East Idaho Times

U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jeanne Shaheen have announced the committee approval of the Bring Our Heroes Home Act (BOHHA). The bill, which aims to remove barriers for families and caseworkers in accessing records necessary for recovering America's prisoners of war (POWs) and missing in action (MIA), was unanimously passed by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency reports that over 81,500 Americans remain unaccounted for from various conflicts, including World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War, and the Gulf Wars. This number includes 361 individuals from Idaho.

"This commonsense legislation tells every family and survivor that their loved ones are not forgotten," said Crapo. "We owe it to our nation’s heroes and their families to cut the bureaucratic red tape and continue the effort to identify and recover those who have not yet made it home."

Shaheen emphasized the importance of closure for families: "Service members who went missing abroad made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. Their families deserve the closure of bringing their loved ones home for good." She expressed satisfaction with the bipartisan support for BOHHA and her anticipation of its enactment into law.

The proposed legislation would centralize all records related to missing personnel at a new Missing Armed Forces and Civilian Personnel Records Collection within the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). It mandates all government agencies to forward any relevant records to NARA. Additionally, an independent office called the Missing Armed Forces and Civilian Personnel Records Review Board would be established to manage these records' identification, transmission, disclosure, and review any declassification delays by federal agencies.

Co-sponsors of BOHHA include Senators Jim Risch, John Thune, Marsha Blackburn, Bill Cassidy, Mike Rounds, Elizabeth Warren, Alex Padilla, Jacky Rosen, Angus King, Tammy Duckworth, and Margaret Hassan.

Crapo and Shaheen have previously introduced this legislation in past Congress sessions as part of ongoing efforts to account for all missing American military personnel.