October 2000

Summary of news for the entire month.
For recent and daily news, please go to: InterNetwork

00 OCT 00: 1,994 Americans remain 'officially' unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War: Persian Gulf War - unsatisfactory accounting. Korean War - 8,139 remain unaccounted-for. World War II - Over 78,000 remain unaccounted-for.

01 OCT 00: From DPMO - MIA SERVICEMEN IDENTIFIED FROM MAYAGUEZ INCIDENT
Nine servicemen missing in action from the Vietnam War have been accounted for and their remains returned to their families for burial in the United States.

They are identified as Lance Cpl. Gregory S. Copenhaver; Lance Cpl. Andres Garcia; Pfc. Walter Boyd; and Pfc. Kelton R. Turner, all U. S. Marines. Also accounted-for is HN Ronald J. Manning, U.S. Navy. The names of two Marines, one Navy corpsman and one Air Force officer are being withheld at the request of their families.

On May 12, 1975, Khmer Rouge gunboats captured the SS Mayaguez in the Gulf of Thailand approximately 60 nautical miles off the coast of Cambodia. The vessel was taken to Koh [island] Tang. Alerted to the capture, U.S. Navy and Air Force aircraft began surveillance flights around the island. After efforts to secure the release of the ship and its crew failed, U.S. military forces were ordered to undertake a rescue mission.
Three days after the Mayaguez seizure, six Air Force helicopters were dispatched to the island. One of the helicopters came under heavy enemy fire as it approached the eastern beach of the island. The aircraft crashed into the surf with 26 men on board. Half were rescued at sea, leaving 13 unaccounted-for.

The United States, Cambodian and Vietnamese government efforts to resolve the cases of these unaccounted-for servicemen was massive. Between 1991-99, U.S. and Cambodian investigators conducted seven joint investigations, led by the Joint Task Force-Full Accounting.
Additionally, on three occasions Cambodian authorities unilaterally turned over remains believed to be those of American servicemen. In October and November 1995, U.S. and Cambodian specialists conducted an underwater recovery of the helicopter crash site where they located numerous remains, personal effects and aircraft debris associated with the loss. The USS Brunswick, a Navy salvage vessel, enabled the specialists to conduct their excavation off shore.
In addition to the support provided by the Cambodian government, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam also interviewed two Vietnamese informants in Ho Chi Minh City who turned over remains that were later positively identified.
Analysis of the remains and other evidence was made by the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory Hawaii, which also conducted all the remains recovery operations. The CILHI made extensive use of mitochondrial DNA as one of the forensic identification tools to establish the identity of these men.

MIA SEARCH TEAMS DEPLOY TO LAOS, VIETNAM
A team of military and civilian specialists are in Laos now with hopes of obtaining information and recovering remains of American servicemen listed as unaccounted-for from the war in Southeast Asia. Team members from Joint Task Force-Full Accounting at Camp Smith, Hawaii and the U.S. Army's Central Identification Lab at Hickam Air Force Base joined technical representatives from the Lao People's Democratic Republic to begin joint investigations and remains recovery operations. Three primary sites in two provinces are scheduled to be excavated with eight sites on stand-by, and 29 cases in three provinces will be investigated.
Since the end of the war, the remains of 590 servicemen have been recovered, identified and returned to their families. Of the 1,993 Americans currently unaccounted-for from the war, 421 are in Laos. This is the 50th Joint Field Activity conducted in Laos since 1992.

Also, a similar team numbering 98 military and civilian specialists returned this week from a Joint Field Activity in Vietnam where they conducted operations in 19 Vietnamese provinces and cities. Thirty-six cases involving aircraft and ground losses were investigated during the 30-day operation. There were six primary excavation sites and ten alternate locations. 03 OCT 00: From AII POW-MIA Something new has been added - VietnamÕs Collection and Repatriation of American Remains http://www.aiipowmia.com/usg/vcs99_1.html

In addition, there is the first part of Reports of Interest - http://www.aiipowmia.com/reports/

We are in the middle of a massive reorganization and update of the entire website archives. We will be posting notices of additions as they are completed. A majority of items have been relocated so please reset bookmarks.

