Opinion: Left-behind victims of terrorism deserve Congress’ attention

I was a victim of state-sponsored terrorism. In January 1968, my crewmates and I were aboard the USS Pueblo, a Navy intelligence vessel, when the unthinkable happened. We were attacked and taken hostage by North Korea. We spent the next 11 months as captives of a terrorist regime under horrific conditions I don’t wish to revisit.

When we boarded that ship, we did so to serve our country. We were targeted because we were Americans. The North Korean regime kidnapped us, held us against our will, and tortured us. I’m grateful to have made it out alive. One of my fellow crewmen who was killed during the attack.

There are thousands of other Americans who have suffered from state-sponsored terrorism. Some were civilians in the wrong place at the wrong time. Others, like me, went abroad to serve our country as diplomats, intelligence officers, or members of our armed forces. For decades, all of us were denied justice because the backers and perpetrators of these abhorrent attacks could not be held accountable.

In 2015, tides finally started turning. Congress already allowed victims to sue the foreign states responsible for these acts of violence, but there was no way for the victims to collect, even if a court awarded a judgment. So, Congress created the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism (USVSST) Fund. We finally had recourse to take our attackers to court, potentially win, and collect a judgment.

These judgments were meant to help compensate us and our families for the mental, physical, and emotional turmoil we still suffer after so many years. This vund is a vital resource for victims of state-sponsored terrorism, who for decades were overlooked or forgotten. I speak from personal experience when I say that these payments truly help victims get justice and rebuild lives.

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa was a key champion of the legislation that created the USVSST Fund in 2015. It was supposed to be the vehicle for providing compensation through annual distributions. Grassley has been a victims’ advocate for many years. He’s worked to ensure that victims of state-sponsored terrorism and their families have the resources needed to heal and move forward. I thank him for his leadership on those efforts.

Unfortunately, the fund, which gets its money from those caught doing business with terrorists, is now depleted. Many victims have received a tiny fraction of what courts awarded, and others have received nothing at all. The Justice Department is not putting money into the Fund as Congress clearly intended. There is also other available funding that could be contributed without using any new taxpayer dollars. Congress can fix this by passing legislation to "fund the Fund," and it should act now while the victims and families are still alive.

Winning a judgment against North Korea helped me and my Pueblo crewmates get some sense of justice and closure, and for that I am grateful. I am also grateful for the payment we received from the fund in 2023, but it was less than 1% of what the court awarded.

There will be no payments next year. I am now 78. I don’t feel the need to advocate for myself, but I do feel compelled to advocate for families of the Pueblo and for thousands of others who could sincerely benefit from future distributions from the USVSST Fund.

The attacks covered by the USVSST Fund span decades and locations. My experience in 1968 was among the first, but Americans all over the world have been targeted since, from the 1980s bombings at the U.S. Embassy and military barracks in Beirut, to al-Qaida’s 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in East Africa, and beyond. Thousands of Americans have been gravely injured or killed overseas, and many more have lost loved ones at the hands of terrorists.

We must not forget: these vile acts of state-sponsored terrorism were intended to advance an agenda of evil and tear down the values we stand for. The perpetrators were backed by governments that must be held accountable. The victims served our country faithfully and deserve support. Congress needs to continue honoring their sacrifice, make terrorists pay, and ensure victims receive support. We must act now.

Clifford Nolte, a native Iowan and a resident of Boone, was an Electronics Technician 2nd Class who served aboard the USS Pueblo and was decorated with a Prisoner of War Medal and a United States Armed Forces Medal for honorable conduct during the USS Pueblo incident.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Left-behind victims of terrorism deserve Congress’ attention | Opinion