News-Info-Alerts

To: ALL

From: Andi Wolos & Bob Necci
(POW-MIA InterNetwork)

Re: NLF Update Line

Date: December 08, 1998

Thank you for calling the National League of Families Update Line. This message is being recorded on Monday, December 8th. The number of Americans missing from the Vietnam War is now 2,076.

Two Americans previously missing in Laos have been accounted for, both the result of joint recovery. COL Gregory I. Barras, USAF, from Jackson, MI, was listed as missing December 18, 1968, on a night-flying reconnaissance mission over Khammouan Province, Laos. His remains were recovered by the Joint Casualty Resolution Center and Lao personnel in 1991. The remains of Captain Joseph O. Brown, USAF, from Norwalk, CT, were jointly recovered in the same Lao Province in 1994 and 5 during two field operations. The accounting for these two Americans brings the number accounted for to 2,076. Of the 507 Americans accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War, 139 have been returned and identified by the Clinton administration, 63 from Laos, 72 from Vietnam and 4 from Cambodia.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Ralph Boyce visited Laos, Vietnam and Thailand last week. New to his position, Mr. Boyce comes to his position with significant experience in and knowledge of the Southeast Asian nations, including the three countries in which the League has primary interest, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. It is hoped that Mr. Boyce will bring a new spirit of objectivity and cooperation to the State Department's efforts in pursuing the President's stated priority objective, the fullest possible accounting for America's POW/MIAs.

US-Vietnamese teams are concluding joint field operations in several provinces of Vietnam. The schedule called for investigation of 52 air and ground incidents including as many as 10 joint excavations. On November 5th, a repatriation ceremony was held, and remains that may be those of 3 or more Americans were turned over to US officials.

On Veterans Day, November 11th, the WASHINGTON POST carried an article stating that Russian officials "turned over 5,000 pages of documents and some film footage pertaining to US aircraft shot down by Soviet fighter planes during the Korean War." Senator Bob Smith, member of the US-Russian Joint Commission on POW/MIA Affairs called release of the documents a "dramatic breakthrough" and indicated that the information should help determine what happened to some of the over 8,000 Americans still unaccounted for from the Korean War.

The White House recently announced the appointment of retired Army Major General Roland Lajoie as Cochairman of the US-Russian Joint Commission on POW/MIAs. He replaces Ambassador Malcolm Toon who had served as the US Cochairman since inception of the Commission in March 1992.

Due to limited staff and funding, it is not possible to send large amounts of public awareness material. Instead, single copies of current information are available for duplication. POW/MIA window decals are available for $20 per 100. There is current, factual information available on the League's web site at pow-miafamilies.org. For information regarding any matter in this recording, call the League office at 202/223-6846. If no one can take your call, please leave a message with the subject, your name, address, and telephone number. Again, thank you for calling.