NC Department of POW/MIA Affairs

Defense Team, Families Discuss Efforts To Find Missing Troops

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 09:45:00 +0000

Washington Post - United States

By Daniel de Vise
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 29, 2009; Page C05

In a chilly Rockville conference room yesterday, wives, daughters and a twin brother told stories of loved ones who went off to Vietnam, Korea and Normandy and may yet come home.

The U.S. Defense Department's POW/Missing Personnel Office briefed 150 relatives on its effort to identify and return the remains of U.S. service members missing in action. The office is part of a team that identifies the remains of about 100 service members each year, thinning the list of more than 80,000 missing from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Cold War through such methods as modern DNA analysis and old-fashioned dental comparison. Sixty-two missions are planned this year -- to jungles, forests and mountaintops where newly discovered crash sites and burial plots are reported.

Microphones were passed around in a remembrance ceremony that filled the room with portions of heroic tales: He was about three to four days into battle. . . . They were out on a night mission. . . . His plane was shot down over the North Sea. . . . It took me 47 years to find the person who was with him when he died.

Families came to hear about efforts to recover their loved ones, to ask questions and to contribute DNA samples. A laboratory worker took a swab from the mouth of Jacqueline Stark of Chevy Chase, whose father, Army Maj. Marshall Wolcott Stark, is thought to have died in North Korea in November 1950.

Stark fought in the Battle of Kunu-ri, his 2nd Infantry Division badly outnumbered by the Chinese. The division took heavy losses as it withdrew through territory now known as the Gauntlet. Stark was reported missing Nov. 30. There was no firsthand account of his death.
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Jacqueline was 3 when her father went to war. She has a picture of him posing as a Korean peasant, an older shot of him beside the military glider he flew to Normandy on D-Day and a memory of bobbing in the air above him, playing airplane in the family home.

She said she attended the briefing because she was "curious about the whole process."

A public affairs officer told her, "I don't want to be dramatic here: We may have his remains."

Remains of more than 1,000 Americans killed in Korea are in hand and not identified.

The Missing Personnel Office has traveled the country since 1995, holding similar meetings and reaching more than 14,000 relatives of missing service members. Spokesman Larry Greer said the Defense Department effort involves about 600 people and an annual budget of about $105 million.

Recovering the remains of Army Cpl. Richard Warren Krepps has been a long endeavor for his twin brother, Vincent Krepps of Towson, Md. They enlisted with friends from Lynnwood, Penn., and went into battle in Korea with the same infantry division as Stark.

Richard Krepps was captured by the Chinese. His group of POWs was marched from village to village and housed at a prison camp on the banks of the Yalu River. There, witnesses said, Krepps died in 1951.

At one point, Vincent saw his brother in an enemy propaganda photo published in a Pennsylvania newspaper. He awaited proof of his death until 1998, when he received a letter from a man who was with Richard at the end.

That year, Vincent Krepps returned to the place where his brother was captured. Neither he nor the U.S. military has been allowed into the prison camp where Richard died. Vincent has written a book, "One Came Home," recounting his efforts and the military's to identify missing service members.

"Every little bit pushes me toward the hope that maybe one day he will be recovered," he said.

Hoosier Honor Flight Sends Local WWII Vets To D.C.

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 09:40:00 +0000

Reporter-Times - Martinsville, IN, USA

By Lacey Nix Reporter-Times
March 29, 2009

Robert Gipson left the military more than 60 years ago, but the memories of WWII are always fresh in his mind. Gipson, a resident of Morgantown, served in the 5th Infantry Division and was the recipient of a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

At 88 years old, Gipson never thought he would see the memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring him and the thousands of other WWII veterans. That was true, until he was told by members of the Hoosier Honor Flight he would be taking a one day, all-expenses-paid trip to see the memorial.

Gipson, along with 39 other veterans and 15 helpers, took the first of the Hoosier Honor Flights on Nov. 12, 2008. They were able to see the WWII, Vietnam and Korean conflict memorials. They also had the option of seeing the Lincoln Memorial, Tomb of the Unknowns and the Arlington National Cemetery.

Gipson, who was hit by a land mine and held as a prisoner of war for a month, has many feelings and memories of the war. However, standing in front of the WWII Memorial, all he felt was pride. He said, “I was really proud to go up with this group. It was a nice group and nice flight.”

Gipson was lucky to get a seat on the flight. He was originally listed as an alternate on the list of people going to Washington.

“Someone canceled at the last minute, so we got to go. I was tired when I got home, but it was definitely worth it,” he said.

Although the Hoosier Honor Flight is new to the area, the concept has been around the country for a while. The goal of HHF is to get as many WWII veterans to Washington to see the memorial before they pass away.

President of the Hoosier Honor Flight Inc., John Tilford, says achieving this goal has been an uphill battle. Tilford says that we are losing nearly 1,200 WWII veterans a day.

“We are down to 2 million left out of the 16 million who survived the war,” Tilford said.

Tilford hoped to get HHF started in 2007 but ran into some obstacles along the way. He now has a renewed sense of dedication to the trip and hopes to take many more.

“We lost some of the guys we wish we had taken before,” he said.

HHF has scheduled the next trip to Washington for April 22 and hopes to do another in September. Leigh Hayden and Robert Shouse of Martinsville were both listed as waiting to be on the April 22 Hoosier Honor Flight.

Tilford has seen the trip grow from 40 in November to more than 112 veterans scheduled in April. With an average veteran age of 85, Tilford stresses that time is of the essence when getting these veterans out to Washington.

Out of the 40 scheduled for November’s flight, six were unable to make it due to health reasons. HHF books veterans on flights based on the order they file their applications. Tilford has made exceptions for those with ailing health or terminal illnesses.

Serving in the military for more than 38 years, Tilford has a special place in his heart for veterans.

“There are some things you run across in life by chance; this is the right thing to do and the right time,” he said.

HHF does not charge veterans to go on the trip; they pay for everything. Tilford said, “The vets are absolutely free, that is the whole purpose of the program.”

HHF pays for this by collecting a fee from the “guardians” who travel with the vets and with donations.

The average fee for a guardian is around $400. However, Tilford says that the guardians feel honored to go to the memorial with the vets and are happy to pay. The remaining 2/3 of the trip is paid for with donations.

The November trip cost HHF around $21,000. This is a minimal expense, Tilford says, “It’s a life changing deal for the vets.”

Putting together these trips are a lot of hard work, but well worth the payoff when vets like Gipson see the memorial, says Tilford.

“There is an obvious connection, we understand each other,” Tilford said. “Some vets are literally in tears.”

Gipson had one of these moments when he got off the plane in Washington.

“Probably the most tearful was when the other passengers in Washington International cheered and started applauding the vets. It was great,” he said.

Gipson said, “It was the kind of moment that made the hair stand on your head. We got applause for about five minutes as we walked down and boarded the bus.”

This was not the only time the vets were honored in such a way. Tilford said, “Several times during the day people walked up and thanked them.”

Gipson said he will always remember the trip and has created a scrapbook with many photos to pass on to future generations. His favorite memory was at the Tomb of the Unknown. He said, “We got to see the graves of the unknown soldiers, and four people in our group put a wreath on the grave.”

HHF drew names to see which veterans would get to place a wreath on the tomb.

“The changing of the guard there was really something,” Gipson said.

To learn more about the Hoosier Honor Flight or to get an application, contact John Tilford at 812-336-5574. To learn more about the national effort to get WWII veterans to Washington, visit www.honorflight.org.

Families Gather In Pursuit Of Loved Ones Lost

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 09:18:00 +0000

Baltimore Sun - United States

Defense Dept. holds session on finding MIAs

By Mary Gail Hare
March 29, 2009

Calvin and Kenneth Bayne, 81-year-old twins, can easily recall boxing lessons and camping trips with their big brother Robert. Also etched into their boyhood memories is the day in 1945 that a telegram arrived, telling them that Pfc. Robert Bayne, then 26, was missing in action near Mannheim, Germany. His remains were never recovered.

"We have his Purple Heart, the telegram and his letters," said Calvin Bayne. "But we still want to bring him home."

On Saturday, the 64th anniversary of the date they lost Robert, the Baynes joined 80 families gathered at a conference in Bethesda to learn what the military can do to return their loved ones. The event, organized by the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, included spouses, siblings and children of MIAs, like the Baynes of Dundalk.

"When someone goes missing, it changes the family's life immediately and forever," said Linda Watkins-Green of Germantown, the daughter of Air Force Capt. Richard E. Watkins Jr. In 1955, when she was 2, her father was shot down during a Cold War reconnaissance flight off the far eastern reaches of Russia. It would be nearly 50 years before Russia opened its archives to the U.S. and clues to what happened to his plane were found.

The conference gave her an opportunity "to do something for my father and to give my 83-year-old mother some closure," she said.

During the daylong event, families heard how the agency, known as the DPMO, has been involved since 1995 in a worldwide effort to locate and identify remains.

"We owe it to these families," said Charles A. Ray, a former ambassador to Cambodia and a Vietnam veteran, who leads the effort for the Department of Defense. "We have to do everything possible to find, return and identify the remains - or to explain to the family why we are unable to do that, so that they have some sense of what happened."

The agency, relying heavily on recent technology - particularly DNA science - as well as oral histories, military records, and personal effects, identified 80 Americans last year, three of them from World War I.

"Don't walk out without giving us DNA," James J. Canik, deputy director of the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory, asked the families. "You might hold the key that is sacred to our success."

The Bayne brothers, also veterans, submitted DNA samples last year and are poring over information provided by the agency. They scheduled a private briefing Saturday.

"We try not to build false hope, but even when we have exhausted all resources, we never close the case," said Larry Greer, DPMO spokesman.

Families play a critical role in the success of the effort, organizers said. The remains of a Navy pilot shot down in Vietnam were ultimately identified when his widow found an envelope with the curls from his first haircut.

In another case, a 1950s letter from a missing Korean War soldier's mother described a gap between his front teeth. It stayed in a file until, decades later, it provided the last clue to the identity of a soldier, whose shallow grave was located in North Korea.

The event also gave families the chance to share glimpses into the lives lost.

All Charleye Dyer knows of her father was gleaned from his letters to her mother, photographs and memorabilia. Lt. Charles G. Dyer, a Navy pilot, died in 1943 during a battle near the Solomon Islands, three months before his only child was born. She came to the conference "still looking for answers," she said.

"Nothing of him was ever recovered, but still there is this hope that there is something of him to bring home," said Dyer, of Dickeyville. "This is all about keeping the candle burning and doing something to honor my dad."

Nita Lumpkin came from Stanardsville, Va., with a map of Vietnam to show where her brother, Capt. Hugh Byrd, disappeared while flying reconnaissance in 1969.

"They have excavated the crash site twice without finding human remains," Lumpkin said. "I know these people have done all they can, and I come here feeling blessed to be with others. We are all experiencing All Saints Day today."

Designs For Memorial Honoring Military Women Unveiled At Veterans Conference (3 PM)

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 10:10:00 +0000

Las Cruces Sun-News - Las Cruces, NM, USA

By Ashley Meeks Sun-News reporter
Posted: 03/28/2009 03:00:08 PM MDT

LAS CRUCES — Designs for a memorial honoring military women were unveiled Saturday during the second and final day of a conference for women veterans, just a day after a bill-signing ceremony for a state veterans museum in Las Cruces.

The memorial will be on the south side of the garrison flag at Veterans Park, 2651 Roadrunner Parkway, and will feature six statues, one for each military branch and one representing the National Guard's participation in current wars, said its designer.

Former "military brat" Patricia Decker, an architect intern at Perspectiva in El Paso, completed the design work pro bono and Las Cruces's women veterans say they hope to raise all the money to build it — a figure unknown as yet — by themselves.

"It's recognition, education and ultimately a place to celebrate women veterans and your service," Decker said.

Women represent 7 percent of American veterans but 15 percent of current ranks, said John M. Garcia, Secretary of New Mexico Department of Veterans Services, where the ranks of female service officers has grown from one to five.

"The roles women are playing today is very different, very unique," Garcia said Saturday at the Ramada Palms, where the state's first-ever women's veterans conference was held. A crowd of 81 women representing veterans from World War II to current conflicts attended.

Army National Guard Lt. Col. Lynn Scott, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, left her almost 3-year-old for an eight-month deployment, she said.

"For a mom, definitely, it's a heart-breaking position," Scott said. "But I did make the right decision."

That message was emphasized also by former Army Spc. Shoshana Johnson, Saturday's keynote speaker. Johnson, 36, was the first black American female prisoner of war and a Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient. Six years ago last Monday, Johnson's convoy was ambushed in Nasiriyah and she was shot in her ankle, then captured with five others. Three weeks later, Marines rescued them from a house in Samarra.

