August 1997
Summary of news for the entire month.
For recent and daily news, please go to: InterNetwork
00 AUG 97: The 'official' unaccounted for figures are as follows - Southeast Asia, 2,116; 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.
00 AUG 97: DOD announcement - The remains of two American servicemen previously unaccounted-for from Southeast Asia have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial in the United States. They are identified as Maj. James B. East, USAF, of Oklahoma City, Okla. and Lt. Col. Thomas R. Morgan, USAF, of Akron, Ohio.
01 AUG 97: The L.A. Times has announced plans to open an office in Hanoi at the end of August. The bureau will cover news from Vietnam and Southeast Asia. This is only the second major newspaper to establish a permanent office in Vietnam since the end of the war.
01 AUG 97: AP reports that North Korea will sit down with US, Chinese and South Korean official on August 5th. This is the first time that all parties will be present for four-part negotiations of a North-South peace initiative.
02 AUG 97: Irving Strobing, Ex-POW and survivor of the fall of Corregidor, passed at the age of 77.
Iraq and Iran will swap the remains of soldiers killed during their 1980-1988 Gulf War, the official Iranian news agency IRNA has reported. Both sides claim tens of thousands of men are still being held as POWs.
03 AUG 97: John Kerry and John McCain were listed in the top ten of the wealthiest 100 US Congressmen. Both are worth millions... Kerry, hundreds of millions.
04 AUG 97: The 800 number at the Congressional Switchboard has been disconnected. Constituents who wish to speak with their MOCs or their aides must now pay for the long-distance toll call. So much for our elected officials being readily available to The People.
05 AUG 97: From DPMO - "Two Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office analysts attended the 21st annual reunion of the Korean War ex-POW Association in Knoxville, Tenn. The analysts interviewed 150 former POWs, including 20 survivors of the battles in Unsan County, North Korea, site of current U.S.-North Korean joint recovery operations. Their information may assist in the next recovery operations planned for August and October."
06 AUG 97: Fifty years after the fall of the Third Reich, young German audiences are finding humor in the strangest of situations... POWs and MIAs. Hogan's Heroes, the US sitcom about allied POWs overcoming their captors in a German POW camp has become a major hit attracting a cult following.
07 AUG 97: Saddam Hussein observed the end of the 1980-1988 Iran/Iraq War by demanding that Iran free Iraqi POWs... some held as long as 17 years. We wonder what Hussein has to say about American POWs?
08 AUG 97: Alan Liotta, Boy Wonder and heir-apparent of DPMO gave a briefing on the status of remains recovery in North Korea. Liotta discusses the 'wonderful' cooperation of North Korea and the recovery of 4 sets of Korean War remains, believed to be of members of the 8th Calvary, First Battalion, who died in October 1950. According to Liotta, 350 US personnel are thought to have been killed in this area. For those wishing to read the entire briefing go to - http://www.aiipowmia.com/faxnet/remainsbrief.html
10 AUG 97: 108 Chinese men, survivors of the germ-warfare experiments of Unit 731, and their families, have filed a massive lawsuit requesting compensation and an apology from Japan. Part of their lawsuit is based on new evidence uncovered which proves that Japan had planned a bio-chem attack on China in 1942 and had every intent of using the personnel from Unit 731 to do so. Researchers have proven that not only did Unit 731 and the Imperial Japanese Army plan and implement attacks on China, but they had released thousands of balloon bombs, many of which turned up in the northern most United States during the war. Unit 731 and its sister Unit 100 were responsible for gas attacks on Chinese villages and the release of thousands of plague infested rats which took the lives of 20,000+ Chinese villagers. It is estimated several hundred thousand Chinese suffered death and disease at the hands of Unit 731, as well as thousands of US, UK and Russian military POWs. Unit 731 members did not stand before the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal as they swung a deal with MacArthur and the United States. Documents, reports and materials saved from Unit 731 were turned over to the US and made their home at Dugway in Utah and Fort Detrick in Maryland.
11 AUG 97: A 1955 USAF report is made available from the National Archives. The report discusses 137 cases of Korean War POWs and LKA who did not return at the end of hostilities. Part of the report details a 1954 recovery mission that failed. Among the conclusions are that US POWs were not repatriated during formal POW exchanges and that many survived in captivity afterwards in North Korea and China. This is not news to POW-MIA issue community nor to researchers who have long reported men alive in captivity.
