News-Info-Alerts

To: ALL

From: Andi Wolos & Bob Necci

(POW-MIA InterNetwork)

Re: More Empty Coffins at Arlington - A Must Read!

Date: December 22, 1999

MORE EMPTY COFFINS AT ARLINGTON
Date: 12/21/1999
From: AKidd13036
To: AIIPOWMIAI

Bob & Andi~

I hope that you'll assist me in giving this information as much wide-spread public circulation as possible. One of the eight men in question is my cousin, James A. Preston~ MIA~ Laos.

This situation is in desperate need of the immediate support of the POW/MIA community and the general public as a whole, and I hope that all who take the time to read the following details will join me in an effort to keep the voices of these men from becoming silenced.

Also, several news articles have been circulating that state that mt-DNA testing was done on the remains, which is totally false. I hope that the statement below will clarify any misinformation that may have reached the hands of the public and generated more inaccurate conclusions.

If anyone has questions about any of the information below, I can be contacted at: (770) 258-9585 or AKidd13036@aol.com

Once again, thank you for being there for us.

God Bless... Amanda Y. Kidd

December 13, 1999

MORE EMPTY COFFINS AT ARLINGTON

THIS STATEMENT IS BEING PROVIDED ON BEHALF OF USAF CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT JAMES ARTHUR PRESTON AND THE CREW OF 8 LISTED UNDER "CASE 0339" WHOSE ALLEGED "REPATRIATION OF REMAINS" WAS ANNOUNCED BY THE PENTAGON TODAY IN PREPARATION FOR "RELEASE" TO THEIR FAMILIES AS "EVIDENCE" OF U.S. GOVERNMENTAL EFFORTS TOWARD A "FULL ACCOUNTING" OF MISSING AMERICAN SERVICE PERSONNEL IN SOUTHEAST ASIA:

Submitted by: Amanda Y. Kidd
Relative of CMSgt. James A. Preston~ MIA~ Laos
Phone: (770) 258-9585
E-mail: AKidd13036@aol.com

Re.: December 13th Pengaton Announcement Regarding The Accounting Of United States Air Force Crew Of Eight:

The U.S. government's official, public announcement was released by the Pentagon today regarding the repatriation of forensic remains from Southeast Asia which are claimed to have been "identified" as the following members of U.S. Air Force military service personnel who have been listed as Missing In Action from Laos since 15 May, 1966.

Col. George William Jensen

Capt. Marshall Landis Tapp

Col. Lavern George Reilly

Maj. George Winton Thompson

CMSgt. James Arthur Preston

CMSgt. James Ellis Williams

CMSgt. William Louis Madison

SMSgt. Kenneth Dewey McKenney

I will not dedicate an extensive amount of time expressing the overwhelming feelings of my, or my family's personal disappointment, pain and anger regarding the inexcusable manner in which the cases of these eight MIA servicemen are being handled by the national agencies responsible for the POW/MIA accounting effort.

Our family has no need, nor do we have the ability, to explain such feelings.

Instead, I have chosen to present the facts below on behalf of these eight men so that the discrepancies, inconsistencies, and inconclusiveness may speak for themselves.

I extend any apologies that may be in order regarding the length of this information, but I feel that each and every word is of critical importance. Additionally, I thank all citizens in advance who are patient and concerned enough about the true fate of these men to see it through to the end.

Details (mostly in the form of countless discrepancies) regarding this USAF crew of MIA servicemen can be readily found by the general public under REFNO 0339 through the Library of Congress POW/MIA Database. Further documentation regarding live sightings, captivity photographs, voice radio contact, and endless other information that is highly contrary to this recent "accounting" decision can be accessed under the last names of each of these men... as well as under their individual case numbers of 0339-0-01 through 0339-0-08.

Please access this information or feel welcome to contact me if any questions persist regarding the validity of any of the information found in my statements within this counter-report which I wish to be considered as a voice opposed to the silencing of those who are now being twice-abandoned by our nation's government and national POW/MIA accounting agencies.

