News-Info-Alerts

To: ALL

From: Andi Wolos & Bob Necci

(POW-MIA InterNetwork)

Re: NAF Bits 'N' Pieces

Date: June 30, 2001

"National Alliance of Families
For The Return of America's Missing Servicemen
World War II - Korea - Cold War - Vietnam

Bits N Pieces June 30 2001

Twenty And Counting - Another South Korean POW Escapes the North - from Agence France-Presse, dateline Seoul June 22nd - A prisoner from the 1950-53 Korean War was among 12 new defectors from North Korea to arrive in the South, intelligence officials said Friday. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said Lee Young-Sok, 69, had been forced to work as a coal miner in the communist North after being released from a prisoner of war camp. An NIS official said Lee and his 34-year-old son had arrived in Seoul in April via a third country, a term usually meaning the pair came through China...."

"...Twenty former prisoners of war have now managed to get back to the South since 1994, according to the authorities...."

From The Sisters of Major Victor Apodaca - Some of you may have seen a recent article, circulated by email, discussing the identification of remains as our brother, Major Victor Apodaca. On May 15th, our nephew, as primary next of kin, accepted remains, purported to be Victor's. His sisters, Dolores Apodaca Alfond, Eleanor Apodaca, Joyce Apodaca, and Janella Apodaca Rose, our children, and grandchildren have not accepted this identification. The so-called evidence used to support the government's identification, is no more than the word of a Vietnamese remains trader. There is no other evidence and the government admits this.

The following is a Letter to the Editor, of the Tuscaloosa newspaper, in response to their article: "We read your article titled "Finally at Rest: DNA match helps Tuscaloosa man redeem memories of father who died in Vietnam" by Matt Ehlers with great interest. Unfortunately, Mr. Ehlers article was sorely lacking in some major facts.

We strongly question the identification of three small bones as the remains of our brother, Victor J. Apodaca, Jr., based on the following facts:

The remains were seized from a remains trader, many miles from the loss location. No evidence exists to associate these remains to the Apodaca crash site. In spite of best efforts JTF-FA recovered no personal effects or human remains from the crash site. There is no chain of custody for the remains. FBI testing could not confirm the authenticity of the dog tag, which may, in fact, be fake. No evidence exists to associate dog tag to crash site. No evidence exists to associate the dog tag to the remains subjected to mt-DNA testing. No evidence exists to suggest these remains are those Victor J. Apodaca Jr. By Oct. 2000, the bone and the Apodaca blood sample matched 5 others in the mt-DNA database. CILHI, AFDIL and Mortuary are using mt-DNA as the primary or sole means of identification, in this case, violating their stated policy.

We have no closure because we have no truth. All we have are more questions.

The Sisters of Major Victor J. Apodaca, Jr. Dolores Apodaca Alfond Eleanor Apodaca Joyce Apodaca Janella Apodaca Rose

Why does Johnie Webb still have a job???

The Apodaca sisters have no intention of going away. There will be more on this, with some surprising information in a future Bits so, as they say on TV - Stay tuned.....

Korean War Remains Identified - from Associated Press June 22nd by Nancy Zuckerbrod - Arlington VA - "Air Force Capt. James Wilson Jr. was killed 50 years ago at the age of 29, and on Friday his family finally bid him goodbye as a B-52 bomber streaked through the air and a POW-MIA flag blew in the wind. Wilson, a Memphis, Tenn., native, was laid to rest with military honors in an emotional ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery following a service at the Fort Myer Chapel next door..."

"...On April 12, 1951, he was the navigator of a B-29 bomber that was attempting to destroy a bridge over the Yalu River that connected Sinuiju, North Korea, and Antung, China. His plane was shot down by Soviet MiG-15 fighters, and there was no search for survivors because the B-29 went down in enemy territory."

"Between 1990 and 1994, North Korea turned over 208 sets of remains it said were American servicemen. Wilson's dog tag was included, but it took DNA technology to confirm that the bones were his....

"...Friday's burial marked the end of a long, emotional journey for Wilson's family. His daughter, Pat Dunton of Coppell, Texas, spent much of her 53 years asking questions, searching through archives and traveling to North Korea in 1997 to observe a Pentagon search for the remains of MIAs...."

