Defense Department Updates Vietnam War MIA Families
_ _ The Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) hosted a
series of national government briefings for approximately 200 family members of
Vietnam War MIAs Thursday and Friday in Arlington, Va.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/MIA Affairs Jerry D.
Jennings, who served as the senior host for the annual government briefings, opened
the two-day event by highlighting recent breakthroughs in the POW/MIA issue with
Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Jennings is responsible for policy oversight and
control of the worldwide mission to account for America's missing from all
conflicts.
The annual gathering was tailored to address the concerns of families
whose loved ones are missing from the Vietnam War. Of the more than 88,000
Americans who are missing in action from all conflicts, 1,858 are from the Vietnam
War.
Throughout the year, families receive individualized updates on their
specific cases. These government briefings in Washington present broader
information on the effort to account for missing servicemen. The presentations
last week covered a wide range of topics including negotiations with North Korea,
China and Russia; archival research; field investigations and recovery operations;
and the use of DNA in identifying remains.
Casualty officers from each of the military services, as well as
specialists from DPMO and other Department of Defense agencies, updated individual
family members on the status of their cases. Jennings also met with leaders of
several family organizations as well as with dozens of family members.
The DPMO holds similar updates in cities across the country, as well as
two annual government briefings in Washington, and has reached more than 10,000
family members through this outreach effort.
Additional information on POW/MIA accounting may be found on the DPMO
web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo [http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo] or by calling (703)
699-1169.
From my home town. Did not know Bruce, I was friend's with his brother in highschool.
God Bless All
Thanks for your post, Dubya
Never Forget