The tradition of women serving in the military, Johnson told her fellow vets, "will get even better, but it wouldn't happen without you ladies."

"It can only get better if we step forward and make it better. We must encourage our young women to do the same thing," Johnson said. "We walk together in the sisterhood."

Marine Capt. Carol Gaines, 72, said while it took bravery for her to join the Marine Corps almost five decades ago, women still face unfair discouragement from enlisting.

Gaines became a Marine officer on the advice of her mother, a single parent in small-town Wisconsin, and a brochure she found in high school, offering six weeks of summer training for women Marines.

"I did not find particular harassment, but there were men who resented that women did not do the combat, the male macho thing," Gaines said. "Women veterans today play a very different role."

Gaines, who served for eight years as an education officer and married a Marine veteran of the Korean War, said the mid-century slogan encouraging female enlistment, "Free a man to fight" is still applicable — as is the aspect of adventure.

"My mother said, "If you were a teacher, you'd be in some town in the middle of nowhere. (In the Marines) I know someone's always looking out for you, you always have food and you're going to some place interesting — so I can come visit you.'"

And upon return, New Mexico is a good place to be, said Craig Moore, director of the Albuquerque Veterans Affairs office. Moore enlisted in the Air Force in 1971 and joined the VA to change the shoddy treatment he and others experienced upon returning. Moore even distributed his direct phone number — (505) 346-3990.

Noting that every injured veteran he thanks for his or her service "seems embarrassed" by the praise, Moore encouraged those present to take advantage of the opportunities afforded to them, which he said are among the highest in the nation in New Mexico.

"These aren't giveaways," Moore said. "These are benefits you're earned."

Ashley Meeks can be reached at ameeks@lcsun-news.com; (575) 541-5462.

MIA Families Keep Searching

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 09:55:00 +0000

MyFox Washington DC - Washington, DC, USA

Last Edited: Saturday, 28 Mar 2009, 9:53 PM EDT
Created On: Saturday, 28 Mar 2009, 9:32 PM EDT

ROCKVILLE,Md. - Janice Stoms drove from Phoenixville, PA to Rockville, MD, Saturday, in an effort to find the father she lost in 1958. U.S. Army Captain Wayne Pitcher's plane went down at sea near Taiwan during the Cold War. Nobody knows whether it was mechanical trouble or an attack by Chinese pilots. Neither the aircraft nor the bodies of those aboard has ever been found.

Mrs. Stoms, who was eleven years old when her father disappeared, wants answers and wants the U.S. government to keep trying. "It would certainly help me," she sobbed, "To know what happened to my father so long ago."

Janice Stoms gave DNA samples from her mouth and from old envelopes possibly licked by her father to technicians who work for the Department of Defense's POW/MIA Office.

Should the aircraft and skeletal remains ever be found, the DNA evidence might confirm the identity of the person.

Mrs. Stoms was not alone on Saturday. About 150 family members gathered at a hotel in Rockville to hear a Defense Department briefing on worldwide efforts to gather and identify remains.

Although recovery operations have been shut down for several years in North Korea, they continue on the southern part of the peninsula. "We find two or three remains [in South Korea] annually," according to Ambassador Charles A. Ray, the current head of the DOD Missing Personnel Office.

Ambassador Ray says efforts continue to locate and identify remains from the estimated 1,700 military missing from the Vietnam War, the 8,000 MIA's from the Korean conflict, and the more than 70,000 American service personnel who were never accounted for at the end of World War II.

NC Department of POW/MIA Affiars Press Release 03-09-01

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:18:00 +0000

NC Department of POW/MIA Affairs - Fayetteville, NC, USA

NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF POW/MIA AFFAIRS
"Remembering Those Others Have Forgotten"
www.standingwatch.blogspot.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
27 MARCH 2009
NO. 03-09-01

FAYETTEVILLE, NC – The following has been announced by the House Armed Services Committee:

The Military Personnel Subcommittee will meet to receive testimony on improving recovery and full accounting of POW/MIA personnel from all past conflicts.

Witness schedule:

Panel 1

Mr. Michael H. Wysong
Director of National Security and Foreign Affairs
Veterans of Foreign Wars

Mr. Philip D. Riley
Director
National Security and Foreign Relations
The American Legion

Ms. Ann Mills-Griffiths
Executive Director
National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia

Ms. Lisa Phillips
President
WWII Families for the Return of the Missing

Ms. Lynn O’Shea
Director of Research
National Alliance of Families

Mr. Frank Metersky
Washington Liaison
Korea/Cold Families of the Missing

Ms. Robin Picine
President
Coalition of Families of Korean and Cold War POW/MIAs

Mr. Ron Broward
POW/MIA Advocate

Panel 2

The Honorable Charles A. Ray
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/Missing Personnel Affairs
U.S. Department of Defense

Rear Admiral Donna L. Crisp, USN
Commander, Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command
U.S. Department of Defense

Testimony is scheduled to take place on 2 APRIL 2009 at 2:00 PM in the House Rayburn Building, Room 2212.

Mike Surles, Director of the North Carolina Department of POW/MIA Affairs, will be in attendance.

"I am looking forward to the opportunity of hearing this testimony. It should provide valuable information on the internal structure, resources and personnel, budget, command and control of our efforts to release, recover, and repatriate our POW/MIAs. During these economic challenging times for our country, America must not forget the sacred promise made to each man and women who has and is wearing the uniform of the United States and their families; to never leave anyone behind." Surles said.

Surles also stated that the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia will return a delegation from Southeast Asia on 1 APRIL 2009. The three member delegation comprised of Ann Mills-Griffiths, Executive Director, Richard Childress, Senior Policy Advisor, and Mark Stephensen, Vice Chairman of the Board departed on 15 MARCH 2009 and has been meeting with senior officials from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

## END ##

Despite The Years, Death March Survivor's Memories Vivid

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:07:00 +0000

Las Cruces Sun-News - Las Cruces, NM, USA

By Steve Ramirez Sun-News reporter
Posted: 03/26/2009 12:00:00 AM MDT

LAS CRUCES — Menandro Perazo has bittersweet memories of his home, in Capas, Luzon.

The 91-year-old Perazo, who now lives in Plano, Texas, recalled the 48 acres his father owned in Capas before World War II. It was a wonderful place for a boy to grow up, a place where people cared and looked out for each other.

But Perazo's other memories are a stark contrast. He still remembers that his father's land was taken over as a U.S. military reservation, and he has vivid recollections of walking through his hometown as a prisoner of war during the Bataan Death March.

"I saw people that I knew since I was a boy," Perazo said. "But I wasn't allowed to speak to them, nor they to me. It was very dangerous, either they or I would have been shot by the Japanese if there had been any attempts to acknowledge each other."

Perazo was a Philippine scout with the U.S. Army's 26th Cavalry, the Army's last horse cavalry.

Las Cruces resident Gerald Schurtz, who father was also on the Bataan Death March, but later died aboard a Japanese "Hellship" that took prisoners of war to slave labor camps, said Perazo and other soldiers were able to survive the Battle of Bataan by sacrificing some of the horses used by the cavalry soldiers.

"They had fighting equipment that was obsolete. They survived on half rations until food got so scarce that they had to resort to eating the
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horses," Schurtz said. "It's a true shame what those men had to go through."

Perazo recalled how many of the soldiers who were surrendered were robbed of their valuables and other possessions by Japanese soldiers. Many of the prisoners were starving and sick when the march began, and conditions became even more dire once the march started.

"The people who lived in the villages we marched through tried to help, but the Japanese shot and killed many of them," Perazo said. "It was very hard on everyone, very deadly."

Perazo's survival came down to two things.

"Luck and of course, prayers," he said.

Menandro's daughter, Mary Perazo, of El Paso, said that unlike many Death March survivors, her father hasn't hesitated to share his experiences with family members, especially Perazo's grandchildren.

"Just as he did with us, he will sit down with the grandkids and tell all the stories," Mary Perazo said. "He still remembers everything, from day one, to dates, places, and people. At first, we'd be thinking "Oh no, don't get dad talking.' But now, I fully understand just how important this is."

The experiences of the Death March remind Perazo time and time again why he is willing to share those stories.

"I've learned that you never forget about your country," he said. "I've learned that freedom isn't free. I'm trying to live a long time to keep reminding people about that."

But the volume of the Death March survivors' message keeps getting softer and softer. Many of the survivors have passed away in recent years, and in Las Cruces, only three survivors are still alive. Julio Barela, Granville Smith and Ward Redshaw are Las Cruces' three remaining Death March survivors.

Steve Ramirez can be reached at sramirez@lcsun-news.com; (575) 541-5452

Memories of Bataan

• More than 75,000 soldiers, including 67,000 Filipinos, 11,796 Americans, and 1,000 Chinese Filipinos, were surrendered to the Japanese army at the end of the Battle of Bataan.

• The prisoners of war were forced marched for 90 miles to prison camps or ships that took some of the prisoners to Japan where they worked as slaves.

• More than 21,000 soldiers died during the march.

• 2,000 American soldiers were from New Mexico.

• Less than half of the New Mexico soldiers survived the march and came home.

Veteran POW On The 'Great Escape'

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:19:00 +0000

BBC News - UK

Some surviving inmates of the German prisoner of war camp, immortalised by Hollywood as Stalag Luft 3, have returned to the site at Zagan in Poland to commemorate the anniversary of the escape attempt.

Frank Stone helped dig the 348-foot tunnel right under the noses of the German soldiers but he did not make it into the final escape party.

Of the 76 allied airmen who made their break for freedom using the tunnel, known as Harry, 50 were subsequently shot after being recaptured and only three men managed to get away completely.

Mr Stone, who spent the war as a prisoner in the camp, told Robert Hall what it had been like on the night of the 'Great Escape'.

Dan Doughty: An Unsung Hero

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:14:00 +0000

WEAU-TV 13 - Eau Claire, WI, USA

Posted: 5:28 PM Mar 25, 2009
Last Updated: 9:45 PM Mar 25, 2009
Reporter: Meghan Kulig
Email Address: meghan.kulig@weau.com

You could call this month’s Unsung Hero an inspiration. He’s a man who gave up years of his life for his country.

Ladysmith-native Dan Doughty served with the Air Force and went to Vietnam in the mid-1960’s. The now 75-year-old flew about 170 missions – before spending nearly 7 years as a prisoner of war.

During that time, he says his wife and four children were left wondering when they’d see him again.

He recounts his experience as a POW:

"I had always wanted to be a pilot from when I was a little kid during World War II. I went to Vietnam as a technical recon pilot flying the RF 101,” he said.

"I was shot down April 2nd of 1966. I was going quite fast and quite low to the ground when I was hit. The aircraft exploded and I had to eject. I was captured almost immediately after I hit the ground. I was in North Vietnam and captured by a local militia group. It was several days then before I was turned over to the regular Army. It was over a month after I was captured before I finally made it to Hanoi, the main prison system."

"Some of it was just downright miserable,” he said. “Once they started formal interrogations then it turned to brutal torture that lasted for days on end. Spent the first 13 months in solitary confinement. I guess I weighed 185 lbs. when I got captured and I got down to around 115 or 20 lbs."

"I didn't see that I was doing anything heroic, I was trying to keep myself alive and defend my country even though in captivity. We still had a job to do. I never lost hope. I was born an optimist and I always knew we were gonna' get out of there quite soon. The quite soon just kept getting longer and longer. I had a guy tell me one time, Dan, we're gonna' go home soon. Maybe not this year, maybe not next year, but we're gonna go home soon."

In 1973 – nearly 7 years after his capture – Doughty did go home to a hero’s welcome in Ladysmith.

He says he was in the same prisoner camp as John McCain. But, he never met him until a couple weeks before he went home.

Military Channel Presents 'RETURN TO TARAWA'

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 11:37:00 +0000

Trading Markets (press release) - Los Angeles, CA, USA

Military Channel Presents RETURN TO TARAWA, a Documentary Capturing World War II Veteran's Crusade to Preserve a Sacred Battlefield Turned Trash Dump
Tue. March 24, 2009; Posted: 01:06 PM

SILVER SPRING, Md., Mar 24, 2009 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- In Military Channel's world premiere of RETURN TO TARAWA, World War II combat veteran Leon Cooper embarks on what he considers his final mission -- to preserve the hallowed ground of one of World War II's deadliest battlefields at Red Beach on Tarawa Island. This battle was the U.S. Navy's first major amphibious assault and over 1,600 American servicemen fell at Tarawa Island, a fortified Japanese stronghold about 2,500 miles southwest of the Hawaiian islands and currently within the Republic of Kiribati. RETURN TO TARAWA documents Cooper's stirring trip back to confirm first-hand the reports of the desecration of Red Beach, which is littered with piles of garbage, rusting debris and possible lost gravesites of servicemen still listed as missing in action. While an emotionally charged experience for the eighty-nine-year-old Cooper, this journey further propels his mission to clean-up and restore this sacred battleground by making it a permanent war memorial for all those who fought and died there. Narrated by actor Ed Harris, RETURN TO TARAWA premieres Friday, April 24th, at 10 PM ET on the Military Channel.