Note: Pat Wilson Dunton is President of the Korea-Cold War Families Association

Vietnam Servicemen Accounted For - News Release from the Department of Defense - June 19th - "A U.S. Air Force pilot and a Marine Corps aerial observer missing in action from the Vietnam War have been identified and are being returned to their families. Identified were Air Force Col. Harley B. Pyles of Enon, Ohio, and Marine Col. Winfield W. Sisson of Berkeley, Calif...."

"On Oct. 18, 1965, their O-1E Bird Dog aircraft encountered low-level cloud cover and rain en route to Da Nang Air Base from Kham Duc, South Vietnam. About 10 minutes out from Da Nang, Pyles attempted to make radio contact with the control tower. No further radio transmissions were received, and their aircraft failed to return to any base. An aerial search was initiated hours later and continued for seven days but was ended when no evidence of the men or their aircraft was found."

"Throughout the late 1980s, several Vietnamese refugees reported having information relating to Pyles. None of these reports could be verified. However, in April 1992, a Vietnamese citizen turned over to American officials remains and artifacts that appeared to be those of Sisson. The man indicated the remains had been recovered from a crash site in Thua Thien-Hue Province and that additional remains were in the possession of an acquaintance. Between 1992 and 1995, a joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam team, led by the Joint Task Force-Full Accounting, interviewed many Vietnamese nationals believed to have additional remains. The Vietnamese government obtained the remains as well as an identification tag bearing Sisson's name. These remains and material evidence were repatriated to the Central Identification Laboratory Hawaii (CILHI), where the forensic identification process was conducted."

"In June and July 2000, a joint U.S./Vietnam team excavated the crash site where they recovered remains and personal effects as well as crew-related artifacts. Fragments of prescription sunglass lenses, consistent with the eyeglass prescription noted in Pyle's medical records, were among the artifacts recovered. Analysis of the available evidence suggests that Pyles and Sisson died in what is now Thua Thien-Hue Province, Vietnam, when their aircraft crashed on the side of a mountain. There is no evidence that either man survived the crash. Human remains were recovered by local villagers who scavenged the crash site, as well as by CILHI personnel who excavated the site. Some of the remains were confirmed to be those of Pyles and Sisson on the basis of dental records and DNA analysis...."

Recently Buried - Anthony Chandler, lost when his PCF-19 sank off the coast of Vietnam on June 16th 1968. - Marine Corps Corporal Thomas Gopp, who was lost August 3, 1967

Update On The Story of Jerry Degnan - The Bill Was In The Mail - Shortly before we left for De Ceit, we received a call from Ron Degnan, brother of Jerry Degnan, who was thought to be missing in Vietnam. Readers of "Bits" know that Jerry Degnan's remains were misidentified and laid in a Massachusetts grave from September 1967 - 1982. This in spite of the fact that the government knew of the misidentification in December 1967. From 1982 till early this year the remains were held at CIL-HI. For more on this case see "Bits" of May 19th and June 2nd.

Ron called to let us know that the family had, in fact received a bill to shipping Jerry's remains from Hawaii to Ohio. On June 18th the "The Vindicator" of Youngstown, Ohio published two stories regarding this case. Excerpts from the article by Ian Hill "...Ronald Degnan recently got a $700 bill from a mortuary in Hawaii for the costs of preparing and shipping the remains. Ronald picked up his brother's remains in late April. The body was wrapped in an Army blanket and shipped, along with a flag, in a plywood box to an airport in Cleveland. "That's not what he died for," Ronald said."

"Jerry was a civilian working for a military contractor when he was killed in a helicopter crash over South Vietnam in August 1967. His body went unidentified until late 1999. Ronald will pay the bill, but he feels the Army abandoned his brother by not paying for the shipping costs or the funeral. Jerry was buried in late May in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Boardman. "When a civilian goes into harm's way, he's on his own, I guess," Degnan said. "That is something I would like to see addressed."

