Defense POW/MIA Weekly Update
September 17, 1997
CHANGE OF COMMAND AT JOINT TASK FORCE-FULL ACCOUNTING
Brigadier General Jim Campbell, USA, will depart JTF-FA on September 19. BG Campbell has been assigned to the 25th Infantry Division as an Assistant Division Commander. His replacement is Brigadier General Terry Tucker, USA.
BG Campbell has been at JTF-FA for 14 months. Under his command, field teams of 40-100 servicemen and civilians traveled to Southeast Asia to conduct joint investigations, oral history interviews, and archival reviews frequently. BG Campbell led many delegations to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, negotiating with the host governments in an effort to provide for the fullest possible accounting of our missing servicemembers. Of the mission of the fullest possible accounting, BG Campbell stated: "It strikes a deep chord within all of us in uniform and with our families and supporters. As our nationÍs defenders, our commitment to each other can be nearly as strong as our commitment to our beloved country."
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE COHEN HOSTS POW/MIA RECOGNITION DAY
Secretary of Defense William Cohen will host a special ceremony, Friday, at the Pentagon honoring our former prisoners of war and those still unaccounted-for. President William J. Clinton will issue a proclamation designating September 19, 1997 as this yearÍs POW/MIA Recognition Day. Senator John McCain is to speak and the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force scheduled to provide "missing man" Apache helicopter, F14, F16, and F18 fighter aircraft flyovers at the Pentagon ceremony. Other ceremonies at national cemeteries, Defense Department and Veteran Affairs installations and at veterans organizations around the country will be held in honor of this day. The PresidentÍs proclamation will be published in a subsequent issue of the Weekly Update.
FAMILY UPDATE SCHEDULED FOR SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
Families of unaccounted-for servicemembers are being invited to attend the next Family Update in Salt Lake City, Utah, on September 27. This Saturday event is the 22nd in a series of programs where officials of the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office visit local communities to update families on the work being done worldwide in accounting for missing Americans. Led by Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Alan Liotta, a team of specialists will discuss current policies and activities of the U.S. government in the accounting effort from the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the Korean War. Families who live within a 300-mile radius of Salt Lake City may contact their respective service casualty office to register and to receive more details about the meeting.