05 OCT 00: The National Alliance of Families (NAF) has written a comprehensive report on the need for the CIA lawsuit in this month's Bits 'N' Pieces, read on - http://www.aiipowmia.com/inter1/in100800naf.html

07 OCT 00: Today when one asks what is a hero, people answer with the names of sports stars, movie stars, Fortune 500 megamillionaires and software giants. The accomplishments and success in business and getting one's name in print or a company on Wall Street or their face on a cereal box seems to overshadow the real meaning of who and what a hero is.

A hero is someone who risks life and limb to save a child or a kitten from a burning building.
A hero is someone who makes the ultimate sacrifice to save buddies on the frontline.
A hero is a woman who refused to sit at the back of a bus and was a catalyst in the movement of civil rights.
A hero is someone who takes a couplke of hours out of their life to read to the unsighted, play with a child as a big brother or big sister, play checkers with a senior in a nursing home and sweep droppings in an animal rescue shelter.
A hero is someone who faces the impossible and makes it possible... all the while getting nothing for themselves, but doing it for others... a hero like Tom Scheppers.

Who is Tom Scheppers?
"Tom Schepers is a 54 year old Vietnam Veteran who earned the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. While Tom was in action, he was shot in the leg and foot. He was expected to never walk again. But, through commitment and determination began to walk and, eventually, run..."

And run he did... and does. Over the past 4 months, Tom has run 25 miles a day, 6 days a week, across country, carrying a 10 foot flagpole with the Stars and Stripes and POW-MIA flag on it all the way. It's a 3,300 mile, 5 month journey that will take him to Washington, DC for Veteran's Day 2000, November 11th, for the groundbreaking of the WW II Memorial. Why does he do it? To make people aware. To honor the 16 million Americans who gave service in World War II. To recognize the 406,000 who made the ultimate sacrifice and 672,000 who walked or were carried away wounded. Previous to this run, Tom ran to raise awareness for Vietnam Veterans and Korean War Veterans, a trip that took him 3,500 miles. A hero honoring other heroes.

So next time someone asks a child what or who a hero is and they answer with the name of a basketball star who makes 100 million a year endorsing everything from sneakers to cereal to cds, tell them no, that's an entrepreneur... Tom Scheppers is a hero, a real hero. For those interested in Tom's journey, join him at - http://wwiiveteransrun.com/
On Sunday afternoons, when permitting, Tom calls in to the POW-MIA Freedom Radio Hour (3 hours) between 5 and 8 PM, EST. Listen in through a RealAudio webcast by going to - http://www.americanewsnet.com/ and clicking on the AFN Live RealAudio icon.

09 OCT 00: The entire NTSB Maritime Casualty Report on the Glomar Java Sea loss is available - http://www.aiipowmia.com/usg/gjsmenu.html

10 OCT 00: From the NLF - Although names have not yet been publicly released, twelve Americans previously missing in North Vietnam are now confirmed as accounted for, reducing the number still missing to 1,993. One incident involving eleven US Air Force personnel was the subject of successful joint excavation, with remains repatriated in December 1993. The 12th was also previously unaccounted for in North Vietnam, and his remains were jointly recovered in 1999.

12 OCT 00: Horrible news - 6 dead, 35 injured, 11 missing so far... The destroyer, USS Cole, was attacked in port resulting in the loss of life and missing personnel. For new, statem,ents, and press briefings, please go to -http://www.aiipowmia.com/inter1/in101200ap.html

http://www.aiipowmia.com/inter1/in101200usn.html
http://www.aiipowmia.com/inter1/in101200prz.html
http://www.aiipowmia.com/inter1/in101200afis.html
http://www.aiipowmia.com/inter1/in101200colebrief.html
http://www.aiipowmia.com/inter1/in101300dod.html
http://www.aiipowmia.com/inter1/in101300usn.html
http://www.aiipowmia.com/inter1/in101300brief.html
http://www.aiipowmia.com/inter1/in101300dodbrf.html
http://www.aiipowmia.com/inter1/in101300af.html
http://www.aiipowmia.com/inter1/in101300kia.html

