September 1997

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

00 SEP 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.

01 SEP 97: The month begins with the nightmare that will never go away. Unit 731. News reports state that Japan, who has never apologized to the scant few survivors or the familes of the hundreds of thousands of murdered prisoners, has ruled that no school textbook may mention that anything associated with Unit 731 was 'unlawful.' Unit 731 and its sister unit, Unit 100, were kept a secret from the Japanese people until 1981. However, all mention of their war crime activity has been censored. And with the current Supreme Court ruling, it is doubtful they will ever learn or understand the depths of depravity that Shiro Ishii and those like him sunk to.

02 SEP 97: Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Salem Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah arrives in Geneva for POW talks. Kuwait says Iraq still holds some 600 Kuwaitis since the 1990-91 Gulf War and demands the ICRC take a more agressive stance in recovering remains and epatriating live POWs. No mention is made of US POW-MIAs.

03 SEP 97: After decades of abandonment in captivity, and decades of waiting for a government they so faithfully served to recognize their sacrifice and contribution, Vietnamese Commandos have been noticed. Unfortunately, the majority have passed while waiting, and the remaining men, who may finally be compensated, may end up losing that which they need the most in their later years as a trade off... medical for debilitating conditions as a result of years and years of brutal captivity.

04 SEP 97: A declassified USAF document is offering some extraordinary insight into who knew, when and how much, reagrding POW-MIAs. The 1955 report discusses at least 137 cases where information showed the men were still being held by North Korea years after the cessation of formal hostilities. So, now we know, that the US knew that the North Koreans knew. Why are we not surprised.

05 SEP 97: In May 1944. a US bomber crashed over Halifax. 53 years later, location of the crash site may allow a search team to finally find answers for the families of the missing crewmembers. "We are sure we have found the nearly complete remains of the three airmen," said project coordinator Cynrik De Decker. In addition, four watches - two with names - have been found. Five other crewmembers, who perished when the aircraft crashed, were pulled out before the bomber sank and buried in Geraardsbergen. It is expected that the recovered remains will be reinterrred with the other crew members.

06 SEP 97: Out of a grand total of 100 Senators, 12 have found it in the conscience to sign on and support S. 755.

07 SEP 97: The National Park Service has notified The Last Firebase, in Washington, De Ceit, that as of the 8th, the NPS will be upholding a ban on the sale of all expressive material/merchandise on the Mall, specifically near the vicinity of The Wall. The ban includes, but is not limited to, T-Shirts, POW-MIA bracelets, American and POW-MIA flags. Ted Sampley of The Last Firebase has promised to challenge the ban which has been in flux for the past two years while an Appeal was being heard. In the event that the sale ban is enforced, activists at the site plan to give away T-shirts and POW-MIA bracelets with the purchase of a book or a donation. Merchandise sales support the 24 hour a day vigil activities of the Firebase and their ability to print and disseminate POW-MIA materials. It must be noted that while the Firebase will be prohibited to offer POW-MIA materials, government sanctioned sales outlets like Guest Services, which sells 'licensed' POW-MIA merchandise, will be permitted to operate unimpeded.

08 SEP 97: The Wahington Post features an article entitled, "At CIA, A Vocation Of Imitation." The following extract is alarming - "Among his first projects was a model of the Son Tay prison 30 miles outside of Hanoi, where a U.S. strike force planned a raid to rescue prisoners of war believed to be held there. No prisoners were found in the November 1970 raid, but there were successful rescues at other POW sites in North Vietnam that the shop had modeled."

Our question: how many raids were made and who were the rescued POWs?

09 SEP 97: Senator John McCain, evidently 'distressed' over the possibility of a challenge to his 'compromise' bill of last year, authored the following 'Dear Colleague' letter. In it he requests that his fellow MOCs refrain from supporting S. 755, the Missing Service Persons Authority Act of 1997. McCain writes -

"It is with great concern that I witness the growing list of cosponsors of S. 755, a bill to impose certain requirements on the military chain-of-command pertaining to personnel missing in action and on civilian and uniformed oversight boards involved in determining the fate of missing personnel."

