May 1997
Summary of news for the entire month.
For recent and daily news, please go to: InterNetwork
01 MAY 97: DOD announces that the remains of three American servicemen previously unaccounted-for have been identified and returned to their families. They are identified as Capt. Charles H. Blankenship, USAF, of Suitland MD and 1st Lt. George E. Jones, USAF, of Aberdeen, MS. The third ID was withheld at the request of his family. With the ID of these servicemen, 2124 Americans remain unaccounted-for from the war in Vietnam. Persian Gulf War - unsatisfactory accounting. Korean War - 8,139 remain unaccounted-for, 42 possible remains returned, 4 identifications. World War II - Over 78,000 remain unaccounted-for.
Before being sworn in, Ambassador Pete Peterson vowed to build a bridge across a "river of pain." "I would hope that my example would lead some to rethink their positions." he hold Reuters citing Americans who oppose closer ties because of 2,127 U.S. servicemen still missing. Strengthening of ties with VN continued to hinge on Hanoi's help in providing the fullest possible accounting for missing Americans.
02 MAY 97: U.S. and N. Korean officials will meet for the fourth time to discuss continuing efforts to account for missing servicemen from the Korean War. The N. Korean delegation has also agreed to meet privately with a small number of representatives from family and U.S. veterans groups.
03 MAY 97: The guided missile destroyer DDG 75, named after Vietnam War POW and Medal of Honor holder Donald G. Cook, was christened and launched today. A small box containing a few of Col. Cook's personal effects - a St. Michael's College pin, a POW/MIA bracelet bearing Cook's name, a copy of the letter to his children and a small POW/MIA flag were welded to the inside of the mast. A special plaque photo-engraved with a rubbing of Col. Cook's name from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and a quotation from his letter to his wife smuggled out of the POW camp by fellow POW Charlie Crafts was also installed.
04 MAY 97: U.S.-N. Korea meetings broke new ground with the two sides discussing reports that some Americans still live in N. Korea. Previous talks centered around the remains issues. The U.S. delegation was headed by James Wold, deputy asst. Sec. Of Def. And Ambassador Kim Byong Hong represent the N. Koreans.
05 MAY 97: As of this date, S. 528, the National POW/MIA Recognition Act of 1997 has a total of 19 sponsors. This bill introduce by Sen. Ben Campbell on 4/9 would require the display of the POW/MIA flag on various occasions and locations.
The U.S. paid N. Korea $2 million to cover the cost of last years search operation, but has asked Pyongyang to stop returning remains until further joint searches can be set up.
06 MAY 97: Vietnam's first ambassador to the U.S., Le Van Bang, has left for Washington to take up his post. Bang said his first order of business is "to ease the development of economic and commercial relations between the two countries, especially the export of Vietnamese products..."
07 MAY 97: Gen. Vladmir Zolotarev, the Russian co-chairman of the U.S./Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs, will met with his counterpart Ambassador Toon. The discussion will focus on better access to Russian archives.
08 MAY 97: H.R. 409, The Missing Persons Authorities Improvement Act of 1997, currently has 47 sponsors.
09 MAY 97: Twenty-two years and 11 days after the U.S. pulled out of Saigon, Ambassador Pete Peterson has arrived in Hanoi to affirm "that both countries are interested in closing the chapter on the past in order to look towards the future." Peterson has said that the search for U.S. servicemen is a top priority for him.
10 MAY 97: A small group of representatives from U.S. family members and veterans groups meet with the N. Korean delegation at the Grand Hyatt in New York City. Larry Greer, a Defense Dept. Spokesman, said that the N. Koreans had acknowledge that "there are some American deserters living there." The U.S. is looking for movement in three areas: joint evacuations, returning remains and access to N. Korean military archives.
13 MAY 97: The remains of 66 communist soldiers killed in the Vietnam War were discovered in a mass grave in the central province of Quang Ngai. Vietnam claims 400,000 MIAs are still unaccounted-for.
The McDonnell Douglas Foundation announced a grant of $900,000 to underwrite the production of a feature documentary film on the experiences of American aircrew prisoners of war.
14 MAY 97: The U.S. first ambassador to post-war Vietnam began a round of protocol meetings in Hanoi, presenting his credentials to Vice-President Nguyen Thi Binh. " In time, I am confident that we will not think of ourselves as former adversaries, but as very good friends," Peterson said.
Recalling war memories undimmed by time, a half dozen members of the famed Tuskegee Airmen came together to establish the first national office for their group. Of the 450 Tuskegee trainees who became fighter pilots, 66 were killed in action and 32 were taken prisoner of war. The medals earned included 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, one Silver Star, one Legion of Merit, eight Purple Hearts and three Presidential Unit citations.
15 MAY 97: Sen. Ben Campbell introduces S. 755, The Missing Persons Authorities Improvement Act of 1997. This is the companion bill to H.R. 409 in the House.
16 MAY 97: N. Korea and the U.S. have reached an agreement on resuming a joint search later this year for remains of U.S. soldiers missing in the 1950-53 war. It also includes investigations into N. Korean archives. Washington has agreed to pay $100,000 per recovery operation.
20 MAY 97: Attending his first repatriation ceremony as ambassador, Peterson said that the fullest possible accounting would remain Washington's priority in Vietnam. Nguyen Xuan Phong, director of VNs Foreign Ministry said: "we have always cooperated sincerely with the effort and we will continue to do so until the last American family requires us to do so." The remains of seven U.S. servicemen will be transported to the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii to undergo forensic testing in an effort to determine their identities.
21 MAY 97: The first Vietnamese Ambassador to the U.S., Mr. Le Van Bang, presented his credentials to President Clinton at the White House. Both express a desire to seek new forms of cooperation for common benefit.
22 MAY 97: Speaking in Hanoi, Ambassador Peterson said: "From the standpoint of our two governments being in a period of animosity, we can put that past behind us, but we still wish and desire very strongly to determine the fate of those we lost during the war."
23 MAY 97: The following addresses have been made available to write to Ambassador Peterson:
1.) Ambassador Douglas Peterson,
AMEMBASSY HANOI, DSMR,
Washington, D.C. 20520
2.) Ambassador Douglas Peterson,
American Embassy Hanoi,
PSC 461, Box 400, FPO AP 96521
3.) Ambassador Douglas Peterson,
U.S. Embassy,
7 Lang Ha Road,
Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
The embassy phone is: 011-84-4-843-1500, fax: 011-84-4-835-0484.
26 MAY 97: MEMORIAL DAY - A thought for this day. - "We tend to think only in terms of what war has cost us, but by comparison, to what it has cost so many people, our price pales." Lt. Col William Nolde, last man to die in Vietnam. Written in his last letter home from An Loc.
27 MAY 97: It was announced that a non-government delegation of roughly 54 researchers and historians would convene. Their purpose? To examine the Second Indochina War and its lessons. The "Missed Opportunities" Conference is scheduled for Middle June and will be attended by former SECDEF Robert McNamara, among others. News of a conference was out a year and a half ago, when it was learned that RAND and quite possibly the CFR would be sponsoring a Vietnam studies conference. Could it be the same conference? Let us hope not. THAT conference was touted as producing the 'official' history of the Vietnam War. We can't handle any more revisionism.
29 MAY 97: In Memorandum: No. 089-M, the Pentagon announced that the remains of an aviator, lost in 1972, have been identified and are their way home. The remains of Captain Jeffrey L. Harris, USAF, were recovered along with personal effects during a bilateral excavation in 1996.
30 MAY 97: REMINDER: 6/19-21/97 - Annual Briefings - WA DC
POW-MIA Issue Update June 1997