Cooper's first combat experience came in November of 1943 as a U.S. Navy landing craft officer charged with leading a group of Higgins Landing Crafts in the first wave of the Battle of Tarawa. The battle became known as "Bloody Tarawa" because over 1,600 marines and sailors lost their lives and more than 2,000 were wounded over the course of the three-day conflict. Cooper cannot escape the painful memories of seeing hundreds of his fellow countrymen fall around him and now, he lives with the gut-wrenching knowledge that the site of their ultimate sacrifice has become a garbage dump. Therefore, Cooper has dedicated himself to securing the support of the U.S. and Republic of Kiribati in restoring Red Beach to its original pristine condition. RETURN TO TARAWA tracks Cooper's efforts to have his comprehensive restoration plan implemented including building a modern incineration facility, which would relieve the island's chronic issues of refuse disposal. Cooper is seeking the support of the U.S. government to fund this program and establish the beach as a permanent war memorial including moving the Memorial to the 2nd Division Marines from its current location in a parking lot.

During his journey, Cooper meets with non-profit organizations dedicated to searching for the hundreds of U.S. servicemen still listed as missing in action from the Battle of Tarawa. Nearly 65 years later, these volunteers are using declassified documents, archive photographs and ground-penetrating radar to identify and locate what was suppose to be temporary gravesites that still may exist on the island. These organizations hope their efforts will assist the U.S. government in returning the remains of these MIA's to their families and provide these heroes a proper burial back home on U.S. soil.

RETURN TO TARAWA is kicking off Military Channel's History Fridays, which will premiere historical documentaries on Friday nights starting April 24. Weekly premieres after the world premiere of RETURN TO TARAWA include BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC, May 1 from 8-11 PM; TIMEWATCH: HIMMLER, HITLER & THE END OF THE THIRD REICH, May 8 at 10 PM; FATAL ATTRACTION OF ADOLF HITLER, May 15 from 9-11 PM; AMERICAN ARSENAL, May 29 at 10 PM; and FROM GENEVA TO BAGHDAD: RULES OF WAR, June 5 at 10 PM.

RETURN TO TARAWA, www.returntotarawa.com, is produced by Vanilla Fire Productions. For Vanilla Fire Productions, Steven C. Barber and Leon Cooper are executive producers and Tamara Henry is associate producer. For the Military Channel, Jane Latman is executive producer, Deborah Adler Myers is senior vice president of programming and Clark Bunting is president and general manager.

About Military Channel

The Military Channel brings viewers compelling, real-world stories of heroism, military strategy, and significant turning points in history. The network takes viewers "behind the lines" to hear the personal stories of servicemen and women and offers in-depth explorations of military training, aviation technology and cutting-edge weaponry. As the only cable network devoted to military subjects, it also provides unique access to this world, allowing viewers to experience and understand the full spectrum of human drama, courage, and patriotism intrinsic to the armed forces, as well as, the long-held traditions of the military. For more information, please visit military.discovery.com.

Taunton Will Hold Annual POW/MIA Ceremony

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 11:33:00 +0000

Taunton Daily Gazette - Taunton, MA, USA

By Kendra Leigh Sardinha
GateHouse News Service
Posted Mar 24, 2009 @ 02:30 PM

Taunton — The Taunton Area Vietnam Veterans Association will be holding their Annual POW/MIA Remembrance Day Ceremony, at noon March 29 at the Vietnam Memorial on Church Green.

Everyone is welcome to join us to remember the remaining 1,742 POW/IA’s left in Southeast Asia.

They will be reading the names and honoring the 39 from Massachusetts. “Dog Tags” will be hung on the “Sign Post” for each of these soldiers.

Mayor Charles Crowley will say a few words about Taunton’s commitment to this issue. Senator Marc Pacheco and Rep. James Fagan have also been asked to speak. Michaela Gordon will again join us by singing a few songs.

The main speaker will be John Bouchard, former U.S. Marine, Disabled Vet, served in Vietnam 68-69.
Bouchard has been active in the POW/MIA Issue for many years.
He was a three-time Post Commander of the Attleboro VFW and 3 times Post Commander of the American Legion.

Currently, he serves on the POW/MIA Committee co-chair of the Post 21 DAV.

N.J. Man 'Choked Up' Over POW Bracelet

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 10:09:00 +0000

The Northwest Florida Daily News - Fort Walton Beach, FL, USA

He had kept Bud Day's bracelet for 40 years
March 23, 2009 - 8:12 PM
Wendy Victora

For nearly 40 years, Fred Myers has kept the silver POW bracelet within sight. Most recently, he's had it clipped to his truck visor.

Myers, like countless other Americans, bought the bracelet during the Vietnam War. Instructions were to keep it until the prisoner of war whose name you wore came home.

Last week, looking for closure, the Farmingdale, N.J., man got on the Internet and typed in "Col. George Day" - the name engraved on the silver cuff. He learned that Day was very much alive in Northwest Florida.

Col. George "Bud" Day, who spent six years in captivity, is a Shalimar attorney and outspoken advocate for veterans.

"I was choked up," said Myers of learning that "his" POW was still alive. "I was shocked that after all these years I could talk to him."

He added that the bracelet has been all over the world with him.

The two men spoke and Myers agreed to mail the bracelet back to Day.

It won't be the first one the octogenarian has received. Day has trouble estimating how many bracelets have been returned over the years, but he guesses the number to be in the hundreds.

He has donated some to museums and hangs others on his Christmas tree. One is in a plastic paper weight. Others have been straightened and mounted on a plaque.

Day said that it was fascinating to him and other POWs to learn that Americans were wearing bracelets with their names on them.

"There were not many indications that we were getting supported," he said. "When we learned of that, it was a great morale booster."

Day said he was glad to hear from Myers.

"I told him I was very proud of him for wearing the bracelet," he said. "It was personally very rewarding to me and he gave me a good feeling to know that he, like so many other Americans, (was) supporting us."

Word Of 'Hump' Crash Site Kindles Images Of Father Son Knew Only From War Stories

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 11:38:00 +0000

Las Vegas Review Journal - Las Vegas, NV, USA

By KEITH ROGERS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Two weeks before John Lenox was born, his father went missing in action. Sixty-five years later, Lenox had almost lost hope he would ever know exactly what happened.

As a youngster growing up in Hartford, Conn., he was told only that his dad died in a plane crash in World War II.

"When you're young and you don't have something, you don't necessarily miss it," he said Wednesday. "My mom never spoke too much about my father. She just said, 'OK. This is your father. He was killed in the war.' We never got a lot of details."

Later in life, he learned a few things. The plane crashed while flying a supply route over the "Hump," the name pilots gave to the treacherous eastern Himalayan Mountains.

But the retired financial manager for Fortune 500 companies, his 92-year-old mother, Frances, and his older brother, Bill, knew one thing for sure: Staff Sgt. Alvin Jack Lenox was never found.

Frances Lenox said after the War Department had declared her husband dead in a letter on Sept. 10, 1945, she tried to stay focused on life with her sons.

"I just went on and had to live every day and take care of things," she said. "My brother used to say, 'Now you've got those boys. You've got to raise them. You go on with that.'"

She took the $4,000 from his military life insurance and bought a summer cottage on Long Island Sound. Going there was therapy for her, John Lenox said, and provided fun-filled memories for him and his brother.

There also were keepsakes from his dad, like the black-and-white photographs in the family album that Alvin Lenox took on his first stint in the Army. That's when he was stationed in Hawaii in the mid-1930s and got to meet such celebrities as slugger Babe Ruth, comedian Jimmy Durante and pilot Amelia Earhart.

"You can't help but think, 'Gee. Wouldn't it have been great to know him.' And then, that's not going to happen," John Lenox said, sitting with his mom at the dining room table in his North Las Vegas home.

"We would love to be able to find the remains and bring them back for closure. But what are the probabilities of that after 65 or 66 years?" Lenox said. "They can't even find them. They don't have any idea where it went down specifically. And so you say, 'OK.' That's just what you have to accept. That's the way it's going to be, but there's always hope."

Hope finally came through last month in a phone call. A Lenox family relative in Connecticut was contacted by a relative of another of the five crew members in that C-87 cargo plane on its fateful flight from Yantai, China to Joraht, India, on Aug. 9, 1943.

Word had circulated that an adventurer from Prescott, Ariz., named Clayton Kuhles had traveled to the Himalayas in October and found pieces of the wreckage containing the plane's construction number on a bamboo-covered slope about 8,000 feet up.

"When we got the call kind of out of the blue, I wasn't quite sure how to react," John Lenox said, describing how the weight of the moment began to sink in.

"Then when I went to the Web site and saw the listing of the plane and the identification of the men on board, it was really emotional. I didn't think it would be, but it hit me pretty hard.

"I talked to my brother and I said, 'How do you feel?' He says, 'You know I'm torn. I don't know exactly how to feel, because obviously we didn't know the man; but he was our father and this is an important issue now to try to get his remains back,'" John Lenox said.

Kuhles, whose hobby is to find World War II planes that went down flying the Hump, had posted a report about the find on his Web site, including paperwork he filed with the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command.

After tracing records of the plane to its mission, he listed the dead Army Air Corps airmen as Staff Sgt. Alvin J. Lenox, radio operator; Cpl. Donald A. Johnson, crew chief; 2nd Lt. John W. Funk, navigator; 1st Lt. John T. Tennison, co-pilot; and Capt. Tom Perry, pilot.

"This site was almost a five-day trek. It was definitely one of the more interesting because of the river crossings and the jungle," the 55-year-old Kuhles said by telephone Thursday.

With the help of a guide and two interpreters, Kuhles interviewed an elderly Mishmi tribesman, Ayema Keche, who was in his late teens or early 20s when the plane went down.

"He was out hunting and he witnessed the plane crashing and saw the fire," Kuhles said. "When he got there, the wreckage was still smoldering three or four days after the crash. ... He told me he buried the remains and salvaged bits and pieces of the plane that he could use at the village."

According to John Lenox, his father's plane was returning from airlifting military supplies, equipment and personnel to the Chinese government and allied forces after the main land route through Burma was seized by the Japanese.

"The best information we have is that the plane was shot down. Japanese gunfire hit the plane," he said.

Although much of the information can't be verified, Lenox believes his father's last radio transmission were words to the effect, "'We've been hit. We're going down.' And that was it. Communication was cut off at that point."

Kuhles, who has documented 15 crash sites since 2000, said most planes that crashed flying in that part of the Hump didn't go down as a result of enemy fire, however.

"I'm not aware of any Japanese attacks in that area," he said. "In the vast majority of cases, crashes were usually from navigational error or weather. Either way, the mountain and the plane collided."

Strong winds often blew planes off course, or icy conditions added weight to the aircraft, causing them to lose altitude. Matters were complicated by trying to navigate at times in zero visibility.

"It was Russian roulette," Kuhles said.

After reading books about flights in 1940s-vintage aircraft over the Hump and knowing what his father had told his mother, John Lenox said it's "a miracle that any of these planes made it."

"These guys were flying planes that were kind of wired together," he said.

"My mom would tell me that my father would write letters saying, 'These things are flying coffins.' Every time a new plane comes in, they don't fly the new plane. They strip it and keep the others going.

"One plane could keep a half a dozen other planes flying. The experience must have been just unbelievable," he said.

Regardless of what happened to that transport plane on Aug. 9, 1943, John Lenox said his family and those of the other crew members are trying to launch a congressional effort to have a recovery team sent to the crash site to search for remains.

He realizes, it could take years "before they will even undertake the task. It's just so remote."

"I would like to be able to bring him back and bury him in Connecticut," he said.

Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308.

Kilroy Takes Up Search For Missing London Flyer

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 12:11:00 +0000

London Madison Press - OH, USA

Saturday, March 21, 2009

By JANE BEATHARD
Press Contributor

The fate of a Madison County airman lost during World War II has drawn the attention of U.S. Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy. Kilroy represents Madison County as part of Ohio’s 15th Congressional District.

Kilroy’s office contacted London resident Jean Boyd last week after a story appeared in The Madison Press about U.S. Army Lt. John W. Funk. Boyd is a distant cousin of Funk who disappeared in August 1943 while flying a dangerous mission over the Himalayas.

Remnants of the flier’s long-missing C-87 cargo plane were located last fall by a private, Arizona-based organization that works to resolve the fate of aircraft lost in World War II. Nearby, searchers found five graves — presumed to be those of Funk and four other Army airmen who crewed the plane.

Paul Tencher, Kilroy’s director of communication, said the congresswoman “got interested right away” and intends to press the U.S. Department of Defense and the White House to recover the bodies from the northeast India crash site and return them to the United States for reburial.

