|
POW/MIA UPDATE
National Alliance of Families
for the Return of America’s Missing Servicemen
World War II - Korea - Cold War - Vietnam - Gulf Wars
Dolores Alfond - 425-881-1499
Lynn O’Shea — 718-846-4350
Web Site www.nationalalliance.orgEmail lynn@nationalalliance.orgApril 28, 2007 Bits N Pieces
H.Res 111 - As of this writing, the number of co-sponsors for H.Res 111 is 28, but many more are needed. Please if you
haven’t sent your letter, fax or email do it this coming week. The following organizations have endorsed H.Res 111 –
the Korea-Cold War Families of the Missing, World War II Families for Return of the Missing, the POW Network, the Colorado
POW/MIA Coalition, VietNow National and the National Alliance of Families.
We’ve set up a web page providing you with the text of H.Res 111, a contact list for Congressional Representatives,
with email links and fax numbers. There is also a sample letter. Use it, change it or write your own letter. This information
may be accessed from our website. Follow the links.
Make sure you contact your congressional representative,
asking them to co-sponsor H.Res 111.######################
Pat Tillman & Jessica Lynch
The Department of Defense mislead Congress and the American public
about their circumstances of loss. They hid information and destroyed evidence.In January 2007, the Dept. of Defense misrepresented
the loss of 4 soldiers saying they died while repelling an attack. In fact, the four were captured, transported miles from
the site of the incident and executed.
Navy pilot Scott Speicher was shot down January 16, 1991, the first night of the first Gulf War. Within 24 hours, the Department
of Defense declared him dead. Defense Dept. officials told his family an extensive search had been made, when no search was
ever conducted. Had an actual search occurred, Speicher might have been among the pilots rescued during the first Gulf War.The
Department of Defense has a long history of misrepresentation of facts.
Rewriting history as it sees fit. Over the past 40 years Congress has become increasingly wary of Department of Defense
(DOD) pronouncements. With each passing year the DOD has become more blatant in their manipulation of truth, to the point
that the truth is all but unrecognizable.
Yet, as each DOD misrepresentation is dragged into the light, Congress past and present continues to accept DOD's word
on the issue of American Prisoners of War. Without question, Congress past and present accepts, as gospel, DOD pronouncements
that all the POWs came home.We know that is simply not true.DOD misrepresented to the Tillman family, the American public
and Congress the facts surrounding the death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman, but they are telling the truth about Col. David Hrdlicka,
photographed in Lao custody and interviewed by a Soviet journalist during the Vietnam War.DOD misrepresented the actions of
Jessica Lynch, prior to her capture, but they are telling the truth about Cpl. Richard Desaultes, and Roger Dumas. Desaultes
was last seen alive by fellow POWs in North Korea on August 7, 1953 during Operation Big Switch and the Dumas story is well
known. While the Dumas captivity is well documented in the statements of returned POWs, the DOD's POW/MIA Office wrote, to
Senate Joseph Leiberman (D-CT) in 2000, "neither my agency nor any other Government agency has uncovered evidence, other than
that which was solicited by Corporal Dumas' family, to indicate that he was ever captured and held prisoner by communist forces
during the Korean War." Yet, returned POW Ciro J. Santo stated Dumas was last seen August 24th, 1953, "...He was to be repatriated
on the same day I was, on August 25th. The Chinese took those guys away. But we don't know where they took 'em...."DOD misrepresented
the circumstances of death of 4 soldiers who were actually captured and executed, but they are telling the truth about the
supposed deaths of American Prisoners known to be in captivity from World War II, Korea, Cold War, Vietnam and the two Gulf
Wars, but never returned.With all the DOD misrepresentations on record, and there are far, far, more than cited here, what
would make Congress, past and present think the Department of Defense hasn't mislead Congress and the American public on the
issue of Prisoners of War and Missing in Action from World War II, Korea, Cold War, Vietnam and the two Gulf Wars.DOD isn't
alone in its misrepresentation of facts. The CIA shares in the blame, along with other intelligence gathering agencies. CIA
manipulated intelligence to support the conclusion of WMD's in Iraq, but we are expected to believe they have been honest
and forthcoming on POW/MIA matters dating back to World War II.
Knowing the history of misrepresentations presented to the American Public and Congress by the DOD and various intelligence
agencies within the Executive branch, how can Congress trust them on matters relating to our POWs and MIAs?
That past investigations did not produce the desired results is no reason to oppose H.Res 111. We know a lot more today
than we did in 1975 when the Montgomery Committee began it's investigation. We know more then we did in 1991 when the Senate
Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs began its investigation.
Remember, in 1976 the Montgomery Committee concluded, no POWs survived after Operation Homecoming in 1973. The Senate Committee
disagreed with that conclusion stating in their 1993 report:
"In 1976, the Montgomery Committee concluded that because there was no evidence that missing Americans had survived, they
must be dead. In 1977, a Defense Department official said that the distinction between Americans still listed as "POW" and
those listed as "missing" had become "academic". Nixon, Ford and Carter Administration officials all dismissed the possibility
that American POWs had survived in Southeast Asia after Operation Homecoming."
"This Committee has uncovered evidence that precludes it from taking the same view. We acknowledge that there is no proof
that U.S. POWs survived, but neither is there proof that all of those who did not return had died. There is evidence, moreover,
that indicates the possibility of survival, at least for a small number, after Operation Homecoming: Is this the progress
we wanted? Of course not! That it took 20 years to conclude what was painfully obvious in 1973 is a disgrace and it highlights
the vast amount of misrepresentation presented to Congress over the years.It is time for Congress to take another look at
the POW/MIA issue.Support H.Res 111 calling for a select committee to "conduct a full investigation of all unresolved matters
relating to any United States personnel unaccounted for from the Vietnam era, the Korean conflict, World War II, Cold War
Missions, or Gulf War, including MIA's and POW's." Contact your Congressional Representative, today!
###################North Korea Turns Over Remains – The delegation led by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson returned
from North Korea with the remains of 6 servicemen lost during the Korean War. The remains were recovered from the Unsan region
of North Korea. According to reports three sets of remains were accompanied by identification tags.
Sadly, the Associated Press reported that "North Korea has no plans to resume the joint recovery operations, Richardson’s
Asian affairs adviser, K.A. "Tony" Namkung said, citing comments by North Korean Gen. Ri Chan Bok Namkung said Ri had offered
the six sets of remains as a gesture in return for Richardson’s reconciliation efforts."
#######################Punchbowl Remains Identified – The remains of a Korean War Unknown exhumed from the Punchbowl
National Cemetery have been identified. Army Cpl. Clarence Becker was buried in Indiantown Gap, PA, on April 25th.
Becker disappeared December 1, 1950. Returning POWs reported his captivity, in Camp 5, and death. Returned POWs said Becker
died of malnutrition and disease and was buried near the camp in approximately May of 1951.
His remains were returned to U.S. custody in 1954 during Operation Glory. Unidentifiable, at the time, the remains were
buried as Unknown at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Based upon a JPAC review of documents, the Unknown remains, believed to be Becker, were exhumed in 2005. According to a
Department of Defense Press Release dated April 27th, "Among other traditional forensic identification tools and
circumstantial evidence, scientists from the JPAC also used dental comparisons in Becker's identification."