On June 21st the following email was received from Ron Degnan, "Lynn, I received two calls today, one from Congressman Traficant office stating he is writing a letter to Donald Rumsfeld to have the Army pay for the shipping of Jerry's remains and also that he will be proposing a bill to cover Civilians in harms way in the future. The second call came from Lt. Col. Paul Bethke with a apology for the mistakes that have taken place with the handling of this closer (sic) and that the Army would be taking care of the shipping bill. I am hoping that Congressman Traficant will keep me posted on what he is proposing in the bill. I will keep in touch with you. Take care, Ron Degnan."

So, the Army has now agreed to do something they were morally responsible for. To bad they had to be embarrassed into it. Perhaps one day the government will do the right thing when is comes to our POW/MIAs without having to be shamed into it.

Instead of a bill the Degnan family should have received an apology for the misidentification of their loved one. Had the government admitted their error, when it was first discovered in December 1967, perhaps the Degnan family would have been spared 34 years of heartache.

From The Everything Old Is New Again Dept. - "Bush seeks delay on Reagan papers - White House asks for more time to review documents" from the Associated Press, June 8th - Washington "The Bush administration has delayed for a second time the release of 68,000 pages of presidential records from the 1980s that offer a glimpse into who and what influenced policy in the Reagan White House."

"The previously restricted papers were slated for public release in January, 12 years after Reagan left office. But the White House counsel's office delayed the release until June 21 so Justice Department lawyers could review the papers. Now, the White House has told the National Archives that it needs more time.

"The review is ongoing," White House spokeswoman Anne Womack said Friday. "There's thousands and thousands of documents and in order to be thorough and accurate, we have requested an extension until Aug. 31."

"The Reagan records, kept at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., are the first slated for release under a presidential records law passed in 1978, following the Watergate scandal. The White House says care must be taken to make sure the release is done right."

"Historians, on the other hand, say they think President Bush is worried about what some of his top aides might have written in letters and briefing papers when they worked for Reagan in the 1980s. "They don't want any of this stuff to come out very soon, and the (government) lawyers are saying `We don't know what's in there,"' said Vanderbilt University history professor Hugh Graham. "Some of these people are veterans from the Reagan administration, and they don't want the documents seen."

"Secretary of State Colin Powell, for instance, was on Reagan's national security team. Budget Director Mitchell Daniels Jr. was Reagan's political director. Chief White House economist Lawrence Lindsey was on Reagan's Council of Economic Advisers. Many others, including White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, Interior Secretary Gale Norton and Ken Dam, nominated for the No. 2 job at Treasury, all worked for Reagan. And of course Reagan's vice president was George Herbert Walker Bush, the president's father."

Bush Waives Jackson Vanick - From Reuter, June 4th, By Doug Palmer - President Bush is poised to send Congress a bilateral agreement normalizing trade relations with Vietnam, the White House said Monday. "It's going to be soon," a White House spokeswoman said. Under the historic agreement signed last year in Hanoi, the United States agreed to normalize trade relations in exchange for the communist-run country opening its market to increased U.S. goods, services and investment."

"Congressional approval, which is widely expected, would remove one of the last political vestiges of a bitter war that ended 2 « decades ago with the defeat of U.S. and South Vietnamese forces and the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam...."

"...In late May, key Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives urged Bush instead to send Congress the Vietnam agreement "at the same time" as he made an annual determination allowing companies doing business in Vietnam to have access to U.S. Export-Import Bank loans and other government export assistance."

"Bush issued that waiver from Jackson-Vanik provisions of the 1974 trade act Friday..... The bilateral trade pact builds on the growing trade relationship by committing Vietnam to an ongoing process of economic reform and marketing opening in exchange for congressional approval of NTR. It also brings a reconciliation process begun nearly 10 years ago between the two countries closer to completion."

"Following steps made by Bush's father, when he was president, to open up travel and telecommunication links with Vietnam, Clinton lifted the embargo in 1994 and restored normal diplomatic relations in 1995. However, the 1974 trade act blocked the United States from establishing normal trade relations with Vietnam until the two countries had negotiated a bilateral trade agreement."