In a statement to the Press, Congresswoman Kilroy had this to say: “Lt. John Funk has earned the full military honors befitting of an American hero. My job will be to ensure his memory is preserved and his family is allowed to participate in laying this soldier to rest. The discovery of Lt. Funk’s remains reminds us of the tens of thousands of men and women that served our country in its moments of need, but whom were never recovered. We will work with the Department of Defense and the White House to ensure an expedient return.”

Arizona businessman Clayton Kuhles led the expedition that found Funk’s plane. Kuhles turned information and photos from the crash site over to the U.S. Defense Department’s Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) in Hawaii. It’s now up to JPAC to attempt a recovery. Unfortunately, most of JPAC’s efforts are directed toward recovering those lost in the Vietnam War, with only about 10 percent of the agency’s budget allocated for World War II soldiers, sailors and airmen, Kuhles said.

Tencher said JPAC repatriates about 10 bodies a year from each military service branch. Kilroy wants the Funk’s C-87 moved up the priority list.

Lt. Funk grew up south of London in a family of seven. His siblings included the late George Funk, as well as Frances Pinnegar and Dorothy Hull — all London residents.

Tencher encourages anyone interested in promoting the recovery of Lt. Funk’s body to work through Kilroy’s office and the normal repatriation procedure.

The congresswoman can be reached at 1299 Olentangy River Road, Suite 200, Columbus, OH 43212.

Time May Finally Heal Sister's Anguished Heart

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 11:41:00 +0000

Fort Worth Star Telegram - Fort Worth, TX, USA

Posted on Sat, Mar. 21, 2009

Sister of soldier who never returned hopes 'he’s coming home’

By DAVID CASSTEVENS
dcasstevens@star-telegram.com

Last month, a 79-year-old Fort Worth woman received a military document in the mail.

"Dear Mrs. Francis:"

The cover letter was from the U.S. Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Center.

The chief of the Past Conflict Repatriations Branch informed Delona Francis that the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office was providing the "Loss Incident Summary Report" and an accompanying map of the Korean Peninsula which pertains to . . .

Dee’s hazel eyes filled, blurring the words.

". . . your brother . . ."

Private First Class Jodie S. Reese Jr.

Alone, in her modest home, the soldier’s next of kin pored over every line of the three-page report.

When she finished, as the memories washed over her, hope kindled in her anguished heart.

"I was thinking," she said, "He’s coming home . . ."

The last goodbye

Dee still remembers the day Jodie left — the last time she saw her 18-year-old brother — more than 60 years ago.

She and her mother drove to the bus station in McAlester, Okla., to say goodbye. This spirited, independent youth — he once mowed a neighbor’s lawn for milk bottles and sold the empties for cash — had joined the Army and was leaving for boot camp at Fort Knox, Ky.

Reese shipped overseas and later re-enlisted.

Meanwhile, his sister finished high school in 1947 and moved to Fort Worth, where she attended business college and married.

Jodie Reese died in October 1950. He was 22.

His mother and father received word in a telegram but waited several weeks to inform their daughter in person.

The Reeses drove to Fort Worth on the day Dee returned home from the hospital, cradling her future, a baby boy.

During the Korean War (1950-53) about 54,000 Americans lost their lives. More than 100,000 were wounded. About 8,000 were unaccounted for.

This family never had a flag-draped coffin or funeral service.

Private Reese didn’t come home.

"My parents," Francis remembered, "never did get over it."

The circumstances of Reese’s death — the whereabouts of his remains — lived on as a mystery until recently when the soldier’s white-haired sister received an unexpected phone call followed by the military report that finally provided some answers.

POWs gunned down

According to the Army, Reese, assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division, was taken captive Aug. 11, 1950, while helping defend an airfield in South Korea from an attack by up to 2,000 North Korean guerrillas.

He and other American prisoners were marched hundreds of miles north.

The enemy forced some captives to travel barefoot.

The average food ration was one rice ball a day and little or no water. Many prisoners died from malnutrition, dysentery, beriberi and pneumonia.

Reese arrived in Seoul in late August or early September.

"He was among many POWs whose names appear on black boards in the school house where they were held," the report states. "The North Korean guards simply forgot to erase the black boards when they left."

After Gen. Douglas MacArthur landed the Marines at Inchon this group of prisoners was hurriedly marched northward to Pyongyang and on Oct. 18 loaded onto railroad boxcars. With American forces closing in, the train proceeded to a tunnel near Sunchon. About 100 men were taken off the train before it left.

A short time later, the report said, North Korean guards attempted to shoot and kill all the men before fleeing themselves.

When rescue forces arrived the next day, about 25 men were still alive. They recounted what had happened and helped identify many of the dead.

John E. Martin of Ferndale, Mich., was among the survivors of the Sunchon tunnel massacre, and in 1953 he described the event before a congressional subcommittee investigating Communist atrocities in Korea.

Martin said prisoners were ordered to crouch, and then gunned down. After the volley, Martin testified, a member of the firing squad "went down and kicked somebody and if he groaned they shot him again, or bayoneted him, and then kicked somebody else."

The report Francis received confirmed, "PFC Reese was among those killed by the guards."

Bodies buried near the rail line later were exhumed and moved to a United Nations military cemetery at Pyongyang. Reece, "man X-45", was buried in grave No. 1-13-184.

Francis still can picture him, that happy face, forever young.

"My mother would tell us we could go outside and play, but don’t go past the corner," she said, recalling their childhood. "Jodie would take off and be out of sight. He went any place he wanted to go."

Sharing her deepest feelings is difficult for this reserved, private woman.

But she wants others to know this.

"He always stood up for me," she said. "He had a heart of gold."

Finding families

How the Army found Dee Francis is a story within a story.

In January the Tulsa World published an article about a 79-year-old Korean War veteran whose tireless mission is to find families of missing servicemen who served during that conflict. Harold Davis has located several hundred relatives, and his search has spread nationwide.

"I don’t get a penny and don’t want one," Davis said from his home in Wilmington, N.C.

The newspaper story listed 37 Oklahomans whose families he was seeking.

One soldier was Jodie Silas Reese from Pittsburg County.

A reader saw the name and called Davis. That person suggested he contact Gladys Hulsey, who is Dee Francis’ aunt by marriage.

Hulsey told the researcher that Reese’s sister lived somewhere in Texas. Davis found Francis’ address and telephone number through an Internet search.

He called the woman one evening in late January.

"It got my attention," said Francis, who was shocked to hear this stranger speak her brother’s name.

Davis put her in touch with the chief of the Korean War section of the Army Past Conflict Reparations Branch. The Army is attempting to locate more than 6,000 families to collect DNA samples for the purpose of identifying soldiers from World War II and wars in Korea and Vietnam.

The Army mailed Francis a DNA sampling kit that includes a cotton-tipped sterile swab. She provided a sample from inside her mouth and returned the material to the Armed Forces DNA Identification Lab in Rockville, Md.

'Unknowns’ buried

After the Korean War, more than 4,000 sets of human remains were returned by the Chinese and North Koreans during Operation Glory. All but 416 of the Americans among them were identified and returned to their families.

The report Francis received said that the 416 "Unknowns" are now buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.

"At this moment," the report states, "we cannot be certain whether PFC Reese’s remains were among those returned or whether they are still buried in Pyongyang. . . . For now, we are attempting to develop any possible leads. To date, 11 sets of Korean War remains have been exhumed [in Hawaii] and six have been identified. Efforts at resolution, including preparations for future work in North Korea, continue."

One man isn’t content to wait to honor Private Reese.

Bill Steelman is a longtime friend of Francis and a proud veteran of what often is referred to as America’s "forgotten war." After hearing her story, he arranged to have the combat soldier’s name placed on the face of a black granite war memorial in Tye Cemetery off Oak Grove Road, near Burleson.

The stone lists hundreds of the fallen, dating back to the Civil War.

Steelman said he is convinced that Private Jodie Reese Jr. will come home.

If and when that day comes, Francis wants to bury her brother’s remains alongside Jodie’s parents, who rest in a small cemetery in McAlester.

"I think it’s what my mother would want me to do," Francis said.

"That would make her happy."

Until then Jodie’s sister waits, sustained daily by her tested faith.

"I know the Lord knows where he is," Dee Francis said. "I get peace knowing he’s with Him."

Korean War Project

The Korean War Project is a nonprofit corporation based in Dallas that oversees a program to identify MIAs and find their families.

Nine years ago the project evolved into an Internet-based initiative called Finding The Families.

The Korean War Project maintains the most comprehensive public database of Korean War casualties available to the public.

For information: www.koreanwar.org or call 214-320-0342

"I know the Lord knows where he is. I get peace knowing he’s with Him."
Delona Francis,
sister of missing soldier

DAVID CASSTEVENS, 817-390-7436

Technology Revolution At JPAC

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:18:00 +0000

FOXNews - USA

For years, JPAC search teams and scientists relied in eyewitness accounts, personal affects and dental records to identify the remains. Now, they have a powerful new tool: DNA.

"We're using DNA in about 80 percent of the cases," said Dr. Thomas Holland, scientific director at JPAC. "Nowadays, they're getting DNA out of fragments the size of your thumbnail. It has revolutionized how we do business. We're going back to cases that were on the shelf when I got here, and had been on the shelf since the early 1980s and we're resolving those cases now because of DNA."

Said Holland, "It's amazing where we've come in a relatively short period of time."

For the families who have waited years for information about the fate of their loved ones, giving DNA samples can finally mean answers. Laverne Ransbottom's son, Freddie Joel, went missing during battle in Vietnam in 1968. For years, she and her family waited for any news about the fate of the eldest of three boys. The new technology gave her renewed hope.

"The first time that I ever heard about DNA, I was sitting there wide eyed," said Laverne in her home in Edmond, OK. "And I was absolutely blown away that this is happening. And I couldn't wait to fill out the paperwork and give (JPAC) my arm, you know? Take the blood, let's go!"

The remains of Freddie Joel were recovered in Vietnam in 2006 and confirmed by his personal affects, dental records, as well as DNA.

His mother Laverne had finally found some peace: "We're so happy he's now home."

JPAC identifies approximately 100 cases a year. That number could be substantially higher if more families with relatives who are missing in action from America's wars gave a DNA sample to JPAC.

"That is the biggest holdup that we have," says Dr. Holland.

"For the Vietnam War, it is very good," says laboratory director Dr. John Byrd about the number of family samples JPAC currently has on record. "A high percentage of the families of the missing have donated samples. With the Korean War, it has been a challenge for us over the last several years to get those family reference samples. But at this point we are proud to say approximately half of the families of the 8,100 missing have donated a DNA sample. But that still leaves approximately half that have not. And it is a big problem for us in our identification efforts."

One of the more memorable uses of DNA by JPAC occurred in 1998, when as Dr. Holland says, "We cracked one of the hardest puzzles out there." That was the identification of the remains placed in the Vietnam Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. With the advent of DNA testing, then-Secretary of Defense William Cohen approved the exhumation of these remains. On June 30 of that year, Secretary Cohen called the family of Lt. Michael Blassie and told them that their son — still listed as missing in action since 1972 — had been identified as the unknown soldier from Vietnam. On July 11, 1998, 26 years after he went missing, Lt. Blassie was laid to rest by his family.

With these new technological advances and the drive to have family members submit DNA samples, JPAC is committed to never having anymore "unknowns."

"We have a lot of faith in the development of science," says Dr. Byrd. "And, and we hope that we will be able to identify everyone who is in this laboratory at some point in the future."

For information on JPAC and how to give a DNA sample, please visit: www.jpac.pacom.mil

— Gregory Johnson is a producer for "War Stories With Oliver North"

Seantor Rhoads Honors Fallen WWII Fireman Third Class Welborn Lee Ashby

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:20:00 +0000

iSurfHopkinsCo - Madisonville, KY, USA

Wednesday, 18 March 2009

FRANKFORT - The Kentucky State Senate Friday adopted Senator Jerry P. Rhoads' resolution adjourning the Senate in honor of Fireman Third Class Welborn Lee Ashby, who was killed during World War II.

Ashby, who enlisted in the United States Navy in 1940, was assigned to the Battleship USS West Virginia as a fireman. He was killed in action December 7, 1941 during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His remains were recovered for proper identification in 2007 by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command at Hickman Air Force Base in Hawaii, an organization that works to identify Americans who were killed in action. It took two years of DNA testing and confirmation to verify his remains for burial.

Ashby, who grew up in Centertown, drowned, following the sudden island attack by the Japanese that claimed 2,402 American lives, devastated the Pacific fleet, and spawned the United States' involvement in World War II.

His sister, Martha Christian, remembers him as being a jolly guy and a good student. She also says he "was patriotic toward his county."

