News-Info-Alerts

Re: Repatriation Ceremony

From: POW-MIA InterNetwork

Date: February 12, 2003

"February 11, 2003

REPATRIATION CEREMONY

CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii - Remains believed to be associated with two cases of unaccounted-for American servicemen in Southeast Asia will arrive home to American soil Friday, Feb. 14. A joint honor guard will commemorate their arrival in a ceremony at 9 a.m. at Hickam Air Force Base outside the 15th Air Base Wing base operations building. Numerous former Vietnam prisoners-of-war are scheduled to attend the ceremony and activities marking the 30-year anniversary of Operation Homecoming.

Following the arrival ceremony, the remains will be transported to the U.S. Army’s Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CILHI) where the forensic identification process will begin.

Military and civilian members who recovered the remains during recent search and recovery missions include personnel from Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA) and the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory. Recent Joint Field Activities recovered the remains of individuals lost in Laos. The missions are part of an on-going effort to provide the fullest possible accounting for American service members still missing or unaccounted-for as a result of the Vietnam War.

There are currently 1,889 Americans still unaccounted-for in Southeast Asia - 1,444 in Vietnam, 381 in Laos, 56 in Cambodia, and eight in the territorial waters of China.



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