Asbury Park Press Staff - In the wee hours of Dec. 4, 1966, the Viet Cong launched an attack on American soldiers at Tan Son Nhut Air Base near the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon. Mortars began pouring in, detonating an ammo dump. Just as quickly, U.S. counter-mortar radar detected the incoming volley and returned the favor, silencing enemy fire. Less than an hour later, forces defending the base overran the Viet Cong’s mortar position. The battle was over, the assault rebuffed. The speciali... Read more

BY PHIL STILTON TOMS RIVER, NJ – Congressman Chris Smith recognized U.S. Navy veteran and Toms River resident Roman W. Charkowsi on Sunday in advance of his 100th birthday on Monday. Mr. Charkowski, a World War II veteran spent Sunday with his family, Congressman Chris Smith and Toms River Mayor Maurice Hill at the Rose Garden Nursing and Rehabilitation on Old Freehold Road. An American flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., in honor of the 100-year-old veteran was pr... Read more

Fifty-five years ago today former Army Specialist 5 George Bednarski was honorably discharged from the Army following nearly 16 months in Vietnam. It was Oct. 8, 1967, and the 22-year-old was heading home. “I supported all the people, especially those on the front line, who had constant contact with the enemy forces,” Bednarski said. “This award is not for me being a hero but rather supporting those heroes in the field and others supporting them and their mission. They depended on me to ensure w... Read more

By Michael Lee | Fox News The World Health Organization announced a public comment period for a new treaty aimed at better tackling future pandemics, but critics say the process, which has now ended, has so far been too short and secretive. "A public comment period on the World Health Organization’s power grab becomes nothing more than a public relations charade when there is no accountability from the governed over those who seek to regulate their lives—and should not and cannot be used as just... Read more

Fentanyl pills and powder known as "rainbow fentanyl" come in a variety of bright colors, shapes and sizes. Source: Drug Enforcement Administration. Amid an alarming new development in the ongoing fentanyl crisis, Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) is pushing new legislation—the Homeland Security Fentanyl Enforcement Act (HR 9093)—to expand the Department of Homeland Security’s authority to help combat the deadly synthetic opioid largely sourced from China from pouring across the United States bor... Read more

The following are excerpts of remarks by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, at today’s conference featuring academic and policy experts on North Korean Human Rights hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) together with Stanford University: “I’d like to begin by thanking both CSIS and Stanford for co-hosting this important event, and to especially thank Dr. Victor Cha, Senior Vice President for Asia and Korea Chair at CSIS, for hi... Read more

By ELIZABETH A MEYERS Published October 2, 2022 at 6:30 AM WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Friday, Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-4) praised the passage of the Fairness for 9/11 Families Act (HR 8987) by the House of Representatives that would provide financial relief to family members of victims killed in the September 11. Smith called the legislation "long-overdue" step that would bring these families closers to justice. “For two decades, I have worked with the ‘Jersey Girls’—four widows who tragically lo... Read more

By Peter Kasperowicz | Fox News 'The Big Sunday Show' panelists discuss the importance of remembering and learning from the 9/11 attacks in school. The House passed legislation on Friday to provide $2.7 billion in compensation to the families of 9/11 victims, money that had been promised years ago but had been held up after several years of delay in Congress. The bill is the result of a lengthy process that required the federal government to estimate how much money the U.S. Victims of State Spo... Read more

By David Lerman of Roll Call The House passed legislation Friday that would give as much as $3 billion in payments to thousands of spouses and children of victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks who were left out of previous compensation rounds. The bill passed overwhelmingly, 400-31, in the last vote before lawmakers headed for the exits to go home and campaign before the midterm elections. It now has to win Senate approval, though that chamber has no more votes until Nov. 14. All but one Dem... Read more

The following are excerpts of remarks by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) on the House Floor on the Biden Administration’s new Veterans Affairs (VA) abortion policy: “As former chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, I have always deeply respected and strongly supported the unique mission of VA healthcare. Comprised of 171 medical centers and 1,113 outpatients’ clinics, the VA operates the largest integrated health care network in the world. VA medical personnel—371,000 professionals and su... Read more