As a relative of one of the above-mentioned servicemen, (CMSgt. James Arthur Preston), I wish to bring public attention to the inexcusable inconclusiveness surrounding the recent "group identification" of this crew which is being based solely on the following documented information provided by the Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii:

TAPC-PED-H-LAB (638-2)
15 March 1999
MEMORANDUM FOR Commander, U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii
SUBJECT: Proposed Identification of CILHI 1997-020-G-01 and CILHI 1997-020-I-01

1. Background and Acquisition

a. On 15 May 1966 Maj. George W. JENSEN was piloting an AC-47D gunship on an armed reconnaissance mission over Vientiane Province, Laos. Also manifested on board were Capt. Marshall L. TAPP, co-pilot; 1Lt. George W. THOMPSON, navigator; SSgt. James A. PRESTON, loadmaster; SSgt. William L. MADISON, and A2c Kenneth D. MCKENNEY, gunners; A1c James E. WILLIAMS, flight engineer; and Maj. Lavern G. REILLY, observer.

At approximately 2100 hours, local time, Maj. JENSEN radioed the Airborne Command and Control aircraft that everything was normal. No other contact with Maj. JENSEN or his crew was established and the aircraft never returned to home base. When search and rescue efforts proved negative, the incident was designated REFNO 0339 and Maj. JENSEN and his crew were declared Missing In Action. Three weeks after the incident, on 7 June 1966, a Pathet Lao radio broadcast announced that a U.S. C-47 had been shot down in central or southern Laos on 15 May. The broadcast went on to claim that eight Americans and two "puppet" {South} Vietnamese had been killed in the crash. Colonel JENSEN (all eight Americans having been promoted while in an MIA status) and his crew currently are carried as presumed Killed In Action.

b. On 3 and 4 August 1994 a senior representative of the Vietnamese Office For Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP) had a chance encounter while in Ho Chi Minh City with a retired member of the People's Army of {North} Vietnam (PAVN). The former PAVN soldier related personal knowledge of a May 1966 crash of a U.S. C-47 in central Laos that killed 10 crewmen. This information was substantiated by {North} Vietnamese records that indicate that PAVN Group 559 shot down a U.S. C-47 in Laos on 15 May, 1966, killing 10 crewmen.

c. Based on information supplied by the VNOSMP, a joint U.S. / Lao People's Democratic Republic (L.P.D.R.) team traveled to Khammouan Province (formerly Vientiane Province) in October and November 1994. The team interviewed local informants who provided information about a possible aircraft crash site. The team then visited the purported site and found several crew-related items. The site was recommended for additional investigation.

d. From 15-18 January 1995 another joint U.S. / L.P.D.R. team traveled to Khammouan Province accompanied by several Vietnamese nationals who purported to have first-hand information of a U.S. aircraft site and the subsequent burial of the crew. After some initial confusion, the Vietnamese informants were able to delineate the suspected burial site. The informants indicated that the bodies of 10 (or 11) men were placed in three burial pits. Limited aircraft wreckage found near the burial site was consistent with that of an AC-47 gunship. The site was recommended for recovery.

e. From 15 May through 11 June 1995 a joint U.S. / L.P.D.R. team excavated the crash and burial sites surveyed the previous January. The team recovered human teeth and crew-related items, including an identification tag for "PRESTON, JAMES A." (the loadmaster) and metal captain's bars from a flight suit that would correlate to (then) Capt. Marshall TAPP (the co-pilot). The size of the site precluded completing the recovery in the time allotted. The remains were escorted to the CILHI on 20 June 1995 and accessioned as CILHI 0048-95.

f. From 5 October through 3 November 1995 another joint U.S. / L.P.D.R. team continued the excavation of the REFNO 0339 crash and burial sites. The team recovered additional crew-related items but found no additional remains. The team was unable to complete the recovery due to time constraints.

g. From 6 January through 6 February 1996 another joint U.S. / L.P.D.R. team attempted to complete the excavation of the REFNO 0339 crash and burial sites. The team recovered numerous teeth and bone fragments as well as additional crew-related items. The team was unable to complete the excavation during the time allotted. The remains were escorted to the CILHI by an American member of the team on 8 February 1996 where they were accessioned as CILHI 0005-96.

h. From 8 August through 1 September 1996 another joint U.S. / L.P.D.R. team continued excavation of the REFNO 0339 sites. The team recovered no additional remains and very sparse crew-related material. The team suspended the excavation of the sites.

i. From 5 - 27 February 1997 another joint U.S. / L.P.D.R. team resumed excavation of the REFNO 0339 crash and burial sites. The team recovered additional bone fragments as well as crew-related items. The sites were closed on 27 February 1997.

