Our Mission:
My first husband, Capt. Jerry Zimmer, was an F4B Phantom jet pilot, whose aircraft was shot down on August 29, 1969, approximately 20 miles South of Da Nang, Vietnam, after six months in country. Neither Jerry nor his navigator, 1st Lt. Al Graf, was able to eject, before the aircraft crashed into the Que Son Mountains. Initially Jerry and Al were classified as Killed in Action/No Body Recovered (KIA/NBR). Years later, both Marines were listed as MIA, along with other service members whose bodies were never recovered.
Jerry has been gone nearly a half century, and hope for recovering his remains had run out a long time ago. However, in recent years our family became involved with the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), now merged with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), and learned that Jerry’s and Al’s remains might, in fact, be recoverable, so we are doing everything possible to support their efforts to make this happen and bring our guys home where they belong.
NOTE: BLOG POSTS ARE NOT UPDATED, SO INFORMATION MAY HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME.
Archive for January, 2012
JPACs FY2012 Budget Is Safe!
JPAC Commander Maj. Gen. Stephen Tom, USAR, greets Ann Mills-Griffiths during a somber POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremony on Sept. 16, 2011, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Mills-Griffiths, Chairman of the National League of POW/MIA Families, was Keynote Speaker for the event. (DoD photo by Spc. Michael Carter, U.S. Army/Released)
The Joint Prisoner of War, Missing in Action Accounting Command (JPAC) – the group responsible for locating, identifying and repatriating — to the fullest possible extent — all MIAs from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Cold War, Gulf War and others, as mandated, is good to go for another year. I checked the 2012 Nat’l Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), as it relates to JPAC, and here is a pertinent excerpt:
(Sec. 1099D) States that Congress: (1) reaffirms its support for the recovery and return to the United States of the remains and bodies of all members killed in the line of duty, and efforts by the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command to recover remains of members from all wars, conflicts and missions; (2) recognizes the courage and sacrifice of all members who participated in Operation Highjump and all missions vital to U.S. national security; (3) acknowledges the dedicated research and efforts by the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Science Foundation, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, the Fallen American Veterans Foundation, and other persons and organizations to identify, locate, and advocate for the recovery of the bodies of Ensign Maxwell Lopez, Naval Aviator, Frederick Williams, Aviation Machinist’s Mate 1st Class, and Wendell Hendersin, Aviation Radioman 1st Class of the “George 1” explosion and crash; and (4) encourages DOD to review the facts, research, and pursue new efforts to recover, identify, and return the bodies of the “George 1” crew from Antarctica’s Thurston Island. (Please Google “Operation Highjump” to learn more about George 1 – it is a fascinating story and reminder of our country’s commitment to bringing home our heroes.) Read more
MIA RECOVERIES: JPAC Finishes 2011 in Vietnam
- /Photo Credits Listed on Flickr
SEE MORE IMAGES OF JPAC TEAM MEMBERS CONDUCTING INVESTIGATIONS/RECOVERIES AT http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpacteams/sets/72157628046375062/
THE PROCESS: Recovery teams search for human remains, life support items, and other material evidence (personal and military issued items) that may lead to the identification of Americans missing from past U.S. conflicts. Investigation teams authenticate leads from eyewitnesses, conduct field research, and gather information throughout the various locations to determine whether or not there will be a return visit for excavation at a later date.
THE PEOPLE: Approximately 75 JPAC team members excavated multiple sites [Nov. 2011] associated with Vietnam War losses. Five recovery teams searched in the Thai Nguyen, Bac Giang, Lang Son, Son La, and Thanh Hoa provinces at aircraft crash and burial sites for six Americans. Two investigation teams authenticated eyewitness leads and conducted field research, searching for information on more than 50 missing individuals and 31 unsolved cases. Lastly, a scientific team conducted a Joint Forensic Review to determine racial affiliation of remains in country. The approximately 35-day undertaking marked the 105th Joint Field Activity in Vietnam.
THE FINISH LINE: NOT “UNTIL THEY ARE HOME.”
*Content and Photos Credited to JPAC.
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