DEPARTMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA
MARINE CORPS LEAGUE
POW MIA Information Central
Marine Corps League of PA
17 June 2011
Army Promotes Missing-Captured Soldier
The Army announced today the promotion of a soldier listed as Missing-Captured while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom to the rank of sergeant effective June 12, 2011.
Sgt. Bowe R. Bergdahl, 25, is assigned to 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.
This is Bergdahl’s second promotion since he was listed as Missing-Captured on June 30, 2009. He was promoted to the rank of specialist on June 12, 2010.
For more information on the soldier, media may contact Col. Timothy Marsano at 208-422-5268.
Patrick J. Hughes U.S.M.C. ChuLai 67-68
Rolling Thunder Inc. National Photographer
610-529-6440 Cell
www.patrickjhughes.org
www.patrickjhughes.com
God Bless America
8 March 2011
U.S. RECOVERY TEAM SEARCHES FOR MISSING AMERICANS
Specialized teams search for MIA Americans in Guangdong Province
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (March 7, 2011) – The longstanding cooperative efforts between the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for accounting of Americans missing from the Korean War broadened last month with the arrival of a specially trained archeological team in Guangdong province.
The specially-trained group from the U.S. Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) arrived in the People’s Republic of China in mid February to search for Americans unaccounted-for from the Korean War. Approximately 19 JPAC recovery team members will search for 12 missing Americans lost as the result of an alleged U.S. aircraft crash, circa November 1950.
Recovery teams will search for human remains, life support items, and other material evidence (personal and military issued items) that may further the identification of Americans missing from past U.S. conflicts.
Falling directly under the U.S. Pacific Command, JPAC is a jointly-manned organization of more than 400 military and civilian specialists that has investigated and recovered missing Americans since the 1970’s.
The U.S. and the PRC have cooperated during POW/MIA accounting missions in the past, with both countries recognizing the significance of these humanitarian operations. Humanitarian missions receive strong support from both governments; these missions solidify the bilateral relationship that has proven to be instrumental to JPAC’s ability to accomplish its mission: to achieve the fullest possible accounting of missing Americans who were lost during past conflicts.
4 February 2011
RECOVERY TEAMS SEARCH FOR MISSING AMERICANS, PROVIDE MEDICAL AID
JPAC teams search for MIA Americans and participate in U.S./Cambodian health event
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (Feb. 3, 2011) – Two archeological teams from the U.S. Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) are scheduled to arrive in the Kingdom of Cambodia in early February to search for Americans unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War. Additionally, physicians and nurses from across military commands in Hawaii will accompany the Joint Field Activity on a Humanitarian Civic Assistance visit to participate in a joint U.S./Cambodian health engagement mission.
As part of the recovery portion of this dual-purpose deployment, more than 40 JPAC recovery team members will excavate one burial site and one underwater aircraft crash site in search of four missing Americans at sites in the Kampong Cham and Kracheh provinces. The approximately 40-day deployment marks the 44th Joint Field Activity in Cambodia.
Recovery teams will search for human remains, life support items, and other material evidence (personal and military issued items) that may further the identification of Americans missing from past U.S. conflicts.
In addition to recovery efforts, the U.S. and Cambodia will participate in a medical engagement outreach event, treating between 4,000 to 8,000 people in rural and highly underserved communities. The specialized 12-person team of experts in varying specialties from Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC), the 18th Medical Command, and the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command will provide basic health, laboratory, and optometry examinations.
During the humanitarian civic assistance mission, two medical outreach events will provide healthcare to underserved areas. Furthermore, U.S. and Cambodian physicians will reinforce medical capabilities by participating in an information exchange, benefitting both countries educationally and socio-culturally.
“TAMC is sending physician residents from OB/GYN and family medicine to conduct expert exchanges with local physicians, and will be invited to work alongside the Khmer physicians and treat their patients,” said U.S. Army Capt. Drew Webb, an Army Physician Assistant assigned to JPAC.
According to Webb, this will be the first time a TAMC resident program has deployed to a foreign country on a humanitarian outreach mission.
“The big take away for all of this is that the TAMC residents will get training and experience in such a unique environment,” added Webb.
Falling directly under the U.S. Pacific Command, JPAC is a jointly-manned organization of more than 400 military and civilian specialists that has investigated and recovered missing Americans since the 1970’s. To date, 1,702 Americans are still listed as Missing in Action from the Vietnam 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.