"Ashby was the first World War II casualty from Ohio County, serving his country with courage and distinction," Senator Rhoads said. "The American Legion Post in Centertown was named in his honor. Ashby is a true hero to the people of Ohio County, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and the United States of America."

Ashby was to be buried at his family's plot next to his parents (Otie and Mary Ashby) in Ohio County with full military honors.

Senator Rhoads (D) of Madisonville, said the Commonwealth of Kentucky has the highest respect for Ashby and is deeply grateful for the sacrifice he made for the freedom of all Americans. The discovery and interment of his remains provides a bittersweet sense of closure for his family.

The Kentucky State Senate adjourned on Friday, March 13, the 28th legislative day of the 2009 session, in memory and honor of Fireman Third Class Welborn Ashby.

Senator Rhoads represents the 6th district, which includes Hopkins, Muhlenberg and Ohio counties.

Flags Fly Again Outside The Ray County Museum Thanks To Some Donations

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:46:00 +0000

Richmond Daily News - Richmond, MO, USA

Dennis Sharkey, News Editor
03-18-2009

Last month volunteers at the Ray County Museum noticed an unwanted surprise when they arrived at the Ray County Museum. Someone stole the American, state and POW/MIA flags that fly outside the museum located at 901 Royle St. in Richmond.

So far no one has been arrested in the case and at this time police do not have any leads and the flags have not been returned. The theft occurred in the overnight hours.

Museum Curator Karen Bush said security cameras were not able to pick up any activity.

Bush said the American flag was donated by the local VFW and Veteran’s Association and the POW/MIA flag was given to the museum by volunteer Rod Fields.
State Rep. Bob Nance secured a state flag for the museum.

Bush said those who donated flags were not happy about the situation. Bush wrote a letter to the editor after the incident. She said she received a lot of responses from curious and concerned citizens as she has made her way around town since the incident.

Anyone with information about the theft of the flags is asked to call the Richmond Police Department at 816-776-5826.

Photo: The flags outside the Ray County Museum began flying again last week after thieves stole the flags last month. (Photo by Dennis Sharkey/The Daily News)

Remains Of Fallen Korean War POW To Be Buried

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:31:00 +0000

ArmyTimes.com - Springfield, VA, USA

Staff report
Posted : Tuesday Mar 17, 2009 19:18:34 EDT

Sgt. 1st Class Patrick J. Arthur was captured in Korea in 1951 by Chinese forces, northeast of the Hongch’on River, and died in a prisoner of war camp two months later.

On May 1, his remains will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, according to a news release from the Defense Department’s POW/Missing Personnel Office.

Arthur was a member of Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 38th Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.

In mid-May 1951, elements of the 2nd ID were securing their positions on the No Name Line south of the Soyang River, South Korea, when the Chinese Army launched a major counter-offensive, the release said.

The 2nd ID soldiers were forced to withdraw south to a more defensible position north and east of the Hongch’on River.

On May 18, during the withdrawal, Arthur, of Broken Bow, Neb., was captured by the enemy and forced to march into North Korea, where he died of malnutrition and disease in July.

He was buried at the Suan Mining POW Camp near Pyongyang, the release said.

Between 1991 and 1994, North Korea gave the U.S. 208 boxes believed to contain the remains of up to 400 U.S. servicemen. Accompanying some of the remains were Arthur’s military identification tag and a denture fragment bearing his name.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in identifying some of the remains as Arthur’s, the release said.

Representatives from the Army’s Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Office met with Arthur’s next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process on behalf of the secretary of the Army.

POW/MIA Update: 12 March 2009

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 11:13:00 +0000

National League of POW/MIA Families - Arlington, VA, USA

AMERICANS ACCOUNTED FOR: Following is the list of US personnel whose remains were recovered and identified individually or as a group since the last League Newsletter on October 16, 2008:

- Major Bernard L. Bucher, USA, of IL, KIA/BNR, 5/12/68, SVN, RR 6/9/93
- Lance Corporal Ralph L. Harper, USMC, of IN, KIA/BNR, 6/6/68, SVN, RR 10/19/06
- Staff Sergeant Frank M. Hepler, USA, of PA, KIA/BNR, 5/12/68, RR 6/9/93
- Lance Corporal Kurt E. LaPlant, USMC, of KS, KIA/BNR, 6/6/68, SVN, RR 10/19/06
- Major John L. McElroy, USA, of KY, KIA/BNR, 5/12/68, SVN, 6/9/93
- First Lieutenant Stephen C. Moreland, USA, of CA, KIA/BNR, 5/12/68, RR 6/9/93
- Lance Corporal Luis F. Palacios, USMC, of CA, KIA/BNR, 6/6/68, SVN, RR 1019/06
- Private First Class Jose R. Sanchez, USMC, of NY, KIA/BNR 6/6/68, SVN, RR 10/19/06

There are still 1,742 US personnel listed by the Defense POW/MIA Office (DPMO) as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. There have been no announcements of Vietnam War personnel identified since December 15th. The number of US personnel accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 is 841. 90% of the 1,742 still missing from the Vietnam War were lost in Vietnam or in areas of Laos and Cambodia under Vietnam’s wartime control.

LEAGUE DELEGATION GOING TO LAOS, CAMBODIA & VIETNAM: Departing on March 15th, Executive Director Ann Mills Griffiths will again lead a small team to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia for discussions with senior officials in each country. She has taken many such trips since her first in 1982, including both League and US Government delegations. By vote of the Board of Directors, Senior Policy Advisor Richard Childress and Vice Chairman of the Board Mark Stephensen will complete the three-member delegation. Both are paying all expenses themselves, with some support from concerned citizens in Idaho, Nevada and Utah to help with Mark’s expenses. Expense to the League will be minimal; the executive director’s round trip ticket was purchased with accumulated frequent flyer miles. Earlier, by electronic distribution, family members were asked to write personal letters to senior officials in the country where their loved one was lost, either thanking them for answers received (such is the case for Mark Stephensen and his family), or appealing for answers and greater cooperation, as is pertinent for over 1,700 families and countless friends. The letters received will be taken by the delegation and delivered to officials in each country.

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING TO BE HELD: The Executive Director has been invited to testify at a hearing of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel on April 2nd, the day after returning from Southeast Asia. There will be two panels. Panel #1 will include The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the League and other groups who claim representation for Korean War and WWII families. The first panel also includes a Korean War veteran who has long advocated a complete restructure of the US government’s POW/MIA community. Some of his and his supporters’ proposals include reverting to a separate Central Identification Laboratory that would no longer be under JPAC or the Commander, U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM), and relocation to the continental US, among other actions that the League strongly opposes. Panel #2 includes Ambassador Charlie Ray, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for POW/Missing Personnel Affairs and Director of the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office. (no longer POW/MIA) and Rear Admiral Donna Crisp, USN, JPAC Commander. The focus for this hearing appears to be on internal questions of structure, resources and personnel, budget, command and control, mechanisms for establishing priorities, etc. We know of no requests from the Committee in terms of policy recommendations to increase accounting results, and each witness is being given only three minutes for an oral presentation, supplemented by written statements. The League supports Committee oversight, versus another Select Committee or special commission, and hopes future hearings will focus on policy approach and knowledge of those governments still withholding answers, as well as their ability to provide them.

DEFENSE ATTACHÉ OFFICE OPENED IN LAOS: A Defense Attaché Office (DAO) was officially opened on December 5th at the US Embassy in Vientiane, Laos. The long-sought agreement to exchange military attachés between the US and Laos was first announced in 2007. The new US Defense Attaché, Army LTC (P) James McAden, met with senior officials at the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense as part of the DAO opening. US Ambassador to Laos Ravic R. Huso hosted a reception that evening for Lao and US officials and counterpart attachés in the embassies of other countries with representation in Vientiane. LTC McAden is a Southeast Asia specialist (FAO) who most recently served as Deputy to the Foreign Policy Advisor at US Pacific Command (PACOM) and previously at the US Embassy in Indonesia.

DEFENSE ATTACHÉ IN VIETNAM: After months of awaiting approval from the Vietnamese Government, COL Patrick Reardon, USA, recently assumed his position as Defense Attaché (DATT) in Hanoi. The first exchange of attachés between the US and Vietnam occurred fairly early in the bilateral relationship formally established in 1995. The resulting improvements in the military-to-military relationship have been useful and beneficial to both countries, but the pursuit of answers on America’s POW/MIAs could and should be improved, including the long-overdue permanent assignment of DIA’s two Stony Beach specialists to the US Embassy in Hanoi.

US NAVY SHIP FOR USE IN ACCOUNTING EFFORTS: Vietnam has repeatedly announced agreement that a USN ship could be used in the accounting process, most recently affirmed by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung during his visit to Washington in June, 2008. After several delays, the mission was planned for March, 2009; however, there was yet another postponement. If Vietnam can and will complete inter-ministerial coordination and final agreement on a newly developed Vietnamese regulation can be reached, the current target time frame is June/July of this year. The League had hoped that the highly visible announcement last June by the Prime Minister would overcome any remaining obstacles, but has been repeatedly disappointed. It is past time for senior US officials to raise this issue and express the well-justified frustration of the families.

JPAC OPERATIONS: To enable all personnel to spend holidays with family and friends, no operations occurred the last half of December, but activities geared up quickly after the first of the year. The 107th Joint Field Activity (JFA) in Laos began January 25th and ended February 18th, a shorter time in the field than is routinely the case due to the Lao Military’s 60th Anniversary Commemorations. During the JFA, two Investigation Teams (ITs), including a DIA Stony Beach specialist, a trilateral investigation team and one Recovery Team (RT) conducted operations. POW/MIA consultations between US and Lao officials took place February 23rd-24th in Vientiane to review past operations and discuss future steps. US officials reported increased Lao Government flexibility and seriousness in consistently working to improve the accounting process. The 108th JFA began March 4th in Houa Phan and Xieng Khoang Provinces, to conclude April 4th.

On March 6th, the 42nd JFA ended in Cambodia, having focused for several weeks on recovery of reported burial sites. Although the Cambodian government willingly cooperates, there are still 57 US personnel missing and unaccounted for in that country. Due to the great tragedy inflicted on Cambodia between 1975 and 1978 by the Khmer Rouge, much of their country was destroyed and nearly two million people died of starvation or were killed. Thus, locating sites for joint operations is very difficult. The best hope for concrete answers on those still missing and unaccounted for in Cambodia lies in obtaining Vietnam’s records, as over 90% of the 57 still missing there were lost in areas under the wartime control of Vietnamese forces.

The 94th JFA in Vietnam is now ongoing. An advance team preceded the main JPAC team that includes three Recovery Teams, conducting excavations at three sites located in Gia Lai, Binh Phuoc and Binh Dinh Provinces. The fourth Recovery Team (RT) will survey and excavate an underwater site in the waters off Nghe An Province. One Investigation Team (IT) will be pursuing ten (10) cases in Quang Nam, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Dinh and Quang Ngai Provinces. The second IT will conduct research and investigation on nine (9) cases in Ho Chi Minh City and Tay Ninh, Ca Mau, An Giang, Kon Tum, Thua Thien-Hue and Thanh Hoa Provinces. This is a complex JFA that will be ongoing during the League Delegation’s visit to Vietnam; however, there are no plans to go to the field in Vietnam as all sites are significant distances from Hanoi where the primary mission is to urge the Vietnamese leadership to take the unilateral actions repeatedly specified in successive determinations to Congress. The one Underwater Investigation Team (UIT) will utilize US Navy assets, but NOT the hydrographic ship, USNS Heezen, use of which was again postponed by the Vietnamese.

JPAC investigation teams also recently conducted operations in South Korea, the Republic of Suriname (South America) and India. Talks were also recently held with the Peoples Republic of China, but no agreement could be reached to resume joint field operations in that country.

ACCOUNTING – WHAT IT IS NOT! There has recently been discussion at an official conference of many in the POW/MIA accounting community – JPAC, Casualty, DPMO and others – on a subject that impacts all POW/MIA families, all wars: what constitutes accounting. The discussion appears to be focused solely on personnel previously listed as POW/MIA and KIA/BNR from the Vietnam War, but the League’s name, and mine, as Executive Director, were misused as supporting a concept that we have long opposed. Lest this continue and the League’s position be further misrepresented, it is important to make clear that the League does not support what is being cited as the "third method of accounting." We are strongly opposed!

The terminology, developed many years ago to define the “fullest possible accounting” and more recently codified in law, defines “accounted for” – with respect to a person in a missing status – as 1) the man returned alive; 2) the recovery/repatriation of identifiable remains; or 3) convincing evidence as to why neither is possible, in which circumstance, the man's name would remain forever on the list of KIA/BNR personnel. Further, where evidence supported that all possible had been done to account for the individual, the family would be so notified and the case would become inactive, but NOT removed from the list of US personnel still missing (previously POW/MIA) and otherwise unaccounted for (initially KIA/BNR) from the Vietnam War.

