News-Info-Alerts

To: ALL

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

Re: DPMO Update

Date: July 01, 1998

Defense POW/MIA Weekly Update
June 30, 1998

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WILLIAM S. COHENÍS STATEMENT CONCERNING THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE VIETNAM UNKNOWN

Less than seven weeks ago, with profound reluctance we disturbed the hallowed ground of the Tomb of the Unknowns in an effort to identify the Vietnam Unknown and ease the lingering anguish of one American family. We took that somber step only because of our abiding commitment to the fullest possible accounting for every warrior who fought and died for our nation. After successful mitochondrial DNA comparison and forensic examination using state-of-the-art technology not available in 1984, the U. S. Army Central Identification Laboratory has determined that the remains interred in 1984 as the Vietnam Unknown are those of U. S. Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie.

This morning, I conveyed that information to his mother, Mrs. George C. Blassie. The report documenting the work of the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory, the U. S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, and the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office and the resulting identification is now being reviewed independently by three outside consultants with acknowledged expertise in forensic science. Once those consultants complete their work, the report will be conveyed to her for her review. Afterwards, the report will be forwarded to the Armed Forces Identification Review Board for the final determination.

Since the end of the war in Vietnam, the Department of Defense has identified the remains of 496 Americans. Some 2,087 Americans who died in that conflict remain unaccounted for. As we share with the Blassie family the knowledge that the remains of their loved one have been identified, I want to renew the pledge to those whose loved ones are still missing that the U. S. government and the Department of Defense will continue to search for each of the American warriors who died in foreign lands defending our nation, and whose remains have not yet been located and brought home. On behalf of the Department of Defense, I also want especially to express my appreciation to the other families whose selfless cooperation made the identification of the former Vietnam Unknown possible.

The question now before us as a nation is how best to honor the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and the one Coast Guardsman who served and died in the conflict in Vietnam and have not yet been accounted for. Our commitment to the fullest possible accounting and advances in modern forensic technology have reached the point that we can now identify remains once believed to be unidentifiable. In the weeks ahead, I and other Defense Department officials will consult with the Congress, the military Services, the leadership of veterans organizations, and with the family associations in an effort to determine how best to honor our missing Vietnam veterans in the absence of a Vietnam Unknown.

FAMILY OUTREACH BRIEFINGS

Officials of the U. S. governmentÍs POW/MIA accounting team briefed family members recently in Washington on the status of the efforts to achieve the fullest possible accounting of those Americans still missing in action.

These annual briefings are held for all family members at a time which coincides with the annual conventions of several organizations.

During the first session, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Fred Smith joined other officials in a presentation on the governmentÍs broad policies in seeking resolution to this issue. Mr. Smith was joined by US Ambassador to Cambodia Wendy Chamberlin and by Mr. Dennis Harter, Deputy Chief of Mission to the American Embassy in Hanoi. This interagency policy forum was presented during the 29th annual meeting of the National League of Families, but it was open to all family members who wished to attend.

The next dayÍs presentations featured extensive Department of Defense briefings, led by Mr. Bob Jones, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/Missing Personnel Affairs. In addition, Brigadier General Terry Tucker, Commander of the Joint Task Force-Full Accounting, and Col James Colvin, Commander of the Central Identification Laboratory Hawaii, presented comprehensive views of the worldwide work accomplished by their organizations. Mr. John Goines, III, representing the Life Sciences Equipment Laboratory (LSEL), spoke to the attendees on the specialized analyses by LSEL which contribute to final identification of cases. Dr. Mitch Holland from the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory explained details of DNA to the family members.

The primary briefers, with assistance from senior members of their staffs, addressed such subjects as the SEA Remains Study; archival research; research and oral history programs in Cambodia; operations and intelligence; U.S.-Russia Joint Commission initiatives; the case review process; and the role of DNA in the identification process.

On the third day of briefings, the panelists returned for a 3-* hour session to answer questions from the family members in attendance. Also that day, Mr. Jones spoke to the National Alliance of Families on a wide range of topics about POW/MIA accounting from all conflicts. He also opened a session for Korean/Cold War families, where his staff and others addressed the ongoing work associated with accounting initiatives in North Korea and elsewhere. This session is similar to the monthly family updates that the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office leads in cities across the country. In those meetings, family members from all conflicts are invited to join the government briefers for updates on worldwide operations, followed by individual discussions about their own cases.

ANALYST ADDRESSES VETS GROUP

U. S. Army Master Sergeant Peggy S. Marish-Boos, a Southeast Asia Division case analyst in DPMO, recently addressed the New Jersey State convention of the Disabled American Veterans. MSG Marish-Boos addressed the DAV Auxiliary on her experiences during a recent Joint Task Force-Full Accounting Joint Field Activity in Southeast Asia. She participated in an informal discussion of cooperation from the Vietnamese on finding our still unaccounted for individuals from the Southeast Asia conflict. Many of the women were interested in the daily life of the people of Vietnam, their culture and family values.

MSG Marish-Boos also presented the DPMO briefing to the veterans members. Many were pleased to learn of the magnitude of the governmentÍs efforts to achieve the fullest possible accounting and expressed their appreciation for that commitment.

REMAINS REPATRIATED IN VIETNAM

Remains believed to be those of six American servicemen were repatriated in Hanoi at a formal ceremony which included U. S. Ambassador Pete Peterson and several representatives of U. S. veteransÍ organizations. The remains, recovered by joint US and Vietnamese recovery teams, were recovered during the 50th Joint Recovery Operation in Vietnam. These recovery operations, led by the Joint Task Force-Full Accounting, are part of field activities which include approximately 100 U. S. experts in provinces across Vietnam. The remains were flown by U. S. military aircraft to the Central Identification Laboratory Hawaii where they will undergo a forensic identification process.

DPMO TEAM VISITS ROMANIA

Analysts representing DPMO and the U. S. Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs recently visited Romania to solicit support for a detailed and focused search of their archives for information relating to American POWs. The team also interviewed many Romanian citizens who were present in North Vietnam during the war there.

The team made significant headway in accessing some of the most sensitive and potentially important archives in the Romanian government. These include the archives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, the Military Intelligence Directorate, the Romanian Communist Party and others. The team was permitted to interview a number of Romanians who occupied key positions in North Vietnam during the war. These included former ambassadors, military and press or cultural attaches and others. The team received from these interviews information which will help assess the level of cooperation between foreign delegations and Vietnamese officials. Future trips to Romania will concentrate on similar information related to the Korean War.

Senior Romanian officials and archivists were eager to support the search for information. The interviews were productive, and it is expected that this high level of dialogue will continue.