12 OCT 00: No. 626-00
IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 13, 2000
CASUALTIES IN THE INCIDENT ON USS COLE
The Navy announced today the following casualties in the incident on USS Cole:

Killed in the incident were:
* Electronics Technician First Class Richard Costelow, Morrisville, Pa.
* Signalman Seaman Recruit Cherone Louis Gunn, Rex, Ga.
* Seaman James Rodrick McDaniels, Norfolk, Va.
* Seaman Recruit Lakiba Nicole Palmer, San Diego, Calif.
* Operations Specialist Second Class Timothy Lamont Saunders, Ringold, Va.
* Ensign Andrew Triplett, Macon, Miss.
* Seaman Apprentice Craig Bryan Wibberley, Williamsport, Md.

Those still listed as missing are:
* Hull Maintenance Technician Third Class Kenneth Eugene Clodfelter, Mechanicsville, Va.
* Mess Management Specialist Seaman Lakeina Monique Francis, Woodleaf, N.C.
* Information Systems Technician Seaman Timothy Lee Gauna, Rice, Texas
* Engineman Second Class Marc Ian Nieto, Fond Du Lac, Wis.
* Electronics Warfare Technician Third Class Ronald Scott Owens, Vero Beach, Fla.
* Engineman Fireman Joshua Langdon Parlett, Churchville, Md.
* Fireman Apprentice Patrick Howard Roy, Cornwall on Hudson, N.Y.
* Electronics Warfare Technician Second Class Kevin Shawn Rux, Portland, N.D.
* Mess Management Specialist Third Class Ronchester Mananga Santiago, Kingsville, Texas
* Fireman Gary Graham Swenchonis, Jr., Rockport, Texas

Additionally, more than three dozen USS Cole Sailors were injured in the incident, several of them seriously.

13 OCT 00: NEWS SPECIAL
Navy Office of Information
1200 Navy Pentagon, Rm. 4A686
Washington, DC 20350-1200
Donation Information for the crew of USS Cole (DDG 67)
Mailing address:

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society
801 North Randolph Street, Suite 1228
Arlington, VA 22203-1978
Please make checks out to Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.
Make memo on check: "For USS Cole"

Thank you for your support to the crew and families of USS Cole.

13 OCT 00: No. 631-00
IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 13, 2000
REMAINS OF 15 U.S. SERVICEMEN RECOVERED IN NORTH KOREA
Remains believed to be those of 15 Americans missing in action from the Korean War will be repatriated Saturday, Korea time, in a formal ceremony at Pyongyang, North Korea.
This is the largest number of remains recovered in one operation since this joint recovery work began in North Korea in 1996.
The remains will be flown on a U.S. Air Force aircraft from Pyongyang to Yokota Air Base, Japan, escorted by a uniformed U.S. honor guard. A United Nations Command (UNC) repatriation ceremony will be held in Yokota, then the remains will be flown to Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. Following a U.S. Pacific Command ceremony there, they will be transferred to the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CILHI) for forensic examination and positive identification.
A joint U.S.-North Korean investigation team recovered the remains from former battlefields in the North Korean counties of Unsan and Kujang, approximately 60 miles north of Pyongyang. The 20-person U.S. team is composed primarily of specialists from CILHI.

This recovery operation is the 16th in North Korea since 1996. One more is scheduled for this year, and is set to conclude on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2000. Joint U.S. - North Korean teams have recovered 50 sets of remains so far this year, and 92 since the joint operations began. Five of these have been positively identified, while many others are in the final stages of the forensic identification process.
Of the 88,000 U.S. servicemembers missing in action from all conflicts, more than 8,100 are from the Korean War.

