DEPARTMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA
MARINE CORPS LEAGUE
POW MIA Information Central
Marine Corps League of PA
1 September 2010
U.S. Soldier MIA from Korean War Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
United States Army Sgt. Charles P. Whitler will be buried Sept. 2 in his hometown of Cloverport, Ky.
In early November 1950, Whitler was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, occupying a defensive position near the town of Unsan by the Kuryong River known as the "Camel's Head." Two enemy elements attacked the U.S. forces, collapsing their perimeter and forcing a withdrawal. Whitler's unit was involved in fighting which devolved into hand-to-hand combat around the 3rd Battalion's command post. Almost 400 men were reported missing or killed in action following the battle.
In late November 1950, a U.S. soldier captured during the battle of Unsan reported during his debriefing that he and nine American soldiers were moved to a house near the battlefield. The POWs were taken to an adjacent field and shot. Three of the 10 Americans survived, though one later died. The surviving solider provided detailed information on the incident location.
Analysts from DPMO developed case leads with information spanning more than 58 years. Through interviews with eyewitnesses, experts evaluated circumstances surrounding Whitler's captivity and death and researched wartime documentation of his loss.
In May 2004, a joint U.S.-North Korean team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, excavated a mass grave near the "Camel's Head." An elderly North Korean man reported he had witnessed the death of seven or eight U.S. soldiers near that location and provided the team with a general description of the burial site.
The excavation team recovered human remains and other personal artifacts, ultimately leading to the identification of seven soldiers from that site, one of whom was Whitler.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used dental comparisons and mitochondrial DNA - which matched that of Whitler's sister and niece - in the identification.
More than 2,000 servicemen died as prisoners of war during the Korean War. With this accounting, 8,022 service members still remain missing from the conflict.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call 703-699-1420.
27 August 2010
JPAC TO HOST ARRIVAL CEREMONY FOR AMERICA’S HEROES SEPT. 10
JPAC to honor Missing in Action (MIA) Americans from Vietnam War, World War II
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (Aug. 27, 2010) – The U.S. Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command will host an Arrival Ceremony Friday, Sept. 10 at 9 a.m. in Hangar 35, to honor fallen U.S. personnel whose identities remain unknown.
The remains receiving full military honors represent losses associated with the Vietnam War and World War II. An honor detail made up of JPAC military members will carry five flag-draped transfer cases from a C-17 to a bus that will transport the cases to JPAC’s laboratory for analyses. The first two transfer cases represent the Vietnam War and were recovered from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The remaining transfer cases were recovered from the Republic of Vanuatu, Germany, and France, and represent World War II losses.
Once the transfer cases arrive at JPAC’s Central Identification Laboratory (CIL), the forensic identification will begin. If and when identifications are established, the names will be announced following next-of-kin notification.
Falling directly under the U.S. Pacific Command, the jointly-manned organization of more than 400 military and civilian specialists investigates, recovers and identifies missing Americans from past U.S military conflicts.
The ultimate goal of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, and of the agencies involved in returning America’s heroes home, is to achieve the fullest possible accounting of Americans.
A public tour of JPAC will be offered from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. for the first 15 requests received. Contact JPAC Public Affairs at (808) 448-1934 no later than 12:00 p.m., Sept 8, to reserve a spot for the tour. Walk-up requests the day of the ceremony will not be accepted.
18
August 2010
POW/MIA INVESTIGATION TEAM RETURNS
JPAC teams return from search for missing Americans from the Korean War
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (Aug. 17, 2010) – An investigation team from the U.S. Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) returned to Hawaii recently after searching for fallen Americans in Guangdong Province, the People’s Republic of China. This was the second of two visits to Guangdong Province this year, the first occurring in April.
The investigation team successfully uncovered evidence and information associated with Americans missing as a result of a suspected crash of a U.S. aircraft in November of 1950.
The team investigated the alleged crash site and burial which is near the last known vicinity of the aircraft in question, and searched for human remains, life support, and other material evidence (personal and military issued items). Material evidence and some personal effects were found and brought back to JPAC’s Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii for analysis. This material evidence is used to specifically correlate the site to the crash.
Investigation teams authenticated leads from eye witnesses, conducted field research, and gathered additional information. Their work will help set the groundwork for any future recovery teams by clearly defining the work that will be required to properly and efficiently recover the site at a later date.
The U.S. and People's Republic of China have cooperated during POW/MIA accounting missions in the past, resulting in the identification by JPAC of U.S. remains from World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War and the Vietnam War.