The remains were accessioned at the CILHI on 11 March 1997 as CILHI 0020-97.

j. Effective 1 January 1998 the CILHI adopted a revised accession numbering system. Consequently the accessions designated CILHI 0048-95, CILHI 0005-96, and CILHI 0020-97 were redesignated CILHI 1995-048, CILHI 1996-005, and CILHI 1997-020, respectively. For analytical purposes, the remains designated CILHI 1995-048 and CILHI 1996-005 were later consolidated into CILHI 1997-020.

2. Summary of Findings

a. Analysts from the Joint Task Force- Full Accounting state that the recovered wreckage and crew-related items identify the crash site as that of a U.S. aircraft.

Crew-related equipment-- including an identification tag for the loadmaster and captain's bars from the co-pilot-- found amid the wreckage suggest that at least two crewmen were aboard the aircraft at the time of impact. The identification tag found at the crash site correlates the crash to REFNO 0039. Additionally, analysts at the Joint Task Force- Full Accounting indicate that there are no creditable live-sighting reports or other intelligence data that would indicate that any member of Col. JENSEN's crew survived the crash.

b. Artifacts and crew-related items found during the recovery are consistent with items issued to, worn by, or used by U.S. Air Force crews in Southeast Asia in 1966. A size-10 jungle boot found at the site cannot be individually correlated to a specific member of the crew due to the similarity of size of several of the crewmen and the absence of documented shoe sizes in the antemortem records.

c. Analysis of the consolidated skeletal remains reveals that they are consistent with human remains. The size and condition of the skeletal remains make them very poor candidates for mitochondrial DNA given the current state of that technology. For administrative purposes, the skeletal remains were redesignated CILHI 1997-020-G-01 (the subdesignator "G-01" indicates a single individual).

3. Conclusions:

a. Available evidence-- including the eyewitness accounts of Vietnamese soldiers involved in the downing of the aircraft-- suggest that Col. JENSEN and his 7-man crew died in Khammouan Province at, or near, the crash site of their AC-47D gunship. Pathet Lao radio broadcasts and eyewitness accounts of the crash indicate that there may have been two Vietnamese or Laotian nationals also on board the aircraft. The remains of the eight Americans and two South Vietnamese or Laotian nationals were buried by North Vietnamese soldiers in three graves located in the vicinity of the crash site. There is no creditable evidence that any member of the crew survived the crash.

b. An identification tag and rank insignia found at this remote crash site in Laos can be correlated to CMSgt. PRESTON and {then} Capt. TAPP, respectively.

Dental remains recovered from this site can be identified as those of Col. George JENSEN. Skeletal fragments found at the site are very fragmentary and cannot be individually associated to a specific individual. These findings, combined with the available circumstantial evidence, lead to the conclusion that the teeth designated CILHI 1997-020-G-01 are the remains of Col. George W. JENSEN. The skeletal fragments recovered from the site and designated CILHI 1997-020-G-01 may also represent Col. JENSEN; however, the remains cannot be excluded as being those of any or all of the crew involved in REFNO 0339. Mitochondrial DNA analysis of the skeletal remains is not a viable option at this time, or in the foreseeable future.

4. Recommendations:

a. Based on the results of laboratory analysis, and on the circumstantial evidence made available to me, I recommend that CILHI 1997-020-G-01 be identified as the remains from an incident involving:

Col. George William JENSEN, U.S. Air force

Col. Marshall Landis TAPP, U.S. Air Force Reserve

Col. Lavern George REILLY, U.S. Air Force

Maj. George Winton THOMPSON, U.S. Air Force Reserve

CMSgt. James Arthur PRESTON, U.S. Air Force

CMSgt. James Ellis WILLIAMS, U.S. Air Force

CMSgt. William Louis MADISON, U.S. Air Force

SMSgt. Kenneth Dewey MCKENNEY, U.S. Air Force

b. Based on the results of laboratory analysis, and on the circumstantial evidence made available to me, I recommend that CILHI 1997-020-I-01 be identified as:

Col. George William JENSEN, U.S. Air Force

Thomas D. Holland Scientific Director

(Continued input from family): Amanda Y. Kidd
Relative of CMSgt. James A. Preston

The identification of the crew's alleged aircraft crash site (Tail #43-49546~ Call Sign: "Spooky 10") was decided solely on the recovery of a single military identification "dog tag" bearing the name of my cousin, James A. Preston, and a set of Captain's bars which are claimed to be attributed to the co-pilot, Capt. Marshall L. Tapp.

No forensic remains whatsoever have been repatriated that have been positively identified as either of these two missing servicemen.

The unsubstantiated forensic identification of the entire crew of eight has been based on limited, non-mt-DNA-tested human remains that were recovered by JTF-FA from ONE grave associated with a single individual.

