Michael McNulty

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that half of my time be yielded to the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher) and that he be permitted to allocate that time as he sees fit, and that, further, I be permitted to yield the time that I have remaining.

Mr. McNULTY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.J. Res. 51, a resolution approving the U.S.-Viet Nam Bilateral Trade Agreement. As my colleagues know, this debate is no longer about the limited use of issue of whether Vietnam should be eligible to participate in U.S. credit and credit guarantee programs, which I also oppose at this time. Approval of this resolution would allow Vietnam to be eligible to receive normal trade relation status, or NTR, on an annual basis similar to what China had for the last 20 years. I also believe, Madam Speaker, that this debate is about something much more important. As I said last year, I do not oppose the eventual normalization of relations with Vietnam, but I do oppose declaring business as usual when the remains of American service personnel are still being recovered. According to the Department of Defense Prisoner of War Missing Personnel Office, we are receiving newly discovered remains on a fairly frequent basis. In the most recent joint field activity accounting which concluded on August 7, 2001, just 4 weeks ago, Madam Speaker, the remains of five more American military personnel were identified. They will be formally repatriated in the next few weeks. Two of the identified are unilaterals meaning the Vietnamese simply handed over the remains. In my opinion, this indicates that the Vietnamese government has more information about our missing personnel. My question, Madam Speaker, is this: Cannot we just wait until this process is completed? I have stated before on this floor, Madam Speaker, the story of my family as it relates to Vietnam. On August 9 of 1970, my brother, Bill, HM-3 William F. McNulty, was killed in Vietnam. He was a Navy medical corpsman transferred to the Marines. He spent his time patching up his buddies, and one day he stepped on a land mine and lost his life. That was a tremendous loss to the members of our family. I can tell my colleagues from personal experience that while the pain may subside, it never goes away. There is a difference between what the McNulty family went through and what an MIA family goes through because Bill's body was returned. We had a wake and a funeral and a burial. What we had, Madam Speaker, was some closure. I can only imagine what the family of an MIA has gone through over these past several decades. Madam Speaker, until there is a more complete accounting for those missing in action, I will propose that my colleagues vote against NTR for Vietnam. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, my other colleagues who are in opposition to this measure have eloquently outlined the many reasons to oppose it. I will close by concentrating again just on the MIA issue. Mr. Speaker, I thank Boyd Sponaugle, Ron Cima and Chuck Henley of the Office of the Secretary of Defense for the updated information on the search for our MIA's. I am grateful to them and all who are working to bring our MIA's home. As I grow older, Mr. Speaker, I try to keep my priorities straight. That is why when I get up in the morning, the first two things I do are to thank God for my life and then veterans for my way of life. Because had it not been for my brother Bill and all of those who gave their lives in service to this country through the years, had it not been for people like the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson) and Pete Peterson and Senator McCain who endured torture as prisoners of war, had it not been for people like Pete Dalessandro, a World War II Congressional Medal of Honor winner from my district who was laid to rest 2 years ago in our new cemetery in Saratoga, had it not been for them and all of those who wore the uniform of the United States military over the years, I would not have the privilege as an American citizen to go around bragging, as I often do, how we live in the freest and most open democracy on the face of the Earth. Because freedom is not free. We paid a tremendous price for it. So today, Mr. Speaker, based upon the comments that I made earlier and the comments of my colleagues, and on behalf of all 1,474 Americans who are still missing in Vietnam, I ask my colleagues to join me, the American Legion, the Veterans of the Vietnam War, the National Vietnam Veterans Coalition, and the Disabled American Veterans in opposing this measure. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McNULTY. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Everett). (Mr. EVERETT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks, and include extraneous material.)

Mr. McNULTY. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Shows).

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Sanchez).

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller). (Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren). (Ms. LOFGREN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I was absent earlier today to attend the funeral of a member of my family and I missed rollcall votes number 275, 276 and 277. Had I been present and voting, I would have voted yes on rollcall 275, yes on rollcall 276, and no on rollcall 277.