Nearly 2500 Americans did not return from
Southeast Asia at the end of the war. Some, like the pilot and passengers of
the CH46, are probably dead and will never come home. Since the end of the
war, however, thousands of refugee reports have been received that indicate
hundreds of Americans are still alive, held captive.
It is a matter
of pride in the Marine Corps that one's comrades are never left on the field
of battle to fall into the hands of the enemy. One can imagine that these
men, had they survived, would willingly go one more mission for the return
of those who still await rescue. Although some of the personnel aboard
survived, House was never found, nor were remains recovered that could be
identified as his. He was listed as killed in action, body not
recovered.
I cannot emphasize enough how important it
is to keep pushing this issue inside the Beltway...
The need to get specific answers is more
important now than ever before. If still alive, some MIAs are now in their
70s...They don't have much time left. We have to demand the answers from the
bureaucrats and keep standing on their necks (figuratively speaking) until
they get the message that THEY work for US and that we are serious about
getting these long overdue responses. Diplomatic considerations
aside...
We can no longer allow questionable
protocols established by pseudo-aristocratic armchair strategists, to
determine or influence the fate of the men who were in the trenches while
the diplomats were sharing sherry and canapes and talking about "Their
Plans" for the future of SE Asia.
You can make a difference by getting
involved! If you follow the following suggestions on how to write your
Senator and Congressmen, you will get results. These suggestions come to you
from George "Gunny\ Fallon, of Operation Just Cause:
WE CAN GET THE ANSWERS IF WE ASK THE RIGHT
QUESTIONS!
Every day, the president, vice-president, senators,
congressional representatives and a variety of appointed government
officials are asked to respond to questions about government projects and
programs. In all but the most extraordinary cases, the inquiry is passed on
to aides and assistants who have little choice but to respond with prepared
stock answers.
If you ask one of them what they are doing about the
MIA issue, they will tell you:
"Everything we can."
Then they go back
to the business of perpetuating the bureaucracy.
However, there is a
better and more effective way to get their attention. Ask a more direct
question that demands more than the expedient but lame, stock response. For
Example:
Dear Senator,
"What is being
done to determine the fate of Sfc Daniel R Phillips-USASF, who was last seen
fighting his way through the perimeter during the seige of LangVei on
2/7/68? No remains were ever found although there was an intensive search of
the area later on, and no one saw him fall. There is no evidence that he was
killed and he is known to have been capable of surviving under harsh
conditions.
Please advise me of any action that is being taken by you or
any other elected or appointed official to determine his fate.
In the
event there is nothing being done, please explain why not, and tell me how
you personally plan to correct this and prevent it from ever happening
again."
With a question that detailed, they can't
get away with the old stock answers. And in researching those answers, they
may come to realize what a large segment of the Veteran Brotherhood has
known for years...That we abandoned "Loyal American Citizens" in Southeast
Asia, and that many of them could still be alive in captivity today!
Let's get those answers which are owed to the families, friends and
ourselves.
Let's make
this the year we bring them all home!
Copy the Letter above then use it
as a template, customizing it for your Personal MIA. Send your Email to the ones who can make a
difference!
Please visit the
POW Network
E-Mail your Senators
Email your Congressman,
too!
Hospital Corpsman Third Class
