FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 25, 2025
CONTACT:
Kyra Smith (Crapo)
Bicameral, bipartisan legislation receives support from multiple veterans advocacy groups
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo’s legislation to help eliminate red tape to expedite the recovery of America’s prisoners of war (POWs) and missing in action (MIA) is garnering support from veterans advocacy organizations. U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) is the lead Democrat on the Senate bill.
The Bring Our Heroes Home Act would help ensure timely transmission and public disclosure of missing military and civilian personnel records to families and caseworkers.
“We have a duty to missing servicemembers and their loved ones to ensure transparency wherever possible,” said Crapo. “Access to personnel records must be made readily available for recovery efforts, and the support of these organizations is instrumental in advancing this important legislation.”
According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, approximately 80,930 Americans–including 359 Idahoans–remain unaccounted for from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War, the Gulf Wars and other conflicts.
What They Are Saying:
“The Coalition of Families of Korean and Cold War POW/MIAs is in strong support of the Bring Our Heroes Home Act. Families of still missing American servicemen have waited decades to learn the fate of their missing loved ones. The BOHHA will allow access to documents, long overdue for release, which may hold clues to the fate of missing American servicemen. We will only know by viewing the content. We thank and applaud Senators Crapo and Shaheen for their dedicated commitment to the men and women who serve in the United States Armed Forces and the families who await their safe return.” – Richard L. Downes, President, Coalition of Families of Korean & Cold War POW/MIAs
“The Bring Our Heroes Home Act removes long-standing barriers that have prevented families from learning what happened to their loved ones. By ensuring these records are preserved, declassified when appropriate, and made accessible, this bill strengthens our national commitment to bring every service member home. The VFW is proud to support this important effort.” – Joy Craig, Associate Director for Service Member Affairs, VFW National Legislative Service
“My father went missing during the Korean War just before I was born, and I spent my entire childhood hoping he would show up at the door. I needed closure. Without it, the wound of having lost him would never heal. Decades later, I am still searching for answers. All too often, information I’ve requested from the government has been denied because it was classified. Many such files, if released, could contribute to the effort to account for American POW/MIAs…men, like my father, who answered the call of duty and gave their lives in defense of freedom for others.” – Donna D. Knox, Esq, Vice President/Legislative Liaison, Coalition of Families of Korean & Cold War POW/MIAs
“The American Legion strongly supports the Bring Our Heroes Home Act. With more than 81,000 servicemembers still unaccounted for, this legislation strengthens transparency and accountability by ensuring POW/MIA records are properly identified, preserved, and accessible. It honors our nation’s promise to those who served and the families who continue to seek answers, and it advances our enduring commitment to achieve the fullest possible accounting of America’s missing servicemembers.”– Sean Counihan, Director of the National Security Division at The American Legion
“Our members play a crucial role in helping families find answers. POW/MIA families deserve to know the story of their loved one, and the healing and peace that comes with those answers. Transferring POW/MIA records to the National Archives will help our members support the families searching for answers. BOHHA is necessary to make these records accessible and provide the closure each POW/MIA family deserves.” – Patricia Senguine, President, Association of Professional Genealogists
The Bring Our Heroes Home Act would:
- Create a collection of missing Armed Forces and civilian personnel records at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for families and caseworkers to easily access;
- Require executive agencies to identify, locate and transmit any missing Armed Forces personnel records to the National Archives for placement in the collection; and
- Establish an independent Missing Armed Forces and Civilian Personnel Records Review Board to identify missing personnel records, facilitate the transmission and disclosure of these records, and review any decisions by federal agencies to postpone declassification for purposes of protecting sensitive classified material.
Idaho recently welcomed home 2nd Lieutenant Charles Atteberry, a World War II servicemember from Parma who had been missing and unidentified for 80 years. Through the U.S. military’s use of DNA testing, Lt. Atteberry was able to be identified from a mass grave in Taiwan. He was buried in Parma with military honors in October. Lt. Atteberry’s brother, Lloyd, also served in the military as a pilot during World War II. Lloyd is still considered missing in action, and his remains have not been recovered since he was reportedly shot down in 1943.
U.S. Representatives Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho) and Chris Pappas (D-New Hampshire) are leading companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
About Mike Crapo
Senator Mike Crapo has represented Idaho in the Senate since 1999, following three terms in the U.S. House and eight years in the Idaho State Senate. A lifelong Idahoan, he currently serves as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