####################X-656 - Hopefully, with the successful identification of Cpl. Becker, JPAC will now take another look
at the case of Korean War MIA Cpl. Louis Mutta. Mutta’s family believe his remains rest at the Punchbowl, designated
X646 and buried as Unknown. Their past requests for exhumation and mt-DNA testing have been denied.
#####################What Is Not An "Appreciable Number" – We’ve heard of the "small number" referred to by
the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs when they concluded; "There is evidence, moreover, that indicates the possibility
of survival, at least for a small number, after Operation Homecoming...."We remember the 1981 State Department Memo that described
a course of action to be taken to rescue POW’s, IF "the number of POWs was large."Now we have an "appreciable number!"
During a seminar at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library held March 10 - 11, 2006, former President Jimmy Carter was interviewed
by Brian Williams of NBC. During the interview Williams asked the former President about MIAs in Vietnam. Here is that exchange.Brian
Williams: Mr. President, some of the people watching and listening to this, no doubt, are active in the MIA Movement, which
was, of course active during your presidency. Talk about your efforts where POWs and MIAs are concerned, and looking back,
are you satisfied that you did enough?"President Carter: "I’m satisfied that I did everything I could. As you know,
there were a number of Americans who erroneously believed their loved ones who were missing in action were still alive, and
were moving around somehow in Northern Vietnam, either under restraint or voluntarily. And this was an exacerbating factor
during the time that I was President. All the information that I had showed that these reports were non-subjective, that there
weren’t any appreciable number of those missing in action who were still alive in Vietnam."Small Number.... the number
of POWs was large..... weren’t any appreciable number..... Just what is that small number? How large does the number
of POWs need to be for action to be taken? What is an appreciable number?
######################Our Thanks to the POW Network for bringing this interview to our attention.
######################
Why does Johnie Webb still have a job?
######################
The National Alliance of Families 18th Annual Forum is scheduled for June 21th - 23th, 2007. Our forum is conducted to
coincide with the Government’s annual Vietnam POW/MIA Family Briefings. We urge all family members to attend this years
government briefings. The government will provide free airfare to two family members to attend the government briefings. There
is no charge or registration fee to attend these briefings and you DO NOT have to belong to any organization to attend the
government briefings.This year the Alliance will meet at the Radisson Hotel located at 2020 Jefferson Davis Highway in Crystal
City Va. Room rates for June 21 - 23 are $109.00 per night plus taxes. To make your reservations call 703-920-8600. Remember
to make your reservations early.
The Alliance is an all volunteer organization. Our meetings are open to all, without charge. At this time of year, we actively
seek contributions to finance our forum. If you wish to contribute, donations may be mailed to:
National Alliance Of Families
P.O. Box 40327
Bellevue, WA. 98015
Remember all contributions are tax deductible.
| ARMY RESERVE SGT KEITH "MATT" MAUPIN HONORED |
| |
AIRFORCE INFORMATION SERVICES
NEWS ARTICLES
Army Reserve General Honors Missing Soldier During Pentagon Ceremony
By Donna Miles
American
Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 21, 2006 – As the Army Reserve observes its 98th birthday this weekend,
the commander of U.S. Army Reserve Command today took the opportunity to honor the only U.S. soldier who remains listed as
captured in Iraq, Army Reserve Sgt. Keith "Matt" Maupin.
Army Lt. Gen. James Helmly noted the contributions and sacrifices Army Reservists are making in support
of the global war on terror during a birthday commemoration here at the Pentagon. The Army Reserve was established on April
23, 1908.
More than 150,000 Army Reserve soldiers have been mobilized since Sept. 11, 2001, and more than 25,000
have been called to active duty more than once, he noted. "These are clearly hallmarks of heroes," he said.
"But we cannot recognize the call to duty or mention heroes without taking a moment to remember the
only American soldier who remains missing in Iraq," the general told an assembled group in the Pentagon's MacArthur Corridor.
Insurgents captured Maupin April 9, 2004, after his fuel convoy came under attack at Baghdad International
Airport. Two of the 43 soldiers in the convoy, Sgt. Elmer C. Krause and Spc. Gregory Goodrich, and six civilians were killed
in the action that followed. A week later insurgents released a videotape showing the soldier surrounded by five armed men.
In June of that year, another videotape showed a man being killed, and an audio track identified the man as Maupin. Pentagon
officials have called the second video inconclusive.
The Army continues to list Maupin, a 724th Transportation Company soldier, as "missing-captured."
Helmly praised Maupin today and said the Army is committed to bringing him home.
"Matt Maupin answered the call to duty. He continues to courageously answer the call to duty today,"
Helmly said of the 724th Transportation Company soldier.
Helmly also remembered the Maupin family, who he said "continues to answer the call to duty, serving
faithfully and without reservation." He noted the family's tireless work with the Yellow Ribbon Support Center they founded
in Ohio to support soldiers and their families. One example of their work was the recent distribution of state-of-the-art
computers to Iraq for soldiers to use in communicating with their families and loved ones at home, the general noted.
Maupin's plight serves as a reminder of the Army's warrior ethos, Helmly said. The ethos' four principles
are: place the mission first, never accept defeat, never quit, and never leave a fallen comrade.
"We must never forget our brother in arms who is not able to be with his family and celebrate this
day with us," Helmly said. "We will live the warrior ethos daily, praying for his family and fighting to bring him back home."
Biography:
Lt.
Gen. James R. Helmly, USA
Related Article:
Army Reserve Changing to Meet Challenges |
DYING FOR FREEDOM ISN'T THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN....BEING FORGOTTEN IS !
Susie (Ragan) Stephens MIA USASF 67
VN
State & Region 1 Coordinator
National League of Families for POW/MIAs
President, GA Committee
for POW/MIAs Inc.
The following message was received today and deserves the attention
and support of all Americans, certainly including all veterans and POW/MIA supporters across the country. You can help
by contacting your elected representatives, and I urge you to do so.
H. Rick & Brenda Tavares
sgt1@sciti.com
20 January 2006
Dear Patriotic Americans; (update)
Let me again thank you for your endorsement and/or
support of the Bi-Partisan Bill - Honor Our Fallen Prisoners of War Act. There are currently some 26 patriotic organizations,
with many, many millions of members, backing this fine Bill.
The House Bill (HR 2369) was introduced by Congressman
Filner, and the Senate Bill (S 2157) was introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer. Again, please note that this Bill is enjoying
support from all political parties.
As you know, HR 2369 and S 2157 would grant a Posthumous Purple Heart Medal to
those Prisoners of War who died in enemy captivity from 1941 to the present, and indeed, on into the future if needs must!
This includes from causes such as beatings, starvation, torture, disease, lack of medical care, exposure, etc. It is a final tribute that is long overdue!
I respectfully urge all of your members to call, write, or e-mail
their congressmen and senators requesting that they unanimously support this fine legislation when it soon comes before them!
And again, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your great and truly patriotic assistance in this
matter....