12 AUG 97: S. 755 - The Missing Person's Authority Act sponsored by Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell has 12 co-sponsors.
13 AUG 97: The Empire State Building will for the fifth consecutive year go "yellow" on September 18, 19 and 20 in commemoration of national POW/MIA Recognition Day.
14 AUG 97: On May 12, 1970, a group of Green Berets stopped by a cool stream for a drink of water. There was gunfire... and Bobby Preiss lay dying in Laos. Within an hour he had passed and under fire his comrades took to the hills. Upon returning they discovered that the area had been bombed and they were unable to recover Bobby's body. In 1995 a farmer found some bones and in 1997 those bones lay in a drawer at CIL-HI. They are a few of the bones of Bobby Preiss. The rest still lay in Laos. And the family simply wants the USG to recover all of the bones so that they can finally bury their son, their brother after 27 long years. But the USG cannot do that. It seems they are sticking to an agreement with Laos to work certain excavation regions at a time and that if they stick to schedule, it will be two years before the family of Bobby Preiss can lay him to rest with the honors he deserves. The Preiss case is just another glaring example of the politics that have permeated this issue and bogged it down. IT'S A HUMANITARIAN ISSUE PEOPLE. Get the politics and politicians out and get these families some answers and action!
16 AUG 97: The 'Unknown Pilot' finally has a name. 53 years ago, an unknown American pilot strafed German artillery batteries holding a French airport in an attempt to liberate the town of Toulouse, France. His endeavor successful, his mission, his last. The pilot bailed, but did not survive the jump and German troops took the body and left. The eyewitnesses who saw this final heroic action simply referred to the man as the 'Unknown Pilot.' Now, 53 years later, we known who this man is... 2nd Lt. Daniel Haley. This discovery comes as the result of an inquiry by a French newspaper. And, this week, the people of Toulouse will erect a memorial to Daniel Haley and name a street in his honor. The family was told in 1944 that Haley was MIA and immediately after the war he was reclassed as KIA, and there the trail ended until the recent discovery... and now his family knows. It's never too late for answers.
17 AUG 97: From DPMO - DASD JAMES W. WOLD RESIGNS
"Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Prisoners of War/Missing Personnel Affairs James W. Wold will resign effective September, 1997. Mr. Wold plans to return to his home in North Dakota. Deputy Director of the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, J. Alan Liotta, has been named Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense and Director of DPMO."
18 AUG 97: The Persian Gulf War still rages. British officials are said to be investigating allegations that British troops murdered seven Iraqi POWs during the war.
19 AUG 97: Soviet press is reporting that the remains of Japanese POWs are being excavated, cremated and returned to Japan. Apparently the Russians kept very detailed documents (we are shocked!) on the separate and special POW cemeteries. The Japanese POWs died as slave labor and were interred during WW II. Now, there is an agreement between the long-time adversaries and the remains are being recovered and sent home. Several other Far East POW camps are also slated for recovery operations.
The question is then, if, the former USSR kept such specific records on Japanese POWs and the Japanese government is able to strike a deal, then why can't or won't the US cut a similar agreement? Better yet, why won't the US address the Live POWs on Soviet territory issue?
20 AUG 97: The second stage of a 4 part recovery mission in North Korea has begun. Forensics specialists will join with recovery experts and North Korean troops to resume excavation and recovery operations in Unsan county, near the Yalu River where fierce battles produced many casualties. The first leg of this operation produced 4 sets of remains. Two other segments of this operation are planned for later this year, one being an archival search slated for September.
21 AUG 97: Ted Samply of The Last Firebase is reporting that the National Parks Service is ready, able and willing to reinterpret a court order that prevents t-shirts from being sold near the The Wall in Washington, De Ceit. The court ruling, supported by the Godfather-of-The Wall... Jan Scruggs, prohibits any t-shirts or other memorabilia from being sold on Parks Property or near monuments and the Mall. HOWEVER, it does not prohibit Guest Services (which runs the tourist trinket kiosks on the Mall) from selling their souvenirs. Perhaps because they sell LICENSED and royalty generating goods with the Three Man Statue image on them? The court stated that only books and other printed materials may be offered for sale by activists. And that if activists wanted to give away free materials after the sale of a book, that was ok. BUT, Parks people have decided to trample over the court ruling and told The Last Firebase that they would be shut down and unceremoniously removed if they tried it.