15 OCT 00: Laos Ambassador Nomination On Hold
By FREDERIC J. FROMMER, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Bob Smith has placed a hold on the ambassador nominee to Laos, complaining that the State Department has not done enough to determine the fate of two missing Hmong-Americans, the Lao royal family and POWs and MIAs in Laos.
Smith, R-N.H., said Thursday that he also has holds on the ambassador nominees to Haiti and the Marshall Islands over security violations, and a hold on acting State Department spokesman Richard Boucher to try to prompt action on Edmond Pope, an American jailed in Russia on spy charges.
``The only leverage that you have around here is to hold somebody,'' Smith said in an interview. ``If you put a hold on a nominee that somebody wants, you get attention and you start getting answers.''

The three ambassadors are Douglas Hartwick (Laos), Brian Curran (Haiti) and Michael J. Senko (Marshall Islands). They are among seven career diplomats whose nominations were blocked earlier by Sen. Rod Grams, R-Minn., because they had amassed a total of 100 security violations.
Last month, Grams dropped the hold and the seven were approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, only to have Smith put a hold on the seven again. Smith dropped his hold on four of them this week.
Smith said the United States hasn't done enough to find two Hmong-Americans, Michael Vang of Fresno, Calif., and Houa Ly of Appleton, Wis., who were last seen crossing the Mekong River from Thailand to Laos 18 months ago. Two joint U.S.-Laos investigations failed to find them.
The Hmong, an ethnic group from Laos, fought alongside the CIA during the Vietnam War.
Smith's particular interest in Hartwick's nomination stems from his longtime activism in trying to determine the fate of prisoners of war and missing servicemen in Southeast Asia. He said the State Department has not been forthcoming enough with information about them.
Smith, who met with members of the exiled Lao royal family in June, also blamed the State Department for not doing enough to find the remains of the king and queen, who were overthrown in 1975 and sent to ``reeducation camps,'' where they died. The State Department said it would have no comment on Smith's holds or any of his allegations.

17 OCT 00: From AP - "Trade with Vietnam
An agreement has been signed with Vietnam that, if approved by Congress next year, will require that country to protect U.S. intellectual property and open its markets. It makes no demands on human rights. Do you support this deal?"

Republican George W. Bush: ``I support the trade agreement with Vietnam. I believe expanded trade with Vietnam will help the forces of economic and political reform take root and grow. At the same time, we must make clear to the Vietnamese government that we expect them to cooperate fully with our efforts to obtain the fullest possible accounting of missing servicemen in Vietnam. Like all Americans, I want to see improved human rights, and living and working conditions worldwide. The best way to address these issues is not through unilateral trade sanctions, but through multilateral agreements. The primary goal of our trade policy should be to open markets abroad because the better way to raise living and working standards is to increase trade.''

Democrat Al Gore : ``I believe that we must ratify and fully implement important new trade agreements, and as president, I will insist on and use the authority to negotiate and enforce worker rights, human rights and environmental protections in those agreements. I believe that the U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement provides important benefits to American businesses and workers, including dramatic new market access for American goods, services, and agricultural products; intellectual property protection; investment protection provisions; and transparency and rule-of-law measures. The treaty also represents an important step in the normalization of our relations with Vietnam, a process which will strengthen cooperation on bringing American POW-MIAs home, promoting religious freedom and combating the narcotics trade.''

b>18 OCT 00: Hungarian POW Released From Army
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) - A Hungarian soldier got a long-overdue promotion Tuesday and was discharged from the military after 56 years of service, most of them spent languishing in a psychiatric ward in Siberia. Andras Toma, 74, shed tears and then shielded his eyes against camera lights with his cap as he was promoted from private to sergeant major at a military ceremony.
``No one in Hungarian history has been in the military this long,'' Col. Pal Kiss of the defense ministry said after the formal document releasing Toma from the army was read out. Toma was a Hungarian conscript in 1944, when he was captured by Soviet troops in Poland and ended up in a Soviet prisoner-of-war camp. He was considered mentally unbalanced because his native Hungarian was mistaken for gibberish, and in 1947 was transferred to a psychiatric hospital in Kotelnich, 700 miles east of Moscow.