Respectfully,
Rick Tavares Member of the Tiger Survivors
Brenda Tavares - Niece of Corporal Melvin Morgan, U.S. Army, who died of
Starvation as a POW in North Korea (12/6/50), and
Wilbert (Shorty)
Estabrook ex POW in Korea,
Sgt.- U.S. Army Retired
--------------------------------------------------------
Members of Congress who have come
onboard thus far are:
1] Rep. Robert Filner [Sponsor
- HR 2369] - California
2] Rep. Sherwood Boehlert - New York
3] Rep. Bob Etheridge - North Carolina
4] Rep. Thaddeus
G. McCotter - Michigan
5] Rep. Chris Van Hollen - Maryland
6] Rep. Danny K. Davis - Illinois
7] Rep. William L. Jenkins
- Tennessee
8] Rep. Michael R. McNulty - New York
9] Rep. Cynthia A. McKinney - Georgia,
10]
Rep. Sherrod Brown - Ohio
11] Rep. Tim Ryan - Ohio
12] Rep. Nick Rahall - West Virginia
1] Senator Barbara Boxer
[Sponsor - S 2157 ] - California
ENDORSERS AND/OR SUPPORTERS (THUS FAR) OF THE “HONOR
OUR FALLEN PRISONERS OF WAR ACT “
1] Military Order of the Purple Heart
2] The Korean War Veterans Association
3] Korean War Ex-Prisoners
of War, Inc.
4] The Tiger Survivors
5] The American EX-Prisoners of War
6] Chapter # 1, East Texas Chapter
of the AMEX
7] US Marine Corps League Detachment 1057 of Murrieta & Temecula CA
8] VFW Post # 4089, Temecula CA
9] Uniformed Services Disabled Retirees
10] Marine Corps League
11] Hispanic War Veterans of America
12] National
Association of Atomic Veterans
13] Veterans of Foreign Wars
14] National League of POW/MIA Families
15] Agent Orange
Victims and Widows Network Inc.
16] Korea Cold War Veterans
17] Cold War Veterans Association
18] Korea/Cold War
Family of the Missing
19] Legion of Valor of the United States of America
20] Military Officers Association
21]
National Guard Association of the United States of America
22] Korea Defense Veterans of America
23] 24th Infantry
Division Association
24] VFW Post 7089 Richmond, Ky
25] American Legion
Respectfully,
Joseph A. Jennings III
Exec.
Dir.
VVA "BUCKEYE" State Council
"For those that have fought for it, ' FREEDOM '
has a flavor the protected will never know"
|
Keith and Carolyn
Maupin, parents of missing Army Reserve Sgt. Keith "Matt" Maupin, talk with the media on Friday in Washington. Their
son is currently the only soldier classified as captured in Iraq. |
|
Haraz N. Ghanbari / AP | For family of missing soldier, any updates help
Pentagon gives tidbits to parents,
but no confirmation POW-MIA is alive
Updated: 12:53 a.m. ET Nov. 7, 2005
WASHINGTON
- Carolyn and Keith Maupin walked into the Pentagon Friday hoping for any new bits of information about their son, who was
captured by insurgents near Baghdad more than 18 months ago.
They left after more than two hours, saying defense officials
assured them the military is continuing to search for Army Reserve Sgt. Keith “Matt” Maupin. But they got no definitive
answer to the question that haunts them most: Is he still alive?
“Even though you see a smile, your heart still aches,”
Carolyn Maupin told a reporter after the meeting, as she and her husband visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, both wearing
pins bearing a photo of their son.
Surrounded by journalists and escorted by two Army officials,
Keith Maupin — wearing a POW-MIA hat — said he believes “they’ll find something soon. They’ll
find him.” He said he and his wife went to the somber Vietnam Wall because, “There are 50,000 names on that wall,
and I just wanted to say thanks.”
The Maupins met with Lt. Gen. James L. Campbell, the Director
of the Army Staff, as well as officials from the Casualty Assistance Office and the Joint Personnel Recovery Office. They
also had a video conference call with senior officers in Iraq,
including officials from U.S. Central Command.
Asked whether they learned anything new, they said nothing.
“We will not discuss the specifics of the update
because it is an ongoing operation and saying anything could be detrimental to Matt’s safe return and the safety of
those involved in the search,” they said in a written statement.
Captured a year and a half ago
The statement continued,
“It has been more than 18 months since he was captured, and we pray every day for him and the soldiers who continue
to search for him. We ask the American people to do the same.”
Army officials said Friday that Sgt. Maupin’s status
remains unchanged, and he is still considered captured. He is the only soldier who is missing or currently considered captured
in the Iraq War.
The officials who met with the Maupins were expected to
provide the family with more details of the ongoing search for their son, including reports that a Fort Drum, N.Y.-based Army
unit spent seven hours Saturday searching for his body in the Abu Ghraib area west of Baghdad.
The Batavia, Ohio,
soldier has been missing since April 9, 2004, when his fuel truck convoy
was ambushed by insurgents west of Baghdad after leaving camp. He was 20 at the
time.
Soldier surrounded by gunmen in videotape
A week later,
Arab television network Al-Jazeera released a videotape showing Maupin sitting on the floor surrounded by five masked men
holding automatic rifles.
That June, Al-Jazeera released another tape purporting
to show a U.S. soldier being shot. But the dark and grainy
tape showed only the back of the victim’s head and did not show the actual shooting. The Army ruled it was inconclusive.
The Maupins said Friday’s meeting — which also
included a private lunch in the Pentagon — was helpful, and showed the Army is following leads on their son’s
whereabouts.
And it seems other Ohio
residents are also following the progress. As the Maupins walked near the Vietnam Memorial, they were greeted by Jeffrey and
Courtney Neal, who were visiting Washington, D.C., from
Harrison, Ohio.
“We’re praying for you guys, hang in there,”
Jeffrey Neal told the Maupins, as the couples embraced.
 New Clues In Search
For Matt Maupin
Reported by: AP/ 9News
Web produced by: Neil Relyea
Photographed by: 9News
Last
Updated: 11/1/2005 1:05:35 AM
There is new
information tonight on the search for missing Union Township soldier Matt Maupin.
Members of an Army unit searching for the missing Tri-state soldier found new clues this past weekend.
And those new clues could hold the answers into what happened to Matt Maupin, who has been missing
since April 9, 2004
when his fuel truck convoy was ambushed west of Baghdad.
A week later, Arab television network Al-Jazeera released a videotape showing Maupin sitting on the floor surrounded by five
masked men holding automatic rifles.
The Army
lists him as "missing-captured."
Thirty-two members of the Army's
10th Mountain Division spent seven hours Saturday scouring over terrain in the Abu Ghraib region west of Baghdad, looking
for signs of the missing Tri-state soldier. A tip had suggested that Maupin's body might be there, so they parceled
the tract into sections and moved systematically through them.
It was the third day of searching the area. "He needs to go home to his family," First Sgt. Joseph Sanford
told an Iraq-based reporter for The Post-Standard of Syracuse, N.Y. "And there needs to be closure for his family. Those are
the two things we're
trying to bring: closure to his family, and a way to send this young man home."
The New York-based unit dug 45 holes and bagged and tagged 10-items that could hold the answers to Maupin's fate, including
a scrap of military clothing. Each will be shipped to a lab for analysis.