Falling directly under the U.S. Pacific Command, the jointly-manned organization of more than 400 military and civilian specialists has investigated and recovered missing Americans since the 1970’s. To date, close to 8,000 Americans are still listed as Missing in Action from the Korean War.
The ultimate goal of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, and of the agencies involved in returning America’s heroes home, is to achieve the fullest possible accounting of Americans lost during the nation’s past conflicts. Visit JPAC on the web at www.jpac.pacom.mil
"Until They Are Home"
17 August 2010
POW/MIA RECOVERY, INVESTIGATION TEAMS RETURN
JPAC teams return from extensive search for missing Americans from Vietnam War, WWII
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (Aug. 17, 2010) – Several archeological teams from the U.S. Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) returned to Hawaii recently after searching for fallen Americans in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Republic of Vanuatu, and Europe.
Investigation and recovery teams successfully uncovered evidence and information associated with Americans missing from the Vietnam War and World War II.
Recovery teams searched for human remains, life support, and other material evidence (personal and military issued items). All possible human remains found were “repatriated” with military honors and have since been transported to JPAC’s Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii for analysis.
Investigation teams authenticated leads from eye witnesses, conducted field research, and gathered information to determine whether or not there will be a return visit for excavation at a later date.
Three Vietnam War recovery teams searched in the Khammouan and Xekong provinces for four missing aircrew members. This was the 115th Joint Field Activity in Laos.
Four recovery teams searched for WWII remains: two in the South Pacific—Espiritu Santo, Republic of Vanuatu—and two in Germany and France, searching for a total of 14 MIA’s. The investigation team conducted interviews, research and fieldwork in Germany, Austria, Ukraine, France and Bulgaria searching for 25 Americans who never made it home.
Falling directly under the U.S. Pacific Command, the jointly-manned organization of more than 400 military and civilian specialists has investigated and recovered missing Americans since the 1970’s. To date, close to 1,700 Americans are still listed as Missing in Action from the Vietnam War with approximately 74,190 missing from World War II.
The ultimate goal of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, and of the agencies involved in returning America’s heroes home, is to achieve the fullest possible accounting of Americans lost during the nation’s past conflicts. Visit JPAC’s photo gallery at www.jpac.pacom.mil to view mission photos.
To view photos of these missions, visit the JPAC photo gallery at www.jpac.pacom.mil
25 July 2010
The Taliban claims to have captured two U.S. Servicemen
The Taliban claims to have captured two U.S. servicemen who were reported missing after leaving their base in Kabul on Friday. The report of the possible capture was filed by NATO officials earlier today. Beyond the fact that the service members are Navy personnel, no information about their identities or the nature of their assignment when they left the base on Friday has been released.
The Associated Press quotes Lt. Col. Joseph T. Breasseale, a NATO spokesman, as having said, "Every available asset is being brought to bear" to find the missing service members, who were last seen driving an armored sport-utility vehicle. If they were in fact captured, the apprehension likely occurred in Matinai, a village in the Charkh district, which has been described as "totally under control of the enemy."
A Taliban spokesman told Afghan reporters that militants had captured the two Americans and killed one of them. NATO has been unable to confirm either claim.
Kidnappings of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan are a rare occurrence. Only one American soldier, Spec. Bowe Bergdahl, is currently being held in captivity by the Taliban after being apprehended by the terrorist group in June of 2009. Bergdahl, who had been stationed in the eastern province of Paktika, has been featured in Taliban videos. The only U.S. service member known to be in Taliban captivity is Spc. Bowe Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho who disappeared June 30, 2009 in Paktika province of eastern Afghanistan. He has since appeared on videos posted on Taliban websites confirming his captivity.
Also, five American troops died Saturday in bombings in the south where international forces are stepping up the fight against the insurgents.
A NATO statement Saturday said the two service members left their compound the previous day in Kabul but did not return.
The statement did not identify the pair by nationality but U.S. officials said they were American.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
The military has dispatched vehicles and rotary-winged aircraft to search for them and their vehicle.
Local official: 'They came down the wrong road'
Samer Gul, district chief of Charkh district in Logar province, said Saturday that a four-wheel drive armored vehicle was seen Friday night by a guard working for the district chief's office. The guard tried to flag down the vehicle, carrying a driver and a passenger, but it kept going, Gul said.
NATO said a search is under way for the missing service members. According to Gul, one may have been killed and the other taken hostage by the Taliban.
Five
troops died Saturday in roadside bombings — four in a single blast, NATO said in a statement without specifying nationalities nor providing further details. A fifth service member was killed in a separate attack in the south, NATO said.U.S. officials confirmed all five were Americans. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity under rules regarding casualty identification.
