News-Info-Alerts

Re: NLF Update Line

From: POW-MIA InterNetwork

Date: September 14, 2003

"Update Line

PRESIDENT RENEWS COMMITMENT: Speaking at the national convention of The American Legion on August 26th, President Bush stated, "For two generations, you have demanded a full accounting of Americans whose fate is undetermined, and my administration will not rest until that accounting is complete."

SECRETARY RUMSFELD PROVIDES ASSURANCE: While addressing the VFW on August 25th, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld stated, "Today (our troops) continue to search for U.S. and allied POWs from the 1991 Persian Gulf War, including Captain Scott Speicher. We will leave no one behind in Iraq or any of those missing from World War II, Vietnam, Korea, the cold War or other past conflicts."

POW/MIAs - VIETNAM WAR: According to the Department of Defense, there are still 1,883 Americans missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, 1,432 in Vietnam, 387 in Laos, 56 in Cambodia and 8 in the territorial waters of the PRC. Over 90% of all Americans missing from the Vietnam War were lost in Vietnam or in areas of Laos and Cambodia under Hanoi's wartime control. According to the Defense POW/MIA Office (DPMO), these numbers reflect a shift in location on some cases recently assessed to be in Laos, rather than Vietnam, plus one formalized ID. Lower numbers, released earlier, were also accurate in terms of identifications made; however, the operations people - CILHI and JTF-FA - reportedly got ahead of Washington-based policy and reduced numbers prior to official notice to and acceptance by the next-of-kin. There is now a policy in place to ensure that all announcements, therefore reductions in the number still missing, are made by DPMO, thus also ensuring that all involved agencies and organizations have identical numbers and names of Americans still missing, as well as returned and accounted for, from the Vietnam War. Hopefully, the new policy will succeed since it had become virtually impossible to obtain a timely, accurate list.

LAO VICE FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS US GOVERNMENT & LEAGUE OFFICIALS: On August 3rd, the Vice Foreign Minister of Laos led a delegation to Hawaii for meetings with senior military officials at the U.S. Pacific Command and POW/MIA consultations led by JTF-FA Commander BG Steve Redmann on August 4-5th. Just after arrival in Washington, DC, the Vice Foreign Minister met with League Executive Director Ann Mills Griffiths and Policy Adviser Richard Childress before attending a League-hosted, interagency luncheon that included senior State and Defense Department and Defense Intelligence Agency officials. The primary focus was on continuing improvements in the bilateral and unilateral POW/MIA accounting process and reinforcing the need for greater participation by DIA's Stony Beach team. The Vice Minister met with senior State Department officials on August 11th, and spent most of the day August 12th at the Defense POW/MIA Office. This productive visit concluded with a Lao Embassy-hosted dinner. Thirty-day joint field operations in Laos resumed on August 28th with three joint recovery teams working to account for discrepancy cases in NE Laos.

MERGER OF CILHI/JTF-FA: The merger of CILHI and JTF-FA, both critical to the accounting effort, is nearing the final stages to become one organization, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, or JPAC. As with all such reorganizations, there have been problems, but it now appears that the League's primary concern - preserving the integrity of the CILHI identification process - is assured. There are likely to be additional adjustments as the new organization assumes command of worldwide field operations, but named to assume command of JPAC on October 1st, replacing Brig Gen Steve Redmann, USAF, is BG W. Montague Winfield, USA, recently nominated for his second star.

POW/MIA RECOGNITION DAY: September 19th will be proclaimed by President Bush as National POW/MIA Recognition Day this year. He will again ask all Americans to honor those who returned and those still missing and unaccounted for from all our nation's past wars and their families. It is assumed that the national ceremony will be held at the Pentagon, but no firm information has been provided. This year's poster and statistical data are available from the Defense POW/MIA website at www.dtic.mil/dpmo/ and from the League office.

POW/MIA decals for car windows are $20 per 100, and POW/MIA lapel pins are $3 each or 2/$5, by sending a check to the League office. For added information on any subject, please log onto the League's web site, www.pow-miafamilies.org, or call the national office at 703-465-7432.

The National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia
1005 North Glebe Road
Suite 170
Arlington, Virginia 22201
(TEL) 703-465-7432"