Shut Down! - Over the last year and a half, we have written about the Strategic Plan and the government's efforts to transition the accounting process from active to reactive efforts. The government, represented by DPMO has hotly denied this, going so far as to say the Strategic Plan is dead. Well under that name, it may be dead but the mind set is alive and well and we have the visual.

Nowhere is a shifting of focus more evident than in this year's poster for POW/MIA Recognition Day, scheduled for September 21st 2001. The only appropriate item in the poster is the acknowledgment to the JTF-FA personnel lost in the helicopter crash, on April 7th. Even that reference would not be understood by the general public.

As for the rest of the poster, it consists of a blue background, with 10 snapshots scattered down the middle. Rather than describe the poster, we ask you to click here http://www.nationalalliance.org/poster.htm to view it. (Due to the size of the file, the poster may take a moment to load.) You will have to look closely to find the POW/MIA flag. The POW/MIA emblem is nowhere to be seen. Except for the very bottom of the page, marking the poster for POW/MIA Recognition Day, the words Prisoner of War, Missing In Action or POW/MIA are nowhere to be found.

One government employee, upon viewing the poster stated: "If I were walking past this, hanging on a wall, I wouldn't know what it was about, unless I stopped and read the very bottom." We guess that's DPMO's goal.

View the Poster and give us your opinion. Cast your vote! Is this an appropriate poster for POW/MIA Recognition Day? We will post the results in a future "Bits."

Memorial To Be Built In Alexandria VA. - "to honor 62 men lost in Vietnam known to have entered military service from Alexandria, VA. We were looking for information on anyone from Alexandria ONLY who was either KIA or MIA: such as photos; information if they attended Alexandria schools; still had relatives living in Alexandria; remembrances of family and friends that are typically seen on the Remembrance section of The Virtual Wall, etc. Purpose is to gather material for the permanent Memorial display, publicity while the Memorial is being built, newspaper articles about those individuals that the families have granted permission for remembrances, etc."

"..the search is exclusively for Alexandria residents since the Memorial Plaza is for them." Duane Frederic.

If your loved one entered the service from Alexandria VA and is either POW/MIA or KIA, contact Duane Frederic at defrederic@msn.com for more information on including remembrances of your loved one in the memorial

The Meeting - The Twelfth Annual Forum was a huge success and for the first time in our history, we ran close to on time and at points even ahead of schedule. We know that is hard to believe but it happened and we have witnesses!

Thursday Evening - started with our traditional opening prayer by Michael McDaniel, son of former POW Eugene "Red" McDaniel. Mike has become a very special friend to the Alliance and his inspirational words always set the right tone for our meeting.

Dolores Alfond followed with an opening statement in which she reminded the audience that; "this year we find ourselves in an unusual situation. We have a new administration. Promises were made to us regarding the POW issue. Yet, we find the administration is now staffed with many of the old faces of previous administrations. The people that sealed the fate of our loved ones in the 70's and 80's are once again in power. They haven't gone away. (See above - Everything Old Is New Again)

Well, we are not going away, either. Now is the time for renewed dedication because the battle is going to get harder. This is a war, not for land or financial gain but a war for the very lives of our live POWs and an accurate accounting of the dead. It is a war for the truth...."

Dolores also spoke of the purported identification of her brother (more on that above and in a future "Bits."

Our next speaker was Tom Hawley, professional staffer for the House Committee on Armed Services. Mr. Hawley spoke on Congressional oversight of the POW/MIA issue and detailed exactly what areas the committee had responsibility in. Contrary to what we would like to believe Congress does not have complete responsibility over the POW/MIA issue. Some of those responsibilities lie solely within the Executive Branch.

History Made At Alliance Meeting - for the first time in our history, The National Alliance of Families presented and award to a government employee involved in the POW/MIA issue. The award, is our way of saying thank you to Al Graham. Al a member of the Joint Commission Support Directorate of the US/Russian Joint Commission is retiring on July 28th. For those who do not know him, Al is one of the handful of government employees dedicated to learning the truth about American POWs and their transfer to the former Soviet Union. Fluent in Russian, Al spent much time in Russia interviewing former Soviet Soldiers and working in the Russian archives.

