Defense POW/MIA Weekly Update
November 12, 1997
48TH JOINT FIELD ACTIVITY BEGINS IN VIETNAM
On November 7, 1997, (Vietnam time) technical representatives of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the United States began another series of joint investigations and remains recovery operations pertaining to Americans unaccounted-for as a result of the conflict in Southeast Asia. The start of the operation was delayed three days because of severe weather.
This is the 48th joint field activity conducted by U.S. and Vietnamese representatives since 1988 and the 35th since Joint Task Force-Full Accounting was formed in January 1992. Operations will be conducted in 30 Vietnamese provinces. The operation is scheduled to last 29 days. The joint team plans to investigate as many as 36 cases and excavate as many as 12 sites.
The U.S. team will consist of 98 military and civilian specialists with experience in investigations and remains recovery operations and will be joined by Vietnamese officials. The U.S. team will be led by Army Lieutenant Colonel John Kelley, Commander of JTF-FA's Detachment 2 in Hanoi.
There are 2,104 Americans still unaccounted-for in Southeast Asia. Of that total, 1,568 are unaccounted-for in Vietnam. Accounting for Americans lost in Southeast Asia as a result of the Vietnam War is a matter of highest national priority.
FAMILY UPDATE SCHEDULED FOR ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA
Families of unaccounted-for servicemembers are being invited to attend the next Family Update in St. Petersburg, Florida on November 22. This Saturday event is the 24th in a series of programs where officials of the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office and the military services visit local communities to update families on the work being done worldwide in accounting for missing Americans.
These updates are designed specifically for family members and have been conducted approximately monthly for the past two years. Sites are selected around the country where most MIA families live. Led by Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Affairs J. 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 near St. Petersburg may contact their respective service casualty office to register and to receive more details about the meeting.