U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) led a congressional call on Monday for President Barack Obama to address restrictions that make it difficult to recover the remains of service members who went missing in action in Laos.
In the letter, Blunt pressed Obama to use a planned trip to Laos to resolve government restrictions that prevent the recovery of service members’ remains.
“There are 301 U.S. service members who remain unaccounted for in Laos,” Blunt said. “Returning the remains of these brave Americans to the families who have sacrificed so much should be a priority for this administration. I appreciate the assistance the Lao government has provided to date, but we cannot rest until all of these MIA personnel are accounted for. I urge the president to use his upcoming trip to Laos to address the obstacles that are delaying excavation efforts, and help return these service members to the country they selflessly and courageously served.”
Blunt previously led efforts to recover the remains of Air Force Capt. Thomas Hubert Wolfe, who was killed in a mission over Laos in 1966.
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) Director Michael Linnington said that the Lao government’s restrictions have impeded recovery efforts, Blunt added.
“Unfortunately, the Lao government limits the number of personnel that DPAA can deploy on a joint field activity, thus significantly impacting our ability to account for missing Americans,” Blunt’s letter to Obama states. “In addition, the Lao government requires DPAA recovery teams stay in a ‘base camp’ and travel to and from excavation sites daily, usually by helicopter, adding costs to the mission.”
The bipartisan, bicameral letter urges Obama to make such issues major talking points in meetings with Lao government officials on a planned September trip.
U.S. Reps. Billy Long (R-MO) and Sam Johnson (R-TX) and U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and John McCain (R-AZ) joined Blunt in signing the letter.
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