By CNN Sr. National Security Producer Charley Keyes
Amidst the uproar over recent problems with handling the bodies of U.S. military killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. lawmakers are calling attention to U.S. war dead from more than two centuries ago.
Three U.S. senators are calling on the Defense Department to find and bring home the bodies of some 13 sailors lost in 1804 when a U.S. Navy ship, the Ketch Intrepid, blew up in Tripoli Harbor during the long campaign against pirates along the North African coast, known as the First Barbary War.
"For more than two hundred years, these sailors have laid to rest in a cemetery on foreign soil. It's past time that we give these men a proper military burial in the country they died defending," Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nevada, said in a release. He introduced the bill with Sens. John Boozman, R-Arkansas, and Scott Brown, R-Massachusetts.
"Gathering the remains of these brave sailors, two of whom were from Massachusetts, demonstrates America's commitment to pay tribute to our fallen heroes, no matter how much time has passed," Brown said. "With reports that some still remain in a mass grave, we have a duty to ensure our sailors are buried with the honor and respect they deserve."
Raymond Kelley of the Veterans of Foreign Wars wrote a letter saying 2 million VFW members support the proposed legislation and the return of the sailors. "Unlike other U.S. graves on foreign soil, such as Normandy, these heroes received no military burial," Kelly wrote in a letter to Heller, referring to the Normandy American Cemetery overlooking the D-Day invasion beaches of France, with the graves of more than 9,000 Americans.
"In fact, several sailors are buried in one mass grave, testifying to the disrespect shown when they were interred. It is time to bring them home to have a proper military burial."
The senators say the graves in what is now Libya are isolated and in poor condition.
"This legislation serves as a reminder to all service men and women that we will never cease in our efforts to bring a fallen service member home, nor will we ever forget the sacrifices that have been made by them and their families," Boozman said.
A similar proposal for the Defense Department to bring the sailors home already has passed the House of Representatives.