News-Info-Alerts

To: ALL

From: Andi Wolos & Bob Necci

(POW-MIA InterNetwork)

Re: NLF Update Line

Date: August 04, 2000

National League of Families
UPDATE LINE: August 4, 2000

Thank you for calling the National League of Families Update Line. This message is being recorded on Friday, August 4th. The number of Americans missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War is still 2,014.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/MIA Affairs Bob Jones left today for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia for talks on the accounting process with counterpart officials. As his first trip since Secretary of Defense Cohen's visit last March, the League is hopeful that Jones will reinforce the Secretary's message on the need for Vietnam to increase its unilateral actions to locate and return remains that cannot be recovered by joint field operations, plus turnover archival records not yet provided. We also are again urging Jones to respond to the Lao Foreign Minister's offer, made to the League's May 1999 delegation, to arrange for Lao officials at all levels to receive briefings by JTF-FA, CILHI and DIA's Stony Beach personnel regarding US accounting efforts in Laos. The Lao Vice Foreign Minister will visit Washington, DC, later this month at Jones' invitation. During his visit, he will meet with State and Defense Department officials and the League's executive director. He will also travel to Hawaii for briefings and meetings with officials at CILHI, JTF-FA and CINCPAC en route back to Laos. JTF-FA Commander BG Harry Axson and CILHI Commander COL Dave Pagano will host the Minister in Hawaii.

Three more Americans previously unaccounted for from the 1975 attempted rescue of the Mayaguez crew off the coast of Cambodia are now accounted for, though no names were publicly released at the request of their families. This brings to 12 the number of remains recovered and identified from that tragic incident. Between 1991 and 1999, US, Cambodian and Vietnamese personnel conducted seven joint investigations and Cambodian officials unilaterally turned over remains believed to be those of Americans associated with this incident on 3 occasions. The identifications, made by CILHI, were achieved using extensive technology available from the Armed Forces mtDNA Laboratory in Maryland. The accounting for these three Americans brings the number still missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War to 2,014, 1,514 in Vietnam. Of the 427 still missing in Laos and the 65 unaccounted for in Cambodia, approximately 85% were lost in areas under Vietnam's wartime control. There are also 8 Americans still unaccounted for in the territorial waters of the PRC.

A team of 43 US specialists from Joint Task Force-Full Accounting, Central Identification Laboratory and Stony Beach is now working in Laos for another 30-day joint field operation. The schedule calls for them to conduct remains recoveries at three sites in two separate provinces. On July 25th, a larger US team concluded monthlong joint operations in Vietnam. This team worked with Vietnamese citizens and specialists in 16 provinces and cities to investigate 32 cases and excavate six or more sites, including both aircraft and ground losses.

At the League's 31st Annual Meeting, June 22-25th in Washington, DC, Deputy Secretary of Defense Rudy de Leon delivered the keynote address. The League was very pleased with specific commitments he made to resolve problems concerning additional personnel and resources needed for organizations now working on the accounting effort. Serious follow-up actions are now ongoing. For copies of Secretary de Leon's address and that given by Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera at the annual dinner, contact the League's national office.

National POW/MIA Recognition Day will be September 15th this year. Planning is well underway for ceremonies across the nation. Contact your local post office and nearby military installations for information regarding ceremonies to be held in your area. By law, the League's POW/MIA flag will next fly over most US Government buildings, all US Post Office facilities and all major military installations and Federal cemeteries on National POW/MIA Recognition Day, September 15th. The last required date this year for flying our POW/MIA flag will be Veterans Day, November 11th.

POW/MIA car-window decals are available at a cost of $20 per 100 by sending a check to the League office at 1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 919, Washington, DC 20036. POW/MIA lapel pins are also available at $3 each or 2/$5. For added information on any subject, please contact the League's web site at www.pow-miafamilies.org or call the national office at 202-223-6846. If no one is available to take your call, please leave a message and your call will be returned. Again, thank you for calling.