Document 6556541

®
ROLLING THUNDER TIMES
October 2014
National
Rolling Thunder®, Inc.
17th Annual Conference
November 7-8, 2014
Hyatt Regency Crystal City VA
703-418-1234
Rate $109.00/Per Night
$14.00 Parking Per Day
Ask for the Rolling Thunder®, Inc. Rate
Volume 19 Issue 10
Upcoming New Jersey Events
October 2014
10/5 National: Somerville Fall Festival Street Fair, Main St. Somerville, NJ 11:00 am
10/16 National: Lyons VA PTSD Ward Visit 7PM
10/19 National: Regular monthly meeting, Manville, VFW, 1P
November 2014
11/4 ELECTION DAY!! Don’t Forget To Vote!!!!
11/7-8 National Conference The Hyatt Crystal City, VA
11/11 VETERANS DAY!!!
11/16 National: Lyons VA Nursing Home Visit 7PM
11/19 National: Regular monthly meeting, Manville, VFW, 1PM
Inclement weather may result in a delay or rescheduling of a VA visit.
For information please call 908-647-0180 ext 427 to find out if the event is still on for the scheduled
date. Schedule on last page.
Come Check us out on Facebook and Like Us!
We would like to thank every one of you that came out to
the Philadelphia Stand Down! It is very rewarding to give
the Veterans a hot meal and talk a little to them. Thanks
again for your support in our Mission to give a hand up, not
a hand out.
Joe & Sandy Bean
Philadelphia Stand Down
Food Chairpersons
Rolling Thunder® Charities Inc. TD Bank Affinity Program
Affinity Code/AG 113
Help Rolling Thunder® Charities Inc.
Wreaths Across America
We will be placing wreaths on 1,300
veterans graves at the
Somerset Hills Memorial Park, Basking
Ridge, NJ
Your DONATION will help make this
project successful
This event is to honor the men and
women of our armed forces who put
themselves in harm’s way
When one American is not
worth the effort to be found,
we as Americans have lost.
$50 for every NEW checking account with TD Bank
$10 for every EXISITING check account with TD Bank
All Rolling Thunder®, Inc. Chapters can raise funds for
Veterans in their area.
See Flyer on page 13
Chapter Events – Page 5
Biographies POW/MIA – Page 6
Monthly Meeting Minutes – No Minutes Due to NJ2 Run
Bits & Pieces – Pages 7-9
“When one American is not worth the effort to be found, we as Americans have lost”
ROLLING THUNDER®, INC.
Mission Statement
®
The major function of Rolling Thunder , Inc. is to
publicize the POW/MIA issue: To educate the public
that many American Prisoners of War were left behind
after all previous wars, and to help correct the past and
to protect future veterans from being left behind
should they become Prisoners Of War -Missing In
Action. We are also committed to helping American
veterans from all wars.
_______________________________________________
®
Rolling Thunder , Inc. is a non -profit organization and
everyone donates his or her time because they believe in
the POW-MIA issue. All meetings must be orderly and
every member must be heard. Everyone is as important as
the next. Everyone has different views and we must all
work together in an orderly manner.
Every Chapter must have an agenda to run a meeting.
Everyone must get their turn to talk about any issue that
®
concerns Rolling Thunder , Inc. and its members
Officers:
Executive Director
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Chairman of the Board
Meetings are held on:
3rd Sunday of every month at 1:00PM
Meeting Location: VFW 600 Washington St. Manville, NJ
(unless otherwise indicated in the events section)
ARTICLES IN THIS NEWSLETTER ARE NOT
NECESSARILY THE VIEWS OR OPINIONS OF
ROLLING THUNDER®, INC.
To offer information to the newsletter it must be submitted by the
15th of the month to get in the next month’s newsletter.
Newsletter Editor: National Office
P.O. Box 216, Neshanic Station, NJ 08853
Phone: 908 -369-5439 Fax: 908 -369-2072
Email:[email protected]
Website: www.rollingthunder1.org
Come Check us out on Facebook and Like Us!
Media & Public Relations
Artie Muller
Gary Scheffmeyer
Joe Bean
Elaine Martin
Ted Glover
Tom D'Alessio
908-369-5439
908-735-4861
610-792-3626
908-442-4491
908-475-2874
732-968-3880
Gus Dante
Nancy Bottrel
Tom McAtee
Nancy Regg
Ted Zabohonski
Jay Horne
908-369-7721
609-306-5248
908-797-4200
908-310-3268
215-778-3606
908-752-5309
Joe Baum
Bill Riley, Jr.
