September 20, 1985 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 24585 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS VIETNAM VETERANS RETURN brigade policy of awarding snipers in a coun­ ragua, and I have to tell you that every ar­ FROM CENTRAL AMERICA try R&Rs for three kills. The policy was gument I heard for our involvement in Laos changed. and Vietnam in 1961 has been advanced I've tried to put the Vietnam war behind again by my government in 1985. HON.ROBERTJ.MRAZEK me and get on with the good life that we Before I go on, I want to pay homage to OF NEW YORK Americans are free to pursue. But my coun­ my fellow countrymen who are se• ving now IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES try's involvement in Central America has in Central America. Almost all of them are called forth the ghost of Vietnam and awak­ professionally competent, linguistically ca­ Friday, September 20, 1985 ened me to immoralities more grievous and pable, and aware of the complexities of that Mr. MRAZEK. Mr. Speaker, this week I gross than I experienced in Vietnam. I'm beautiful, tragic region. They are hard­ had the privilege of meeting a group of hearing the voices of the poor in El Salva­ working, honest, risk-taking Americans who dor, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala, Vietnam veterans who just returned from a are doing their best in a tough situation. the cries of the raped, the murdered, the For example, the American Ambassador fact-finding trip to Central America. mutilated and the disappeared. Good people to El Salvador is a former Peace Corps Over the course of 10 days, they visited who are for the most part innocent. People worker who once tried to help organize the El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras. numbering, since 1980, in the tens of thou­ garbage collectors of Columbia. The Ameri­ They spoke at great length to the American sands. I'm sure you are as familiar as I am can Ambassador of another country we vis­ Ambassador in each country, to the leaders with the facts and figures. ited Wll.S a total realist about the political of each country, to opposition parties, and In addition to my outrage over my govern­ and economic probleins in that country-but to teachers, newspaper editors, army com­ ment's complicity in the carnage of Central he was a realist only off the record, I must America, I have a personal revulsion toward manders, and just ordinary citizens in each add. bullies, people or groups of people that use The point is that I've seen this movie of these troubled nations. superiority of size or strength to impose before. I've heard all the reasoning, wrestled I had the privilege of getting to know two their will on others incapable of adequate with the words, tried to decipher my govern­ of these men much better. One, Asa Baber, defense. I believe we are throwing our mili­ ment's intentions. For what it's worth, I is a former marine, trained in counterintel­ tary weight around. conclude the following. ligence, who was in a position to assess From what I have read about and recently Our government is telling us: with professional expertise many of the experienced in El Salvador, Nicaragua and (1) The U.S. is in the area to stay. briefings provided by leaders on both sides Honduras, I conclude that Central America (2) There are no commitments to any limi­ could become another Vietnam-or worse­ of the conflicts in the region. tations of time or money. because of the problem's proximity to U.S. (3) There is a strong Soviet-Cuban chal­ The other, Charles Liteky, was a Catholic borders. lenge to our automony in the region, but chaplain in Vietnam and was a recipient of I think that we as a country should help the proof of that challenge cannot be the Congressional Medal of Honor for ex­ our neighbors to the south solve their cen­ shared with the American people. traordinary heroism. He is a humble man, tury-old probleins of repression and poverty. <4) According to our government, any who has dedicated his life to the cause of But, I do not think we should do so with analogy between the crisis in Vietnam and peace. He now works in a sanctuary pro­ guns and bullets and bombs. the coming conflagation in Central America gram for Ceniral American refugees in San In 1980, Archbishop Romero of El Salva­ is invalid. dor begged us not to send any more instru­ Francisco. (5) The United States cannot live with or ments of killing to his people to help them abide mixed economies in Central America. I was proud to have an opportunity to in­ kill one another. We did not heed his plea. For us, it's capitalism or bust; any other troduce both these men to many Members He's dead now, along with 50,000 of his form of economy is an anathema to us. of Congress who have taken a leadership people. <6> A military solution may not be the role on both sides of the Central America I do not accept the two major premises total answer to the problem-but diplomatic question. used by our current administration to sup­ and political negotiations are on the back I also wish to thank my colleagues LANE port U.S. intervention in Central America: burner. EVANS and DAVE BONIOR for sponsoring a (1) that this is an East-West conflict, and <2> I submit that we are in for a very long war forum at which the participants on the trip that the situation in Central America con­ in Central America. I submit that our gov­ stitutes a threat to our national security. ernment is telling us that. All we have to do had the opportunity to present their find­ On our trip to Central America we, Viet­ is listen carefully. ings and conclusions. We are indebted to nam veterans, spoke with representatives of As a man who considers hiinself a loyal them for being patriotic Americans who opposing parties to the conflict and to the citizen, and who has been trained by his took time out from their busy lives to at­ innocent victiins of war. No one, except the own government to assess certain military tempt to shed some light on the very diffi­ Contras, believe that the solution to prob­ situations, I conclude after my visit to Cen­ cult policy questions we are facing in Cen­ leins in Central America is military. tral America that we are in a condition of tral America. So, I say, listen to the cries of the poor, stalemate-that neither the forces of the The statements of the Vietnam veterans for the sake of the would-be dead, wounded, right or of the left can win a total victory­ tortured and raped. Let's get on with the ne­ much as we were in Vietnam and Laos in are as follows: gotiations process-Contadora or otherwise. the early 1960's. The eventual commitment STATEMENT BY CHARLES LITEKY, CHAPLAIN IN of more United States troops into Central VIETNAM STATEMENT BY AsA BABER, FORMER MARINE America seeins inevitable. I was a Catholic chaplain in Vietnam. My name is Asa Baber. I served on active It may be that the United States is pre­ Spent two-and-a-half years there. Served duty with the United States Marine Corps pared for a 10 or 20 or 30 year war. If that is with an infantry brigade. My mission was to from 1958-1961, including some time with a so, then our present policies will prove to be give moral support to a cause I regarded as task force in the Far East. extremely popular. If that is not so, then morally correct. At that time, the United States was the sooner we move into diplomatic and po­ I was the son of a 32-year navy man, the strongly considering an invasion of Loas, litical negotiations, the better. product of Catholic culture that sanctions and the war in South Vietnam was heating the morality of a just war. In the 1960's, any up at a slow but steady pace. My name is Harold Bryant. Like the other war against communism was judged to be The strategies, tactics, methodologies­ men and women who will address you today, just. the rationale for our actions, if you will­ I volunteered to serve my country in Viet­ As a chaplain, I felt it was my duty to were well-articulated by the Americans who nam. For the last 12 years, I have continued monitor the morality of the means used to briefed me. to serve my country by helping the men and accomplish military ends. I was ready to I have just returned from an intensive 10- women whose lives were shattered by that resign on one occasion, when I learned of a day tour of El Salvador, Honduras and Nica- war. When Dr. Clements asked me if I e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by the Member of the Senate on the floor. Boldface type indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. 24586 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS September 20, 1985 would like to accompany this delegation to the brutality and deception of our so-called not dangle them again at the end of a Central America, I was eager to respond be­ pacification program. string. cause I have a nineteen year old son.