Although statements were provided by 3 Vietnamese witnesses who were allegedly involved with the burial detail of this crew, none of JTF-FA's findings were ever successful in recovering evidence to support the witnesses' claims. Despite numerous statements that 2 mass graves were dug in which the witnesses claimed to have placed the bodies of "numerous Americans and Asians", no such graves were ever found.

SUPPORTIVE EVIDENCE (3 EXCERPTS) OBTAINED FROM REPORT OF JOINT FIELD ACTIVITY 96-5L:

Excerpt #1: (of 3)

Summary of Excavation: From 08 August through 01 September 1996, During Joint Field Activity 96-5L, Recovery Element Two (RE2) excavated an aircraft crash site associated with Case 0339 at Grid Coordinates 48Q XD 1053 9309 near Ban Katok in Boualapha District, Khammouan Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR). Case 0339 involved the 15 May loss of eight American air crewmen aboard an AC-47D aircraft while on an armed reconnaissance mission over Laos. This site has been partially excavated on three previous occasions and has yielded human remains believed to be associated with one single-individual burial. RE2 excavated an additional 220 square meters to attempt to locate and recover two still unlocated multiple burial sites. This fourth project iteration now completes the overall site excavation with a combined total of over 1000 square meters excavated. RE2 recovered no further human remains or diagnostic personal effects, life-support or aircrew-related material, or other aircraft debris. This site has been excavated to the fullest extent of the witness-identified burial locations without locating the two reported multiple burial sites. The team leader and the team anthropologist closed the site on 01 September 1996.

Excerpt #2 (of 3):

Excavations were continued at the Case 0339 site from 6 January through 1 February 1996, during the JFA 96-2L. This effort resulted in the recovery of human remains, including 19 teeth-- several with restorations-- and 23 possible human bone fragments. The single-feature context from which most of these remains were recovered suggests that they are probably associated with the one reported single-individual burial site and not with either of the two reported multiple burials. This phase of the excavations also yielded additional personal effects, but these could not be specifically correlated with any of the missing aircrew.

Excerpt #3 (of 3):

The typically acid soils of this region are often detrimental to the preservation of osteological materials. However, the generally impervious and very conspicuous evidence of subsurface soil disturbances associated with digging graves was only found once over the course of the four excavations. The absence of this type of evidence for the two other reported graves is problematical.

EVIDENCE OF POSSIBLE SURVIVAL: WHY HAS THIS EVIDENCE GONE UNACKNOWLEDGED?!

1.) My cousin James Preston's name is included on Senator Bob Smith's 1992 Senate Select Committee list of 324 POW/MIAs Who Are Most Likely To Have Survived Captivity. Beside his name is the following statement:

Preston, James A. USAF Name heard over Voice of Vietnam or camp radio by several returned POWs. (Hyatt, Risner, Rivers, Rutledge, Shumaker.)

2. This crew (in its entirety) is among the Discrepancy and "Last Known Alive" Cases of which the Vietnamese and Lao governments should have detailed knowledge.

I remain uncertain of the specifics that have resulted in the inclusion of their names on this national list, however much supportive documentation does exist which warrents further investigation. I have included the information below, however it is only one example of many that easily leads to the belief that all information regarding the true fate of this crew has not yet been obtained by the POW/MIA accounting agencies or provided to these men's families:

EXCERPT FROM 1994 JTF-FA EXCAVATION REPORT:

Excerpt #1 (of 1)

During the period in which the test pits were being dug a villager approached two of the team members who were separated from the rest of the team conducting a search for more depressions in the ground under some heavy vegetation. The villager claimed he had found a pistol at the site. When questioned about the pistol he took it from a towel that he had tied around his waist. The pistol was in good enough condition for the team members to read Smith and Wesson on the side of the barrel. The villager then stated that he wanted a reward to the team leader and Lao officials which were approximately 30 meters distance from where the witness and two team members were. The villager then went back to the village. Lao officials from the joint team said they would arrange for the villager to meet the team the next day in the village.

