News-Info-Alerts

To: ALL

From: Andi Wolos & Bob Necci

(POW-MIA InterNetwork)

Re: NLF Update Line

Date: January 26, 2001

"Update Line Thank you for calling the National League of Families Update Line. This message is being recorded on Wednesday, January 24th. According to the Department of Defense, the number of Americans missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War is still 1,991.

At the January 19th Salute to Veterans inaugural event, Vice President Dick Cheney pledged renewed effort to achieve the fullest possible accounting for America's POW/MIAs. Following several earlier commitments by President George W. Bush, this commitment, though not surprising, is welcome and appreciated. Strong records of support and involvement by several Administration officials and nominees offer the promise of serious, objective policy on POW/MIA over the next few years.

On January 10th, CBS News announced that former Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig had changed the status of LCDR Michael Scott Speicher, USN, from KIA/BNR to MIA status. Speicher was the first US loss of the Gulf War on January 17, 1991, during an F-A18 incident. Following a Secretary of the Navy status review board that found 'no credible evidence' to suggest Speicher had survived the shootdown, his status was changed from missing to KIA/BNR. There was a great deal of information publicly revealed in two CBS 60 Minutes segments, but detailed official clarification has not occurred. Press reports stated that LCDR Speicher likely survived the crash but noted that the US has no evidence that LCDR Speicher is currently alive. Iraq subsequently claimed that LCDR Speicher died in his F-18 crash, and that records would shortly be released to prove it. Two other US Navy aviators are still unaccounted for from the Gulf War: LCDR Barry T. Cooke and LT Robert J. Dwyer.

The Commander in Chief, US Pacific command, Admiral Dennis Blair, just visited Laos and Cambodia for meetings with senior officials during which he reinforced the importance of serious efforts to account for missing Americans and expressed appreciation for their efforts. In both countries, the Admiral also visited field sites to see firsthand the work of US and host-country personnel conducting investigations and excavations. The Admiral was also scheduled to go to Vietnam, but at the last minute, Vietnam canceled the visit.

During consultations in early December, the US at long last responded to the May 1999 Lao proposal to hold a seminar in Vientiane, during which JTF-FA, CILHI, Stony Beach and LSEL will brief Lao officials from throughout the country on the accounting effort. This seminar, strongly endorsed by the League, will enhance understanding on the part of officials whose help is crucial to success.

Both Laos and Vietnam conducted unilateral investigations during the month of December, pursuing leads provided by the US, including efforts to locate witnesses for subsequent joint interview in both countries. On January 9th, joint field operations resumed in Laos, as they will in Vietnam on February 8th. Joint investigations in Cambodia, conducted in November, prepared the way for full-scale joint operations now ongoing in Cambodia, scheduled to conclude February 6th. Several cases are scheduled for investigation and excavation in all three Indochina countries.

The next Family Update sponsored by the Defense POW/MIA Office will be held February 24th in San Francisco, CA, preceded by a forum for veterans on February 23rd. Family members who wish to attend the update should contact their military service casualty office to register for the meeting. Veterans and others who wish to attend the Veterans Briefing can obtain information by calling DPMO at 703-602-2101, Ext. 111.

A League Region II and III meeting will be held May 4-5th at the Naval Education Training Center, Newport, RI. This meeting is open to all League members and, by invitation, to concerned veterans and other citizens, by calling Region III Coordinator Maureen Dunn, 781-961-2110. Billeting in Navy Visiting Officers Quarters will be available on a first come-first served basis.

The League's 32nd Annual Meeting will be held June 21-24th, 2001, at Crystal City's DoubleTree Hotel, across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. Family members and concerned supporters are urged to attend this important first meeting of the new Bush Administration. We again anticipate DOD-sponsored, round-trip travel for two family members per missing man to attend the meeting.

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.

The National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia 1001 Connecticut Avenue Northwest, Suite 919 Washington, D.C. 20036-5504 (TEL) 202-223-6846 Federal Tax ID #23-7071242"