Re: The Heroes Who Didn't Come Home

Date: May 22, 2004

"'Heroes didn't come home'
By RAY MITCHELL Of The Times Staff

Carmian played role in recovery, identification of buddy's remains

On Saturday, May 22, 2004, Dennis Hammond will be laid to rest in a sleepy little town in Texas.

His grave will be between those of his mother and father, parents who died not knowing their son's remains had been recovered from the jungles of Vietnam. Dennis Hammond died as a prisoner of war in the jungle camps of Southeast Asia. He was buried beneath a tree in which a young GI and fellow prisoner of war carved an arrow pointing downward and his name, Pfister.

At 17, Jim Pfister talked his parents into signing his enlistment papers and he joined the United States Army. He soon found himself in Vietnam and became a soldier's soldier, a term he is probably uncomfortable with, said his wife, Karen Pfister. She also said he doesn't consider himself a hero. He said the real heroes are the men who didn't come home. As the adage says, "all gave some; some gave all."

Pfister, who now lives in Carmi, served two combat tours in Vietnam and received orders sending him home. But he wasn't ready to leave his buddies, still in harm's way, and he managed to stay out of sight until new orders were cut and he began his third tour of combat duty.

Pfister was assigned to a helicopter company and was soon flying "door-gunner" over the rice paddies and jungles of the war-torn country. It was on one of those flights that his "ship" came under fire and lost all hydraulics, crippling the helicopter. Pfister credited the cool head and skill of pilot Frank Anton, who lives in Florida now, for saving their lives. The crew braced their feet, as Anton looked for a soft spot to sit down. That spot was a rice paddy. The next morning Pfister and the others became prisoners of war.

Pfister remained a prisoner for five years and two months, from 1968 until 1973, when President Richard Nixon signed a peace accord and the American prisoners were released. During that time span, Pfister spent three years in jungle camps and then was marched for 45 days to Hanoi and the infamous Hanoi Hilton. It was while interned in the jungle camps that Pfister buried his roommate, Dennis Hammond. There were 22 prisoners in Pfister's group; only eight returned home.

Pfister came back, but he has never forgotten those who were left behind. For the past 31 years he has been on a mission to see that the remains of Hammond and others like him are returned to America.

Better relations between Vietnam and the United States in recent years has led to the recovery and return of many remains uncovered in Southeast Asia.

But those involved with the work say it is hard, for all too often there is no way to positively identify the remains, other than DNA testing. Because of that, there are boxes of remains waiting to be tested.

Earlier this month, Pfister visited the Vietnam Memorial, "The Wall" in Washington, D.C. as part of a reunion of the helicopter units he served with in Vietnam. The reunion was held with special permission at The Wall, and members of the "Rattlers and Firebirds" (the helicopter groups) were gathered for a special memorial to their fallen comrades. Pfister has visited the "Moving Wall" on several occasions and always goes first to the names of the POWs he spent time with. The trip to Washington was his first to the national memorial.

A buzz went through the crowd that day, as somehow the word got out there were three POWs in the group, including Pfister and former helicopter pilot Vic Bandini, a resident of Indianapolis, Ind.

It was soon apparent the buzz was directed at Pfister, as one of the organizers of the reunion approached Pfister. He explained to Pfister that a box of remains marked "Vietnamese" (which had made its way to a warehouse in 1989) had proved to be those of Dennis Hammond, a young Marine who gave his life for his country, a young man who was buried in a far-off place and then lost for over 30 years. Earlier that same day, DNA tests of the remains matched those of Hammond's sister and parents.

Pfister was overwhelmed with the news and felt closure for himself and the family of Dennis Hammond.

Unfortunately, that closure came too late for the young Texan's father and mother, but his sister received the news with the sorrow and elation expected in such a situation.

Hammond's sister, Carlene, contacted Pfister and asked him to attend Saturday's services, thanking him for the kindness that day in the jungle and foresight to mark the spot where her brother was buried.

Dennis Hammond could have been buried in Arlington National Cemetery. But his family wanted his remains brought home to Texas, where he will be laid to rest between his parents.

Jim Pfister doesn't think he did anything special that day. As far as he is concerned, he did what any other soldier would have done in a similar situation. Karen, when asked for permission to tell this story, replied, "Jim said it would be OK, as long as he wasn't referred to as a hero."

Without calling Jim Pfister a hero, one can say he truly loves the United States of America. Following his release from the Hanoi Hilton, he continued his military duty and retired in 1987 after 21 years of service to his country. He continues to help his fellow veterans, as the employment office veterans representative, helping out-of-work veterans find jobs.

Karen, who owns and operates Pfister Real Estate, said she never felt safe until meeting Jim. She said she is truly proud of him.

Saturday, Pfister and Bandini will be at the graveside as full military honors are given to the remains of Dennis Hammond. The ceremony will include all the honors due a hero, including a "fly-over" in honor of a young American who gave his all."