On 13 October 94 IE1 returned to Ban Katok and spoke with Mr. Xiang Sichan who was the person who had found the pistol. At first, Mr. Hom (45 years of age) relayed information stating that the pistol had been found with a flight suit approximately 100 meters from the crash site. Later this information was recanted and Mr. Sichan came forward to reveal his story about the pistol. He stated that he had found the pistol in a cave which the Vietnamese had used as a repair facility for 37 mm. anti-aircraft artillery. He stated that there were also some Vietnamese grenades in the cave where he found the pistol. Mr. Sichan stated that he had found the pistol in 1977 in a cave at Pa Kado Karst. When asked if the team could take possession of the pistol, Mr. Sichan refused. Even after the Lao officials requested possession in a private meeting, Mr. Sichan still refused to relinquish possession. When asked the reason why he refused, he would not give a response.

3. Captivity photographs identified by the family of James Ellis Williams (Flight Engineer) suggest possible survival well beyond the date of the aircraft's loss.

4. Numerous live sightings of one of the aircraft's door gunners (William Louis Madison) lead to POW camps in the Muang Het, Houai Het, and Sam Neua areas of Laos in which live Americans are known to have been held in captivity. Photograph identifications have been confirmed by residents of these areas, yet all have been sadly debunked as fabrications by the U.S. government and its national POW/MIA accounting agencies without providing any visible indication toward intentions of past, present, or future follow-up investigation.

These are only a few examples of the vast number of discrepancies and inconsistencies that surround the crew of "Case 0339." Many other well-documented examples are readily available for those who desire further information.

In summary,there has been no solid, irrefutable evidence provided by the United States government to substantiate its decision to eliminate these eight men from the national list of U.S. military service personnel who remain unaccounted for from the war in Southeast Asia. Yet the "repatriation of their "remains" was publicly announced by the Pentagon today which indicates that national efforts are intended to follow that could (and most likely WILL, without your help) eliminate these eight men from the national list of missing service personnel.

MY PERSONAL REQUEST TO ALL ACTIVISTS, VETERANS, AND FELLOW POW/MIA FAMILIES WHO SHARE OUR FAMILY'S DISMAY REGARDING SUCH SHAMEFUL INCONCLUSIVENESS OF THE NATIONAL PRACTICE OF "EMPTY COFFIN", "GROUP BURIALS" OF OUR NATION'S MISSING SERVICEMEN:

Please join me in speaking out publicly against this inexcusable decision that may otherwise silence these men and seal their fates forever. Contact your government officials and insist that they become familiar with the documentation surrounding MIA Case 0339 and ask that they insist on further national investigation regarding the true whereabouts of the eight men in question.

If you are wearing a POW/MIA bracelet bearing the names of any of these abandoned servicemen, please continue to wear it... When speaking with others regarding the bracelet that you wear, please speak openly about the discrepancies that continue to abound regarding their true fates and whereabouts.

If you have a webpage that you have dedicated in honor of any them, please do not erase it or otherwise speak of them as "accounted for." Instead, I would ask that you keep it active and include as much information as possible to call attention to the discrepancies and the inconclusive accounting that has put them in grave danger of being silenced without just cause.

Continue to refer to them openly as "Missing In Action" and join me in a united, public effort to help them to maintain their rightful place among The Living unless and until solid, irrefutable evidence proves their deaths beyond question. None of which our family or the American people have been given.

In closing, I once again extend my gratitude to all citizens who have taken the time to focus your attention on the tragic circumstances now facing these eight men. I extend further gratitude to all who agree that the discrepancies are sufficient enough to warrent a continued investigation into the true whereabouts of the now-twice-abandoned men of Case 0339.

Most importantly, your continued assistance in refusing to allow their voices to become silenced will pave the way for the remainder of our nation's missing service personnel who remain in constant danger of falling victim to a similar future tragedy of such a second abandonment.

Such a practice of Identification by Association MUST STOP SOMEPLACE if our nation ever hopes to gain a full, truthful, and accurate accounting of its missing service personnel.

May the eight men of "Case 0339" be among those who will help to pave the way to such an accounting.

PLEASE CONTACT DPMO ABOUT THESE DISCREPANCIES AND LET THOSE WITHIN THE ACCOUNTING AGENCIES KNOW THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DO NOT APPROVE OF THIS RECENT DECISION NOR DO WE WILLINGLY ACCEPT THE PRACTICE OF SUCH EMPTY COFFIN BURIALS IN OUR NATIONAL MILITARY CEMETERIES:

Defense POW/ Missing Personnel Office
Attn.: Mr. Robert L. Jones
2400 Defense Pentagon Washington, D.C. 20301-2400
(703) 602-2102

My deepest appreciation to all of you who have cared enough to listen...

Amanda Y. Kidd
Relative of CMSgt. James A. Preston~ MIA~