|
namvets.com Welcome home Bothers and Sisters! |
|
POW MIA Update August 27, 2007
AMERICANS ANNOUNCED AS ACCOUNTED FOR: There are 1,773 US personnel listed by the Department of Defense as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. The names of six US personnel, previously MIA and KIA/BNR, were recently announced, including Lt. Col. James H. Ayres, of Pampa, Texas, and Lt. Col. Charles W. Stratton, of Dallas, Texas, both U.S. Air Force officers missing in Laos since January 3, 1971. Remains were jointly recovered during several field operations from 2001-2005. In addition the names of five Army personnel involved in a UH-1D helicopter incident in Laos on January 5, 1968, were also announced. Sgt 1st Class John T. Gallagher of Hamden, CT, was individually identified November 13, 2006. He will also be included in the group internment of remains that includes Chief Warrant Officer Dennis C. Hamilton, of Barnes City, Iowa; Chief Warrant Officer Sheldon D. Schultz, of Altoona, PA; Sgt. 1st Class Ernest F. Briggs, Jr., of San Antonio, Texas; and Sgt. 1st Class James D. Williamson, of Olympia, WA. The group remains of this crew will be buried on Aug. 14 at Arlington National Cemetery.
Earlier, the number of missing was reduced by the identification of the remains of three Americans. The accounting for Corporal Jim E. Moshier, USMC, occurred as a result of repatriation on August 15, 2005, and identification finalized on April 5, 2007. The remains of Technician Chief Roland R. Pineau, USN, were also repatriated from South Vietnam on August 15, 2005, and identification was finalized on June 12, 2007. The remains of LtCol Michael J. Masterson, USAF, were jointly recovered in Laos on August 4, 2005, and the identification date was February 7, 2006, but not immediately announced.
The identification of the remains of these Americans brings to 810 the number of US personnel returned since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. 90+% of 1,773 still missing and unaccounted-for were lost in Vietnam or in areas of Laos and Cambodia under Vietnam’s wartime control.
UPDATE ON OPERATIONS: The 100th period of Joint Field Activities (JFA) in Laos began June 26th and concluded July 31st. Again comprised of some 50 US personnel, four teams focused on incident excavations. A Change of Command occurred on July 2nd, during which LTC Brandt Deck replaced LTC Wade Owens as Commander of Detachment 3. Both are US Army Special Forces officers, as is JPAC’s Detachment 2 Commander in Hanoi, LTC Jim Saenz. The 89th JFA in Vietnam also recently concluded, though one anthropologist and a linguist stayed longer to monitor a unilateral Vietnamese excavation that was jointly approved. The 45-day period included roughly 100 US personnel, consisting of one Research/Investigation Team (RIT), one Investigation Team (IT), one Phase 2 Testing Team (P2TT) and five recovery Teams (RTs). The prior JFA, March 8th- April 21st, was extended to include an Underwater Investigation Team (UIT) that used the Navy’s Mobile Diving Salvage Unit #1 (MDSU1), operating along the coast of northern Vietnam, though without the US Navy ship as earlier pledged.
The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) hosted annual POW/MIA consultations with a delegation from Cambodia and semi-annual POW/MIA Consultations with Laos at their headquarters, Hickam AFB, Hawaii. The level of attention from both governments is extremely high, and while improvements continue to be sought in the Lao-US process, Cambodia continues to lead all the Indochina countries with their full cooperation.
Worldwide, a survey and investigation of a WWII loss on the island of Iwo Jima took place June 17-27th, and an investigation in South Korea (ROK) took place June 1-30th. A JPAC historian recently returned to Hawaii after a brief visit to the Netherlands to observe salvage operations of a possible US aircraft and conduct interviews related to a WWII incident. Finally, excavation of one WWII site in Austria was just completed, and two excavations in Hungary and Germany ended on August 15th.
LAOS AGREES TO ACCEPT U.S. DEFENSE ATTACHE: During a recent visit to Washington, DC, a Ministry of Defense official long involved in the POW/MIA Issue conveyed his government’s agreement in principle to accept a US Defense Attaché (DATT) in Vientiane in 2008 and to post a Lao officer at their Embassy in exchange. This is very positive development. The League has sought this agreement for well over a decade, knowing there is much to gain for both governments and peoples. The Stony Beach POW/MIA Team is an asset of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and two Stony Beach specialists are now assigned to the DATT in Hanoi and the DATT in Phnom Penh. It is hoped that the two Lao specialists in Stony Beach will soon be permanently assigned in Vientiane to pursue POW/MIA-related information in Laos.
ARCHIVAL RESEARCH: There is widespread disappointment – in DPMO, JPAC and the League – in responses to the US Government-funded archival research programs, especially in Vietnam. This program has been ongoing for several years, but archival records known to exist have not yet been provided, thus the continued calls for unilateral actions by Hanoi, including by President Bush last November. It is hoped bilateral technical talks with each of the Indochina governments that will occur over the summer will focus on renewing viable multilateral archival cooperation, among other initiatives that are or should be considered.
WIN A HARLEY DAVIDSON SPORTSTER: The League will receive all proceeds from a nationwide drawing to win a beautiful customized 1989 Harley Sportster that is now ongoing. Only 8,000 raffle tickets have been printed and numbered, $10.00 each, obtainable by contacting the League office. With a 1/8,000 chance of winning this Harley Davidson Sportster, the drawing will be held on National POW/MIA Recognition Day, September 21, 2007, in Washington, DC. Tickets can also be obtained through the League’s website, www.POWMIALeague.org, by clicking on Pay Pal, though handling adds an additional $2.00 to the total cost of the ticket(s). Act now before it is too late to win a Harley AND support the League, a nonprofit 501 [c] 3 tax-exempt organization.
FAMILIES OPPOSE ANOTHER SELECT COMMITTEE ON POW/MIA AFFAIRS: With a unanimous vote of the League’s Board of Directors preceding a unanimous membership vote at the 38th Annual Meeting, the League is firmly on record as strongly opposing H. Res. 111. Previously disproven claims of conspiracy and cover-up are again being raised, and past investigations have completely tied up assets and resources and the accounting was put on hold to allow time and attention to responding to Congress. The League will continue to fight against another wasteful, time-consuming special committee or commission unless and until there is nothing further that can be done constructively. In that event, the League would then reconsider. That time is NOT now!
LEAGUE APPROVED FOR 2007 COMBINED FFEDERAL CAMPAIGN (CFC): The League was recently approved and notified that the stringent criteria were met. Our new (five digit) number is 10218, assigned by the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Washington, DC. The League is the ONLY nonprofit organization representing American POW/MIAs, KIA/BNR’s and their families that is eligible for donations through the CFC & United Way structure. Despite the reality that there are many competing charities and much need, especially in a time of war, the League is proud of our CFC eligibility, knowing the tough requirements that any organization must meet. .
CHECK THE LEAGUE’S UPDATED WEB SITE
Ann
Mills
Griffiths
|
|
This site is dedicated to the more than 58,000 Soldiers who
fought and died serving their Country in Vietnam. |