In The News

Editor's note: In response to a question about the recent Run for the Wall, U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert responded with this message, which we are sharing as a letter to the editor.

President Abraham Lincoln said we were "to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan." It doesn't really assist the widow and orphan of our soldiers if we do not even tell them what happened to their loved ones. We do have soldiers unaccounted for still today, and I'm so thankful for citizens like the men, women, and children participating in the annual 'Run for the Wall.' When our soldiers returned from Vietnam, they were not treated properly. I went on active duty not long after that and I can tell you it was not a time of respect for the military. I've always said that a nation which fails to honor those who have honored it with their service will not remain a nation much longer.

After I got to Congress, I made it a priority to learn of the fate of our POW's and MIA's from the Vietnam era. I was shocked and outraged to learn that our government, including President Richard Nixon and administrations through the 1990s, knew about some soldiers still in captivity but did not go get them. The response I got was that when our government got the list from North Vietnam in 1974, they knew there were others not listed and we even knew where they were. Nixon had to decide whether to demand the rest, which would mean threatening to go back to war if they were not delivered, and he knew the country did not have the stomach to go back to war with Vietnam, so his administration remained silent. We must never do that ever again.

Congress has appropriated money to locate MIA's and POW's under the leadership of people like former POW Sam Johnson. In the past few years we have continued to find remains of our noble military members in Southeast Asia. Some were found in very hostile territory by aerial photo that our recovery teams have not yet been allowed to reach. Their families still deserve to have the remains of their loved ones brought home and it should be a greater priority. We must never forget a single one of our own who gave the last full measure of devotion or who were captured, while we should also do all we can to safely bring home our current warriors for freedom. That is why I am so grateful for the attention these riders bring to this important issue.

U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas