FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Friday, July 27, 2018
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Camlin Moore, 202-224-9126
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Isakson Welcomes American Heroes Home
‘It is my hope
that, after all these years, bringing the remains of our brave soldiers
home will offer some solace and closure to their families’
ATLANTA –
U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on
Veterans’ Affairs, today released the following statement regarding
the return of the remains of 55 fallen American service members of the Korean War as part of the commitment made to President Trump during recent talks between the United States and North Korea:
“A promise is made
when our service members raise their right hands and enter military
service that no one will be left behind. It is our duty to honor their
commitment and sacrifices by ensuring they are returned home. I am
grateful to President Trump for his efforts to ensure the remains of our
fallen Korean War service members are brought home in a dignified
manner. It is my hope that, after all these years, bringing the remains
of our brave soldiers home will offer some solace and closure to their
families. Now, they can finally be laid to rest in peace.”
A U.S. Air Force C-17
aircraft containing remains of fallen service members departed Wonsan,
North Korea, on July 26. It was accompanied by service members from
United Nations Command Korea and technical experts from the Defense
Prisoner of War and Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Accounting Agency. The
C-17 transferred the remains to Osan Air Base in South Korea, where a
formal repatriation ceremony will be held on Aug. 1. Immediately
following the ceremony, the remains will be flown to Hawaii for further
forensic testing under the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
The remains of 7,700
service members who died in the Korean War are still unaccounted for,
and of those, 5,300 service members are believed to have died in North
Korea.
Today, July 27, is National Korean War Armistice Day, marking the 65th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War Armistice.
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The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., in the 114th Congress.
Isakson is a
veteran himself – having served in the Georgia Air National Guard from
1966-1972 – and has been a member of the Senate VA Committee since he
joined the Senate in 2005. Isakson’s home state of Georgia is home to
more than a dozen military installations representing each branch of the
military as well as more than 750,000 veterans.
AMANDA MADDOX
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Communications Director
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OFFICE OF UNITED STATES SENATOR JOHNNY ISAKSON
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131 Russell Senate Office Building | Washington, DC 20510
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phone: 202.224.3643 | fax: 202.228.0724
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Visit Johnny’s website to learn more about his work in the Senate and to sign up for his newsletter.
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