News-Info-Alerts

To: ALL

From: Andi Wolos & Bob Necci

(POW-MIA InterNetwork)

Re: CILHI Release

Date: March 13, 2002

"March 8, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Release #02-005

ARRIVAL CEREMONY FOR REMAINS RECOVERED IN VIETNAM, LAOS

HICKAM AFB, Hawaii — An arrival ceremony will be held on Hickam Air Force Base, March 15, 9 a.m., for the remains of what is believed to be three servicemen who died in the Vietnam War. The arrival ceremony will include joint honor and color guards.


The remains were recovered by teams deployed to Vietnam and Laos on missions to recover unaccounted for servicemen from previous wars.

Remains believed to represent one individual were recovered by the 68th Joint Field Activity which had six recovery teams in six Vietnam Provinces. The teams consisted of about 95 personnel of mostly Hawaii-based U.S. military from the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CILHI) and Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA). There was also an investigative team from JTF-FA in Vietnam as part of the Joint Field Activity. The remains recovered in Vietnam were from the site of a F-4B Phantom aircraft which is believed to have crashed during 1967 in Nam Dinh, Province.

The remains believed to represent another American service member were unilaterally turned over by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Remains believed to be an American were recovered by one of the four teams which deployed to Laos in February. They were recovered from the crash site of a UH-1D helicopter which is believed to have crashed during 1968 in the Savannakhet Province.

Following the ceremony, the remains will be transported to the CILHI where forensic anthropologists and odontologists will analyze them for potential identification.

Since 1973, the CILHI has identified and returned to their families, more than 1,030 Americans formerly listed as unaccounted for. Approximately 720 of those servicemen were from the Vietnam War. While the recovery and identification process may take years, the CILHI remains committed to scientific excellence and dedicated to achieving the fullest possible accounting of all service members who are still unaccounted for from our nation’s wars.

Media interested in covering the ceremony must contact the CILHI Public Affairs Officer Ginger Couden at (808) 448-8903 ext. 109 by 4 p.m., March 14 for entrance onto the base the day of ceremony. For more information on the JTF-FA call the Public Affairs Office at (808) 477-5301.

U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii
310 Worchester Ave, Hickam AFB, Hawaii 96853"