Never was there any consideration of removing a missing man’s name by reaching an analytical conclusion on information. To learn at this point in history that such is now being considered, or even might be, raises more questions than answers. Why would this be considered? What is the purpose of an action that would summarily write-off US personnel as accounted for? Who stands to benefit? Not the families! Reducing the number of Vietnam War missing by decision, rather than by forensic analysis and identification of remains, would accomplish nothing except to generate a false perception of greater accounting results than have been achieved. But again, why? The US government’s record to date, though at time frustratingly slow, is nevertheless impressive. It reflects America’s national commitment to stand behind those who serve our country – past, present and future – and account for them as fully as possible if captured or missing.

In many cases, it also defies logic to make another "determination" on personnel that nothing further can be done unless and until US analysts can certify to the families and, if necessary, to Congress that all archival records believed relevant to the accounting mission have been provided by the government of Vietnam. That assurance is not possible at this time, and all analysts involved know this reality. If a decision based on evidence generates a reasonable conclusion that nothing further can be done to account for an individual, that reality must be shared with the family and the case put into the “no further pursuit” category, as many already have been. That was the reason for creating the category, to signal that further active US effort would end.

There is also a glaring contradiction in referring to long lost WWII personnel (many in fact unrecoverable or considered buried at sea) as "missing" in DPMO media releases, while summarily removing the names of POW/MIAs from the most recent war in which the number of missing was significant due to a judgment that no further official effort would result in accounting for them.

I don't know for certain who came up with this ill-conceived notion, and there must be bureaucratic reasons that are not relevant to the central issue, and three most obvious possibilities exist: 1) Reducing the number still listed as missing would bring down the backlog – on paper, if not in reality: 2) Reducing the number listed as unaccounted for would make some family members no longer eligible to travel COIN Assist to attend the League's annual meetings at which US Government briefings are given, a mere pittance in monetary terms: 3) Newly assigned personnel, again at our expense, as in the past, may be trying to build a public record of false success for their resumes.

When such matters are being discussed by government officials, it would make sense to obtain input from those most directly affected who also have a proven record of responsibility and discretion, a record the League has established throughout our history. Such consultation no longer occurs, to the detriment of the issue. In this era of reaching out to a vast number of experts, interested parties, specialists, etc., it is only on the POW/MIA issue that no “pre-decisional” consultation is allowed. Too often insecure people, or those who know the answer and don't want to accept the reality, choose to avoid communication but, hopefully, such misguided thinking will finally be destroyed for the good of all. It is a shame that at this stage in the issue’s history, the League is back to having little confidence in the direction being taken by some in government but, with eternal optimism, tempered by reality, and with greater determination to pursue answers, the League simply must survive to meet each challenge for the good of our unreturned veterans – America’s POW/MIAs – and their families, as well as those serving today.

40TH ANNIVERSARY ANNUAL MEETING JULY 23-25, 2009: This year’s annual meeting promises to be special, including commemoration of over 35 years since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 and 40 years since the League was formed, then incorporated on May 28, 1970. Governmental transitions are taking place, and there will be much to discuss and decide in terms of the League’s and the issue’s future in this first year of the Obama Administration. ADM Timothy Keating, USN, Commander, US Pacific Command, will be the Keynote Speaker at the Opening Session on Thursday, July 23rd, 9:00 a.m. The Secretary of Defense is again expected to authorize COIN Assist travel. There will be two very full days of presentations by senior US officials and the League, briefings by analytic personnel, field operators and scientists, and guest presentations on the complete range of issue-related policy and operational matters. A three-hour Question & Answer session with US officials will be held on Saturday morning, July 25th, followed by the bylaw-required League Business Session. There will also be Special Events. The 40th Anniversary Annual Dinner & Candlelight Ceremony will be on Thursday, July 23rd, an event that is always inspirational; cost this year had to be increased to $55 per person. On Friday night, we have requested a concert at historic Ft. Myer by the US Army Chorus. The Army Chorus is the only military musical group ever to receive the League Award for their many contributions to annual meetings over the years. BINGO Night will conclude all activities on Saturday night, July 25th.

Reservations can now be made at the Hilton Crystal City Hotel. Call 1-800-HILTONS (800-445-8667), noting affiliation with the League’s 40th Anniversary Annual Meeting, or go to www.hilton.com, and use Group Code “POW” to get the special rate of $149 (plus taxes) per room night, single/double. Deadline to secure the special rate is June 19th, but the block of rooms is limited, so early reservations are encouraged to ensure desired accommodations are available.

Registration: The form to register for the 40th Anniversary Annual Meeting is on page 7 of this newsletter, with the Program Ad Flyer printed on the reverse, page 8. Simply complete and return the form in the enclosed envelope to the League office with your check for the registration fee ($50 per League member; $60 for non-League attendees) and $55 per person payment for the special 40th Anniversary Annual Dinner and Candlelight Ceremony. This form is also available from the League’s web site: www.pow-miafamilies.org.

Transportation: As stipulated by Congress, the Secretary of Defense is expected to again authorize transportation (COIN Assist) for two family members representing each Vietnam War missing and unaccounted for US serviceman and civilian to attend the annual meeting during which official briefings will be given. Service Casualty Offices will be sending information to some family members regarding the 40th Anniversary Annual Meeting and forms to complete for requesting COIN Assist transportation, file reviews, attendance at Service-hosted luncheons, and transportation to the Friday evening concert, if confirmed.

Executive Director Comment: We are hopeful that, this year, there will be no confusing material distributed by the Service Casualty Offices, as occurred last year when preliminary information was distributed to PNOK (primary-next-of-kin) ONLY, with no mention of the League’s Annual Meeting, no League Registration Form and no information concerning reservations at the Hilton Hotel. In authorizing COIN Assist, Congressional intent was to ensure that each unaccounted for American would be represented at the League’s annual meetings. (DPMO later initiated changes to the language, now stating “an annual meeting at which USG briefings will be given.”) Since the Service Casualty Offices and DPMO do not consistently coordinate with the League on material to be distributed, it is up to all involved to spread the word. All family members are eligible to attend League annual meetings at which official briefings will be given, though some League events are open only to those registered for the full League annual meeting. If you have questions, call the League office.

Silent Auction: There will again be a Silent Auction, though smaller in scope and open limited hours. Sorely as are needed the funds generated by this highly successful, three-day event, it is very labor-intensive and demanding. In view of the tremendous success of last year’s Silent Auction, we are again seeking suitable items for display and purchase. Please be very selective in accumulating and sending items. Either bring the item(s) with you and deliver them to the Board Room, 1st floor, or send the item(s) to the League office with an itemized list stating the value of each item.

Program Ad Rates: Each year, the League publishes a beautiful program that includes individual ads honoring missing US personnel, organizational ads with best wishes to the families gathered for the meeting, ads promoting POW/MIA-related and other products, etc. Enclosed is a flyer with PROGRAM AD RATES for 2009; the deadline is July 1st, as stated on the flyer. Please send payment to the League office. If possible, send your ad camera-ready to powmiafam@aol.com, and mail a copy of your ad with the payment.

COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN (CFC): The League (a 501 [c] 3 nonprofit) again met the stringent criteria for eligibility in the 2008 campaign, and has already applied for the 2009 campaign that doesn’t begin until next October. Our official number is the same, CFC #10218, assigned by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Washington, DC. The League is the ONLY nonprofit organization representing American POW/MIAs, KIA/BNRs and their families eligible for donations through CFC & United Way. Despite the reality of many competing charities and much need, especially in a time of war, the League is proud of our eligibility, due to tough requirements that must be met and is in urgent need of tax-deductible donations, FEIN #23-7071242.

STATUS OF THE LEAGUE: Funds received since the financial appeal was distributed in mid-October enabled the League to continue, but the outcome was far from clear. Thanks to the generosity of several members – family and associate – some former US officials and our League Advisors, funds were sufficient to catch up on expenses for the calendar year 2008. The stated goal, however, was to also have six months operating funds – $72,000 ($12,000 per month) – on hand and in the bank by January 1, 2009. That goal was not met; therefore, at its meeting February 6th-7th, the Board of Directors decided that a referendum should be sent to all League members to determine the level of interest in and commitment to the League’s continuation as an organization operating under current bylaws. That referendum is included below and on the next page of this newsletter. The results will be tabulated and available for the next meeting of the Board of Directors, now scheduled for May 1st-3rd. At that time, the Board will decide whether an election will be held to seat a Board of Directors for 2009 – 2011. Every possibility is being exhausted to ensure the League’s continuation. All recognize that this comes at a time of worldwide economic recession and that funds are tight. The contributions received thus far have been due to widespread realization of the importance of the League’s role to ensure continuing priority on accounting efforts. Members and supporters are urged to be imaginative in trying to raise funds and to contribute to the extent possible to sustain League efforts.

REFERENDUM OF ALL MEMBERS REGARDING THE LEAGUE’S CONTINUATION

For the League to sustain operations, a commitment from 500 individuals, families or groups to donate $25 per month is required. All need to understand that a few members, advisors and some dedicated state and local level veteran organizations have been donating substantial sums for years and years. We hope their generosity will continue with increased support from other League members, especially family members, even though our numbers dwindle each year, just from attrition. The Board recognizes that not all members can afford to send in $25 per month, but many can. Some just don’t realize the gravity of the situation.

The League was never intended to be an ongoing nonprofit organization, but was planned from inception to close as soon as the fullest possible accounting had been achieved. It never occurred to the founders that the League would be necessary some 40 years after formation. Had this possibility been considered, our POW/MIA flag would have been legally protected, and income to sustain operations would never have been a problem. It needs to be clearly understood: The League receives no government funding. None of the POW/MIA flag manufacturers donate a cent to the League, despite the profits they make on US Government contracts for supplying POW/MIA flags to fly on required dates.

Despite these realities, and the all-too-often desperate financial hardships, if the League had not existed and pushed every step of the way until President Reagan made this issue a priority, the effort would long ago have been shelved, as was originally intended post-war. Had it not been for the League closely monitoring each step since1992 – including overcoming the disastrous impact of the Senate Select Committee – there would have been no expansion of personnel and resources to achieve continuing success. The organizations that comprise the official accounting community – DPMO, JPAC, AFDIL, LSEL, Stony Beach – and more, simply would not exist, at least at today’s level. The Korean War, Cold War and WWII families would not have had any hope for final answers. Having said that, we cannot expect others to shoulder most of the burden; this is a responsibility that must be shared by more of the POW/MIA families, even though our membership is aging and many are on fixed or reduced incomes. The younger members must now step up to the plate if you, also, want the League to continue.

If you are willing and able to make this commitment, please complete the form that appears on page six (6) of this newsletter and mail or email it to the League office so that it will arrive no later than April 15th. Your stated commitments will bear heavily on the Board’s decisions in May.

PLEDGE TO SUSTAIN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POW/MIA FAMILIES

I/We, __________________________________, want the League to continue and am/are making a commitment to send $25.00 per month, totaling $300.00 per year, to the National League of POW/MIA Families, effective immediately, so that the League can continue its operations.

___ $300 check enclosed for the year.

___ $150 check enclosed for six months, and I/we pledge to send an additional $150 prior to 12/31/09.

___ $25 check enclosed for one month, and I/we pledge to send $25 on the first of each month, based on the outcome of this referendum.

NAME:________________________________________

SIGNATURE:___________________________________

DATE:_____________________

STREET ADDRESS:____________________________________________________

CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE:_____________________________________________

PHONE:__________________________________

EMAIL:__________________________________

Please complete, tear out and mail this form in the enclosed envelope, with your check, plus the Registration Form and check if you plan to attend the 40th Anniversary Annual Meeting. If you wish to honor your missing loved one, a friend, offer congratulations to the League on its 40th anniversary, or advertise your business, be sure to include a check in the appropriate amount for the ad you wish to insert into the program and, if possible, send camera-ready art to the League office by email, powmiafam@aol.com.

Family Unearths Clues To Missing Texas Soldier's Fate In Cambodia

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 10:26:00 +0000

Dallas Morning News - Dallas, TX, USA

11:29 PM CDT on Saturday, March 14, 2009

By GREGG JONES / The Dallas Morning News
gjones@dallasnews.com

McKinley Nolan's letters from South Vietnam to his wife in Texas hinted at his anguish. He wrote of playing dead to survive on the battlefield and the suffering of Vietnamese civilians.

"He was just telling me how bad it was over there, all the fighting, all the killing," said Mary Nolan.

There was no clue of what was to come.

On Nov. 9, 1967, weeks from completing a two-year hitch in the Army, McKinley Nolan disappeared from his First Infantry Division unit. Communist Viet Cong propaganda broadcasts and leaflets later featured Nolan urging fellow black soldiers to lay down their weapons. The Army branded the missing Texan as one of the war's two confirmed defectors, but offered no explanation as to why Nolan deserted or what happened to him.