973-875-5912
201-704-7205
National Attorney
Bob Kuchinsky
National Veteran
Rights Officer
Head of Security &
Sergeant-at-Arms
Quartermaster
Rob Stroka
Bob Piscopo
Board of Directors:
®
The Constitution and By-Laws of Rolling Thunder , Inc. will not be
changed or altered by any Chapter and everyone must abide by
this constitution.
Nancy Regg
908-310-3268
Gerry Franke
609-577-8898
[email protected]
Run Coordinator
[email protected]
Sunshine Committee
[email protected]
Kate Fentzlaff
Cell
570-242-7998
Packages for the Troops
[email protected]
Frank Fentzlaff-Cell
Home
908-246-3567
610-381-4361
Chapter Reports/
Relations
Pete Zaleski
732-308-1051
Education Committee
Gary Domanski
908-369-4785
908 -782-4911
WWII/Korea War
Emil Gural
908-561-6091
Tom Bender
908-391-9043
Gulf War Affairs
Gus Dante
908-369-7721
Steve Prager
551-580-2904
Gold Star Mothers
Committee
Joe Baum
973-875-5912
Lyons VA Hospital Visits
[email protected]
Lucy Walsh
Color Guard
Jay Horne
Chapters Activity Report
Alt. Board Members:
Federal Legislative & Government Affairs
Eddie Rutledge
Tom Bender
Government Links
www.house.gov
Congress Operator
202-224-3121
908-797-2312
732-926-8331
317-363-1922
908-391-9043
®
908-735-8756
908-500-5826
908-752-5309
KIA Service & Remembrance Tom D’Alessio
732-968-3880
Junior Members Comm.
Pat Kerr
732-388-0864
John McKendree
662-607-0611
www.senate.gov
Membership Committee/Junior Membership/Roster:
Nancy Bottrel [email protected] 609-306-5248
Rolling Thunder Inc. Newsletter
Cell
October 2014
Flame of Freedom
www.rtflameoffreedom.com
Page 2
Gary’s Letter to Rolling Thunder®
Dear Members;
Happy fall season! Here in the Northeast right before summer ended we had fall weather and now that it
is fall we are having summer weather. I hope the warm weather holds out for a long time and postpones
the inevitable, WINTER! It is only a few months away (Dec. 21) and the early prediction says that it is
going to be cold and snowy. I hope they are wrong. I had enough fun last year.
On Sunday, 09/21/14, Chapter 2 New Jersey held their annual “Ride for Freedom”. This was the
19th year for the demonstration ride that starts at Warinanco Park, Roselle, NJ and ends at the New
Jersey Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Holmdel, New Jersey. For as long as I can remember the weather
has always been good for this event. A number of years ago it was raining but the event went on as
scheduled. This year it was not raining but it was cloudy with a threat of showers. The demonstration ride
made it to the Memorial and it was not until everything was over that a small shower appeared. The
numbers for this event vary but this year’s numbers may have been hampered by the threat of rain and
another event in south Jersey. It is reported that there were only a little over 2000 bikes which means
participation was down considerably. I look forward to next year when it will be their 20th anniversary.
Over a week ago, National members went to the Lyons VA Nursing Home and had hoagies and
played bingo with the Veterans. As always they are very glad to see us and they do love playing bingo,
especially when they are winning. We will see them again in November because next month National
goes to the PTSD unit at Lyons VA Hospital.
Almost everything is finalized for the 2014 National Conference on Nov. 7th and 8th, so if anyone
has any suggestions please let me know as soon as possible. As in past years the Conference is being
held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Crystal City, VA. It is located at 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway,
Arlington, VA 22202. The phone number for hotel reservations is 703-418-1234. Make sure you call
between the hours of 9AM and 5PM and ask for in-house reservations. This is being done to ensure that
you are able to get the Rolling Thunder® Inc. room discount. The room rate for this year is $109.00 (plus
tax) and the parking is $14.00 per day. The Rolling Thunder® Inc. rate is being held until October 14,
2014 so make your reservations early. I look forward to seeing everyone there.
Please keep our Troops and the POW/MIA’s in your hearts and in your prayers.
“Thank you, Veterans!” and “God Bless America!
Yours truly,
Gary M. Scheffmeyer
National President
Rolling Thunder® Inc.
®
Rolling Thunder Inc. Newsletter
October 2014
Page 3
Ronald Bartolanzo 68, Vietnam Veterans, U.S. Army, Raritan
Robert Lobosco 72, Vietnam Veteran, U.S. Army, Bridgewater
WWII REMAINS IDENTIFIED
st
1 Lt. William D. Bernier, U.S.A.F., MT
KOREAN WAR REMAINS IDENTIFIED
Pfc. Arthur Richardson, U.S. Army, MA
Thomas M. Zielinkski 67, passed away August 2, 2014. He was a Vietnam Veteran serving in the U.S.A.F. He was a member of Rolling
Thunder® Chapter 1 PA for over 11 years. He served the chapter on Government Affairs, POW/MIA, Public Relations and Donations
Committee. Tom was always ready to help and very dedicated. He will be missed by all. May he ride free in the Heavens above.