22 January 2011
Airman Missing in Action from Korean War is Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today
that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, has
been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Air Force 1st Lt. Robert F. Dees, 23, of Moultrie, Ga., will be buried Jan. 22 at the Longstreet Historical Cemetery in Ozark, Ala. On Oct. 9, 1952, he was flying an F-84 Thunderjet, attacking several targets in North Korea. After he and three aircraft from the 430th Fighter-Bomber Squadron completed their attack on their primary target, they began their bombing run against enemy boxcars on the railroad near Sinyang. Other members of his flight reported seeing an explosion near the target they were attacking. They believed it to be the crash of Dees' aircraft and could not raise any radio contact with him. Airborne searches over the battlefield failed to locate him or his aircraft.
Following the armistice in 1953, the North Koreans repatriated 4,219 remains of U.S. and allied soldiers during Operation Glory. In November 1954, they turned over remains which they reported were recovered from Sinyang. Accompanying the remains were portions of a pilot's flight suit and a pneumatic life preserver. But after two attempts, the Army's mortuary at Kokura, Japan, was unable to identify the remains. They were buried in 1956 as "unknown" at the Punch Bowl Cemetery in Hawaii.
Beginning in the late 1990s, analysts from DPMO and the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) undertook a concentrated review of Korean War air losses, as well as a review of the Kokura mortuary files. They made a tentative association to Dees, based on U.S. wartime records as well as the information provided by the North Koreans. These remains were disinterred from the Punch Bowl Cemetery in June 2010.
Dees' remains were
identified by making extensive dental comparisons with his medical 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.
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
21 October 2010
IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 961-10
October 21, 2010
Soldier Missing in Action from WWII Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today
that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have
been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military
honors.
Army Staff Sgt. John R. Simonetti, 26, of Jackson Heights, N.Y., will be buried on Oct. 25 in Arlington National Cemetery. Following the Normandy invasion, allied troops began the deadly task of engaging regrouped German forces in the pastures, hedgerows and villages of France. On June 16, 1944, Simonetti was among the advancing infantrymen of the 9th Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division. The soldiers were met with heavy automatic weapons and mortar fire and were forced to stop and take cover before they reached the French town of St. Germain-d'Elle. During the battle, the Americans sustained heavy losses, including Simonetti. Two members of his unit later gave conflicting information on the location and disposition of his remains. In the first account, the witness stated his body could not be recovered due to enemy activity, and the second said his body was evacuated to the battalion aid station. Two post-war investigations failed to recover his remains and he was declared non-recoverable by a military review board in 1950.
In May 2009, a French construction crew uncovered human remains and military equipment-including Simonetti's identifications tags-when excavating a site in St. Germain-d'Elle. French police turned over the remains and artifacts to U.S. officials for analysis.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command used dental comparisons in the identification of his remains.
At the end of the war, the U.S. government was unable to recover and identify approximately 79,000 Americans. Today, more than 74,000 are unaccounted-for from the conflict.
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.
19 October 2010
I
MMEDIATE RELEASE No. 950-10>October 18, 2010
Missing Vietnam War Soldiers Identified
>The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that
>the remains of three servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been
>identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military
>honors.
>Army Staff Sgt. Robert S. Griffith, of Hapeville, Ga., will be buried on Oct. 23
>in Fairburn, Ga. The group remains of the other two soldiers which could not
>be individually identified -- Army Staff Sgt. Melvin C. Dye, of Carleton, Mich.,
>and Sgt. 1st Class Douglas J. Glover, of Cortland, N.Y., will be buried at a later
>date. The men were aboard a UH-1H Iroquois helicopter on Feb. 19, 1968,
>when it was shot down by enemy fire in Laos. They were involved in an attempt
>to extract a long-range reconnaissance patrol in the mountains of Attapu Province.
>Three other American service members survived the crash and were rescued, but three
>Vietnamese Montagnards did not survive.
>Several hours after the crash, a team was dispatched to survey the location and
>reported seeing remains of at least five people. Enemy activity prevented
>remains recovery at that time. The following month a second team was sent
>to the crash site but found no remains.
>In 1995, a joint U.S.-Lao People's Democratic Republic team traveled to the recorded
>grid coordinates for the crash site but found no evidence of a helicopter crash.
>The team then surveyed a second location in the area where they found helicopter
>wreckage and human remains. In 2006, a follow-on team was not able to resurvey
>the same site due to severe overgrowth and time constraints. Another team
>excavated the location in late 2007 recovering human remains, wreckage and military-related
>equipment.
>Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists
>from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command used dental x-rays in the identification
>of Griffith's remains.
>Since late 1973, the remains of 938 Americans killed in the Vietnam War have been
>accounted for and returned to their families with 1,708 service members still missing.
>For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing
>Americans, call 703-699-1169 or visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo.
U.S. Department of Defense
>Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
>
>On the Web: http://www.defense.gov/releases/
>Media Contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132
>Public Contact: http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1
14 October 2010
Missing WWII Airman Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Arthur F. Parkhurst, of Evansville, Ind., will be buried on Oct. 16 in Dayton, Ohio. On March 12, 1945, Parkhurst and five other crew members aboard a C-47A Skytrain departed Tanauan Airfield on Leyte, Philippines, on a resupply mission to guerilla troops. Once cleared for takeoff there was no further communication between the aircrew and airfield operators. When the aircraft failed to return, a thorough search of an area ten miles on either side of the intended route was initiated. No evidence of the aircraft was found and the six men were presumed killed in action, their remains determined non-recoverable.
In 1989, a Philippine national police officer contacted U.S. officials regarding a possible World War II-era aircraft crash near Leyte. Human remains, aircraft parts and artifacts -- including an identification tag belonging to Parkhurst -- were turned over to the local police, then to U.S. officials.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command used dental comparisons and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA -- which matched that of Parkhurst's brother and sister -- in the identification of his remains.
At the end of the war, the U.S. government was unable to recover and identify approximately 79,000 Americans. Today, more than 72,000 are unaccounted-for from the conflict.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for
missing Americans, call 703-699-1169 or visit the DPMO Web site at
www.dtic.mil/dpmo .
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
7 October 2010
Missing WWII Soldiers Identified
>The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today
that
>the remains of two servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been
identified
>and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
>
>Army Pfc. Lawrence N. Harris, of Elkins, W.V., will be buried on Oct. 8 in
Clarksburg,
>W.V, and Army Cpl. Judge C. Hellums, of Paris, Miss., will be buried on Oct. 9
in
>Randolph, Miss. In late September 1944, their unit, the 773rd Tank
Battalion, was clearing German forces out of the Parroy Forest near Lunéville.
>On Oct. 9, 1944, in the final battle for control of the region, Hellums, Harris
>and three other soldiers were attacked by enemy fire in their M-10 Tank
Destroyer.
>Harris and Hellums were reported to have been killed, and evidence at the time
indicated
>the remains of the men had been destroyed in the attack and were neither
recovered
>nor buried near the location.
>In November 1946, a French soldier working in the Parroy Forest found debris
associated
>with an M-10 vehicle and human remains, which were turned over to the American
Graves
>Registration Command (AGRC). The remains were buried as unknowns in the
Ardennes
>American Cemetery in Belgium. A year later, the AGRC returned to the Parroy
Forest
>to conduct interviews and search for additional remains. Investigators noted
>at that time that all remains of U.S. soldiers had reportedly been removed and
that
>the soldiers were likely buried elsewhere as unknowns.
>In 2003, a French citizen exploring the Parroy Forest discovered human remains
and
>an identification bracelet engraved with Hellums' name. The information was
>eventually sent to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC). In April 2006,
>the man turned over the items to a JPAC team working in Europe.
>Historians at DPMO and JPAC continued their research on the burials at the
Ardennes
>Cemetery, and drew a correlation to those unknowns that had been removed from
the
>1944 battle site. In early 2008, JPAC disinterred these remains and began
>their forensic review.
Among
>other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists
from
>JPAC used dental comparisons for both men and the Armed Forces DNA
Identification
>Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA, which matched that of each soldier's
relatives
>in the identification of their remains.
At
>the end of the war, the U.S. government was unable to recover, identify and
bury
>approximately 79,000 Americans. Today, more than 72,000 remain unaccounted-for
>from the conflict.
>For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for
missing
>Americans, call 703-699-1169 or visit the DPMO Web site at
www.dtic.mil/dpmo.
30 September 2010
POW/MIA RECOVERY, INVESTIGATION TEAMS RETURN
JPAC teams return from search for missing Americans from Vietnam War, Korean War, WWII
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (Sept. 29, 2010) – Several archeological and investigative teams from the U.S. Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) returned recently after searching for fallen Americans in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of Kiribati, and Canada.
Investigation and recovery team’s successfully uncovered evidence and information associated with Americans missing from the Vietnam War, the Korean War and World War II.
