News-Info-Alerts

Re: POW-MIA Flag to Fly at Courthouse

From: POW-MIA InterNetwork

Date: January 22, 2003

"Gem County, Idaho

POW-MIA flag to fly at courthouse
by Janet Monti

One group of casualties of every American war that receives little coverage is the number of soldiers who remain missing in action. Prior to the Vietnam War, little recognition was given to these men and women. As you read this, there are still thousands of American families who don’t know exactly what happened to their loved ones. Imagination added to what little they do know and stories they’ve heard can be worse than any Pentagon telegram could deliver.

To recognize and honor these heroes, Tona Henderson and Paul Feickert approached the Gem County Commissioners about adding a POW/MIA flag to the county’s flag pole. This, the commissioners quickly said they’d be honored to do.

“The flag was created during the Vietnam War, but it represents those from all wars,” said Feickert.

Although the 19,000 to 21,000 people still considered Missing In Action from Vietnam get the majority of the coverage, there are still some MIAs from Desert Storm, 8,000 MIAs from Korea and 12,000 from WWII, he said. In Vietnam, POWs were considered war prisoners by the Vietnamese and were often treated less than humanely. The same holds true for many from WWII. As a veteran himself, Feickert works to raise awareness for all these men and women.

Henderson’s involvement in the movement goes back to her young-adult years as well. During Vietnam, some people wore an identification bracelet with military information about a specific MIA or POW. Hers was for Brendan Patrick Foley.

Foley was a major in the US Air Force serving with the 11th Tactical Reconnaissance Squad-ron of the 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing out of Udom Airbase, Thailand. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 23, 1973 following a routine, solo, weather reconnaissance mission over the Plain of Jars in Northern Laos while flying an RF4C “Phantom II.”

Not knowing what actually happened to Foley, Henderson put the bracelet in a jewelry box in the 1980s, where it laid for years. In 1994, she contacted the Veteran’s Administration to determine what happened to Foley. She was told that he died in 1980 and was given his wife’s address. The widow wrote back, telling Henderson about the family and how he was declared dead to bring closure for them.

Then, last fall, Henderson again thought about what really happened to Foley, the difference between the date his plane went down in 1973 and when he was declared dead in 1980. With all of the new information available via the Internet, she thought she’d try to find out. Planning on contacting his family via e-mail, she knew the area of the country he was from and that he would have grown sons, so looked up the last name of Foley. There were hundreds of Foleys listed–way too many for her to even consider contacting. She picked the first name on the list and fired off an email.

Well, just before Christmas, she heard from Foley’s grown daughter. As it turned out, the daughter belonged to an organization in which the president's last name was Foley. This man knew her maiden name was Foley and that her father was an MIA, so he passed the information on to her, hoping it was about her father. This woman contacted Henderson.

In closing the circle, Henderson sent the bracelet on to the Foley family.

At some point last year, Feickert began going into Henderson’s family business, the Rumor Mill. He heard about her interest in Foley and her unique story. He searched the Internet and found a website with information about many MIA/POWs, which he printed out for Henderson and the information now graces a wall at her business.

In addition to the county, Henderson and Feickert have approached the City of Emmett and the Emmett School District to join the county and post office in flying a POW/MIA flag. They are also working to get a flag donated to the State of Idaho to fly over the capital."