LETTING GO IS HARD TO DO  –  IF NOT, IMPOSSIBLE

DPAAs quarterly family meetings focus on  the issues surrounding missing loved ones, primarily from  WWII; Korean War; Cold War; and Vietnam War.  Held on January 25, 2020, in Henderson, Nevada, at the beautiful Hilton, the event attracted several  family members who live in the Western Region of the United States. 

KEEPING THE EFFORT ALIVE

Readers of this post might be surprised to learn that a number of family members who attend these quarterly meetings are often first-timers, namely because immediate families may be deceased or have passed the “torch” along to relatives, who want to ensure that a grandfather, uncle or another relative, who served our country , especially in WWII or the Korean War, will  “Not Be Forgotten.”  The warmth of these quarterly meetings cannot be underestimated, as apparent during the Remembrance Ceremony, in which families are offered an opportunity to say a few words about a missing loved one to others in the room. While not all choose to do so, those that do, are what makes this observance a special addition to each DPAA quarterly meeting, and can be particularly inspiring when a young man adds a few words, as seen in the image below. 

NOTE:   Although Vietnam War families also have surrogates that attend these and other meetings on their behalf, there are fewer newcomers from the Vietnam War generation at this point, in part, due to being the more recent era and, frankly, because of the negative treatment received by our heroic military from activists at home.  The Vietnam War families went to Washington, D.C. and came home with a promise of “You Are Not Forgotten,” to families with loved ones missing.  In essence that promise ultimately evolved into what we now know as the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).  

Todd Livick, Director DPAA Outreach & Communications
invited an articulate young man to share his reason
for attending the meeting. In a few words, he
 touched the hearts of many, explaining that
he came with his mom & sister to learn more about
his grandfather, who was killed in the Korean War.

 MIND-BOGGLING JOB

DPAA Director Kelly Mc Keague, a former Air Force Major General, was hand-picked in 2015, to assume responsibilty of a global  effort, with a mission that is believed to be the largest and only of its type and/or size.  McKeague oversees an organization with approximately a staff of 600, largely based in Washington, D.C., and Hickam Air Force base in Honolulu, Hawaii — the launching departure for field operations to many — if not most — around the world.  Hickam is also home to DPAAs state-of-the-art laboratory that interfaces on some level with all facets of the recovery process.   I have visited the lab, and it is truly an amazing place and another “one of a kind” required to enable DPAA do a job that is still  mind-boggling to me. I encourage families, veterans and others to visit the lab at Hickam, but you must make reservations ahead of time. Although Hickam is home to the “The Lab,” DPAA also has a satellite lab at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.  They also work closely with the Armed Forces DNA Identification  Laboratory (AFDIL), located at Dover Air Force Base, Maryland. 

SEEING IS BELIEVING

As the wife of a missing Vietnam War Marine, for whom this blog is dedicated, I can say with total honesty that I don’t believe there is another humanitarian effort that compares to DPAAs mandate to bring home the remains of our missing loved ones to the extent possible.  Field operations often involve a lot of prep work, such as clearing an area in Vietnam or Laos of UXOs (unexploded ordnance) before teams can begin to dig, hike and sift through buckets of dirt, unearthed from a crash site that has been fallow for nearly 50 years . Yet teams,composed of anthropologists; active duty military; Vietnamese; and others understand the gravity of their job and how important it is to families who pray for their loved one’s return.  Toiling in unbelievable heat, the team hopes to find remains,  a bone, a tooth or  life support gear that might belong to the pilot and/or crew who were shot down long ago.  I’ve been very fortunate to observe many interesting sights, as a professional writer over the years, but nothing compares to visiting Jerry’s crash site, thanks to an invitation, indirectly through a Vietnamese official, which is why I try to tell it like it is, and hopefully give readers an honest opinion, as witnessed through my  eyes.

This image was taken during my visit to Jerry’s crash site , June, 2012.

Please click on DPAA to go to their public website. 

Please click on FamWeb to go to DPAA’s Family website.

YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED

COMING SOON

— My recent review of Jerry’s case, received from DPAA officials during the Henderson meeting.

— A Woman’s determination not to give up  the search for her brother

— A professional female athlete accomplishes what seems like the impossible, to honor her dad who was killed in Laos in 1972 — she was 3 yrs. old at the time.  An amazing story!