December 14, 2004
POW/MIAs VIETNAM WAR: According to DOD announcements, there are 1,845 Americans listed by the Defense Department as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, 1,406 in Vietnam , 377 in Laos , 55 in Cambodia and 7 in PRC territorial waters.
VIETNAM WAR REMAINS RETURNED: o n December 17 th , a repatriation ceremony will be held at Hickam AFB, Honolulu , to honor remains that may be those of US personnel previously unaccounted for from the Vietnam War and WWII. Teams from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, headquartered at Hickam AFB, recovered the remains during operations in Burma , Laos and Papua New Guinea .
MEASURING VIETNAM 'S COOPERATION: On September 7th, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell issued the determination required by Public Law No. 108-199, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2004. In addition to the language required by Congress certifying that Vietnam is "fully cooperating in good faith" (or the relationship would revert to the 1994, pre-normalization level), the 2004 determination stated: "As we look to further strengthen cooperation, I look forward to Vietnam's implementation of its June 2004 commitment to increase U.S. access to POW/MIA-related information in its archives. I also urge Vietnam to improve tangibly its unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records, focused initially on archival data pertaining to Americans captured, missing or killed in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control. Vietnam should also focus greater attention on locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and to locating and repatriating the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that have not yet been returned .² This determination provides crucial reinforcement of President Bush's March 20, 2002 , certification defining the need for unilateral actions by Vietnam that, if taken, might actually be viewed as "fully cooperating in good faith."
LEAGUE MEETS WITH PACOM COMMANDER & ADDRESSES JPAC CONFERENCE: On December 6 th , League Executive Director Ann Mills Griffiths met with Admiral Thomas Fargo, Commander of US Pacific Command, at Camp H.M. Smith, Honolulu , Hawaii . At the invitation of MG Que Winfield, USA , Commander of Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), Griffiths addressed the Winter Commanders' Conference to provide historical context for current POW/MIA accounting efforts and expectations of the families as the mission continues. In addition to reinforcing the need for a unified effort to push for unilateral actions outlined by the President in '02 and by the Secretary of State this past September, Griffiths discussed ongoing initiatives to increase accounting results and provided input on various concerns that continue to surface on the issue. Griffiths had similar, positive discussions with Deputy PACOM Commander VADM Gary Roughead. The League appreciates the interest of the JPAC Commander in trying to ensure that those who deal with foreign officials, media, Members of Congress and the public have as much background as possible to equip them to be most effective in obtaining answers.
US-RUSSIAN COMMISSION: A US delegation visited Moscow in October to meet with senior Russian officials and try to boost high level focus on and support for the work of this important Commission. Senior Russian official support has dwindled, thus Russian staff involvement has been reduced to nil; however, the US , especially Congressional leadership, is remiss as well. The highly qualified US support base, Joint Commission Support Directorate (JCSD), is ready, willing and able; unfortunately, two US Senators and one US House Member (D) are urgently needed to fill Congressional seats on the US side. The League believes that this time the appointees must be committed and active, not absent. Since former Senator Bob Smith's (R-N) departure, the one active Congressional member has been and is Congressman Sam Johnson (R-TX) , a returned Vietnam War POW.
NTR FOR LAOS PASSED: At long last, the US Congress has passed a measure approving normal trade relations (NTR) with Laos , a long overdue step that the League has supported for many years. Controversial to the end due human rights concerns, it has long been illogical for the US to have NTR with other countries that have confirmed records of religious persecution and human rights abuse, but not with Laos . Cooperation by the Lao Government on POW/MIA accounting has long been more serious, though more difficult, than that of Vietnam .
ARCHIVAL RESEARCH PROGRAM ONGOING WITH LAOS : DPMO and DIA's Stony Beach personnel recently began a training program for Lao officials to implement a multi-ministry program. Led by DPMO's senior Lao analyst Dian Corneliussen-James, LtCol, USAF (Ret), the US provided Lao specialists with specific information and training needed to best achieve the desired results. The training session followed POW/MIA consultations held in October in Vientiane , Laos .