"The physical search is the key," said Sanford, 38, a native of Poughkeepsie, N.Y. "It's all hands-on. It's picking
up every
rock, it's looking under every bush, it's turning over every piece of clothing or trash that we find out
there." Sanford cited the Warrior
Ethos, in which a soldier vows never to leave a comrade behind. "When
it all comes down to it, it's about the man on your left and the man on your right," Sanford said. "It's all about protecting
their flanks and making sure they get home."
9News spoke by phone Monday night to Keith Maupin, Matt's father. He told 9News that he and Matt's mother, Carolyn Maupin,
are
heading to Washington, D.C. to meet with military commanders on Thursday this week.
9News will keep you posted on any new developments.
Lynn O'Shea
Director of Research
National Alliance of
POW/MIA Families
for the Return of America's Missing Servicemen
World War II - Korea - Cold War - Vietnam - Gulf Wars
Twelve MIAs From Vietnam War Identified
Men Died In Fierce Battle
POSTED: 6:54 am EDT August 10, 2005
UPDATED: 9:12 am EDT August 10, 2005
When Army Sgt. Glenn E. Miller was listed as missing in action after a fierce gun battle
in Vietnam in May 1968, his girlfriend figured he had been killed - even though there was never any proof.
Thirty-seven years later, the remains of Miller, a Green Beret, and the 11 Marines who died alongside him have been
identified and returned to the United States. It's the largest single group of MIAs identified since the Vietnam War, the
Defense Department said Tuesday.
All the men's families have met with representatives of the Marines and Army, said Larry Greer, a spokesman for the
Pentagon's missing personnel office. Five of the soldiers will be buried by their families; the others will be buried as a
group in Arlington National Cemetery in October.
For Carol Fordahl, Miller's old girlfriend, the news brought back a flood of memories. There was the evening Miller
serenaded her with his guitar from on top of her roof, the fresh cherries he mailed across the country for her birthday, the
pearl ring and charm bracelet she still keeps.
"I still miss him to this day," said Fordahl of Livermore, Calif. "He was an exceptional person and a really, really
good friend. I think of him often."
The last time Margaret Coplen heard from her brother, Marine Pfc. Robert Lopez of Albuquerque, N.M., was in a letter
that arrived a few days after the military informed the family about what happened to him. In it, he described being able
to squeeze in a bath in a river.
"He said he at least felt he was halfway clean," Coplen said. "It was in a river, so he said when he came out, he was
covered with leeches. I was just crying when I had read that."
Steven Fritsch of Cromwell, Conn., said the confirmation of the death of his older brother, Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas
Fritsch, was "bittersweet" for his parents.
"Now we don't have to wonder anymore," Fritsch said, adding that his brother would be buried Sunday in Cromwell. "Obviously
now they have to bury their son, and who ever wants to do that? But at least they know he's not just missing, he actually
died in battle."
The soldiers were killed May 9, 1968, during a 10-hour battle on a football field-sized area along the Laotian border
in South Vietnam, Greer said. They were part of an artillery platoon airlifted in to support a unit that was at risk of an
attack from nearby North Vietnamese forces.
In recent years, the Vietnam Veterans of America and other advocates had urged officials to excavate the site to search
for the soldiers' remains, said Tim Brown of Dallas, a member of the platoon.
Greer said villagers, former Vietnamese soldiers and American survivors helped investigators narrow their search to
three excavations in the late 1990s before finally recovering the remains and other personal materials. Since then, they have
been working to identify the remains using DNA and other forensic tools, he said.
"After more than 30 years ... sometimes the only thing that you have is the remaining teeth or very few number of bone
fragments," said Gary Flanagan, a spokesman for the U.S. MIA office in Hanoi. "It's always a good feeling to hear that some
of our work results in identification, and that's what we are here for."
Brenda Scott, the sister of Lance Cpl. Donald W. Mitchell, of Princeton, Ky., who was among the recovered MIAs, said
her family feels fortunate they have Mitchell's remains coming home.
Mitchell's father, Herman Mitchell, died in 1998 without knowing his son's fate. His mother, Marjorie Mitchell, is
now 80 and "feels finally at peace," Scott said.
Mitchell's funeral is scheduled for Aug. 27, more than three dozen years after his family prepared for it. "We've had
this family plot since 1968," Scott said, "with a monument ready for him to come home."
The other eight MIAs were identified as Cpl. Gerald E. King of Knoxville, Tenn.; Lance Cpls. Joseph F. Cook of Foxboro,
Mass., and Raymond T. Heyne of Mason, Wis.; Pfcs. Thomas J. Blackman of Racine, Wis., Paul S. Czerwonka of Stoughton, Mass.,
Barry L. Hempel of Garden Grove, Calif., and William D. McGonigle, of Wichita, Kan.; and Lance Cpl. James R. Sargent, of Anawalt,
W. Va.
Hanoi has been cooperating with the United States since the late 1980s to search for missing servicemen.
There are more than 1,800 U.S. servicemen still unaccounted for. Some 300,000 North Vietnamese soldiers are still listed
as missing in action. An estimated 58,000 Americans and 3 million Vietnamese were killed.
Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
This in from the POW Network
 NEWS RELEASE
HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND
7115 South Boundary Boulevard
MacDill
AFB, Fla. 33621-5101
Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894
June 29, 2005
Release Number: 05-06-22
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SERVICE MEMBER MISSING
BAGRAM
AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – A U.S. service member was reported missing west of Asadabad on June 25 after the vehicle he
was traveling in began to slide down an embankment on the Pech River.
Search and rescue efforts are underway, and Coalition
aircraft are assisting in those efforts.
The vehicle was traveling alongside the Pech River , which has swollen due
to snowmelt in recent days, when the road began to give way and the vehicle began to slide toward the water. The missing service
member was traveling in the back of a cargo Humvee with the members of his squad. All other vehicle occupants escaped the
vehicle before the road gave way. The missing service member is believed to have fallen into the river in his effort to escape
the vehicle.
Initial estimates indicate the river was running at 20 to 25 miles per hour and that the water temperature
was 50 degrees.
“We are doing everything we can to find our missing comrade,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jerry
O’Hara, a spokesperson for Combined Joint Task Force-76. “No effort is being spared in our attempts to find this
individual. Our thoughts and prayers are with the men and women conducting these rescue efforts and for the family of the
missing individual.”
The name of the individual is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
-30-
Mary
and Chuck Schantag
http://www.pownetwork.org
Challenge Coin Collector? ..... remember our POW/MIAs with the NETWORK Remembrance Coin.
"If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under."
- Ronald Reagan
Lynn O'Shea Director of Research National Alliance of POW/MIA Families for the Return of America's
Missing Servicemen
Here are two articles one from BBC, other from Australian media reporting on the missing team. Both articles
report claims of the capture of one American, although there is NOTHING to CONFIRM that, at this time.
Lynn
BBC
Report
Last Update: Saturday, July 2, 2005. 8:19am (AEST)
Fears grow for missing
US team in Afghanistan
Concern is mounting in Afghanistan over the fate of a small American
reconnaissance team that has been missing since Tuesday when a helicopter sent to pick it up was shot down.
All 16 people on the helicopter died, eight from airborne special forces units and eight Navy Seal commandos.
People, claiming to speak for Taliban militants, say they have captured one of the Americans but have provided no proof.
American military officials say they are putting everything into the search, including
unmanned surveillance aircraft as well as large numbers of ground troops.
