IV
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. RES. 356
Recognizing, and calling on all Americans to recognize, the courage and
sacrifice of the members of the Armed Forces held as prisoners of
war during the Vietnam conflict and stating that the House of Represent-
atives will not forget that more than 2,000 members of the United
States Armed Forces remain unaccounted for from the Vietnam conflict
and will continue to press for a final accounting for all such
servicemembers whose fate is unknown.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 11, 1998
Mr. GINGRICH (for himself, Mr. ARMEY, Mr. DELAY, Mr. KING, Mr. DOO-
LITTLE, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. ISTOOK, Mr. GILMAN, Mr.
MCINTOSH, Mr. SPENCE, Mr. SOLOMON, and Mr. STUMP) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on National Se-
curity
RESOLUTION
Recognizing, and calling on all Americans to recognize, the
courage and sacrifice of the members of the Armed
Forces held as prisoners of war during the Vietnam
conflict and stating that the House of Representatives
will not forget that more than 2,000 members of the
United States Armed Forces remain unaccounted for
from the Vietnam conflict and will continue to press
for a final accounting for all such servicemembers whose
fate is unknown.
•HRES 356 IH
Whereas participation by United States Armed Forces in
combat operations in Southeast Asia during the period
from 1964 through 1972 resulted in as many as 8,000
United States servicemen being taken prisoner by enemy
forces;
Whereas the first such United States serviceman taken as a
prisoner of war, Navy Lt. Commander Everett Alvarez,
was captured on August 5, 1964;
Whereas following the Paris Peace Accords of January 1973,
591 United States prisoners of war were released from
captivity;
Whereas the return of these prisoners of war to United
States control and to their families and comrades was
designated Operation Homecoming;
Whereas many United States servicemen who were taken
prisoner as a result of ground or aerial combat in South-
east Asia have not returned to their loved ones and their
fate remains unknown;
Whereas United States prisoners of war in Southeast Asia
were routinely subjected to brutal mistreatment, includ-
ing beatings, torture, starvation, and denial of medical
attention;
Whereas United States prisoners of war were held in a num-
ber of facilities, the most notorious of which was Hoa
Loa Prison in downtown Hanoi, dubbed the ‘‘Hanoi Hil-
ton’’ by the prisoners held there;
Whereas the hundreds of American prisoners held in the
Hanoi Hilton and other facilities persevered under ter-
rible conditions;
Whereas the prisoners were frequently isolated from each
other and prohibited from speaking to each other;
•HRES 356 IH
Whereas the prisoners nevertheless, at great personal risk,
devised a means to communicate with each other through
a code transmitted by tapping on cell walls;
Whereas then-Commander James B. Stockdale, United
States Navy, who upon his capture on September 9,
1965, became the senior POW officer present in the
Hanoi Hilton, delivered to his men a message that was
to sustain them during their ordeal, as follows: Remem-
ber, you are Americans. With faith in God, trust in one
another, and devotion to your country, you will overcome.
You will triumph;
Whereas among the prisoners held in the Hanoi Hilton was
then-Major Sam Johnson, United States Air Force, now
a Representative in Congress from Texas, who was shot
down on April 16, 1966, while flying his 25th mission
over North Vietnam and while a prisoner conducted him-
self with such valor as to be labeled by the enemy as a
die-hard resister and, notwithstanding the tremendous
suffering inflicted upon him, continually demonstrated an
unfailing devotion to duty, honor, and country, and who
during his military career was awarded two Silver Stars,
two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross,
one Bronze Star with Valor, two Purple Hearts, four Air
Medals, and three Outstanding Unit awards, who retired
from active duty in 1979 in the grade of colonel, and who
personifies the verse in Isaiah 40:31, ‘‘They shall mount
with wings as eagles’’;
Whereas the men held as prisoners of war during the Viet-
nam conflict truly represent all that is best about Amer-
ica;
Whereas the 25th anniversary of Operation Homecoming be-
gins on February 12, 1998; and
•HRES 356 IH
Whereas the Nation owes a debt of gratitude to these patriots
for their courage and exemplary service: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) expresses its gratitude for, and calls upon
all Americans to reflect upon and show their grati-
tude for, the courage and sacrifice of the brave men,
including particularly Sam Johnson of Texas, who
were held as prisoners of war during the Vietnam
conflict;
(2) urges States and localities to honor the
courage and sacrifice of those brave men with appro-
priate ceremonies and activities; and
(3) acting on behalf of all Americans, will not
forget that more than 2,000 members of the United
States Armed Forces remain unaccounted for from
the Vietnam conflict and will continue to press for
a final accounting for all such servicemembers whose
fate is unknown.
Æ