After the presentation, Al made a few comments, which will be detailed in a future "Bits." In closing, Al left the assembled family members, veterans and concerned citizens with two word; "PRESS ON."

The evening concluded with a presentation by Ralph Wetterhahn, author of "The Last Battle - The Mayaguez Incident and the End of the Vietnam War." Wetterhahn detailed the seizure of the Mayaguez and its crew, the poor intelligence that resulted in the Marines ill-fated rescue attempt, the horrendous loss of American lives and the abandonment of three Marines on Koh Tang Island.

Four points stood out in the presentation. First - the Marines realized the very next morning that three men, Hargrove, Hall and Marshall were missing. Second - no one went back for them. Third - based on information provided during interviews with Khmer Rouge soldiers who participated in the battle, one of the Marines survived and evaded for two days before capture. The other two survived and evaded for approximately two weeks. All three were executed upon capture. Finally, in a final insult the names of the three Marines were left off the Memorial Program when services were held back at the Marine base. These services honored the Marines killed at Koh Tang. In an attempt to honor Hargrove, Hall and Marshall, the Marine survivors took pencils to the Memorial Program and added the names of their abandoned comrades.

Mr. Weterhahn's presentation was followed by a book signing and the evening ended. We urge you all to get a copy of "The Last Battle - The Mayaguez Incident and the End of the Vietnam War."

Friday - started with an opening prayer by Nell Smith, mother of POW/MIA Curtis Daniel Miller lost over Laos on March 29th 1972. Her prayer and brief comments were both pointed and touching and served as a gentle reminder as to why we do what we do.

General Roland Lajoie (USA-Ret) Chairman of the US/Russian Joint Commission followed. General Lajoie admitted that American POWs from World War II were taken into the former Soviet Union. Read that line again folks.... he admitted that American POWs from World War II were taken into the former Soviet Union. It is a fact. No one disputes it, not the Americans and not the Russians. We can't say this too many times..... he admitted that American POWs from World War II were taken into the former Soviet Union.

The only question now is.... how many and what happened to them?

General Lajoie was followed by Major Tim Falkowski and Chief Petty Officer Michael Allen, of the Joint Commission Support Directorate who presented a detailed slide presentation on the Gulag Study. This study detailed reports of American POWs from World War II, and Korea taken into the Soviet Union. The study originally release earlier this year can be found at http://www.nationalalliance.org/gulag.htm has been revised and contains interesting new information. The revised study will hopefully be posted to our web site in the near future.

For now, we will leave you with an excerpt from the revised Gulag Study, quoting a 1952 CIA report: "Information about non-Asiatic P.O.W.s was received on April 30, 1952 from the Gubakha railway station the Komi-Permyak national District in Northwester Siberia. According to this information about 300 P.O.W. were transported by rail from Chita to Molotov in February 1952...."

"...In March this year transports of P.O.W.s passed through from Khabarovsk to Chita and from Chita to Molotov roughly every fortnight.... From December 1951 up to the end of April 1952, several railway transports of American and European (probably British) P.O.W.s were seen passing at intervals of 10 to 20 days through the Komi-Permyak National District in Northwestern Siberia..."

The presentation closed with the statement that it was highly probable American servicemen from the Korean War were taken into the former Soviet Union.

The only question is ... how many and what happened to them?

The next presentation came from Mr. Alan Liotta, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/MIA Affairs. Mr. Liotta is certainly more personable than his predecessor, making the briefing less contentious. However, this is not to give the impression we were please with Mr. Liotta's words or the direction DPMO is attempting to take the POW/MIA issue.

The morning session ended with an update by Roger Hall on his lawsuit against the CIA. Roger revealed stunning information that "on August 10, 2000 the U.S. District Court revealed that the CIA does have documentation on a least one POW/MIA. This information has been identified and located...."

Now we need it released! Family members, it is important that Roger receive your authorization to view documents naming your loved ones. We urge all primary next of kin to contact Roger at rhall8715@aol.com for more information. You can call him at 301-585-3361 or write to Roger Hall at PO Box 8044 Silver Spring MD 20907-8044.