While his comrades were repatriated in the years after the war, Toma was forgotten. He languished in the hospital for 53 years, rarely speaking to anyone, until a chance encounter with a Hungarian-speaking Slovak doctor who thought he recognized his language. The Hungarian embassy in Moscow was contacted last December, and Toma was flown to Budapest in August. ``Many, many people worked long and hard to determine `Uncle' Andy's true identity and the effort was successful,'' said Deputy Defense Minister Janos Homoki as he presented Toma with his new insignia.

``Don't leave it there,'' Toma told an officer when the case bearing the stripes was put on a chair. The ceremony ended the formalities surrounding Toma's return. Later this year, he is to be reunited with blood relatives - proven to be so by DNA tests - in the eastern Hungarian village where he grew up.

19 OCT 00: No. 645-00
IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 19, 2000
REMAINS OF FOUR MISSING SAILORS ON USS COLE RECOVERED
A Navy recovery team today located and retrieved the four remaining sailors from USS Cole. Next-of-kin have been notified that the remaining sailors have been recovered. The remains will be flown to the United States for identification. The flight departure time to return the four sailors to the United States has not yet been determined. All 17 Cole sailors killed in the incident have now been recovered, with nine previously identified.

20 OCT 00: From the NLF - Although some names have not yet been publicly released, thirteen Americans previously missing in North Vietnam are now accounted for. The most recent incident involves a US Navy officer whose remains were recovered in March of this year at a site visited by Secretary of Defense Cohen. One incident, involving eleven US Air Force personnel unaccounted for since December 29, 1967, was the subject of successful joint excavation, with remains repatriated in December 1993. The name of one individual involved in this incident was withheld at the request of his family. The 10 named are Col. Charles P. Claxton of IL, Lt.Col. Edwin N. Osborne, Jr., of FL, Lt.Col. Gerald G. VanBuren of OH, Col. Donald E. Fisher of OR, Lt.Col. Gordon J. Wenaas, ND, Maj. Frank C. Parker, III, of PA, CMSgt. Jack McCrary of TN, CMSgt. Wayne A. Eckley of OR, CMSgt. Gean P. Clapper of PA, and CMSgt. James R. Williams of NC. The 13th individual, whose name was not yet announced, was also previously unaccounted for in North Vietnam, and his remains were jointly recovered in 1999.
This brings the number still missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War to 1,992, 1,498 in Vietnam, 421 in Laos, 65 in Cambodia and 8 in the territorial waters of the PRC. Since the vast majority of Americans lost in Laos and Cambodia were in areas under wartime Vietnamese control, we look to Vietnam to provide archival records and witnesses to assist in accounting for them.

21 OCT 00: From the NAF - Thank You - Thanks to your efforts we were successful in our battle to remove Section 1045 from the 2001 Defense Authorization Act. This section would have exempted Defense Intelligence Agency "operational files" from disclosure, under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA.) Your letters, and phone calls were the deciding factor. According to one congressional staffer, "the public outcry was just too much."

Sadly, unknown to us, the 2001 Defense Authorization Act contained two other Sections which impacted adversely, on the FOIA process. Section 1075 places new limitations on Pentagon spending for all declassification activities. Last years spending limit of $51 million, has been reduced to $30 million. As the FAS Project on Government Secrecy noted: "Needless to say, no limitation is imposed on classification-related spending, which reached a total of $5 billion in FY 1999, according to the latest report of the Information Security Oversight Office." Section 1073 exempts certain unclassified foreign government information from disclosure. Section 1074 expands the exemption for certain unclassified maps and imagery. We wonder, had Section 1073 been law when Steven Morris discovered the "1205 Document" would that have been classified under this law?

21 OCT 00: From the NLF - Annual Meeting The League has just decided the date and location for our 32nd Annual Meeting that will be held June 21-25th, 2001, at Crystal City's Double Tree Hotel, across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. Family members and concerned supporters are urged to start planning now to attend this important first meeting of a new administration. We again anticipate Department of Defense-sponsored, round-trip travel for two family members per missing man for this meeting.

