Re: Remains from SEA Sent Home

Date: January 15, 2004

"Remains of Four American MIAs Sent to U.S.

HANOI, Vietnam (AP)--Remains believed to be those of four U.S. soldiers killed during the Vietnam War were saluted and loaded onto a plane bound for home Wednesday.

The remains were found in northern and central Vietnam by a joint recovery team that searches for soldiers listed as missing in action.

``Anytime I can send ... these lost soldiers home, it gives me a great feeling in my heart, knowing that sooner or later after the identification is made, families are going to get answers that they've been looking for 30 years,'' said Lt. Col. Ty Smith, commander of the U.S. MIA office in Hanoi.

Some 1,800 American servicemen are unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, which ended in 1975.

Dozens of Americans and other onlookers stood in a chilly drizzle with their hands over their hearts during the repatriation ceremony. The remains will be flown to a laboratory in Hawaii for efforts at positive identification.

``I'm sure that the families of the men who are repatriated will be very grateful to receive some remains of their loved ones once the whole identification process is completed in Hawaii,'' U.S. Ambassador Raymond Burghardt said.

AP-NY-01-14-04 1856EST

©2004, The Associated Press
©2004 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution "