Posted on 11/05/2008 12:13:29 PM PST by Stonewall Jackson
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of four U.S. servicemen, missing from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
They are Lance Cpl. Kurt E. La Plant, of Lenexa, Kan., and Lance Cpl. Luis F. Palacios, of Los Angeles, Calif. Remains that could not be individually identified are included in a group. Among the group remains are Lance Cpl. Ralph L. Harper, of Indianapolis, Ind., and Pfc. Jose R. Sanchez, of Brooklyn, N.Y. All men were U.S. Marine Corps. Palacios will be buried Friday in Bellflower, Calif., and the other Marines will be buried as a group in the Spring in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
On June 6, 1968, these men were aboard a CH-46A Sea Knight helicopter that was attempting an emergency extraction of elements of the 1st Battalion, 4th Regiment, 3rd Marine Division then engaged against hostile forces in the mountains southwest of Khe Sanh, Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. The helicopter was struck by enemy ground fire and crashed, killing 12 of the 23 crewmen and passengers on board. All but four of the men who died were subsequently recovered and identified.
Between 1993 and 2005, joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated the incident in Quang Tri Province, interviewed witnesses and surveyed the crash site three times. The team found a U.S. military boot fragment and wreckage consistent with that of a CH-46 helicopter.
In 2006, a team began excavating the site and recovered human remains and non-biological material evidence including La Plant’s identification tag. While at the site, a Vietnamese citizen turned over to the team human remains the he claimed to have found amid the wreckage. In 2007, another team completed the excavation and recovered additional human remains, life support material and aircraft wreckage.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1420.
Amen.
Yes, welcome home Marines and prayers up for your loved ones.
Welcome home, brave sons.
Welcome home heroes.
Welcome home, Marines. RIP.
I'm glad that their remains were found and identified and that they're coming home. It's good that the families will have closure.
A grateful nation loves you all, brave Marines.
ping
Welcome home.
Thank you JPAC for continuing searches.
Bless you, heroes. RIP
gnip...
Welcome home dear heroes! RIP
You might have crossed paths. The Churchville-Chili Class of 1966 made a memorial for Jimmy after his remains were found and it was dedicated in July 2007. It's above the stadium. Jimmy was an athlete, soccer (an intregal player on the CCHS Section V Champion team in the Fall of 1965), wrestling and track. He had a full ride to UB but opted to serve his country. Here's a link to the Chili town blog about the Memorial dedication ceremony, it was very moving.
Local Marine James E. Widener Garden of Recognition was dedicated on Saturday
My big brother was in the Class of '66 at McQuaid and my cousin was also Class of '66 at Bishop Kearney.
USMC coming home! PING
Another Marine has come home......on his shield.
May he find eternal peace among his brothers and loved ones.
Hand Salute................two
RIP United States Marines
LCpl Kurt E La Plant Lenexa, KS
LCpl Luis F Palacios Los Angeles CA
LCpl Ralph L Harper Indianapolis IN
Pfc Jose R Sanchez Brooklyn NY
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