Recovery teams searched for human remains, life support items, and other material evidence (personal and military issued items). Investigation team’s 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.
Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Two recovery teams searched in the Quang Binh and Quang Nam provinces at sites where three missing aircraft crewmembers may have perished during the Vietnam War. The approximately 35-day long undertaking marked the 100th Joint Field Activity in Vietnam.
Republic of Korea: An investigation team authenticated leads from eye witnesses and conduct field research throughout the Kyonggi province. The team investigated 11 cases and performed “canvas operations” (witness interviews, case visits, and light test digging) throughout the various villages.
Five teams searched for WWII remains: three in the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, one in the Republic of Kiribati, and one team in Canada.
Republic of Kiribati: A recovery team excavated five sites searching for Marines who fought during The Battle of Tarawa. Government officials in Kiribati, local citizens and JPAC members gathered at a repatriation ceremony Sept. 20 to honor the remains of what is believed to be two U.S. Marines. The remains have since been turned over for transport to the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii.
Independent State of Papua New Guinea: Two recovery teams searched in the Madang and Morobe provinces at sites associated with the loss of more than 21 Americans. The investigation team validated the authenticity of leads by conducting interviews, research, and field work in the Central and Northern provinces for 16 aircraft losses and more than 50 Americans still listed as missing in action.
Canada: An investigation team gathered information for a site in Newfoundland, Canada, where two missing aircrew members may have perished.
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, 8,100 from the Korean War, and 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.
For more information and to view photos of these missions, visit the JPAC photo gallery at www.jpac.pacom.mil
"Until They Are Home"
27 September 2010
Missing WWII Naval Aviators Identified
The Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
Navy Lt. Francis B. McIntyre of Mitchell, S.D., will be buried on Sept. 29, and Aviation Radioman Second Class William L. Russell of Cherokee, Okla., will be buried on Oct. 1. Both men will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
On Nov. 10, 1943, the two men took off on a bombing and strafing mission in their SBD-5 Dauntless dive bomber from Munda Field, New Georgia, in the Solomon Islands. Witnesses last saw the aircraft flying at low altitude through a large explosion on an enemy airfield on Buka Island, Papua New Guinea. None reported seeing the crash of the aircraft itself.
The American Graves Registration Service searched numerous South Pacific Islands in 1949 in an effort to gather data about aircraft crashes or missing Americans. The team was unable to find any useful information, and failed to recover any American remains in the area. A board of review declared both men unrecoverable.
In 2007, a Papuan national found a World War II crash site near the Buka airport, which was reported to U.S. officials. In May 2008, specialists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), working with the country's national museum, investigated the crash site but were unable to excavate it because of inclement weather. Local officials turned over human remains, McIntyre's identification tag and other military-related items which had been recovered earlier. After examining the remains in 2008 and 2009, JPAC determined that no excavation would be required since the two sets of remains were nearly complete.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC used dental comparisons for both men and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA which matched a sample from Russell's relatives and DNA extracted from a hat belonging to McIntyre.
At the end of World War II, the U.S. government was unable to recover, identify and bury approximately 79,000 individuals. Today, more than 72,000 Americans remain unaccounted-for from the conflict.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, call 703-699-1420 or visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo .
15 September 2010
The third Friday in September has been set aside as the National Day of recognition for all POW-MIA’s.
Pentagon's POW/MIA Corridor Dedicated
Michele Flournoy, under secretary of defense for policy, dedicated a new Pentagon display today honoring POWs and MIAs from all conflicts.
The corridor, located on the 3rd floor, has been added to the Pentagon's public tour route where thousands of visitors and more than 23,000 Pentagon employees may view it.
In her dedication remarks, Flournoy noted that the displays in the corridor send many messages, and urged visitors and employees to pause and learn more about POW/MIA history, and of those Americans who are still missing from all conflicts.
"America is among a handful of nations committed to finding and bringing home those lost on former battlefields or isolated burial sites," she said. "There is no question that the lessons of past conflicts have helped us improve our ability to recover personnel who become isolated or missing in today's conflicts - and I hope this provides some small comfort to those of you who lost family members in past wars."
The ceremony was attended by invited guests including veterans, families of the missing, and former POWs. In addition to panels depicting many aspects of the American POW/MIA experience, display cases include artifacts obtained during excavations for wartime remains, as well as POW memorabilia, and examples of grass roots efforts by MIA families to draw national attention to the issue.
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.
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
|
From: Lynn
O'Shea |
||
|
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. |