Now, McKinley's younger brother, Michael, has joined forces with a New Jersey journalist, a Vietnam War veteran, a New York City filmmaker, a Hollywood star and a Houston congresswoman in hopes of finally unraveling the mystery.

Their combined efforts last month pushed the Pentagon's MIA search unit, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, to act on an eyewitness account and dig for McKinley Nolan's remains in a Cambodian village.

Michael Nolan, an Austin wood pallet manufacturer, flew to Cambodia to watch the U.S. team chip away at the hard Cambodian clay. It was the latest stop in a long journey to find his missing brother and understand who he was: a deserter who turned his back on his country and his family, or a hero who stood up to the Viet Cong and Khmer Rouge and paid with his life.

•

The Nolan case has long fascinated POW-MIA aficionados. It has spawned such varied tales as Nolan quietly slipping back home to the Brazos River bottomlands of Washington County, Texas, to him living the high life in Cuba as a guest of Fidel Castro.

"In the world of the conspiratorial POW-MIA guys, McKinley Nolan is like Bigfoot," said journalist Richard Linnett, who has spent years tracking missing Americans in Cambodia. "He's spotted everywhere."

As a rifleman in the Army's 16th Infantry Regiment, Nolan was based in Tay Ninh province, near the border with Cambodia. His veiled references to haunting battlefield experiences are supported by a Pentagon document that shows Nolan earned a Purple Heart and a Combat Infantry Badge. Linnett made the document available to The Dallas Morning News.

The Army didn't respond to questions submitted by The News.

By November 1967, Nolan was one of about 500,000 U.S. military personnel in Vietnam. A poll that autumn found that 46 percent of Americans believed U.S. military involvement in Vietnam was a mistake. Black GIs openly questioned why they should die for South Vietnamese freedom when they were denied equal rights at home.

If McKinley Nolan shared those sentiments, he didn't tell his wife.

"If he had a job, he did it," she said.

But Nolan's commitment to the Army was flagging. He was AWOL – absent without leave – from Sept. 7 to Nov. 6, 1967, according to the Pentagon document.

He was jailed for two days. And then, on Nov. 9, the 22-year-old disappeared.

•

Mary Nolan said the Army revealed little about her husband's disappearance. Months passed before she received a letter stating that Nolan had defected to communist Viet Cong forces, she said. In January 1975, three months before the war ended, the Army notified her that her husband had been seen alive in Cambodia.

In 1992, a U.S. military team thought they had found McKinley Nolan's remains in Cambodia. DNA tests, however, proved negative.

Eight years later, Linnett, a journalist in Newark, N.J., stumbled onto Nolan's trail. Linnett was working on a book about a 1970 mutiny carried out by two crew members of an American freighter transporting napalm to U.S. forces in Thailand. One of the mutineers, Clyde McKay, sought refuge with Khmer Rouge guerrillas and was later executed by the communist group.

Linnett was searching for McKay's grave site in eastern Cambodia when a local resident pulled him aside. "Are you talking about the black man?" the villager asked. He told Linnett an intriguing story about an American GI who supposedly lived in the area during the time of the Khmer Rouge.

Back in the United States, a Pentagon investigator revealed to Linnett that the Cambodian man was talking about a missing soldier named McKinley Nolan.

"I thought this story was truly amazing," Linnett said. "This guy had lived with the Viet Cong and the Khmer Rouge."

Working sources in the U.S. and Cambodia, Linnett pried loose U.S. military intelligence documents and began sharing information with Michael and Mary Nolan.

•

In 2006, Michael Nolan phoned Linnett with incredible news.

"He said, 'Richard, someone saw McKinley in Vietnam,' " Linnett recalled.

That someone was a Vietnam veteran named Dan Smith, and he had contacted the Washington County sheriff in search of Nolan's family.

Linnett was skeptical. He phoned Smith.

A retired 911 operator in the Pacific Northwest, Smith said he had lost a leg serving with the First Infantry Division in Vietnam. In 2005, he made one of his periodic trips to Vietnam to deliver medical supplies.

In the city of Tay Ninh, near the Cambodian border, Smith encountered a black man, about 60 years of age, with rotted teeth and jaundiced eyes. The man told Smith that he had served with the First Infantry Division in Vietnam in 1967.

When Smith mentioned that he was going home soon, the stranger sighed.

"Man, I wish I could go home," he said.

"Where's home?" Smith asked.

"Washington, Texas," the man replied.

Smith reported the encounter to U.S. officials in Vietnam. After he returned home, the Pentagon MIA search unit sent an investigator to his home. Smith said he picked two photographs of McKinley Nolan out of a mugshot book.

Afterward, Smith said the investigator refused to take his calls. So did the MIA unit.

But Linnett heard him out, and he arranged for Smith to tell his story in person to the Nolans.

In the meantime, Linnett had piqued the curiosity of New York City documentary filmmaker Henry Corra. When Smith arrived in Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas, to meet the Nolans, Corra's camera was rolling.

After a tearful meeting with the Nolan family, Smith vowed to return to Southeast Asia to find the missing GI.

A series of trips to Cambodia followed, first Smith alone, and then together with Michael Nolan, Linnett and Corra. What they learned convinced Smith that the man he encountered in Tay Ninh was another U.S. deserter who had assumed Nolan's identity.

But the search continued, financed in part by actor Danny Glover, who agreed to produce Corra's documentary on the search for McKinley Nolan after seeing footage from Texas and Cambodia.

The group tracked the missing GI to a village outside the town of Memot, in eastern Cambodia, where a man named Cham Son recalled Nolan's life during the tumult of war and Khmer Rouge genocide.

McKinley Nolan's missing years emerged from the mists.

•

When he arrived in Vietnam in 1966, Nolan was happily married, the proud father of a 2-year-old son. He was a friendly, muscular guy who loved baseball and horses.

By the time he disappeared in 1967, he had grown disillusioned with the war, said Linnett, citing interviews with Nolan's friends in Vietnam and Cambodia.

A Vietnamese girlfriend "convinced him to go with her," said Linnett.

It's unclear whether Nolan willingly worked with the Viet Cong, Linnett said. In any event, Nolan grew disenchanted with the group and in 1973 slipped into Cambodia with his Vietnamese wife and their baby, Linnett said.

In eastern Cambodia, Nolan drove a truck and farmed, local residents told Linnett and Smith. When the Khmer Rouge took over in 1975 and emptied cities to return Cambodia to "Year Zero," Nolan was forced to move to a village deeper in the jungle.

"Because of his size and strength, they made him pull an oxcart loaded with people being taken to an interrogation center," Smith said. "Villagers said he would beg for their forgiveness."

Nolan told jokes and sang songs in pidgin Cambodian to lift people's spirits.

"He would literally step in front of guards to keep them from beating people," Smith said. "McKinley was a hero. Everybody there loved him."

In 1977, the villager Cham Son recounted, Khmer Rouge soldiers took Nolan away.

"He saw McKinley being marched off," said Linnett, "and knew when the soldiers came back without him that he had been killed."

•

In April 2008, after hearing Cham Son's account, Linnett and his comrades gave the Pentagon's MIA search unit precise information on the suspected grave site. The agency still didn't seem interested, Linnett said.

Last month, after the Nolans enlisted the help of U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston, a JPAC team began excavating the site identified by Cham Son.

The team completed two weeks of digging in late February without finding any remains, said Air Force Lt. Col. Wayne Perry, JPAC spokesman. Cham Son told the team as it was wrapping up that the terrain had changed, and he wasn't sure of the precise burial spot, Perry said.

The Nolan family and Linnett, with Lee's help, are trying to force the Pentagon to release McKinley Nolan's personnel file and classified documents on the case. Linnett and Corra are tracking leads that they believe will lead to Nolan's remains in eastern Cambodia.

Mary Nolan, now 62, has never remarried. She believes the government should compensate her for her husband's loss, regardless of the circumstances.

"I should have been given a good explanation as to what happened, when, why," she said.

After years of anger at "the system" for taking his brother away, Michael Nolan said he found peace retracing McKinley's footsteps and seeing him through the eyes of Cambodian villagers who revered him.

"Whether he's dead or alive," said Nolan, "I feel he would be happy that we're bringing the truth to light."

Roy Carter: A Hero's Long Journey Home

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:54:00 +0000

Scugog Standard Newspaper - Port Perry, Ontario, Canada

By Rik Davie/The Scugog Standard

Roy Carter, a young man from Blackstock, Ontario, was no different from any other young man who answered the call by King and country in May of 1942.

Roy was raised with his brothers on what is now the Asselstine County Yamaha dealership off Regional Rd. 57 in the old Cartwright Township.

He attended Blackstock Continuation School, belonged to the local Boy Scouts and won awards for his scholastic skills that saw him accepted to Toronto Normal School. He taught school himself for a short time in Manchester and then, like thousands before him, heard the call to fight in the Second World War and joined the RCAF.

He trained in London, Ontario, and was awarded his Navigator’s Wing in August of 1943.

He was sent overseas and assigned to 431 Iroquois Squadron flying Halifax bombers on combat operations over German-occupied Europe.

In July of 1944, Roy’s little brother Fred trudged through the hot fields of the Carter farm to find his father with the telegram that every family in Canada feared might arrive.

Roy was lost. Missing in action after his Halifax was shot down on operations over Holland, even as the war was in its final months. The affable young man, with a best girl back home and plans to study medicine, had disappeared into the mist and fog that was occupied Europe.

While his parents and family waited with hope, Roy Carter began a journey that would make him a hero to a country he spent only days in - a journey through time and history - and he never saw Blackstock again.

Flash forward to 2008 and a letter to Scugog Council asking that a non-descript park in Blackstock be named after Flight Officer Roy Carter.

The naming of buildings and parks after people, living or dead, has always been contentious at best. Naming certain places after those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in defence of their country is no less so. The cenotaphs of Scugog list the names of all who gave their lives in the service of a country at war.

Why, some have asked, would one deserve special attention over another?

How is one sacrifice more worthy?

The answer, of course, is that no one sacrifice takes precedence over any other. None is more worthy ... only different in circumstance.

When a small group of citizens in Scugog became aware of Roy’s story it became clear to them that it deserved some measure of concrete recognition so that it might become known to all.

Roy Carter’s story is one of bravery and commitment to service over and above what is required by the soldier’s oath. A commitment to the freedom of others that cost a young Blackstock school teacher his life and made him immortal in the eyes of those he sought to free.

It went something like this....

Flight Officer Roy Carter was posted to 431 Iroquois Squadron (now the Squadron of The Snowbirds) in Croft Yorkshire, UK, on May 22, 1944.

After completing six Ops (sorties), including one on D-Day to St. Lo, he and his crew were shot down on 16/17 June, 1944, in Halifax NA514, coded ‘SE-B.’

All of the crew, except the pilot, F/O Blachford (who died in the crash), were able to bail out. Two died in the fall( F/O Lough and Sgt. Gould), two were captured almost immediately (Sgt. Hattey and Sgt. Kennedy). Sgt. Tom Masdin and Roy managed to evade the Germans. Tom was later caught and taken as a POW.

Apparently, they had trouble opening the escape hatch in the cockpit, but eventually Roy was able to jump out of the burning aircraft. He landed safely in a field near Boekel, North Holland, a fair distance from where the plane had actually crashed. He had a chance, since the Germans would only search the immediate area of the crash. Roy buried his chute (as recorded by Roy and left at a safe house in Erp) and contacted a local farmer, who gave him refuge. Thus began Roy’s quest for freedom. He would make use of many hiding places under the guidance of local resistance groups.

On Sunday, July 9, 1944, the Nazi S.D. (security police) obtained the whereabouts of the resistance assisting Roy and others and arrived at the door of the safe house in Tilburg. where Roy was hiding with two other escaped airmen.

According to reports after the war, the S.D. men were dressed in their black trenchcoats and carrying machine guns. The three airmen were having breakfast in preparation for their escape to Belgium and then to one of the 'freedom lines' that would return them to England to fight again.

Against all principles of the Geneva Convention concerning POWs, the Gestapo burst into the room and herded the three officers into the backyard, lined them up against a brick wall and shot them numerous times, despite the fact that they were unarmed.

Roy Carter, badly wounded, was able to get back into the house. He was killed in the doorway leading to the kitchen. (That doorway was pointed out to Roy’s mother in 1964 when she travelled, accompanied by her daughter Isabel and other Silver Cross Mothers, to Holland on a pilgrimage.)