So much for free speech in the nation's capitol.
22 AUG 97: Soviet press is reporting on a secret program of participation between the former USSR and then-DRV during the early stages of the war in Vietnam. According to officials interviewed, 3,000 Soviet troops were stationed in North Vietnam during 1965. AND, it was Soviet troops who were responsible for the shoot-down of the first US planes lost in SEA. This report runs parallel to the Soviet shoot-down programs during the Korean War. One can assume since the Korean program was so successful that a similar program in SEA would produce the same results. Evidently, it did.
23 AUG 97: Jan Scruggs, Godfather-Of-The Wall was quoted in the Washington Times - "We have always agreed with the Park Service that selling T-shirts to finance demonstrations is wrong . . . There are limits to all our freedoms." And, "I believe we are seeing the beginning of the end of the memorial being used as a retail vending outlet," he said. "This decision will allow the real demonstrators to stay and the T-shirt salesmen to leave." Makes one wonder how much revenue is generated by the LICENSED/Royalty generating images that feature The Three Man Statue and other doo-dads that Friends of the Wall sell. Now that the 'competition' is being run-out-of-town, looks like Scruggs and Fred Hart will clean up afterall.
24 AUG 97: Human Rights Watch again called for the international community to demand that human rights violations during the recent Cambodian coup not be ignored. We must also remember that war criminal Pol Pot may have been 'sentenced' locally, if that was in fact an official tribunal, but has never been forced to answer for his crimes to the world community. The Killing Fields must never be forgotten.
24 AUG 97: According to the Last Firebase the Parks Department will hold off its planned removal of activists until an Appeals Court ruling comes down mid-week.
25 AUG 97: Better late than never department. Fifty-five years after they fought, went missing, were captured and died, the men of the Combined Asiatic Fleet, or the 'Forgotten Fleet' have been recognized. Coming up against the overwhelming might of the Japanese Navy the Asiatic Fleet, outnumbered 10 to 1, fought hard and the battles took their toll - 22 US ships lost, 1,826 US men killed and 519 taken prisoner, many of whom did not survive Japanese forced labor camps. On Friday, a memorial to these men and their sacrifices was finally dedicated. Remember, it's NEVER too late to say THANK YOU!
25 AUG 97: After 7 years, Kuwaiti POWs are still being held by Iraq. Jordanian officials have offered to assist in resolving the fate of 600 POWs, however, Baghdad denies holding any POWs from the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf occupation of Kuwait. Sound familiar?
26 AUG 97: Sick and tired of the snail's pace that Congress is putting S.755 - The Missing Person's Authority Act through, some Ex-POWs have decided to make the matter public. In an Open Letter To Congress Ex-POW Ted Guy makes the case for re-instating the articles of the mangled Missing Service Personnel Act of 1996. As you may recall, the House version of the MSPA, originally introduced by Bob Dornan, passed at 404-0. Not to be outdone, John McCain eviscerated the Bill and left POW-MIA families and active duty personnel and their families high and dry. In the 105th Congress, Ben Gilman introduced HR 409 in the House and Ben Nighthorse Campbell introduced S. 755 in the Senate, where it currently languishes with 12 co-sponsors. Colonel Guy came out swinging and signed off his letter with the support of brother Ex-POWs Red McDaniel, Frank Anton and Michael Benge. To read Ted Guy's exceptional outline please go to - http://www.aiipowmia.com/faxnet/guyltr.html.
26 AUG 97: August 26th, 1997 - North Korea: Reuters and CNN are reporting that two senior North Korean diplomats have defected to the US. One, Jang Seung-il, was the ambassador to Egypt and the most senior official to ever defect from the starving, Communist country. The other man, beleived to be Jang Seung-ho, a brother of the former, went missing in France. Both are believed to have substantial information on weapons sales. Some analysts are linking the defections to US-N.Korean weapons discussionsthat are slated to resume tomorrow. North Korea has been having on-off discussions with various nations, including the US, from which it desires a formal Peace Treaty to supplant the UN Armistice that ended the Korean War. The US presently has a combined team of specialists in North Korea on a remains excavation near the Yalu river. Whether these defections will have any effect on the present operation or the archival exercise planned for next month is unknown.
