News-Info-Alerts

To: ALL

From: Andi Wolos & Bob Necci

(POW-MIA InterNetwork)

Re: JTF-FA Release

Date: March 13, 2002

"March 11, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JOINT TASK FORCE-FULL ACCOUNTING PUBLIC AFFAIRS (808) 477-5301
U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory,
Hawaii (808) 448-8903 ext. 109

Release #02-04

March 11, 2002

MIA Search Team Deploys to Vietnam on 69th Joint Field Activity (02-3V)

CAMP H.M. SMITH, HAWAII – A Joint Field Activity consisting of an investigation team, a research investigation team and five recovery teams will deploy from Hickam Air Force Base for Vietnam on a mission to account for Americans still unaccounted-for as a result of the Vietnam War. The teams consist of up to 95 personnel of mostly Hawaii-based U.S. military specialists from Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA), the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CILHI) and the Joint Field Operating Base, Hawaii (Stony Beach).

On March 12, team members will be joined by counterparts from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to begin work on joint investigations and remains recovery operations in approximately 16 Vietnamese provinces to include an underwater recovery operation in Southern Vietnam. The investigation team is scheduled to investigate up to 14 cases involving unaccounted-for servicemen. Remains recovery excavations are scheduled at five primary sites. In addition, the research investigation team will investigate up to eight last known alive cases during the 30-day field activity.

Since 1973, due to the great efforts of the Department of Defense, the remains of 646 Americans missing in Southeast Asia, formerly listed as unaccounted-for, have been identified and returned to their families. There are currently 1,935 Americans still unaccounted-for from the war in Southeast Asia, 1,460 of them in Vietnam.

The investigation and recovery teams consist of members from the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps as well as Department of Defense civilians. The research investigation team consists of representatives from the Defense Intelligence Agency who are based at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and members of JTF-FA.

MEDIA NOTES: For JTF-FA mission information contact Public Affairs Officer Captain Gina Jackson, (808) 477-5301 or go to The JTFFA website
For information concerning CILHI contact Ginger Couden at (808) 448-8903, ext 109

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