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.
29 March 2009
Hoosier Honor Flight Sends Local WWII Vets To D.C.
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.
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
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."
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."
28 March 2009
Designs For Memorial Honoring Military Women Unveiled At Veterans Conference (3 PM)
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.
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
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.
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.
27 March 2009
NC Department of POW/MIA Affiars Press Release 03-09-01
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 ##
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 ##
26 March 2009
Despite The Years, Death March Survivor's Memories Vivid
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.
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
Advertisement
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.
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