The afternoon session opened with our good friend Al Santoli, special Assistant for Foreign Policy to, another good friend, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) Al spoke of the problems facing the POW/MIA issue in general and how those difficulties relate to the House of Representatives. Al also discussed legislation recently introduced to gain compensation for World War II POWs who survived Japanese imprisonment.

Our next speaker was Cmdr Chip Beck (USNR - Ret) one of the current candidates up for consideration as new head of DPMO. Contrary to rumors circulating during the meetings, no official decision had been made on an appointment to the post. Cmdr. Beck discussed his travels to Cuba and Germany seeking information on our POW/MIAs. He discussed conversations with former Soviet Military men, East Germans and Cubans. He also discussed East German and Cuban access to American POWs held by the Vietnamese.

This left the audience with the unanswered.... if East Germans and Cubans had access to American POWs, how can anyone believe the Soviets did not?

Our next guest was a new good friend Russ Thomasson, Legislative Aide to our good friend and staunch supporter Senator Bob Smith (R-NH). Russ brought us an update on the case of Cmdr. Michael Scott Speicher and provided us, on behalf of Senator Smith, with a copy of the "Intelligence Community Assessment of the Lieutenant Commander Speicher Case." This assessment was prepared at the request of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. The full text of the Assessment can be view at http://www.nationalalliance.org/gulf/intel.htm

However, several points jump out at us emphasizing the double standard between the evaluation of Vietnam losses and the loss of Cmdr Speicher, leaving the burning question unanswered - What is the difference between Scott Speicher - Gulf War and David Hrdlicka and perhaps several hundred Vietnam losses?

Excepted from the Intelligence Community Assessment - "During the shootdown of LCDR Speicher's aircraft, no parachute was seen - it was nighttime and neither combat search and rescue resources nor intelligence revealed any indication that LCDR Speicher tried to signal by radio, beacon, or other means. We judge that this information is inconclusive with regard to the fate of LCDR Speicher; the lack of observed parachutes and radio calls or other signals are not definitive indicators of a pilot's fate."

"...We judge that the regime was aware of Western press reports during the war that indicated LCDR Speicher was dead. Therefore, Baghdad probably did not feel compelled to accurately account for LCDR Speicher. The absence of contacts between LCDR Speicher and US forces after his ejection or with other Coalition prisoners of war (POWs) is an inconclusive indicator of LCDR Speicher's fate...."

"...U.S. Navy experts assessed that the flight suit was the right type and the same size as the suit worn by LCDR Speicher. They also determined that the location and shape of the velcro used to affix patches was correct for LCDR Speicher and his unit. The condition of the returned flight suit also indicates that the aviator was not in the aircraft at ground impact. Specialists determined that damage to the recovered flight suit indicates exposure to a few seconds of heat. Also, the flight suit showed only a trace of possible blood. We can only speculate as to why the Iraqis chose to return the flight suit. They may have calculated that they had to produce some evidence related to the pilot in order to appear cooperative and put an end to further inquiries. They could have altered the evidence to mislead investigators..."

"...We do not know if LCDR Speicher survived the ejection sequence or subsequent landing, but the lack of crash-site evidence of LCDR Speicher's death, US Navy statistical data associated with F/A 18 incidents, and the condition of the returned flight suit suggest that he probably survived the crash of his F/A-18."

"...The way Baghdad has handled the case-falsely suggesting that remains returned in 1991 were those of LCDR Speicher, tampering with the F/A-18 wreckage before the 1995 crash site excavation, planting the flight suit for crash investigators to find, and declining to account accurately for LCDR Speicher raises troubling questions about his fate."

"The regime made it a high priority to capture enemy personnel or recover remains inside Iraqi-controlled territory, and Baghdad would have thoroughly investigated the matter until the pilot was captured or the remains recovered. Baghdad's efforts to recover Coalition airmen downed over Iraqi-controlled territory were highly successful."

"We judge that Baghdad was aware of January 1991 western press reports that a US aircraft was shot down over Iraq on the first night of the war and that the pilot was believed to be the first US casualty of Desert Storm. The press reports would have caused Iraqi intelligence to investigate, and the information very likely helped Baghdad focus its search for the wreckage and the pilot."