The latest deaths bring to 75 the number of international troops killed in Afghanistan this month, including 56 Americans.
7 March 2010
Subject: Lt Al Graf and Capt Jerry Zimmer - Good news!
I received the message listed below from the US
Marine Corps Headquarters
Last night. After 40 years, perhaps the time
has come for our boys to come home.
Nothing is assured, other than Case 1486 (Graf/Zimmer)should
be excavated
this year. We know nothing other than this site
will be excavated for
the purpose of repatriation of our heroes. My
understanding, which is
not confirmed, is that perhaps one only one
Marine was buried in a crater
at this site. Remains
might be recoverable, despite thoughts that everything
had been destroyed in the crash
or claimed by time.
POW/MIA’s “You are not
forgotten” “Freedom isn’t free”
Please join me in prayer for
both families for comfort and final closure.
21 February 2010
POW-MIA Info
Four Vietnam MIAs Identified: The Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office recently posted the names of four servicemen previously listed as missing-in-action from the Vietnam War. They are:
- Air Force Col. Elton L. Perrine, from New York, listed as missing in North Vietnam on May 22, 1967. His remains were recovered in 2007 and identified in December 2009.
- Air Force Maj. Russell C. Goodman, Utah, missing in North Vietnam on Feb. 20, 1967. His remains were recovered in 1993 and identified in September 2009.
- And Army Sgt. First Class Douglas J. Glover, New York, and Staff Sgt. Melvin C. Dye, Michigan, both of whom were declared MIA in Laos on Feb. 19, 1968. Their remains were recovered in 2007 and identified in February 2009.
Since the end of the war in Vietnam in 1975, 863 Americans have been recovered, identified and returned to their families for burial with full military honors; 1,720 remain missing.
Patrick
11 February 2010
POW - Bowe Bergdahl
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From: Lynn
O'Shea |
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Patrick J. Hughes USMC ChuLai 67-68
31 January 2010
U.S. rebuffs N.Korean overture on U.S. MIA remains
From: Lynn O'Shea
To: lynn@nationalalliance.org
Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2010 7:01 PM
Subject: U.S. rebuffs N.Korean overture on U.S. MIA remains | Reuters Edition:U.S.
U.S. rebuffs N.Korean overture on U.S. MIA remains | Reuters Edition:U.S.
Thu Jan 28, 2010 5:23pm EST
Fri, Jan 22 2010 WASHINGTON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday rebuffed a North Korean offer to reopen talks on finding U.S.
soldiers missing since the Korean War, saying Pyongyang must first resume discussions on ending its nuclear ambitions.
Earlier, a spokesman for the U.S. Forces Korea said North Korea had met the U.N.
Command on Wednesday in the Panmunjom truce village inside the Demilitarized Zone to discuss searching for remains of U.S. soldiers in North Korea.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the United States believed the North must first return to six-party talks among the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States on its nuclear program.
Patrick
30 January 2010
Soldier Missing in Action from Vietnam War Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and returned to his family for burial. Army Specialist Lawrence L. Aldrich will be buried in his home town of Fort Worth, Texas tomorrow.
On May 6, 1968, Aldrich was a member of a search-and-clear mission in Binh Dinh Province in what was then South Vietnam. He was last seen with two other Americans engaged in a battle with enemy forces while manning a M-60 machine gun position. An air strike was called in, but one of the bombs inadvertently landed on Aldrich's position, killing the three soldiers. Members of his unit later recovered the remains of the two other men, but Aldrich could not be found. In July 1992, a joint U.S.-Socialist Republic of Vietnam team traveled to the province to investigate the loss. They interviewed a local citizen who remember a large ground battle in the area in May or June 1968. He took the team to a location where he indicated the remains were buried, but an excavation in 1994 found no evidence of a grave or remains.
Vietnamese officials unilaterally investigated the case in 2006 and interviewed two villagers who recalled finding a body of an American after the battle and burying it where it lay. A second joint investigation in 2007, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, recommended another excavation based on the information provided by the Vietnamese. The excavation in March 2009 unearthed human remains and other non-biological evidence. The identification of the remains was confirmed by matching the remains with Aldrich's dental records. For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call 703-699-1169.
9 January 2010
Images from the Dedication Ceremony, Dover AFB
http://patrickjhughes.org/Gallery%20Index/2_fallen_heroes/34_CFTF/
Patrick J. Hughes USMC ChuLai 67-68
Rolling Thunder Inc.® National Photographer
17 December 2009
Terror Monitor: Tape of Captured US Soldier Due
Terrorism tracking group: Taliban to release new video of US soldier captured in Afghanistan
By DEB RIECHMANN Associated Press Writer
KABUL December 16, 2009 (AP)
The Taliban have announced they will release a new video of a U.S. soldier captured in Afghanistan, a U.S.-based terrorism monitoring group said Wednesday.