But almost
everything seems to be against them.
As night fell, officials had no progress to report
on the search and there were growing fears for the team's safety. The weather has been a particular problem.
Torrential downpours hit much of the region, making the hard mountain terrain even tougher going for search teams on
the ground.
It has also forced the suspension of most helicopter flights.
- BBC
From Australian Press
US continue
search for missing team
From correspondents in Kabul
July 02, 2005
From: AAP
THE US military said
today it was continuing a search for a small US reconnaissance team in rebel-infested eastern Afghanistan but gave no details
of the operation citing security reasons.
The search in the woody mountains in Kunar province dragged into a fifth
day after Taliban insurgents shot down a US Chinook helicopter Tuesday killing 16 personnel, including eight US
Navy SEALs.
"The search is ongoing," US military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jerry O'Hara said. "We're still looking
for our missing. Because of the nature of this operation we're not prepared to release any information," the spokesman
said.
The US MH-47 Chinook helicopter, sent to the region to rescue the reconnaissance team, crashed after it was
hit by what is believed to be a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Taliban insurgents.
O'Hara said yesterday the US
military was using all available assets to find the missing team.
The Taliban claimed yesterday they had captured
a US soldier.
Taliban spokesman Abdul Latif Hakimi said the rebels were holding a US serviceman and that they had killed
seven American "spies" in the area. Earlier this week the militia said the dead men were Afghans.
"Our mujahideen arrested
one American soldier alive in the area," he said by satellite telephone from an undisclosed location. "They have not
started interrogating him, that is why I cannot tell you what his name is and what rank and which department he comes
from."
Hakimi said the Taliban had footage of an exchange of fire with the so-called spies and of the captured
American, which would be displayed on the rebels' website www.alemarah.com "tomorrow or the day after".
There was no way of independently confirming Hakimi's account and some of his
previous
claims have proved to be untrue.
Kunar, which borders Pakistan, is a known hub of Taliban rebels who have stepped
up
attacks on the US-led coalition and government security forces with about 500
people, mostly militants, killed in fighting
this summer.
Kabul's nominated governor Asadullah Wafa nominally rules the region from
provincial capital Asadabad
but the government's vulnerability has mounted amid
a dramatic surge in suspected Taliban attacks.
Recent months
have seen an escalating insurgency by the Taliban ahead of
Afghanistan's landmark parliamentary and legislative elections
in September.
In southern Uruzgan province 47 people have died during a week of militant
violence, including 31 killed
in yesterday's attack.
Six policemen and 25 suspected Taliban were killed in Tabag village in the
attack, Uruzgan
governor Jan Mohammed Khan said.
Seven Taliban were killed on Monday when they attacked a police post in another
village
60 kilometers (38 miles) south of provincial capital Tirinkot.
Two days later Taliban rebels attacked the same village
and kidnapped nine
village elders and a child, accusing them of spying for the US-led forces. Khan
said the nine were
later executed by the Taliban in front of the child.
More than 18,000 coalition force majority of them American are deployed
in
Afghanistan to hunt down Taliban militants and their allies.
Lynn O'Shea
Director of Research
National Alliance of POW/MIA Families
for the Return of America's
Missing Servicemen
World War II - Korea - Cold War - Vietnam - Gulf Wars
World War II - Korea - Cold War - Vietnam - Gulf Wars
Danny "Greasy" Belcher, Executive
Director, Task Force Omega of KY Inc. Infantry Sgt. Vietnam 68-69 D Troop 7th Sqdn. 1st Air Cav.
AP DataStream March
25, 2005
Pentagon determines that remains found in China are US spy pilot's
By ROBERT BURNS
WASHINGTON_The
Pentagon has confirmed that human remains unearthed in China last summer at a remote site where a CIA-sponsored spy plane
was shot down in 1952 are those of Robert C. Snoddy, of Roseburg, Ore., a civilian pilot whose CIA connection was kept secret
for decades.
"It's nice to finally bring him home," said Ruth Boss, of Creswell, Ore., who will bury her brother at the cemetery
where their mother and father are buried.
Boss said in a telephone interview Friday that she received the news earlier
this week from a CIA official who expressed some concern that, after all these years, Boss might take it badly.
"Any news
is good. The bad had already happened," Boss said. Also informed of the results of DNA testing of the recovered bone fragments
and teeth were relatives of the other pilot aboard the ill-fated C-47, Norman A. Schwartz, of Louisville,
Ky. None of the remains could be confirmed as those of Schwartz, family members said.
Schwartz
was at the controls when the plane encountered a Chinese air defense ambush while trying to retrieve a spy near the town of
Antu in the northeastern province of
Jilin.
Snoddy and Schwartz were pilots for Civil Air Transport, a CIA proprietary
airline that supported covert missions in the Far East and Southeast Asia. They
were considered contract employees rather than CIA staff officers, but in December 1998 their names were added to the Book
of Honor at CIA headquarters. That marked the government's first public acknowledgment of the men's agency connection.
They
flew their mission during a time when China and the United
States were fighting on opposing sides in the Korean War and the CIA was trying to undermine
the fledgling communist regime on its home territory. When the Chinese guns opened up, the unmarked, twin-engine C-47 was
making a low approach to a site where a CIA agent was waiting to be snatched and reeled aboard with a cable strung from the
belly of the plane. The cockpit was riddled with bullets and the plane apparently made a belly landing on frozen ground, with
Schwartz and Snoddy caught in an intense cockpit fire.
In response to a 1975 U.S.
government inquiry about the missing pilots, the Chinese government wrote to President Gerald Ford that "it is impossible
to locate them now."
An initial visit to the crash site in July 2002 by a team from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command
in Hawaii found wreckage of the downed plane but no human remains. In their
post-mission report they concluded that the probability of finding remains was "quite low." But a search team returned last
July and found a small amount of remains. DNA testing confirmed it was Snoddy, but none of the remains have been confirmed
to be those of Schwartz, family members said.
Also aboard the plane were two CIA officers, Richard Fecteau and John Downey.
They were captured alive and spent two decades in Chinese prisons, gaining their freedom only after President Nixon acknowledged
they were spies. Washington originally claimed Fecteau and Downey
were Army civilians.
The CIA initially went to considerable lengths to cover up the failed mission. A false flight plan
was produced, dated four days after the actual flight and indicating a Korea-to-Japan
route. The cover story was that the plane disappeared in the Sea of Japan _ far from the actual crash
site. Betty Kirzinger, the sister of Norman Schwartz, said in a telephone interview Friday from her home in Madison,
N.C., that her family was misled by the U.S.
government for years, but she understands why. She received a letter from a State Department official on Oct. 9, 1953, that claimed "every conceivable effort has been made to locate the plane piloted
by your brother which disappeared during its flight between Korea
and Japan." The following year the Chinese government announced
the plane had crashed on its soil and that Snoddy and Schwartz had been killed.
Kirzinger, 84, said she is not bitter.
"That's the way it is" when you sign up to do the CIA's business, she said.
She sees no point in sending another excavation
team to China to renew the search for remains. "It's time
to call it quits now," she said.