24 OCT 00: S. 484 Update - S.484
Sponsor: Sen Campbell, Ben Nighthorse (introduced 2/25/1999)
Related Bills: H.R.1926
Latest Major Action: 10/24/2000 Passed/agreed to in House
Title: A bill to provide for the granting of refugee status in the United States to nationals of certain foreign countries in which American Vietnam War POW/MIAs or American Korean War POW/MIAs may be present, if those nationals assist in the return to the United States of those POW/MIAs alive.

STATUS:
2/25/1999: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
3/24/1999: Referred to Subcommittee on Immigration.
5/18/2000: Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
5/18/2000: Committee on the Judiciary. Reported to Senate by Senator Hatch without amendment. Without written report.
5/18/2000: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 560.
5/24/2000: Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S4395-4396)
5/24/2000: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR S4395-4396)
5/25/2000: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
5/25/2000 10:07am: Received in the House.
5/25/2000: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on International Relations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
5/25/2000: Referred to House Judiciary
6/1/2000: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims.
5/25/2000: Referred to House International Relations
7/17/2000: Referred to the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights.
9/7/2000: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
9/7/2000: Committee Agreed to Seek Consideration Under Suspension of the Rules, by Voice Vote.
10/24/2000 7:06pm: Committee on Judiciary discharged.
10/24/2000 7:06pm: Committee on International Relations discharged.10/24/2000 7:06pm: Mr. Smith (TX) asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.
10/24/2000 7:06pm: Considered by unanimous consent.
10/24/2000 7:07pm: On passage Passed without objection.
10/24/2000 7:07pm: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

24 OCT 00: On the heels of the Whitwash House's Vietnam Trip announcement, we hear this -
Clinton May Visit N.Korea on November 11 - Kyodo
"TOKYO (Reuters) - President Clinton may make an historic visit to communist North Korea on November 11, Kyodo news agency quoted a Japanese ruling party official as saying on Tuesday. ``A senior North Korean official has said President Clinton is likely to visit North Korea on November 11,'' Kyodo quoted the unidentified LDP official as telling reporters, adding that he had heard this from ``a person engaging in examining distribution of international relief rice in North Korea.'' If Clinton is to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, he would propose granting $300 million annually in U.S. economic assistance on condition that North Korea freeze its missile development programs, the LDP official was quoted as adding. Clinton is set to visit Vietnam in mid-November, when he will also travel to Brunei for a November 15-16 meeting of leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, and speculation over his possible trip to Pyongyang has centered around those dates. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Tuesday set up a second round of talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il for discussions that could ease cold war tensions and help revive the North's failed economy. Albright is in Pyongyang to pave the way for a possible visit by Clinton. "

AII POW-MIA Observation - Forget the Magical Mystery Tour, this is the Clinton Communism Tour.
First it was announced that Bill Clinton, who never was in much of a hurry to go to Vietnam 30 years ago, was in a hurry to get there before his lame-duck year ended. Then, it was announced that Bill Clinton may travel to North Korea on Veteran's Day. Two Communist countries in two weeks. Within a few hours of the North Korea announcement, the following was released... can you say backpedal?

"U.S. Says No Decision on Clinton Trip to N.Korea
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Clinton will wait for a briefing from Secretary of State Madeleine Albright about her trip to North Korea before deciding whether to travel there himself, the White House said on Tuesday. Clinton is considering adding a stop in North Korea to a trip to Brunei and Vietnam scheduled for mid-November, and it is widely expected that he will make a historic visit to the reclusive nation. Albright this week spent two days in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, laying the groundwork for the trip. She is expected to recommend for or against a trip by Clinton on her return. Albright was to brief senior Japanese and South Korean officials about her trip before returning to Washington. ``We look forward to getting a fuller briefing about her discussions with the North Koreans and our allies in the region, Japan and South Korea, before making a decision,'' said White House spokesman Jake Siewert. "

Recent news shows that Bill Clinton's entourage may exceed the number of 'officially' unaccounted-for Americans from SEA. The Whitewash House party is expected to exceed 2,000 individuals plus another 200 media mavens. In the same paragraph we are told that Clinton will visit a crash site excavation AND an internet cafe. So much for highest national priority.

