A white carnation is seen at the Vietnam Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, Monday, Nov. 9, 2015. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) For decades, a group of U.S. veterans has carried out a quiet kind of service — one that remains largely unrecognized in the official record of our nation’s military history. I know this firsthand as someone who served in Honduras in 1989, during a period when U.S. forces were actively supporting operations in the region.
Between 1981 and 1992, service members in Honduras were operating in conditions that carried real risk. During that time frame, at least 72 U.S. service members were killed, 48 were awarded Purple Hearts and others were taken prisoner of war or remain listed as missing in action. Yet despite these sacrifices, their service has never received consistent or formal recognition comparable to others of the same era.
This gap in recognition is not without precedent. Veterans who served in neighboring El Salvador during this same period faced a similar lack of acknowledgment until 1996, when they were formally recognized with the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.
That decision demonstrated a willingness to revisit past policies and ensure service members received appropriate recognition. The same consideration should now be extended to those who served in Honduras under comparable conditions.
Recent coverage at Military.com has begun to bring attention to this issue. But for many of these veterans, awareness alone is not enough. What they seek is something far more fundamental: recognition. This is not a request for special treatment. It is a call for fairness and consistency.
Throughout our history, the U.S. has rightly honored service members who operated in challenging, often dangerous environments — even when those missions did not occur in officially declared war zones. Yet Honduras veterans remain in a gray area, their service acknowledged in practice but not in policy.
For those who served, this gap is deeply personal. Recognition is not simply symbolic; it affirms that their contributions mattered and that their service is part of the larger story of American military history.
Many of these veterans have lived with this silence for decades. They returned home without the acknowledgement extended to others, despite operating under similar conditions and supporting the same national interests.
That is something we can correct.
Congress has the authority to address gaps like this and ensure that recognition reflects the realities of service, not just the technical boundaries of past policy decisions. Lawmakers have acted before when veterans’ experiences were not fully understood at the time. The situation facing Honduras veterans deserves that same attention.
This is not about revisiting history for its own sake. It is about ensuring that those who served are not overlooked simply because their mission did not fit neatly into existing frameworks. Recognition should reflect the nature and risk of service — not geography alone.
Support for addressing this issue is already growing. National veterans’ organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and Disabled American Veterans, along with several states, have expressed support for ensuring these service members receive proper recognition. This growing consensus underscores that the need for action is both real and overdue.
The path forward begins with awareness, but it must lead to action. Congress should examine this issue and take steps to ensure these veterans receive the recognition they have long been denied.
For those who served, this is about being seen. For the country, it is an opportunity to get this right.
Robin Daniel is a U.S. veteran who served in Honduras in 1989 and advocates for recognition of those who served there between 1981 and 1992, a period during which 72 service members were killed, 48 were awarded Purple Hearts and others were designated prisoners of war or missing in action.
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