Seattle Times (WA) March 26, 2005
Airman
lost in Vietnam finally to rest at Arlington
Alex Fryer; Seattle Times staff reporter
More than 37 years after Navy
Lt. Cmdr. J. Forrest G. Trembley failed to return from a bombing mission over North Vietnam, his remains will come home to
Arlington National Cemetery, the Pentagon announced yesterday.
A Spokane native and grandson of a Washington Supreme Court judge, Trembley was shot down by Chinese
fighters Aug. 21, 1967, after his A-6A aircraft strayed into Chinese airspace.
He was 26. Another A-6A on the mission also was brought down.
Trembley's last radio dispatch indicated Chinese planes were
in hot pursuit after a strike against a rail yard near Hanoi.
Later that day, the Chinese government announced that two U.S. planes had been shot down and three of the four crewmen had been killed. The surviving airman
was released in March 1973. In 1993, Chinese government officials passed along two photographs showing a military identification
card bearing Trembley's picture and the upper torso of a body.
Then, in 1999, specialists with the military's Joint POW/MIA
Accounting Command (JPAC) interviewed a Chinese citizen who turned over Trembley's identification tag and fragmentary human
remains. Scientists with the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory matched the sample with a sample from Trembley's sister,
Catherine Trembley, of Spokane.
"In 1993, we got a picture that put it to rest
for me, and I think for all of us," Catherine Trembley told The Spokesman-Review newspaper of Spokane.
"By then we were pretty sure he had been killed in action. It's
good to have resolution. It's been a long time, and it's hard on families. I just wish it had come when my parents were here." Trembley's father died in 1974, and his mother died 10 years later. He is survived
by his wife, who remarried in 1974; a son, Forrest Trembley Ehlinger; and a sister, Catherine. Burial services will be in Arlington on April 1.
This e-mail is intended for the families of our World War II, Korean War, Cold War, and Vietnam POW/MIA Families.
If you know a family member, please pass it on. Dear World War II, Korea, Cold War and Vietnam POW/MIA Family Members: As
you know, the 5 th Edition of the Gulag Study was released, this past Friday. The
study concluded “Americans, including American servicemen, were imprisoned in the former Soviet Union...." Not
maybe.... not thought to be.... not believed to be..... WERE IMPRISONED! When asked about the number of American’s
held JCSD executive secretary Norman Kass responded; “I personally would be comfortable saying that the
number is in the hundreds."
The National Alliance of Families is in the process of preparing a letter to the President
of Russia, asking that they release all records to JCSD investigators, in hopes that we may learn the truth about what happened
to these men. We believe the letter would be more powerful, if family members signed on to it If you support
this and wish to sign the letter, send us an email with the following information: Your name, relationship Serviceman’s
name Date of Loss War of Loss
- Example: Ann Holland, wife of
T/Sgt.
Melvin Holland March
11, 1968 Vietnam
War Please get this to us as quickly as possible. We hope you will sign on, as this is the first break we’ve
had in a very long time. Lynn
Lynn O'Shea Director of Research National Alliance of Families for the Return of America's Missing
Servicemen World War II - Korea - Cold War - Vietnam - Gulf Wars
Subject: Call To Action
We need your help. We're going to ask you all to contact your Senators to ask them why
they remained silent when the Defense Department eliminated the status/designation Prisoner of War for American Service Personnel.
We've
created a web page at www.nationalalliance.org/powstatus/index.htm listing Senators along with addresses, fax numbers and email addresses. If you are able please
fax a letter. Email's get minimal attention but you will be able to email from the site. The web page also
contains a form letter for you to use or adapt or you can right your own letter.
We really need to get this
done.
Why now? The answer is simple.
During the coming week the Senate Committee on Judiciary will
hold hearings on the nomination of Alberto Gonzalez, as the next Attorney General. There is no doubt that Mr. Gonzalez
will be questioned on his controversial memo denying Prisoner of War status to captured Al Qaida and Taliban. The media
is all over this story
Yet, Congress and the media have ignored the fact that the Department of Defense has quietly
eliminated the Prisoner of War status as it applied to captured American service personnel.
Department of Defense Directive
1300.18, dated December 18, 2000, the controlling directive governing the status of missing service personnel no longer provides
for a Prisoner of War status. The most a captured American service member can hope for is the ambiguous
status of Missing/Captured or MIA-C.
The fact that the POW status does not exist was confirmed by Secretary of the
Navy Gordon England. In a memo written 11 Oct 2002 changing the status of Navy Capt. Scott Speicher, England wrote:
“the controlling missing persons statute and directives do not use the term Prisoner of War....”
Government
officials claim the type of war we are fighting today, with a stateless enemy does not allow a service member to be declared
POW. We would remind you that Capt. Speicher was lost in January 1991 during action against the recognized government
of Iraq.
The simple fact is there is no circumstance under which an American service member would be designated Prisoner
of War. If Great Britain were to declare war on the United States tomorrow, and one of our soldiers was captured,
shown on television, and visited by the Red Cross, they still would not be designated POW, as the controlling directive no
longer provides for this status/designation.
Many in the Senate and Congress have expressed outrage at the
“memo” written by Mr. Gonzalaz. Yet, we’ve heard not a whisper from the very same Senators and
Congressional Representatives regarding the Defense Departments elimination of the Prisoner of War status for our own service
personnel.
Form Letter:
Senator [insert name]
Insert Address
Washington D.C.
20515
Both members of the Senate and the media have voice concern over the nomination of Alberto Gonzalez,
as the next Attorney General. Their concern is due to a memo written by Mr. Gonzalez, denying Prisoner of War
status to captured Al Qaida and Taliban.
Yet, the Senate and the media have ignored the fact that the Department
of Defense has quietly eliminated the Prisoner of War status as it applied to captured American service personnel.
Department
of Defense Directive 1300.18, dated December 18, 2000, the controlling directive governing the status of missing service personnel
no longer provides for a Prisoner of War status. The most a captured American service member can hope
for is the ambiguous status of Missing/Captured or MIA-C.
The fact that the POW status does not exist was confirmed
by Secretary of the Navy Gordon England. In a memo written 11 Oct 2002 changing the status of Navy Capt. Scott Speicher,
England wrote: “the controlling missing persons statute and directives do not use the term Prisoner of War....”
Government officials claim the type of war we are fighting today, with a stateless enemy does not allow a service
member to be declared POW. We would remind you that Capt. Speicher was lost in January 1991 during action against
the recognized government of Iraq.
The simple fact is there is no circumstance under which an American service member
would be designated Prisoner of War. If Great Britain were to declare war on the United States tomorrow, and one
of our soldiers was captured, shown on television, and visited by the Red Cross, they still would not be designated POW, as
the controlling directive no longer provides for this status/designation.
Many in the Senate and the media have expressed
outrage at the “memo” written by Mr. Gonzalaz. Yet, we’ve heard not a whisper from either
the Senate or the media regarding the Defense Departments elimination of the Prisoner of War status for our own service personnel.
Very
truly yours
Lynn O'Shea
Director of Research
National Alliance of Families
for the Return of America's
Missing Servicemen
World War II - Korea - Cold War - Vietnam - Gulf Wars
POWs:
Civil
War:
Approximately 462,000 Confederate prisoners held, 26,000 died;
211,000 Union soldiers held, 30,000 died.
World
War I:
4,120 held, 147 died.