SITE Intelligence Group, a U.S.-based terrorist tracking organization, said the media arm of the Afghan Taliban made the announcement Wednesday on their Web site.
The video is said to be titled, "One of Their People Testified." The Taliban did not name the American.
The only U.S. soldier known to be in captivity is Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho, who disappeared more than five months ago in Afghanistan.
Bergdahl, 23, was captured June 30 in the eastern province of Paktika province near the Pakistan border. His Taliban captors released a propaganda video of him about two weeks later. In the July 19 video, Bergdahl appeared downcast and frightened. No subsequent videos have been released.
U.S. military officials have searched for Bergdahl, but it is not publicly known whether he is even being held in Afghanistan or neighboring Pakistan.
A spokesman for the Idaho National Guard, Lt. Col. Tim Marsano, confirmed he notified the parents about the video this morning after learning about it through news reports.
"They're standing by waiting to see what happens just like everybody else," Marsano said.
He said nothing has changed in the parents' approach with media, preferring to maintain their privacy rather than talk about their son's capture.
"It's been a difficult time for them and their family," he said.
Blaine County Sheriff Walt Femling said he talked to the trooper's mother, Jani Bergdahl, this morning: "I talked to Jani. They're kind of anxiously wanting to get some kind of information at this point."
Pakistan is off-limits to the thousands of U.S. forces based in Afghanistan. When militants captured a reporter for The New York Times in a dangerous region of Afghanistan last year, he was transported to Pakistan and held for months there. The reporter, David Rohde, eventually escaped.
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 - Afghanistan
Link to POW-MIA story
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/16/taliban-to-reportedly-rel_n_394286.html
30 November 2009
Remains of U.S. Paratrooper Found in Afghanistan
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON
, Nov. 30, 2009 - The remains of a U.S. paratrooper reported missing since early this month in western Afghanistan was recovered yesterday, military officials said.
The body of
Army Sgt. Brandon Islip was recovered from the Bala Murgahab River in Badghis
province after a local Afghan resident provided information on his whereabouts,
officials said.
Islip, a paratrooper with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, went missing with
another paratrooper Nov. 4 after being swept away by a fast-moving current while
on an airdrop re-supply mission in western Afghanistan.
The recovery comes weeks after British divers found the body of Islip's fellow
soldier, Spc. Benjamin Sherman, who was posthumously promoted to the rank of
sergeant.
"The recovery of Sergeant Islip and Sergeant Sherman would not have been
possible without the untiring support and efforts of our fellow international
forces, the Afghan national security forces and the local people of Bala Murghab,"
said Col. Brian M. Drinkwine, commander of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, to which
the two soldiers were assigned.
A memorial service for the two paratroopers will be held in Afghanistan in the
coming days, officials said.
11 November 2009
A Veterans Day gift to my brothers and sisters. Happy Veterans Day
http://patrickjhughes.org/Gallery%20Index/9_thewall/33_TW/
Patrick J. Hughes USMC ChuLai 67-68
Rolling Thunder Inc.® National Photographer
42 James Hayward Road
Glen Mills, PA 19342-1237
610-529-6440
www.patrickjhughes.org
God Bless America
29 October 2009
Thanks in large part to your efforts; nearly 3,000 letters were forwarded to President Obama and the Senators and Congressmen of 48 states. Citizens of 14 Allied countries joined in. And today it paid off
All these citizens and allies asked for one thing- that we honor our obligation to the Missing of all wars to seek the fullest possible accounting of them all, regardless of war. Specifically they asked that the 2010 National Defense Authorization, with its enhanced MIA recovery language, be passed.
Your efforts, and those of others that share your belief that our commitment to these missing is a debt that does not expire, have paid off. This morning at 2:30 Eastern time President Obama signed the bill. A copy of the relevant section can be viewed by clicking on the following link:
POW-MIA Bill HR 2647 as Passed 10-28-2009
The National Defense Authorization Act includes two big victories for MIA families and all that share a sense of obligation to the missing.
1.
