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.
Bless the families of these Marines, who finally have their loved ones back home.
Rest in peace, Marines.
Today's Arizona Republic only listed one name in a brief blurb: Lance Cpl. Luis F. Palacios.
Wouldn't do, you know, to give too much space to our heroes who made it possible for the editors to have a newspaper ... such as it is. /sarc
Some gave all.
Bump.
Please add me to the list if I am not already on it...
I suspect we won’t be getting much good news in the future - so I would love to hear of bringing our brothers back into the world....
God Bless them all.
Yes, please add me to your list.
Thank you.
Welcome Home, Marines.
In deference to Stonewall Jackson (who was the first to post, which resulted in PGR’s mission), I am posting this AAR to this thread and not as a new post.
At 7 AM 10 PGR members staged at the Mortuary to escort LCpl PALACIOS to the church.
At 7:40 AM we escorted our HERO about 8 miles to the church. Most people were courteous and let us interfere with their morning commute, some were not.
About 8 AM we formed a flag line (PGR in two lines holding US flags, one USMC and one POW/MIA flags). We were called to attention, present arms (US flags held up, USMC and POW/MIA dipped @ 45%) The orders were called by a retired USMC gunny, sounds like a drill instructor in the movies loud booming voice with a flourish. You have no doubt as to what he wants you to do.
Our HERO, LCpl PALACIOS’s flag draped casket was carried between the two lines by family members, followed by the family into the church. When the last family member entered we were commanded to order arms and dispersed back to our staging area until the services were over.
About 8:15 AM the rest of our group arrived, 40 bikes consisting of 38 bikes and 2 trikes. They came in twos, fives, and a large group of 15. They came from all over So Calif. some as far as 200 miles many called in sick to their jobs. Some stayed outside and most joined in the service.
10 AM we formed a flag line same as the first with the exception that it was much larger. Those without flags who were military saluted and those that were not held hand over the heart. When we were commanded to order arms we were also ordered to mount up and stand by.
We staged on the street awaiting the coach with our HERO and his family lead by two bikes with large US, USMC and POW/MIA flags proudly billowing in the wind. The two bikes followed by the coach, family limo, 48 bikes most with flags, one PGR cage with yellow flashing light, 39 cars of friends and others honoring LCpl PALACIOS, and Los Angeles County Fire Dept aerial truck and squad.(latter) departed our 10 mile journey to the cemetery.
At the commentary three full squads of USMC Honor Guards in dress blues met us. We formed a flag line with all in attendance joining in since it was about 30 yards from the paved road to LCpl PALACIOS”s final resting place.. As always happens some confusion as to what commands to follow. Some of us followed the Honor Guards commands and some of us followed the PGR commands.
7 USMC Honor Guards carried LCpl PALACIOS to his place of HONOR, He earned a salute of three volleys fired by 7 Marines in perfect and I mean perfect synchronization and the playing of taps with all in attendance at present arms (no verbal commands given),
LCpl PALACIOS’s Platoon Commander on 06 June 1968 who said a few words. He flew in last night from the east coast just to render Honors. We were dismissed at this point.
It was my great Honor to stand for you LCpl Palacios, thank you for your profound sacrifice, Welcome Home and you were not forgotten.
Our HERO’s resting place and memorial plate was purchased over 30 years just for this occasion by his parents. It is very sad that they passed before knowing.
All of LCpl PALACIOS’s large family have served in the military most in the Marines.
The Fire trucks left shortly after the ride to the cemetery started, seemed strange to me at the time, since then, I found out they were called to a major fire in the area. LEO also attended.
There kcal9 was there and has story on TV according to my wife, look to my tag line as to why no link.
I am not liberty to give details, however, PGR special ANC unit will be conducting HONORS at Arlington.
And a big thanks you to Stonewall Jackson, without you this mission would have been more difficult or not taken place at all.
Sorry if parts of the above are incoherent, very little sleep last several days.
Aquakat
I had the opportunity to see the PGR in action this past spring, in Radcliff, Kentucky. The Westboro wackos were attempting to disrupt the funeral of a local soldier who'd been killed in Iraq. Four of the scumbags arrived and found themselves confronted by over four hundred PGRs and over five hundred locals (including my dad and myself) who'd come out to pay our respects. The local LEOs ended up having to escort them out of town before things got uglier than they already were.
Thank you for the AAR and thank you for standing by this Marine.
The clip by kcal9 is here:
http://cbs2.com/local/Cypress.Vietnam.MIA.2.859516.html
Palacios’ brother, a member of the Marine Corps League and Retired Lt. Col. Bill Negron are on the clip.
Thank you for the ping. I join the others in giving thanks for this Marine’s service and those responsible for the return of his remains.
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