrifice for us, including the Filipinos who fought with us in World War II, we owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be paid. At the very least, let us be faithful to them and give them the kind of recognition and honor they deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina for yielding me this time, and for his words, as well as those of the sponsor of the bill, the gentleman from Arizona. Again, this is, I think, a singular moment when there is no voice of dissent.

Might I pay special tribute, of course, to my colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson), who has always reminded us in this House, as have many others, but in particular, as he hails from my State of Texas, the debt of gratitude and the debt of commitment that we still continue to owe to those who are missing in action.

This resolution I want to acknowledge because of a very precise statement that it contains, which is very key to what we are doing here today. It states we are celebrating the historic commitment of the United States ``to the recovery of and full accounting for Americans who are prisoners of war or in a missing status.''

I think more than celebrate, I hope with the passage of this legislation that the American people will understand that no brave young man or woman, no brave person who has submitted themselves to the oath of office to fight for this country on foreign shores, will ever become just a footnote in our minds and hearts, but that we will continue to press the envelope, we will continue to use all the resources, we will continue to wave the flags, we will continue to teach our children that they have given the ultimate sacrifice, maybe, but that their names still have not been described as having passed in battle and, therefore, it is our obligation to continue to search for them until we determine their status.

It gave me great pride to share with former council member Ben Reyes the first raising of a POW-MIA flag in front of the city hall in the City of Houston. We did that some many years ago. How proud we were to stand with veterans from Houston as they watched that flag recognizing and commemorating, in just the City of Houston in this Nation, on behalf of its children, on behalf of its soldiers that we would never stop searching or at least pushing for our MIAs.

Let me also appreciate the recognition of the 11th Airborne Division, particularly the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment of that division, that were particularly brave as they went behind enemy lines to rescue over 2,000 people in an internment camp.

Let me also acknowledge my constituents who marched on that death march some many, many years ago, where they saw some lose their lives and some be carried off, not knowing where they might go. Let me acknowledge them as well, as this resolution does.

My final words this afternoon are simply to say that as we celebrate, let us make a personal commitment both in terms of resources, a large component of defense authorization and appropriations, that there should continue to be funding and focus on our POWs and, of course, our MIAs. We owe that to the families. We owe it to the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I support this resolution enthusiastically.