H-714                _______________________________________________

                                           HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 4002

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1987 Regular Session

By Representatives Fisch, Ballard, Dellwo, Patrick, Crane, S. Wilson, Day, Lewis, O'Brien, R. King, Basich, Lux, P. King, B. Williams, May, Schoon, Ferguson, Furhman, Kremen, Walker, Rayburn, Meyers, Doty, Betrozoff, Padden, Amondson, Brough, Todd, Nealey and Miller

Read first time 1/22/87 and referred to Committee on State Government.

TO THE HONORABLE RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

          We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

          WHEREAS, Twenty-two years ago, on September 15, 1964, our first American airman was shot down over North Vietnam and taken prisoner; and

          WHEREAS, Fourteen years ago, on January 27, 1973, the United States signed a peace accord with North Vietnam but not a peace treaty with the Laotian communists; and

          WHEREAS, There are still 2,426 soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen, one Coast Guardsman, and 42 civilians still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War; and

          WHEREAS, The missing include 1,786 in North or South Vietnam, 552 in Laos, 82 in Cambodia, and 6 in China; and

          WHEREAS, 61 of the missing are from the State of Washington; and

          WHEREAS, The Pathet Lao has acknowledged holding large numbers of POWs; and

          WHEREAS, The prisoner of war-missing in action (POW-MIA) movement believes there are some 150 Americans still in captivity; and

          WHEREAS, The issue of servicemen and women missing in Indochina is one that all veterans agree must be resolved; and

          WHEREAS, The families of POWs and MIAs should not have to wait any longer for action by the United States;

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the Congress of the United States and the Administration develop a program to discover where servicemen and women are being held in Indochina and to bring these Americans home.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.