10 SEP 97: Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, sponsor of S. 755, sent a letter to Strom Thurmond urging passage of the House language. Sen. Nighthorse Campbell eloquently writes -

"These improved measures ask the Department of Defense only to make their best possible effort to recover and return our missing personnel It will make a promise to soldiers, past and present, who have and will endanger their lives in defense of our county It is also the very 1east we owe the families who have and will endure the pain and uncertainly of a loved one left unaccounted for at a time of war. We ask that the Senate accept the House language to restore these provisions and fulfill the original intent of the Defense Authorization Act of 1997."

11 SEP 97: The first major search through a North Korean qrchive has produced, what US researchers claim, information on over 100 - 140 US POWs. Names have been culled from the records and families are scheduled to be notified. The information comes as the result of a 25 hour search by a 5 member team in the 89 room Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum in Pyongyang August 4-8. Among the items reviewed were - military ID cards with photographs, drivers licenses, dog tags and other materials and documents containing the names of missing servicemen which refer to roughly 40 separate men. In addition, what is described as a 'propaganda display' offers information and documents on approxiamtely 100 men.

12 SEP 97: Senator Rod Grams (MN) has called for expansion fo the laws regarding search and recovery of POW-MIAs. In a letter to the Armed Services Committee, Grams urged the Chairman, Strom Thurmond, urged stronger measures and support for House-passed provisions.

12 SEP 97: North Korean news reports state, "The remains of a U.S. soldier and his belongings were turned over to the U.S. side today through Panmunjom. They had been exhumed in the second joint search for u.s. Remains, which took place in Unsan county, north Phyongan Province, Korea from August 23 to September 11 under the New York accord of May 14, Juche 86 (1997) signed between the DPRK and the U.S."

13 SEP 97: A US C141 with 9 airmen aboard has gone missing over the Atlantic Ocean near the coast of southern Africa. All 9 crewmen have been listed as MISSING. The USAF has released a list of the Missing men. The crew is out of McGuire AFB, New Jersey, USA.

14 SEP 97: It was hell on earth that place... Thailand, the River Kwai. Over 150,000 POWs - American, Allied and Asian died in that place. Forced labor. Today, a plaque, honoring both the survivors and those who perished under unimaginable conditions was unveiled next to the infamous bridge built by those prisoners, in a jungle, so many years ago.

15 SEP 97: Citing fog and inclement weather as a contributing factor, rescue efforts to find the 9 missing airmen of the C141 crash have been severely hampered. News reports have stated repeatedly that a MAYDAY was heard and that distress signals were picked up by SAR aircraft in the area following the loss incident.

Iran and Iraq have agreed to repatriate remains of POWs.

16 SEP 97: Winnipeg Canada reports that a USMC deserter, Randy Cauhill, was arrested on the US-Canadian border yesterday. Cauhill enlisted in the Marines in 1966, but deserted upon hearing he was slated for a tour in Vietnam in 1968. He attained landed immigrant status in Canada. Caudill was transported to Camp Pendelton pending a hearing. Draft Dodgers were pardoned under President Jimmy Carter, Deserters were not.

17 SEP 97: From DPMO - CHANGE OF COMMAND AT JOINT TASK FORCE-FULL ACCOUNTING Brigadier General Jim Campbell, USA, will depart JTF-FA on September 19. BG Campbell has been assigned to the 25th Infantry Division as an Assistant Division Commander. His replacement is Brigadier General Terry Tucker, USA.

18 SEP 97: With National POW-MIA Recognition Day only 24 hours away, schedules and announcements of events and observances are popping up all over. Everyone from local Vets groups and Fire Departments to County, State and Federal offices and Service Branches are distributing their programs and inviting the public.

19 SEP 97: NATIONAL POW-MIA RECOGNITION DAY 1997.
Let us look at this day as one of great sadness. Sadness that we are still here, year after year, standing side by side, paying tribute in our vigil that our brothers, fathers, sons, friends and brother veterans remain unaccounted for.

