House moves to bring home remains of ‘earliest Navy SEALs’

The Washington Times ^ | May 29, 2011 | Stephan Dinan

[jazusamo]

More than two centuries after they died off the coast of present-day Libya, the remains of the first 13 Navy commandos in U.S. history — in the words of one supporter, the “earliest Navy SEALs” — are one step closer to coming home after the U.S. House voted last week to insist the Pentagon get them back.

Brushing off prior opposition from the Pentagon, House lawmakers attached the directive to the annual defense policy bill that cleared the chamber on Thursday, with backers saying it was time to honor the daring men as fallen heroes.

“The United States has an obligation to leave no member of our military behind, regardless of how long ago they were killed,” said Rep. Mike Rogers, Michigan Republican, who visited the grave sites in Libya in 2004 and co-sponsored the legislation with Rep. Frank A. LoBiondo, New Jersey Republican. “Bringing the remains of those brave members of our military home and giving them a proper military funeral will finally end a tragic story that has lasted far too long.”

The commandos were part of then-President Thomas Jefferson’s war against the Barbary Pirates, who terrorized shipping off the coast of North Africa in the early 1800s. They died while on a stealth mission to infiltrate Tripoli's harbor and sail a flaming ship into the enemy fleet that lay anchored there, trying to destroy it and force the release of U.S. sailors the pirates had taken prisoner on land.

Their ship, the USS Intrepid, caught fire prematurely — either by accident or because it was hit by a shot from the enemy, and all 13 men perished.

[colorado tanker]

Still there!