AMERICANS ACCOUNTED FOR: There are now 1,755 US personnel listed by the Defense POW/MIA Office (DPMO) as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. The remains of WO 1st Class Arthur F. Chaney, USA, and WO 2nd Class Bobby L. McKain, USAR, both listed as KIA/BNR in South Vietnam on May 3, 1968, were turned over to US officials by a US citizen on June 11, 1985, identified on March 11th 2008, but only recently released by DPMO as identified. The remains of SGT Timothy J. Jacobsen, USA, listed as MIA April 16, 1971 in South Vietnam were recovered June 7, 1995 and identified March 24, 2008, announced by DPMO as identified on July 28, 2008. The accounting for these three US personnel brought to 829 the number of US personnel accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. 90+% of the 1,755 still listed as missing and unaccounted-for were lost in Vietnam or in areas of Laos and Cambodia under Vietnam’s wartime control.
VIETNAM’S PRIME MINISTER VISITS WASHINGTON: Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister (PM) of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), made a brief but significant visit to Washington, DC, June 23-25th, during which he met with President Bush, Secretary of Defense Bob Gates and other US senior political, defense and commerce/economic officials. The talks focused broadly on many issues of bilateral concern and interest, but POW/MIA accounting clearly was raised. It appears the PM was asked for unilateral action to provide archives, especially on LKA cases in Laos and Cambodia, in keeping with the March 13th Determination (Certification) to Congress. We are awaiting further confirmation on the PM’s reply.
League Executive Director Ann Mills Griffiths and Senior Policy Advisor Richard T. Childress attended a luncheon in the Prime Minister’s honor, hosted by the US-ASEAN Business Council and the US Chamber of Commerce, including a private pre-luncheon reception at which both League officials were able to chat briefly with the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Pham Gia Kheim and several other Vice Ministers known from many years of meeting with Vietnamese officials in Hanoi, New York and Washington. The PM’s policy address at this function included a specific pledge to allow underwater recovery efforts along Vietnam’s coast, not a new pledge for US Navy ships, but reiterated at the highest level.
UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR POLICY ADDRESSES 39TH ANNUAL MEETING: The League was pleased that Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Ambassador Eric Edelman gave an important address during the session on Friday afternoon, June 20th. In his remarks regarding the executive branch’s required Determination (certification) to Congress on Vietnam’s cooperation stated in part, “The Determination this year, as in recent years, notes that while we appreciate Vietnam’s cooperation to date on our accounting for our missing, we urge Vietnam to improve its work in unilaterally providing documents and archival records, especially pertaining to American captured or killed in areas of Cambodia and Laos under Vietnamese control.”
Noting that the next week the President would be hosting the Vietnamese Prime Minister, he stated, “You may be assured that among the many topics to be covered will be that of continued – and improved – cooperation on accounting for our missing. This is consistent both with the executive branch determination (to Congress) and with the joint statement issued at the conclusion of President Bush’s historic visit to Vietnam in November 2006, in which Vietnam pledged to assist the US through both join and enhanced unilateral actions.”
Commenting on the bilateral relationships with Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, he specifically raised Laos, noting “In Laos, the agreement to exchange defense attaches is a significant step forward in the evolution of the bilateral relationship. For a personnel accounting perspective, this will provide a venue for the stationing of (DIA’s) Stony Beach personnel permanently in-country. We can build upon this development as a way to increase Lao confidence in our bilateral relationship, which we hope will contribute to increased operational flexibility that will help draw down the backlog of cases and enable JPAC to use its resources more efficiently. This, in the final analysis, speeds up the work that needs to be done.”
Comment: Throughout his remarks, Secretary Edelman praised the League for its role over the years to ensure the US Government remained focused on the issue, for setting the bar high for achieving the fullest possible accounting, and for serving as the example for Korean War families and others to follow.
UPDATE ON JPAC OPERATIONS: The 92nd Joint Field Activity (JFA) in Vietnam, begun June 11th recently ended with a brief ceremony, attended by US Ambassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak, to honor five US personnel whose remains may be among those recovered and repatriated. The 45-day work period included five Recovery Teams (RT), one Phase Two Testing Team (P2T), one Investigation Team (IT), one Underwater Investigation Team (UIT), one Research and investigation Team (RIT) and one Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP) unilateral recovery team in a restricted area where US personnel are not allowed. According to press reports, the “blood chit” of Major Bobby M. Jones, USAF, was discovered a site believed to be the location of the downed F4 in which he was listed as MIA. While such information is not routinely available this quickly, Major Jones sister, League Board Chairman Jo Anne Shirley, made public comments about the these details as being a source of great relief to her and to her mother, Christine Jones.
In Laos, the 105th JFA begun on June 26th has now concluded. Five recovery teams operated in northern Laos, in Houaphan and Xiengkhoang Provinces. And in Europe, a JPAC anthropologist recently completed assisting the US Army Mortuary Affairs Activity-Europe in the disinterment of US remains from the Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupre, Belgium. These unknown remains were to be moved through Landstuhl, Germany, and sent on the JPAC’s laboratory in Hawaii for forensic analysis.
FAMILIES FIGHT AGAINST ANOTHER SELECT COMMITTEE ON POW/MIA AFFAIRS: With a unanimous vote of the League’s voting members present for the 39th Annual Meeting earlier this month, the League is again on record strongly opposing H. Res.111, the measure that would, if passed, result in another House Select Committee on POW/MIA matters. Claims of conspiracy and cover-up are again being alleged, but past investigations have found no evidence to support such charges, completely tying up assets and resources, and the accounting was put on hold to allow time and attention to respond to Congress.
The League is now opposing the discharge petition (H. Res. 1240), introduced by Representative Tom Tancredo (R-CO) that would force an up/down vote on H. Res. 111. To his credit, Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) is actively opposing the discharge petition. POW/MIA hearings have been called for July 10th to obtain Defense POW/MIA Office (DPMO) and JPAC testimony from Ambassador Charlie Ray and RADM Donna Crisp. The League supports oversight by the House and Senate Armed Services and Foreign Affairs/International Relations Committees, but will continue to oppose another wasteful, time-consuming special committee or commission unless and until there is nothing further that can be done constructively. In that event, the League would reconsider, but that time is NOT yet here.
NATIONAL POW/MIA RECOGNITION DAY – SEPTEMBER 19, 2008: This year’s official date will again be on the third Friday in September, and the national ceremony will be held on that date. The 2008 poster was unveiled at the League’s 39th Annual Meeting and distributed there in limited number, but will be available shortly to the general public by calling 703-699-1131. A recording will inform the caller on needed what information to prompt a shipment of posters. A second way to order is to visit the DPMO web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo and look at the link on the home page with instructions on how to order posters. There are still some 2007 posters left, and when the 2008 poster is available, the ordering info will be the same. Per DPMO, the posters were again ordered in both the large and small sizes.
COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN (CFC): The League was recently notified that the stringent criteria for the 2008 campaign were met, and our official number is the same, 10218, assigned by the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Washington, DC. The League is the ONLY nonprofit organization representing American POW/MIAs, KIA/BNR’s and their families 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.
The League is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization; Federal Tax ID #23-7071242
CHECK THE LEAGUE’S UPDATED WEB SITE
www.POWMIALeague.org
www.POWMIALeague.com
www.pow-miafamilies.org
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