[TPR] VIETNAM MIA's & POW'S

[Asa Jay Laughton]

Thanks Dennis,
In today's world, we seem to focus on the idea of "supporting" our 
troops.  Even after having served my own 20 years outside of real war 
time, I continue to give support to our men -and- women in the uniform 
military services.

The point that struck me the most was the piece on POWs.  I remember the 
days when the Secretary of State was working hard to put the POW issues 
to rest by finding and and resolving all POW issues.  But what ever 
happened to that?  Seems like we had a few repatriation flights that got 
great press coverage and then it all seemed to just disappear.

I look at today and you're right, there doesn't seem to be anyone in the 
administration whose concerned with it anymore.  I'm nearly certain that 
most of the Generals today don't even remember those troubled times like 
you do.  None seem to be fighting that cause.

Sure, many may have elected to stay, being offered good jobs and having 
families there.  It's water under the bridge at this point, but it sure 
would be nice to -know- if that's what happened.  For many family 
members the book has never closed, despite putting a new label on the 
name.  Moving it from POW to MIA-Presumed Dead, just doesn't sit well 
with some, especially those who have anecdotal evidence, as you suggest, 
that their loved one is still alive somewhere out there.

I felt some of the pain you put into your email, though I can't know or 
even begin to understand the depth.

Take care on your travels.

Asa Jay
< sent from Hotel Nevada with your truck and trailer parked out back and 
ItBWild parked out front>

Asa Jay Laughton, MSgt, USAFR, Retired
&  Shelley Marie
Spokane, WA
******************************
http://www.racingagainstautism.com
http://www.teampanteraracing.com
http://facebook.com/racingagainstautism


On 5/17/2012 8:38 PM, Teampantera wrote:
> FYI
>
> Teampantera<teampantera at yahoo.com>  wrote:
>
>> Makes me feel good that folks still remember the war dead...most  Americans do not have a clue.o not.
>>
>> Our veterans are the other silent 1% and in the war on terrorism those serving today are actually less then 1% so if you know a veteran or one currently serving reach out and...  "thank him or her for their service"...
>>
>> I paid my respects in Vietnam earlier this month to some brothers who I had the honor to serve with in VN. These team mates were killed in action and their bodies were sent home between 1967 and 1969 when I served. However, there was no memorial service in VN so I decided to go back.
>>
>> Many of our troops were not found in battle....and yes this has occured in every war since the beginning of time but my point is to address those MIA/POW from VN.
>>
>> Some were known POW's  to still bealive and in Vietnam at the wars end (1975)...and every year or so our government has changed many of those POW status to MIA even though the government had no evidence thatthese men were dead body...no evidence to support a documented POW was dead but it became a political convenience to declare that many of the POWs were lost and these men were as officially declared:
>> MIA - PRESUMED DEAD.
>>
>> You have probably seen the POW/MIA flag or pin. Its not flown universally in America but many city, county and state governments do display the flag in honor of our MIA and POW's.
>>
>> Much has been written about the American MIA/KIA's in VN???.you can find many books on the subject and I am not any kind of expert on this subject here but many records support known "sightings" of our POW/MIA's..long after our government declared there was no evidence to support anylive Americans were.still alive.
>>
>> in the years subsequent to the end of the war some of these sightings were shamefully dismissed by our government.
>>
>> I claim they were shamefully dismissed as senior members of our DOD who were dedicated to the recovery of these men acknowledged that LIVE American POW's were in fact still in Vietnam, Laos or had even been moved to Russia....the families of MIA's to this day still fight an uphillbattle getting anyone in Washington to acknowledge the truth...and the truth is that the US government turned its back on our POW's.
>>
>> Some of you may conclude now that I am some kind of "conspiracy thearist" and I wish it was as simple as claiming those who still believe some of these men are still alive are nuts or mad but I dont believe that to be the case and here's why.
>>
>> Memories blur with time but I remember when US Navy pilot Everett Alvarez was shot down over North Vietnam and held prisoner for 8 years...yes 8 years...he was quoted as saying he reached a point in his captivity that he knew he could and would survive any length of time or that time it would take him to escape or be either rescued or released.
>>
>> I mention all this because many other experts testified before Congress that the liklyhood of any of our POW's still being alive was highly remote.
>> Really? Yea, sad but true. POW and MIA families buried DOD and congressional members in years after all known POWs were "officially" released with suppoerting evidence of live sightings of either their son or husband but the search for remaining Pows or those.listed as MIA's stalled and eventually became a government position that there is no known evidence to suppprt that any LIVE POW's still exist.
>>
>> When I was in Vietnam last week i met some American and Australian expats living and either working or retired there...I was introduced to an American who returned to vietnam about 5 years after we flew the last choppers off embassy property.  He is married to a Vietnamese woman and his children live there with him and he has never went back to America since his return in mid 70's
>>
>> His journey is amazing...at wars end he was a contractor who he admitted waited too long to leave and then could not get his Vietnamese family out.  He found a way to return to Vietnam at a time you could not officially or legally visit Vietnam...he not only returned after the war but he started a business and will probably die in Vietnam without ever seeing America again. I wouldnt say he is angry...he is happy in Vietnam and lives a pretty good life.
>>
>> Having spent many years working and living abroad I have met many American Expatriates living abroad by choice. Many stayed or relocated to Thailand after they left Vietnam...many maried  aand made lives for themselves there and some returned to Vietnam to live... the Vietnamese government was and still is supporting American expatriates living there.
>>
>> THE QUESTION is how many of these men never left....thereis some evidence some stayed because they were in love with VIetnamese women and children with them.
>>
>> Again I mention this because many of these men came into contact  with other Americans who were  living in Vietnam and had heard stories that if an American POW had "skills" who could repair or maintain U.S. equipment, trucks, machinery etc he got "special" treatment and was encouraged to stay and suppoer the communists..before anyone (and many have) declares these men traitors consider our own governments lies on this subject.
>>
>> Such is the case of PFC Garwood who was released by Vietnamese way after the war ended...Garwood was a US Marine who had some claimed went AWOL and was either captured or gave himself up to the NVA...there is evidence that some of our released POW's met Garwood who they reported was living and I quote:
>> "Living openly with the enemy"
>>
>> BUT was he? When hewas released in late 70's or early 80's he was court marshalled as a deserter...and a deserter he may have been but there is evidence on his return to America and subsequent court marshall that Pfc Garwood reported meeting and talking to other Pow's who had been released but did not want to return to America.
>>
>> Garwood was not the first or the last to report this infprmation....Bo Gritz, a storied and well known Army Special Forces retired Lt. Col.  led a POW rescue mission as did some others...yet no more men came forward after PFC Garwood.
>>
>> The American I mentioned earlier suggested that the VNgovernment was quite happy to support those who wanted to stay....I am not here to argue for or against these men...the reality is NONE of them have ever been debriefed by US intlligence....Neither has Garwood....I think Garwwod may have died but his biggest regret was that no one in our government wanted to  talk to him...if true and I believe it is it is shameful.
>>
>> Today something like several thousand WWll veterans die ebery day....hundreds.more VN vets are in mid.to late 60's and 70's and are starting to age and pass on and soon we will havean entire generation lost who fought to get our goverment to make a real effort to ID these men but its not on the government priorty list.
>>
>>
>>
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