The act instructs the Secretary of Defense to “implement a comprehensive, coordinated, integrated, and fully resourced program to account for persons” Missing from World War II, Korea, The Cold War, the Indochina war (Vietnam), The Persian Gulf War and other conflicts the Secretary designates. In plain English, it instructs the Secretary of Defense to develop and fund a program to deal with the missing of all wars, with no prioritization among them.2. The act instructs the Secretary of Defense, to “provide such funds, personnel, and resources as the Secretary considers appropriate to increase significantly the capability and capacity of the Department of Defense, the Armed Forces, and commanders of the combatant commands to account for missing persons so that, beginning with fiscal year 2015, the POW/MIA accounting community has sufficient resources to ensure that at least 200 missing persons are accounted for under the program annually.” That is triple the recent rate of activity. A House proposal to further increase that goal to 350 in 2020 did not make it to the final bill, but the “Conference Notes”, explaining the thinking of the Senators and Congressmen involved, make clear the goal is no to limit ourselves to a 200 “ceiling”.
There is still much to do, and we need to keep engaged
The devil is always in the details. There are thousands of cases reported to the Military in the past that have not been recovered, and there is only a modest effort today at seeking the missing from the older wars. We’ll need to work hard to make sure that these rules, encouraging as they are, are interpreted in a way that leads both to active efforts to find all missing from all wars and expeditious recovery of remains when found. And we’ll need to make sure the effort is funded consistent with that plan.
How can you help?
As the Military begins implementing these guidelines, and as the funding process begins, I’ll ask you to re-contact your Congressmen and Senators to share your desire to have these rules implemented in a way that calls for systematic research and prompt recovery of all accessible missing. We’ll need the Armed Services Committees to advocate the interpretations we discussed and we’ll need the Defense Appropriations Committees, in conjunction with the Defense Department, to fund the effort. I’ll send you emails as that effort progresses. In the interim I ask that you visit www.projecthomecoming.org/petition and consider adding you voice to our new email campaign, which acknowledges the passage of the National Defense Authorization and calls for the quick implementation of a research and recovery effort for all those still missing. Please do so even if you already signed the earlier petition. And, finally, please ask others to do the same.. To keep our momentum growing we need to show increased numbers of interested voters
Thank you for your efforts these past few months. You can take pride in having done your bit to honor our debt to these men and women. I hope you choose to keep up your efforts until we have accounted for and recovered all the missing of all the wars.
Sincerely
Keith E Phillips
Project Homecoming
Forwarded by Patrick
610-494-4401
www.memorymatephoto.com
God Bless America
18 October 2009
''We Will Never Forget''
Joint Prisoners Of War, Missing In Action Accounting Command
22 September 2009
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New Details Expected in Speicher Death Investigation
Tiffany Griffith
The 18-year search in Iraq for Captain Scott
Speicher is over and his body is back home in Jacksonville. But there's
still controversy surrounding how and when he died.
Family Spokesperson Cindy Laquidara says the Pentagon will answer at least
one of those questions in the coming weeks - the date of Speicher's death. "The
Pentagon is working on setting the final date-of-death, which is an
administrative matter," says Laquidara. A
death certificate has the believed date of Speicher's death, which
many understand to be January 17, 1991. But Buddy Harris, Speicher's close
friend, believes any date that's released out of Washington at this point
would be made purely on "horrendous assumptions" until they know how
Speicher died during the first Iraq War. "I
had some of the leading forensics scientists in this nation, not just
military, but in the nation, sitting with me in a room, and none of them
could come up conclusively with a date-of-death. An actual, firm,
absolutely, 'this is when he died,'" says Harris.
He believes knowing how Speicher was killed is paramount to the case. "There
is a lot of information and a lot of possibilities for his demise." But
according to Laquidara, there's currently no investigation into Speicher's
cause of death.
Harris says there's still a strong effort to close the book on this case. He
believes that's because some officials don't want to shine a light on
mistakes that were made during the search for Speicher, fearing reputations
could be at risk.
Harris believes the real lessons to be learned are from the Bedouins - the
nomadic group that travelled the Iraqi desert, and reportedly buried
Speicher's body in 1991 after his aircraft crashed. He thinks it's important
to understand their culture, so the military doesn't have another case like
Speicher's to investigate. In
the meantime, Harris says he's working with Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and
Senator Bill Nelson to keep the case open and get more of his questions
answered. Navy officials did not wish to respond for comment at this time. Captain Scott Speicher was a United States Navy Pilot. His family moved to Jacksonville when he was a teenager. He was a graduate of Forrest High School and Florida State University. He was married to his wife, Joanne, and they had two young children at the time of his depolyment from Naval Air Station Cecil Field. His death or capture had been debated for years, but his death was not confirmed until August 2, 2009. Speicher was 33-years-old at the time of his disappearance in 1991. |