Let us look at this day as one of solemnity. Solemnity in knowing that families and friends have had to endure their daily lives with the constant question - Where are they? And that every time they ask that simple, most human question, no answer is forthcoming.

Let us look at this day as one of acceptance. Accecptance in knowing that not every answer will be found, not every family will have closure.

Let us look at this day as one of recommitment. Recommitment of ourselves, our energies and efforts to find those answers and ultimately find the Truth. Let us recommitment ourselves to the Men We Left Behind... our POWs and MIAs.

20 SEP 97: On POW-MIA Recognition Day, former Congressman, Bob Dornan, was banned from the House floor. The ban came after a clash with another MOC and was the result of a 289-64 vote.

21 SEP 97: Eight days after a US C141 with 9 crewmen disappeared, rescuers hold on to hope that some of the men may still be alive. Although bad weather hampers SAR efforts, it was reported that shortly after the craft went missing, distress signals were picked up. All 9 crewmembers have been listed as Missing.

23 SEP 97: Although the mainstream media and broadcast outlets have a total aversion to the POW-MIA issue and providing the public with some modicum of truth, they have no problem exploiting the issue for entertainment purposes. CBS has added a Missing In Action spin to the plot of their series JAG. Coverage of the issue, in a responsible manner is always welcome. However, let us hope that the public does not become even more anesthetized by seeing the POW-MIA issue covered in an entertainment show as opposed to hard-core news. If CBS were committed to such a plot twist, it would be to their favor to present the REAL side of the issue in a responsible news special after the JAG episode(s) are aired.

24 SEP 97: Tehran - The Ayatollah Ali Khamenei approved release of 46 Iraqi POWs who have been held since the 1980-1988 war. Iran reported the POWs were released as a humanitarian gesture during a ceremony in Tehran.

25 SEP 97: S. 755 curently has 20 co-sponsors - Spencer Abraham, Allard, Ashcroft, Brownback, Burns, Conrad, Craig, D'Amato, Ford, Gorton, Grams, Grassley, Gregg, Harkin, Hollings, Hutchinson, Lieberman, McConnell, Murray, Torricelli.

26 SEP 97: 24 years after the words were uttered, the public will finally be allowed to hear them. The National Archives announced today that 41 minutes of Nixon White House conversations, recorded during the Spring of 1973 will be made public, along with transcripts of the released segments. The tapes feature the voices of The President, Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Brent Scowcroft, Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Roger Shields and the President's Press Secretary, Ron Ziegler, and are believed to relate to POW-MIA. These tapes will be available at 8:45 A.M. on Monday, September 29, 1997 at the Conference Rooms at the National Archives at College Park, MD, located at 8601 Adelphi Road.

27 SEP 97: The US Atlantic Command has halted it's SAR for the nine C141 airmen missing since September 12/13. Although distress signals were heard after the loss, no men were recovered. The announcement came from McGuire AFB, New Jersey, home base of the craft and crew.

29 SEP 97: Senator Bob Smith commented on the release of the Nixon White House POW-MIA tapes. Smith had requested the tapes in 1992 as part of the SCC Hearings. It has taken 5 years for 3 small segments to be made public. Smith is quoted in his official release -

"I want to stress that today's release is only a small window into what the highest levels of the U.S. Government knew in 1973 concerning the status of American POWs and MIAs. The second and third groups of tapes requested by the Senate in 1992 -- covering January 1, 1973 through March 11, 1973 and April 16, 1973 through June 30, 1973 -- have not yet been declassified or released."

At least the National Archives responded to the request and declassification Executive Orders. The NSA, known colloquially as Never Say Anything, has failed to respond the repeated requests for reports, transcripts and imagery with respect to POW and MIAs.

30 SEP 97: REMINDER - 10/25/97 - Family Update - Kansas City, MO

POW-MIA Issue Update October 1997