Cornelia Bass - Prepared Statement

Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims

June 18, 1998

Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee - before I begin my testimony, I would like to thank the late Congressman Frank Tejeda, Congressmen Ciro Rodriguez and Henry Bonilla, Senator Phil Gramm, and Mr. Charles Gonzalez for their support of my family and the other survivors of the Black Hawk victims. I would like to extend a special thank you to Congressmen Collins and Watt for their courageous and tireless efforts to obtain justice for our loved ones. Finally, I would like to thank Chairman Smith - who has also supported us since day one - for holding this hearing and providing this opportunity for me to comment on H.R. 2986 and H.R. 3022.

As you know, this is a painful subject for me, but one that I feel very strongly about. I have come here as part of a long and difficult road that began on April 14, 1994. On that day, 15 Americans and 11 foreign nationals were killed when two Army Black Hawk helicopters participating in Operation Provide Comfort were shot down by two Air Force F-15's enforcing the No-Fly Zone over Iraq. My son, Specialist Cornelius Anthony Bass, was one of the Americans killed on board the Black Hawks.

I don't know if any of you have lost a child; it is a horrible experience that I pray none of you ever have to go through. As a mother, when your first child is born, a feeling comes within your soul that you can't describe. You count every finger and toe and check to be sure that the right parts are where they're supposed to be. I always took for granted that I would see my child grow into adulthood, marry, and start a family. I have been robbed of these memories which we all cherish. Instead I am left with the pain created by the loss of my son. I feel this pain every day and know that it will never go away; however, it has given me the courage and strength to continue seeking justice on his behalf.

In the wake of the Black Hawk disaster, the Department of Defense made ex gratia payments of $100,000 to the family of each of the foreign nationals killed on board the Black Hawks. These payments were made in addition to any benefits received by these families from their respective governments. In contrast, the families of the American victims received the standard military death benefits, in some cases, as little as $10,000.

The Defense Department has repeatedly emphasized the exceptional nature of this tragedy to justify the $100,000 ex gratia payments. We do not question the appropriateness of Defense Secretary Perry's decision to authorize these payments. That was a policy decision for the Defense Department to make. What we do question is the inherent inequity of treating the families of the foreign nationals better than the families of the Americans killed on board the Black Hawks. We understand that the ex gratia payments represented a gesture of respect and good will on the part of the United States toward these foreign nationals and their countries. However, the fact is that our children, our spouses, our family members, the people we loved and cherished, were also victims of this exceptional tragedy. Our loved ones were serving side by side with those foreign personnel. The Pentagon's unequal treatment of the families of the Black Hawk victims sends a message to all Americans that the lives of our loved ones are somehow less valuable, and their loss less sorrowful, than the lives of the foreign nationals with whom they serve.

There is no way that we can ever be compensated for the loss that we have suffered. No amount of money will make the pain of losing my son go away. But we can and should receive fair and equitable treatment. I cannot describe my anger when I discovered that the foreign families had been treated better than us by our own government. It shows nothing short of a complete lack of respect for the men and women who devoted their lives to serving this country. Is this good policy?

I have spoken with and cried with the parents and families of the foreign nationals. I understand the depth of their pain as their loss was equally horrible. We are not before you today seeking preferable treatment, just equitable treatment. The Pentagon says this sets a bad precedent - that if you pass these bills we will need to begin compensating too many families of American soldiers killed while serving their country.

That is not what we are saying, nor would it be a consequence of your decision to pass these bills. The only consequence would be equitable treatment. If fairness for Americans would somehow set a new precedent, then it is good precedent.

When my son joined the United States Army, he possessed integrity, honor, and faith in his country. He also understood that this same integrity and honor would be reciprocated by the country he served. In short, he believed that our government would protect him and do right by him. Unfortunately, our government did not protect him four years ago in Iraq, and, after the accident, did not do right by him.

The death of my son and the others on board the Black Hawk helicopters was a tragedy - a unique and exceptional tragedy - no more or less for anyone on board whether they were American, Kurdish, French, Turkish, or British. As far as we know, nothing like this has ever happened before and our military has assured us that it will not happen again.

The nationality of those on board the Black Hawks counted for nothing when the F-15 pilots fired their missiles - everyone on board those helicopters suffered the same horrible death. Now the Defense Department would have us believe that the nationality of the victims does in fact matter in determining the treatment received by the victims and their families. Is this fair?

A quote from Theodore Roosevelt provides the answer. "A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards." We are here to request your assistance on behalf of all the families of those on board the Black Hawk helicopters. Each of us has been forever changed by this tragedy and we will never be made whole again. However, you have the power to correct the inequity created by the Defense Department and give us and our loved ones a square deal. In so doing you can prove that my son's faith in his country was not misplaced. Please do right by him, please don't let this injustice go uncorrected

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