"We assess LCDR Speicher was either captured alive or his remains were recovered and brought to Baghdad."

These are excerpts, please read the full text. Our comments: substitute Vietnam for Iraq and Hanoi for Bagdad and the double standard is striking. The very reasons used to justify a declaration of death for our Vietnam POW/MIAs is the very justification used for a change in Cmdr Speicher's status from Killed in Action - Body Not Recovered. If anyone wants to view the staging of a recovery site and misuse of a flight suit to justify death, visit http://nationalalliance.org/borah01.htm The Iraqi's had a good teacher.

The afternoon session ended a full 37 minutes ahead of schedule. We have witnesses.

Friday evening was devoted to a presentation by Jerry Mooney, former analyst with the National Security Agency. Jerry gave a no-holds barred presentation outlining intelligence available to the U.S. during and after the war. Jerry discussed many aspects of the POW/MIA issue including the second tier prison system and the responsibility of U.S. authorities and their failure to live up to that responsibility. He spoke of tracking POWs and Hanoi's ability to account for many of the missing. He spoke about the Senate Select Committee and the information he provided to them.

The only problem marring the evening was the failure of the air conditioning to properly cool the crowded room. But, Mooney held in and so did the audience. Due to the heat and lateness of the hour, the meeting was ended with Jerry promising to conclude his briefing on Saturday, after the official program ended.

Saturday morning began with a free wheeling session designed to determine future goals for the POW/MIA issue. The session was moderated by author and very good friend Mark Sauter. The panel consisted of noted activists Ted Sampley and former Congressman John LeBoutillier. Ideas were debated, decisions made, and goals set. Details are still to be worked out but we do have a plan. Hopefully, we will have detailed information for you in the very near future.

At the suggestion of Ted Sampley, the session ended with a closing prayer by Joe Milliner, father of POW/MIA William Milliner.

When the prayer concluded, Jerry Mooney took the microphone, once again, and concluded his briefing.

That was the 12th Annual Forum of the National Alliance of Families.

Time to Say Thanks - When thanking individuals, there is always a chance someone will be left out and for that we apologize but it is important that we recognize the individuals who helped behind the scenes making the 12 Annual Forum a success.

Thanks to: Ann Holland, who provided the traveling office (computer and printer) so Lynn could type in her PJ's.... Joyce Apodaca and Janella Rose Apodaca, the best gofers anyone could ask for.... To Keely and Tony Lynch for helping to set up the room... Steve Golding who manned the video camera and yes we saw Dave Murray providing backup on the camera, when Steve needed that nicotine fix... Jack and Wilma for once again providing their POW/MIA Flag and for the wonderful raffle of the American Flag Afghan....

Thanks to those who led us in prayer: Mike McDaniel, Nell Smith and Joe Milliner

Thanks to our guest speakers: Mr. Tom Hawley, Mr. Ralph Wetterhahn, General Roland Lajoie, Major Tim Falkowski, Chief Petty Officer Michael Allen, Mr. Alan Liotta, Mr. Roger Hall, Mr. Al Santoli, Mr. Chip Beck, Mr. Russ Thomasson, and Mr. Jerry Mooney.

Special thanks to the one and only Ted Sampley, the dedicated John LeBoutillier and our very special friend Mark Sauter.

Very special thanks to the next generation, Marina Lynch 5 « year old grand niece of Victor Apodaca who placed all the posters for Thursday evenings meeting. Vanessa Sauter, 7 years old, who allowed us to borrow her dad and to Lane Sampley aged 9 who missed, by about 8 hours, being born at a National Alliance of Families Forum. Each endured a weekend with grown-ups discussing topics no one, least of all a child, should have to deal with.

Finally, to all those who contributed to the National Alliance of Families over the last year, we couldn't have done it without you.

Dolores Alfond - 425-881-1499
Lynn O'Shea --- 718-846-4350
Web Site http://www.nationalalliance.org
email -- lynnpowmia@prodigy.net