27 OCT 00: What Were They Thinking? "Bill Could Hamper Investigation into U.S. Knowledge of Japanese Atrocities Congress: Plans to extend an inquiry into the intelligence community's WWII dealings have hit a roadblock, but historians vow to continue working." Please go to - http://www.aiipowmia.com/inter1/in102700wwii.html

27 OCT 00: No. 659-00
IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 26, 2000
VIETNAM WAR MIAS IDENTIFIED
Eleven U.S. Air Force servicemen missing in action from the Vietnam War have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial.

They are identified as Col. Charles P. Claxton, Chicago, Ill.; Col. Donald E. Fisher, Halfway, Ore.; Lt. Col. Edwin N. Osborne, Jr., Raiford, Fla.; Lt. Col. Gerald G. Van Buren, Toledo, Ohio; Lt. Col. Gordon J. Wenaas, Mayville, N.D.; Maj. Frank C. Parker III, Bridgeport, Pa.; Chief Master Sgt. Jack McCrary, Madison, Tenn.; Chief Master Sgt. Wayne A. Eckley, Enterprise, Ore.; Chief Master Sgt. Gean P. Clapper, Altoona, Pa.; and Chief Master Sgt. James R. Williams, Charlotte, N.C. The name of the eleventh crewmember is not being released at the request of his family.
On Dec. 29, 1967, their Air Force C-130E Hercules took off from Nha Trang, Republic of Vietnam, on a special mission over North Vietnam. Approximately four hours into their mission, the crew made a radio report from an area near Lai Chau Province, North Vietnam. When they failed to return to base, a visual and electronic search was initiated. About a month later, the search was ended when the aircraft could not be located. In October and November 1992, a joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam team interviewed five witnesses who had knowledge of the crash site. Two of the witnesses had visited the area of the crash in 1967 or 1968 and provided information about the site. Some of the witnesses turned over identification cards or tags that contained the names of some of the crew members. The team visited the site and recovered some human remains.
In February 1993, the government of Vietnam turned over additional remains and a photocopy of more identification media. In October and November a joint team led by Joint Task Force-Full Accounting excavated the suspected crash site where they recovered aircraft wreckage, personal effects and human remains. In 1994 and 1995, Vietnamese citizens and government officials turned over additional remains.
Department of Defense analysts concluded from the distribution of the aircraft wreckage that the C-130 hit a mountainside and that the crew was unaware of the impending crash. Nine parachutes were accounted for among the artifacts recovered, and there are no unresolved live sighting reports associated with this incident.
Analysis of the remains and other evidence by the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory Hawaii established the identification of the eleven servicemen.
The U.S. government welcomes and appreciates the cooperation of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam that resulted in the accounting of these servicemen. We hope that such cooperation will bring increased results in the future. Achieving the fullest possible accounting of Americans missing in action is of the highest national priority.

29 OCT 00: After the bruhaha that evolved following reports that Bill Clinton would be in North Korea on Veteran's Day, new travel arrangements are being announced fast and furiously.
The Hawaii Star-Bulletin is reporting that Clinton will stop in Hawaii after leaving Washington, DeCeit on Veteran's Day, November 11th. He will remain in the Aloha state until the 13th when he moves on to Communist Vietnam and Brunei, wilh a 'possible' stop in North Korea before returning the US on 20th November. Another flip-flop, not dissimilar to the his promises to family members before election and then his prompt reversal upon election.

29 OCT 00: A December 1994 Report - POW/MIA Research Project: Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Berlin - Volume 1: Moscow and its Executive Summary, by Dr. Paul Cole, is available.

It is a study in third-party knowledge of and interference in POWs and MIAs from Korea - Cold War. Included in the Report are:
Analysis of shoot down incidents and the personnel involved; Descriptions of Soviet interrogation protocols; Maps of loss incidents that contradict the 'official' description; Status review/change recommendations; Photographs; and discussion of archival holdings, cooperation, lack of cooperation and recommendations for futher research.