The archival research program will proceed under DPMO's guidance, with support from Stony Beach . The League looks forward to results from this well-developed initiative, but recognizes that archival records on nearly 85% of US losses in Vietnamese-controlled areas of Laos would more logically be available from Vietnam . In addition, Lao documents were removed from Vientiane and taken to Hanoi ³for safe-keeping² and Hanoi has not yet returned them to the Lao Government, unless there was a breakthrough over the last week. Vietnam has repeatedly agreed to an archival research initiative, but still has not authorized release of incident-specific records on US losses in Laos or Cambodia . This obstruction continues despite the President's and Secretary Powell's outline of actions needed. DPMO needs to make a solid case for unilateral Vietnamese provision of records believed to be available, especially on LKA cases in all three Indochina countries .
JPAC REVIEWING SUPPORT FOR UNILATERAL SRV EFFORTS: JPAC is conducting a top-down review of existing agreements on US support for unilateral SRV actions. The League has long called for such a review and been critical of the "unilateral process" implemented by JTF-FA, with support from DPMO. The League would welcome a decision by Vietnam to unilaterally respond to the President's call for specific actions to provide relevant records and locate and return remains that can't be recovered jointly in the field. (The League does not appreciate or accept attempts by US officials, current or former, to re-define joint field operations as unilateral actions by Vietnam . Common sense is that leads provided by the US that are investigated by Vietnamese officials are, by definition, joint operations. Yet, in an effort to demonstrate greater SRV cooperation, former US officials incrementally changed the definition of "unilateral" to the point that today, few involved in field operations even know the difference between the two, and no one was correcting the record. That record needs to be clear .
US OFFICIALS SURVEY SRV VESSELS: US Navy specialists from the US Pacific Command (PACOM) and JPAC and DPMO officials recently participated in an effort with the Vietnamese Navy and central government authorities to find common ground and reach agreement on a safe and effective method for underwater surveys and recoveries of US incidents along the coast of Vietnam. Despite assurances by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense during visits to the US in 2003, the Vietnamese Government is now balking about using US Navy vessels, insisting on the use of its own ships, augmented by US personnel and equipment. This method was previously tried with nearly disastrous results, and all know that it is NOT the safest nor most efficient or effective way to proceed; however, if compromise is required, the League believes it MUST include visible US military participation in all aspects.
WORLDWIDE JOINT FIELD OPERATIONS: JPAC/CIL's worldwide operations are fast-paced and varied. Within the last year, teams have operated in Laos , Cambodia , Vietnam , North Korea , Tibet , Burma , France , Russia , Papua New Guinea (PNG), the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Washington State , in the US . JPAC sends teams to Laos five times each year; to Vietnam four times/year, though with much larger teams; to North Korea five times/year, within a shorter time period; to Cambodia one/two times each year, as needed; and other countries around the world as resources allow, but with increasing emphasis on WWII. The most recent country to be added to the list is India , again focused on WWII recoveries. JPAC currently has serious military and civilian personnel shortages. DIA's Stony Beach Team has finally recovered to 19 personnel, having earlier lost several due to attempts by JTF-FA Commanders to keep them from doing their in-country jobs. Thankfully, DIA Director Vice Admiral Jacoby and Deputy Director Mark Ewing are strong supporters of Stony Beach and reinforced the importance of their mission.
SOUTHEAST ASIA OPERATIONS: Joint Field Activities of approximately 30-days duration just concluded in Vietnam on November 19 th and Laos on November 20 th . In Laos , trilateral investigations involved Vietnamese witnesses, plus last known alive (LKA) investigations, as well as recovery teams operating in the southern provinces. In Vietnam , the Research Investigation Team (RIT) interviewed witnesses associated with LKA cases, an investigation team operated in the northern provinces , and five recovery teams conducted excavations. The joint operations will resume after the first of the New Year.
POW/MIA decals for 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
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(TEL) 703-465-7432