News-Info-Alerts

To: ALL

From: Andi Wolos & Bob Necci

(POW-MIA InterNetwork)

Re: Korean War Remains Repatriation

Date: August 23, 2000

MIA JOINT REPATRIATION CEREMONY TO BE HELD

CAMP H.M. SMITH, HAWAII ñ Remains believed to be those of 19 unaccounted-for American servicemen from two different wars are being repatriated to U.S. possession next week-14 from the Korean War and five from the war in Southeast Asia.

     On Saturday, August 19th (Korean time), 14 sets of remains were repatriated to U.S. control at Pyongyang, North Korea.  From there, the aircraft transported the remains to Yokota Air Base, outside Tokyo, Japan.

     On Monday, 28 August (Vietnam time), remains believed to be those of five Americans will be returned to U.S. control during a repatriation ceremony at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam.

     The repatriated remains from Vietnam will also be transported to Yokota Air Base and an all-service honor guard will, in turn, escort the 19 sets of remains to Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.  After an arrival ceremony, commemorating their return to U.S. soil, the remains will be taken to the U. S. Central Identification Laboratory-Hawaii (CIL-HI) where the forensic identification process will begin.

     Military and civilian members of the CIL-HI conducted the search and recovery of remains operations in North Korea during July and early August.  The remains from Vietnam were recovered by members of Joint Task Force-Full Accounting and CIL-HI during the 61st Joint Field Activity that was conducted from 26 June to 25 July, 2000.

     Since 1973, 575 American servicemen, formerly listed as missing and unaccounted-for from the war in Southeast Asia, have been identified and returned to their families.  There are currently 2,008 Americans still unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War ñ 1,515 in Vietnam, 421 in Laos, 64 in Cambodia, and eight in China. There are approximately 8,100 still unaccounted-for from the Korean War.

     The arrival ceremony at Hickam AFB will be at 9 a.m. 29 August, behind the Base Operations Bldg.  For more information, please call JTF-FA Public Affairs at 477-5301.