World
War II:
Europe, 95,532 held, 1,124 died;
Pacific, 34,648 held, 12,935 died.
Korean War:
7,140 held,
2,701 died.
Vietnam War:
766 held, 114 died.
Persian Gulf War:
23 held, none died.
MIAs:
Vietnam War: 2,264
Korean
War: 954
World War II: Approx. 20,000
May 23, 2004
Family, friends bury Vietnam Vet 37 years after
plane crash
By KAREN HEINSELMAN, Courier Staff Writer
NASHUA --- For years the shared headstone for husband
and wife listed two names, birth dates and deaths.
But only her body had been laid to rest.
After decades of
questions, hopes and fears, Vietnam
veteran Col. Lester Holmes was buried Saturday in his homeland just 8 miles from his boyhood farm.
The homecoming,
and full military rites by the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard, came 37 years to the day the decorated Air Force pilot was shot
down over North Vietnam and went missing in action.
Holmes'
remains came home to American soil this week after a successful recovery and identification effort in Southeast
Asia in recent years by members of the Honolulu-based Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command. The teams of military
and civilian personnel work to account for soldiers lost in Vietnam,
World War II and other foreign conflicts.
On Saturday, Holmes' three sons, Bruce, Roger and Tommy, could slip off metallic
POW bracelets once and for all.
"I welcome you not to a funeral but a homecoming," said Tommy, Lester's youngest son.
"Today
we add the final chapter," the Arizona resident and Army veteran added. "Your
tour of duty is finally complete. You are home and home to stay."
At least 100 family members, friends and veterans
attended the ceremony at Nashua's Greenwood
Cemetery. Red, white and blue carnations lined a polished wooden casket draped
in an American flag.
Gasps broke a minutes-long silence as four F-16 fighter jets soared across a blue sky: three followed
the horizon, one split for the heavens.
"I have never seen the jets peel off like they did today," said Vietnam
veteran Arnie Boge, with the Nashua Veterans of Foreign Wars post. "It just raises the hair on your neck to see the one jet
flaming out."
Tommy proceeded to weave a eulogy out of humor, pride and tears for a man who loved his family, country
and the freedom of flight.
Lester Holmes was a scholar and a hell-raiser who liked to drop toilet paper from the sky
as he flew over his grandpa's farm. The father taught his sons to keep their heads down on a ground ball and to shoot a rifle
with caution but precision.
Lester Holmes loved Norma Otto, the local girl he married in the Little Brown Church, but
had a mistress: the Air Force. In his 47 years of life, he logged about 25 years and more than 10,000 hours flying in World
War II, the Berlin Airlift and Vietnam.
Though letters
home from Lester Holmes reflected war, Tommy said, "between the lines you sensed that peace was in his heart."
His
father's humor masked the danger.
"Don't worry, Charlies couldn't shoot half as good as Tommy," Tommy said, recalling
a note from Dad. "The best times growing up was when our father was home."
But the letters stopped.
On May 22, 1967, Lester Holmes, a spotter pilot who marked targets, enemy movement
and delivered supplies to U.S. ground troops, took off on
his final mission. About 6 miles north of the demilitarization zone the aircraft came under enemy fire. Another pilot saw
the O-1E Bird-dog spiral toward a forested hillside.
"So our long wait began ...," Tommy said, choking up.
Lester
Holmes was declared missing in action in 1975. But for many who loved and knew the Plainfield
native, questions persisted for years, even after a memorial service.
"You grieve, you mourn and then you go on," Tommy
said. "But when your loved one is missing, you can only grieve."
The first service fell short of offering Saturday's
bittersweet relief, family said.
"The initial one was a show," said Bruce Holmes, Lester's oldest son. "It's the end
of doubts. The end of not knowing. (We're) able to put him to rest."
Tears flowed freely for family.
"It doesn't
fade," said Robert Ebert of Denver. "You just never forget it."
Relative
Dave Crandall of Ionia never knew Lester Holmes, but for years he mourned the fallen pilot just the
same.
"I was anxious to come and be a part of it," he said. "I thought the whole thing was a class act."
The
homecoming ushered in hope for some family.
"You continue on with your life, I think, every day better than the previous
day," Bruce said.
He wants the homecoming to give hope to the thousands of other families with missing soldiers. Bruce
is grateful to the teams responsible for his father's recovery.
"There's not enough thanks for what they do," he said.
Waterloo
native Eric Benson, 29, with the Joint MIA/POW Accounting Command, said searching for lost soldiers is an honor. He has participated
in recovery efforts for a year and a half as a Navy photojournalist but could not attend Saturday's service.
The job
is to identify remains, but also to deliver a story to family members.
"This is the greatest reward you can have. It's
the one job where no one questions. No one complains," Benson said. "It gets to a point where no one wants to take leave.
"It's
not just a job," he added. "They keep excavating until there's no possibility there are remains or equipment left. They want
to know 100 percent without a doubt this is the person."
An Air Force honor guard carefully lifts the casket carrying
the remains of Col. Lester Holmes during a memorial service in Nashua.
BRANDON
POLLOCK/Courier Staff Photographer
Ann Mills Griffiths
Executive Director
National
League of POW/MIA Families
1005 North Glebe Road, #170
Arlington, VA 22201
703-465-7432 - Phone
703-465-7433
- Fax
www.pow-miafamilies.org
The POW-MIA Flag History 1971, Mrs. Michael Hoff, an MIA wife and member of the National League of Families,
recognized the need for a symbol of our POW/MIAs. Prompted by an article in the Jacksonville City, Florida, Mrs. Hoff contacted
Norman Rivkees, Vice President of Annin & Company which had made a banner for the newest member of the United Nations,
the People's Republic of China as a part of their policy to provide flags to all United Nations members states. Mrs. Hoff
found Mr. Rivkees very sympathetic to the POW/MIA issue, and he, along with Annin's advertising agency, designed a flag to
represent our missing men. Following League approval, the flags were manufactured for distribution an official League flag,
which flew over the White House on 1988 National POW/MIA Recognition Day, was installed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda as a result
of legislation passed overwhelmingly during the 100th Congress. In a demonstration of bipartisan Congressional support, the
leadership of both Houses hosted the installation ceremony. The League's POW/MIA flag is the only flag ever displayed in the
U.S. Capitol Rotunda where it will stand as a powerful symbol of national commitment to America's POW/MIAs until the fullest
possible accounting has been achieved for U.S. personnel still missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam WarOn August 10,
1990, the 101st Congress passed U.S. Public Law 101-355, which recognized the League's POW/MIA flag and designated it "as
the symbol of our Nation's concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans still prisoner,
missing and unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, thus ending the uncertainty for their families and the Nation. The importance
of the League's POW/MIA flag lies in its continued visibility, a constant reminder of the plight of America's POW/MIAs. Other
than "Old Glory", the League's POW/MIA flag is the only flag ever to fly over the White House, having been displayed in this
place of honor on National POW/MIA Recognition Day since 1982. With passage of Section 1082 of the 1998 Defense Authorization
Act during the first term of the 105th Congress, the League's POW/MIA flag will fly each year on Armed Forces Day, Memorial
Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, National POW/MIA Recognition Day and Veterans Day on the grounds or in the public lobbies
of major military installations as designated by the Secretary of the Defense, all Federal national cemeteries, the national
Korean War Veterans Memorial, the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the White House, the United States Postal Service post