The 26 page Executive Summary may be found at -
http://www.aiipowmia.com/koreacw/execsumm.html
The 68 page Volume 1 : The Moscow Report may be found at -
http://www.aiipowmia.com/koreacw/mockbacole01.html

30 OCT 00: "Laos turns overs remains of presumed American MIAs
BANGKOK, Thailand -- (AP) -- Laos has given the United States what are believed to be the remains of four Americans listed as missing in action during the Vietnam War, the state news agency reported today. The remains were handed over to U.S. officials Saturday in a ceremony at Wattay Airport in the Laotian capital, Vientiane, the KPL news agency said. They will be taken to the U.S. Army's Central Identification Lab in Hawaii for forensic tests. Earlier this month, the U.S. Defense Department said 1,992 Americans were listed as missing in Southeast Asia from the Vietnam War, which ended in 1975. It said 421 of those were listed as missing in Laos, more than half of them Air Force personnel. American planes bombed the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which was used to transport supplies from North Vietnam to South Vietnam and ran through Laos."

31 OCT 00: Two new books are available -
The Patriot's Way by Joseph M. Corrigan
Paperback - 283 pages 1 edition (June 19, 2000)
Xlibris Corporation; ISBN: 0738819034 ;
Other Editions: Hardcover $18.00

Shadow Flights by Curtis Peebles
Hardcover - 368 pages 1 edition (November 1, 2000)
Presidio Pr; ISBN: 0891417001 $27.95

31 OCT 00: DPMO has posted the current 'Unaccounted-For' and 'Accounted-For' reports. The current unaccounted-for figure for SEA is 1,992. To view the reports, please go to - http://131.84.1.34/dpmo/pmsea/files.htm
The Adobe Acrobat Reader applicatiosn is the best way to view the reports in PDF format. The Reader is a free download at - http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html

31 OCT 00: "Alvarez Post Office Building Naming Ceremony Nov. 2
'Everett Alvarez, Jr., Post Office Building' Naming Ceremony To Take Place Nov. 2; Facility Will Honor Md. Decorated War Hero
To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor
Contact: John Fales, 202-257-5446
News Advisory:
U.S. Rep. Connie Morella (R-Md.) and U.S. Postal Service dignitaries will help rename the post office building at 500 North Washington Street as the "Everett Alvarez, Jr., Post Office Building" at a Nov. 2, reception at American Legion Post 268, 11125 Fern Street, Wheaton, Md.

When introducing legislation designating the name change of a postal facility in her district in honor of one of her constituents, Representative Morella said, "Mr. Alvarez's life stands as a testament to patriotism, courage, and perseverance. His story is an inspiration and it is with humility that I introduce this bill to honor him so."
Alvarez, best known to the public as the first American aviator shot down over North Vietnam, was taken prisoner of war on August 5, 1964, and held in North Vietnam for 8-1/2 years until the general release of prisoners on February 12, 1973. His stellar career in public service includes management positions in the Navy, appointment as Deputy Director of the Peace Corps in 1981, and presidential appointment as Deputy Administrator of the Veterans Administration in 1982, where he stayed until 1986. He currently directs his own consulting firm, Conwal Incorporated. His numerous military decorations include the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars (with combat" V"), the Distinguished Flying Cross, and two Purple Heart medals. Alvarez currently serves on the Board of Regents of the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, the Board of Directors of the National Graduate University, and the Board of Fellows of Santa Clara University. He has also served on the White House Fellows Selection Committee and on the Board of Directors of the Armed Services YMCA of the USA.

The naming ceremony will take place at a reception at American Legion Post 268, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Marine Corps Brass Quintet will entertain with a medley of patriotic songs. The Aloha Boys, a touted Washington, D.C. area music group, also will entertain. Directions to American Legion Post 268 are available by calling 301-946-3268. "

31 OCT 00: REMINDER -
DOD/DPMO Family Updates - 18 Nov Miami, FL

POW-MIA Issue Update November 2000