The S.D. now ordered 60-year-old Jacoba Pulskens, owner of the home, to fetch a sheet to cover the still-warm bodies. In an act of defiance, Coba went upstairs and brought down a large, new Dutch flag, which she had been keeping for the day when the Netherlands would be liberated. Radios and Dutch flags where forbidden in occupied Holland. It should be noted that Coba lived on a busy street corner and all of this action was being witnessed by neighbours.

Coba herself was arrested. She spent seven months in solitary confinement before being carted off to the notorious Ravensbruck concentration camp where she died in the gas chamber in the spring of 1945 at age 61.

Coba is remembered as a heroine in Holland. According to survivors in the death camp, she voluntarily stepped forward to take the place of a young mother with children, in the hope of saving their lives. She apparently had said earlier, “If someone has to give his life, I hope to do it. I can better be missed than others.”

The bodies of the three airmen were first taken to a nearby hospital (where an alert doctor photographed them) and then removed to the concentration camp at Vught, near Herzogenbusch. There, they where cremated, presumably to remove any evidence of the crime that had taken place in Tilburg.

Because the remains of the three airmen were never found, they are listed officially as missing in action.

A plaque in memory of the three airmen and Jacoba Pulskens was erected at her house in Tilburg in 1947. It can still be seen there at 49 Diepenstraat.

On Oct. 27, 1994, a large granite monument was unveiled on Coba Pulskenslaan in Tilburg to honour the three airmen, heroes to the Dutch in their terrible years of occupancy by the hated Nazis. The dedication was part of the events marking the 50th anniversary of liberation.

Relatives of the three airmen - from Canada, Australia and England - attended the unveiling ceremony in Tilburg. Roy’s brothers Robert and Fred represented the Carter family.

Roy and his fellow evaders had the opportunity to turn themselves in at any time and become POWs. They chose not to do so and to the Dutch people, who where eventually liberated by Canadians in many towns and cities, these airmen were heroes who are still remembered today. School children from a nearby elementary school look after the granite monument and a service of remembrance is held every year.

On evidence of former Dutch resistance workers and Coba’s family - and the photos of the bodies taken by Dr. Borman of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Tilburg (the Dutch police had taken photographs also and had the identity disc belonging to F/O Carter J28855) - four of the 10 Nazi policemen were found guilty of murder and sentenced to death by hanging.
The Dutch flag that was used by Jacoba Pulskens to cover the bodies of the dead airmen was later brought to England. The flag was dedicated in the Airman’s Chapel in the Church of St. Michael, Coningsby, on May 8, 1983.

There are plaques on the wall with the names of the three airmen and Coba Pulskens, along with words of dedication.

The airmen are also commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial (Englefield Green, Egham, Surrey, England) in separate panels along with the thousands of veterans without known graves.

There is a small piece of green grass surrounded by trees and a tiny creek where, in the warm weather, children come to play and to simply be children. It lies in the middle of Blackstock near the local schools and just a stone’s throw from the farm where Flight Officer Roy Carter grew into the hero he became.

A small committee is now hopeful that the Township of Scugog will approve the naming of the park in Roy’s memory - not as an individual but for the heroic beliefs and acts that made him a hero of the people of Holland. With the support of Legion Branch 419, Roy Carter’s actions may yet be known.

School children in Tilburg tend to Roy’s memory each year and are taught about the sacrifice made by this young man. This young man, who put country before self, has no known grave and no place to rest. Perhaps that small green space in the middle of his hometown can be that place. Persons in Scugog Township can voive their support through e-mails to editorial-stanmdard@powergate.ca, which will be forwarded to Scugog Council.

Perhaps, together, we can bring Roy Carter home to Scugog.

Checking Into And Checking Out Of The Hanoi Hilton

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:02:00 +0000

Jacksonville Daily Record - Jacksonville, FL, USA

Retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Byron Fuller and retired Air Force Col. Carl Crumpler were held prisoner in Hanoi during the Vietnam War. They recounted some of their experiences Tuesday for the Rotary Club of South Jacksonville.

03/12/2009

by Max Marbut
Staff Writer

The memories are more than four decades old, but a pair of former prisoners of war who served in Southeast Asia brought their history to life Tuesday for the Rotary Club of South Jacksonville.

Retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Byron Fuller, who is a member of the club, and retired Air Force Col. Carl Crumpler shared stories of how their friendship began and what it was like to be inmates at the notorious Hanoi Hilton POW camp in North Vietnam.

Fuller said at 4:40 p.m. on July 14, 1967, his life changed forever. He was on his 110th mission and leading an attack group of 35 aircraft that were in the sky over North Vietnam with intentions to bomb a bridge near Hanoi.

“The SAMs (surface-to-air missiles) were up and ready for us that day,” said Fuller.

His aircraft was hit and as soon as Fuller ejected, gunners on the ground began firing tracer rounds at him and through his parachute. Fuller said by the time he hit the ground “like a ton of bricks” the parachute was not only badly perforated but also smoldering.

He was taken prisoner immediately and by midnight, Fuller was being tortured in what he called the “meat hook room” at the prison.

“They knew the Navy was dropping the first ‘smart bombs’ in the world,” said Fuller. “That’s all they wanted to know about, but I couldn’t give them any information because I didn’t know anything. They worked on me pretty good for 10 days.”

After his interrogators gave up on learning anything from him, they carried Fuller on a stretcher to a cell where he laid on the floor for two days, he said. Then another prisoner was also put in the cell and nursed Fuller back to health, including setting his broken arm and knee.

“I’ll never forget him – Wayne Waddell,” said Fuller. “After 100 days they took Wayne out of the cell and then I was in solitary confinement for 25 months.”

Crumpler recalled how in October 1968, President Lyndon Johnson had become “disenchanted” with the air war and called it off.

“But that didn’t help me because on 5 July, I had become a guest at the Hanoi Hilton,” he said.

The two were put in the same cell on Nov. 27, 1969, said Fuller.

“It took about a nanosecond to find out we were both from Jacksonville,” he added. “Carl went to Lee High School and I attended Landon. We decided to have a reunion but no other class members would join us in Hanoi.”

Both men recalled what happened after U.S. Special Forces attempted an ill-fated rescue mission to free the aviators in the Hanoi prison. It caused their captors to evacuate all the men to another location where hundreds of POWs were divided into groups and placed in seven large cells.

“We had 47 guys in our room and we were there for 87 days until we had a riot and they moved us back into separate cells,” said Fuller, who added one of the Navy pilots he and Crumpler met during that experience eventually became a U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate, John McCain. He wasn’t the only POW to achieve notable accomplishments after he returned home however.

“Five of the guys made admiral, one became a general and 40 made colonel or captain,” said Fuller.

Crumpler also spoke of what was going on back home while he and Fuller were incarcerated.

“By October 1968, 400 air crewmen were being held prisoner around Hanoi. Stop and think about their families scattered all across the country,” he said. “(President Richard) Nixon tried to suppress their questions about their family members who were POWs or missing in action, so the wives and families started forming local organizations.”

The grass roots efforts in cities all over the country eventually led to the founding of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia. Crumpler said in January, 1970, a pilot based at Cecil Field was shot down and his wife became active in the organization.

Crumpler described the pilot’s wife, Mary Hoff, as “Jacksonville’s Betsy Ross” because she was instrumental in the creation of the iconic POW-MIA flag that has become a part of American culture.

“You see it everywhere,” said Crumpler. “It has flown over the White House and over our embassies all over the world. You see it on the back of motorcycle jackets. It’s the only flag that’s been displayed in the rotunda at the U.S Capitol and it has become a symbol of every war, not just Vietnam.”

Both men agreed the best time they spent as POWs was the 11-day period around Christmas in 1972 when they and their fellow prisoners could hear ordnance dropped on Hanoi by American bombers exploding.

“We cheered and we cried,” said Crumpler. “When we heard the B-52s we knew the war was over because America was committed. It was the greatest day of our lives because we knew it was just a matter of time before we’d be going home.”

mmarbut@baileypub.com

Navy No Longer Says Speicher Was Captured

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:28:00 +0000

NavyTimes.com - Springfield, VA, USA

By Mark D. Faram - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Mar 11, 2009 21:33:33 EDT

The status of an F/A-18 Hornet pilot missing since the first night of the 1991 Persian Gulf War has been changed to “missing in action,” according to the Navy, which no longer believes he was captured.

The change comes as Navy Secretary Donald Winter rejected the recommendations of a Jan. 5 board that Capt. Michael Scott Speicher’s status remain “missing/captured.”

“My review of the board proceedings and the compelling evidence presented by the intelligence community causes me great concern about the reliability of the board’s recommendation, given their failure to employ a logical analytic process to their evaluation of the evidence in the intelligence assessment,” Winter wrote in a statement Tuesday.

The board’s recommendation, he wrote, was based on their conclusion that Speicher landed alive in the Western Iraqi desert after ejecting from his aircraft and was captured.

“They base this on a statistical analysis of F/A-18 ejections; however that analysis was based solely on peacetime ejections, and not the combat environment in which this ejection occurred,” Winter wrote. “They also chose to ignore the lack of any parachute sighting, emergency beacon transmission or survival radio transmissions.”

Winter wrote that all reported sightings of Speicher in captivity prior to the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq have been discredited and that “there is currently no credible evidence” Speicher was captured.

“For Captain Speicher to be in captivity today, one would have to accept a massive conspiracy of silence and perfectly executed deception that has lasted for over 18 years and that continues today.”

But Winter stopped short of declaring Speicher officially dead, opting instead to change his status back to MIA and calling for further review in a year.

Winter has previously announced he would step down as Navy secretary later this week after agreeing to stay on a few weeks into the Obama administration.

Speicher was flying as a member of Strike Fighter Squadron 81 from the aircraft carrier Saratoga on Jan. 17, 1991, when his Hornet was downed by an enemy anti-aircraft missile during the first manned air strike of the war.

Then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney stated in a press conference hours after the strikes that an aircraft had been shot down and the pilot had been killed, becoming the first casualty of Operation Desert Storm.

The Navy listed him as MIA until the service deemed him “Killed-In-Action/Body-Not-Recovered” in May 1991. The Navy reaffirmed that finding in 1996.

But in 2001, new evidence was brought to light, causing then-Navy Secretary Richard Danzig to change the status back to MIA, and the status was further refined to missing/captured in 2002, based on reports of sightings in Iraq.

Speicher, a lieutenant commander at the time of his loss, has been promoted twice since then.

Nelson Wants Continued Search For Downed Florida Pilot

noreply@blogger.com (NC Sentinel) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:44:00 +0000

Central Florida Political Pulse - Orlando, FL, USA

posted by Mark Matthews on Mar 10, 2009 10:44:13 AM

WASHINGTON -- A navy pilot shot down over Iraq in 1991 officially remains “missing,” according to a military review of the incident.

The designation means that the Pentagon will continue searching for Capt. Michael Scott Speicher of Jacksonville, who’s Navy F/A-18 Hornet was hit on the first night of the first Gulf war. Naval officials, however, no longer believe that Speicher is being detained by enemy troops.

“This change in status will have no effect on the ongoing search to determine Scott's fate,” said Nelson, in a statement. “And as our presence in Iraq decreases, we need to take this last opportunity to determine his fate. This is our duty as a nation to any missing service member.”

Here’s what Nelson’s office has to say about the development:

“Following a fresh review, the U.S. Navy today decided to reclassify as ‘missing’ the Florida pilot shot down over Iraq in the first Gulf War - saying there’s no evidence that he’s being held inside Iraq, or is “missing-captured.” But the decision won’t end the government’s effort to determine the pilot’s fate, according to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.

Captain Michael Scott Speicher, of Jacksonville, was the first American lost in the 1991 war with Saddam Hussein’s forces to liberate Kuwait. On the first night of the war, Speicher, then 33, flew a combat mission from the USS Saratoga. He was piloting a Navy F/A-18 Hornet that was struck by a missile fired by an Iraqi aircraft and went down on Jan. 17.

Then-Vice President Dick Cheney was quick to declare Speicher dead. But the Navy later changed his status to "missing in action;" and, changed it again in 2002 to "missing-captured" after a review board concluded Speicher likely ejected from his aircraft and may have been captured by Iraqi forces.

Sen. Nelson, a Florida Democrat, was instrumental in pushing the Navy for the 2002 re-examination of the case on behalf Speicher’s family. Nelson also prodded the Pentagon into launching an exhaustive search for Speicher following the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The family of Capt. Speicher said through a spokeswoman today they feared Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter was poised to change the pilot’s status from missing-captured to killed, which would have meant an end to the search, the family said through a spokeswoman. The family, including two college-age children who were toddlers when their father went missing, remains hopeful the Navy will be able to solve the mystery of what happened.

In an early morning telephone call to Nelson, a top Navy official said there’s no reasonable basis to determine that Speicher is being detained. The Navy secretary based his decision on his own review of the findings of a Navy board of inquiry that in early January recommended Speicher’s status be maintained as missing-captured.”