offices and at the official offices of the Secretaries of State, Defense and Veteran's Affairs, and Director of the Selective
Service System. The House Resolution H.R.1119 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998 (Passed by the House
SEC. 1054. DISPLAY OF POW/MIA FLAG (a) REQUIRED DISPLAY- The POW/MIA flag shall be displayed at the locations specified in
subsection (c) each year on POW/MIA flag display days. Such display shall serve (1) as the symbol of the Nation's concern
and commitment to achieving the fullest possible accounting of Americans who, having been prisoners of war or missing in action,
still remain unaccounted for, and (2) as the symbol of the Nation's commitment to achieving the fullest possible accounting
for Americans who in the future may become prisoners of war, missing in action, or otherwise unaccounted for as a result of
hostile action. DAYS FOR FLAG DISPLAY- (1) For purposes of this section, POW/MIA flag display days are the following (A) Armed
Forces Day, the third Saturday in May (B) Memorial Day, the last Monday in May (C) Flag Day, June 14 (D) Independence Day,
July 4 (E) National POW/MIA Recognition Day (F) Veterans Day, November 11 (2) In the case of display at United States Postal
Service post offices (required by subsection (c)(8)), POW/MIA flag display days in any year include, in addition to the days
specified in paragraph (1), the last business day before each such day that itself is not a business day(c) LOCATIONS FOR
FLAG DISPLAY- The locations for the display of the POW/MIA flag under this section are the following (1) The Capitol (2) The
White House (3) The Korean War Veterans Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (4) Each national cemetery (5) The buildings
containing the primary offices of (A) the Secretary of State (B) the Secretary of Defense (C) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
and (D) the Director of the Selective Service System (6) Each major military installation, as designated by the Secretary
of Defense (7) Each Department of Veterans Affairs medical center (8) Each United States Postal Service post office (d) COORDINATION
WITH OTHER DISPLAY REQUIREMENT- Display of the POW/MIA flag at the Capitol pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection (c) is
in addition to the display of that flag in the Rotunda of the Capitol required by Senate Concurrent Resolution 5 of the 101st
Congress, agreed to on February 22, 1989 (103 Stat. 2533 (e) REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING DISPLAY AT SPECIFIED LOCATIONS- (1) Display
of the POW/MIA flag at the buildings specified in paragraphs (1), (2), (5), and (7) of subsection (c) shall be on, or on the
grounds of, each such building (2) Display of that flag pursuant to paragraph (5) of subsection (c) at the buildings containing
the primary offices of the officials specified in that paragraph shall be in an area visible to the public (3) Display of
that flag at United States Postal Service post offices pursuant to paragraph (8) of subsection (c) shall be on the grounds
or in the public lobby of each such post office (f) POW/MIA FLAG DEFINED- As used in this section, the term `POW/MIA flag'
means the National League of Families POW/MIA flag recognized officially and designated by section 2 of Public Law 101-355
(36U.S.C. 189 (g) REGULATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION- Within 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the head of
each department, agency, or other establishment responsible for a location specified in subsection (c) (other than the Capitol)
shall prescribe such regulations as necessary to carry out this section (h) PROCUREMENT AND DISTRIBUTION OF FLAGS- Within
30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of General Services shall procure POW/MIA flags and
distribute them as necessary to carry out this section If flying the flag from ONE FLAG POLE, the POW/MIA flag is flown directly
below the National Colors and above any state flag.If flying National, POW/MIA and State flags from TWO poles, the POW/MIA
flag should be flown from the same pole as the National Colors, and beneath the American Flag, with the state flag flying
from the pole to the left. If flying flags from three poles, the National Colors occupy the place of prominence (the right),
with the POW/MIA flag immediately to the left of the US Flag, and the state flag to the left of the POW/MIA flag. Designer
glad that POW flag lifts hopesBy Terri Cotten Special to The Denver Post Sunday, September 22, 2002 - COLORADO SPRINGS - As
a World War II pilot, Newton Heisley covered vast stretches of the Pacific Ocean in frightening isolation. During those trips,
he sometimes found himself imagining what it would be like to be shot down and taken prisoner.
He hoped he would not
be forgotten.
Nearly 30 years later, Heisley drew on those memories when he was commissioned to design a flag that
would rally support for the efforts of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Action. He sketched
three different designs, but the one chosen in 1971 now graces the banner that is the country's second-fastest-selling flag,
behind only the Stars and Stripes. Beneath the emaciated silhouette of a man's head, the black and white POW/MIA flag bears
the motto: "You Are Not Forgotten.". "I'm no hero," Heisley said Friday from his Colorado Springs home as people gathered
throughout the country for National POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremonies, an annual event that began in 1979."I didn't do it
for personal gain or acclaim. I did it for the men who were prisoners of war or missing in action. They're the real heroes."
Initially, Heisley's design was used to rally support for bringing home those held prisoner or missing in action. Today, it
is used to fight for an accounting of more than 89,000 soldiers who remain missing from all wars since World War II. Historians
and flag experts call the proliferation of the POW/MIA flag unprecedented in the history of the United States and perhaps
the world. The POW/MIA flag is the only flag that flies continuously in the U.S. Capitol's rotunda and is the only flag, besides
Old Glory, that has flown above the White House. It has flown at the Super Bowl, the New York Stock Exchange and at every
post office nationwide. Heisley's drawing, which was never copyrighted, can be found on everything from ball caps to mugs.
The
idea began when Mrs. Michael Hoff, the wife of a soldier missing in action and a member of the National League of Families,
recognized the need for such a symbol. She sought help from flag manufacturers Annin & Co., which, in turn, went to Heisley,
who was then creative director for a New Jersey advertising firm. About the time his father began working on the project,
Jeffrey Heisley, then 24, was struck with hepatitis during a Marine Corps training program. His shrunken condition inspired
his father to draw him in silhouette for the flag. David Winn, a retired Air Force general, was a prisoner of war at the "Hanoi
Hilton" when Heisley sketched the POW/MIA symbol. Winn, one of those who gathered for Friday's observance of National POW/MIA
Recognition Day at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, said he was shot down over North Vietnam in August 1968.
He spent the first 22 months of captivity in isolation and shrunk from 175 pounds to less than 120 pounds, he said. Two events
gave him hope, he said. One was the Son Tay raid in November 1970, which prompted the Viet Cong to move all their prisoners
to Hanoi and effectively ended solitary confinements. The second came in 1971 at the Paris peace talks when the National League
of Families flooded the North Vietnamese delegation with 3 million letters demanding the return of their loved ones. The prisoners
found their conditions again improving. Winn and his fellow prisoners were liberated in March 1973, but he said those who
fly the POW/MIA flag today remain committed to a full accounting. "It's impossible, the way we live such normal lives in this
country, to conceive of a violent death," Winn said. "The average guy ought to be reminded that people are paying an awful
price for his freedom. 4>Artwork: AII POW-MIAText Credit: Congressional Legislation, National Archives - History: National
League of Families The opinions expressed on this site are those of Advocacy and Intelligence Index for Prisoners of War -
Missing in Action.
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