26 AUG 97: CHON CHOM PASS, Thailand - The silence of a short peace was shattered when forces loyal to Hun Sen battered roaylist troops on the Cambodian border. This was the last stronghold of supporters to the ousted Prince and Co-Premier, Norodom Ranariddh. This is the latest spate of violence in the nearly two month-long battle for power that erupted immediately after news of Pol Pot's capture by his formerly loyal Khmers Rouges. As the world waited for Pol Pot to emerge from his jungle fortress, all hell broke loose when Hun Sen initiated a bloody coup. Pol Pot, his Khmers and their crimes have all but been forgotten in the constant barrage of battles that has besieged the tiny country that has never had a chance to enjoy peace.
76 POW-MIAs are still unaccounted for in Cambodia. Whatever plans the US may have had to search or excavate must certainly have been shelved until the unrest settles. And so the Cambodian people must go back to waiting for peace, and 76 US families must go back to waiting for answers.
27 AUG 97: For all the activity going on at The Wall, and whether one supports the right of demonstartion sites to sell T-Shirts or not, one aspect of this whole situation is glaringly obvious. NEVER, has the POW-MIA flag flown at The National Vietnam Veterans Monument... The Wall. Let us not forget that the privately owned Three Man Statue and flagpole were afterthoughts. How is it that The Wall, with the names of known POWs, Last Known Alive and Missing never has and does not now have a POW-MIA flying near it? The only way to undo this serious slight is to insure that H.R. 1161 is passed. H.R. 1161 will insure that the POW-MIA flag is flown in various places it has NEVER flown such as the White House, Post Office and the National Monuments to Vietnam Veterans and Korean Veterans on pre-determined observances such as Veterans Day, POW-MIA Recognition Day and Memorial Day. Have you called your Member of Congress today?
Jan Sejna Passes... Jan Sejna, the highest ranking Czechoslovakian official to defect, passed on the 24th at the age of 70. Sejna, after his defection in 1968, went to work for US intelligence agencies such as the CIA and DIA, where he used his in-depth understanding and knowledge of the Communist Party and Soviet satellite-countries. Last year, Sejna created a major flap with his testimony on Soviet programs involving US POWs from the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He was associated at times with Dr. Joseph Douglass who also testified about third-party nations accessing US POWs, as did Colonel Philip Corso.
After his testimony, and throughout his career, Sejna experienced character assassination and harassment by those who wanted to debunk his statements and exposes. With his passing, a wealth of intelligence and information passes from us. May he finally find peace. Miltary Personnel Subcommittee - Sejna Testimony
28 AUG 97: Jan Sejna, the highest ranking Czechoslovakian official to defect, passed on the 24th at the age of 70. Sejna, after his defection in 1968, went to work for US intelligence agencies such as the CIA and DIA, where he used his in-depth understanding and knowledge of the Communist Party and Soviet satellite-countries. Last year, Sejna created a major flap with his testimony on Soviet programs involving US POWs from the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He was associated at times with Dr. Joseph Douglass who also testified about third-party nations accessing US POWs, as did Colonel Philip Corso. After his testimony, and throughout his career, Sejna experienced character assassination and harassment by those who wanted to debunk his statements and exposes. With his passing, a wealth of intelligence and information passes from us. May he finally find peace.
29 AUG 97: Researchers working at the National Archives uncovered interview documents with Nazi War Criminal Hermann Goering. In the summations of the documents we learn that had the war lasted another three months, Hitler desired to break with the Geneva Conventions and exterminate the roughly 1.2 million foreign POWS who were still held captive. Nearly a quarter million of those POWs were allied POWs.
30 AUG 97: Remember - National POW-MIA Recognition Day - September 19th.
31 AUG 97: REMINDER - 09/27/97 - Family Update - Salt Lake, UT
POW-MIA Issue Update September 1997