Richa l. Lane 58, passed away August 4, 2014. He was a Vietnam Era and a Gulf War Veteran. He has been a member of Rolling
Thunder® Chapter 11 FL for a short time. He helped with fund raising events until he became ill. He will be missed by all. May he ride
free in the Heavens above.
Girolamo Padova 74, passed away September 9, 2014. He was a Vietnam Veteran serving in the U.S.A.F. He was a member of Rolling
Thunder® Chapter 2 New Hampshire for one year. He was active until he passed. He will be missed by all. Ay he ride free in the
Heavens above.
Our respect to all family and friends. May our Brothers and Sisters be at Peace with the Lord. May those who served
Honorably Rest in Peace in the soil they fought for Freedom for all. Those who remain Prisoners of War/Missing in Action,
body not recoverable, we will "Never Forget You."
Let us remember those who have given their lives for our freedom in the War against Terrorist and Operation Iraqi
Freedom (Gulf War II). May God keep our troops safe. .
WHEN ONE AMERICAN IS NOT WORTH THE EFFORT TO BE FOUND,
WE AS AMERICAN'S HAVE LOST!
Remember our troops killed in action and those serving in
Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
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Rolling Thunder Inc. Newsletter
October 2014
Page 4
ROLLING THUNDER® INC. 2014 EVENTS SCHEDULE
REVISED 10/2/14
Monthly
Monthly
Monthly
Monthly
Monthly
06/08/14
06/14/14
06/14/14
09/04/14
09/18/14
09/20/14
09/29/14
10/11/14
10/11/14
10/12/14
10/13/14
10/18/14
10/23/83
11/10/14
12/03/14
12/05/15
12/13/14
12/31/14
National: Membership meeting 3rd Sunday each month, Manville, NJ VFW
908-369-5439
National: Lyons VA Hospital, 3rd Thursday each month (except May, Dec)
908-369-5439
IN2: Membership meeting 3rd Thursday each month, Honkers Restaurant
574-206-5023
MS1: MS Vets Home Visit, Oxford MS, 3rd Sunday monthly
662-234-1084
st
NC2: Bingo at NC State Vets Home, Bldg10, 1 Friday monthly 6:30 pm
704-872-3725
USS LIBERTY ATTACKED BY ISREALI FORCES (06/08/1967)
US ARMY BIRTHDAY (06/14/1775)
FLAG DAY
US COAST GUARD BIRTHDAY (09/04/1790)
US AIR FORCE BIRTHDAY (09/18/1947)
POW/MIA RECOGNITION DAY
GOLD STAR MOTHERS DAY
IN2: Spaghetti Dinner, Battle Creek VA Medical Center, Bldg 5, 4PM
574-206-5023
OH2: 5th Annual Chapter 2 Ohio Gun Bash, 12 Noon, Summit County Fairgrounds,
O’Casek Party Center, Akron, Ohio Tickets $55.00 each
330-201-2258
USS COLE ATTACKED BY TERRORISTS (10/12/2000)
US NAVY BIRTHDAY (10/13/1775)
NC6: Annual Chicken Stew, 5PM, American Legion Post 290, Main St., King, NC
$6.00 per person, 50/50, Raffle items, Door Prizes (The Best Chicken Stew)
336-971-3272
BEIRUT BARRACKS BOMBING (START OF WAR ON TERRORISM)
US MARINE CORPS BIRTHDAY (11/10/1775)
National: Lyons VA Hospital, PTSD Ward, Annual Christmas Party
908-369-5439
NC2:NC State Veterans Home, Salisbury NC, Xmas Party, Santa & Presents
704-872-3725
IN2: Christmas Party, Battle Creek VA Medical Center, Bldg 6, 5PM
574-206-5023
IN2: New Year’s Eve Party, Battle Creek VA Medical Center, Bldg 6
574-206-5023
®
Rolling Thunder Inc. Newsletter
October 2014
Page 5
POW Biographies
MAGEE, PATRICK JOSEPH
Name: Patrick Joseph Magee
Rank/Branch: E6/US Army
Unit: HHC, 223rd Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade
Date of Birth: 22 September 1946 (Butte MT)
Home City of Record: Alder MT
Date of Loss: 03 January 1971
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 134700N 1090630E (BR960250)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 4
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: U6 "Beaver"
Refno: 1687
Source: Compiled from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence
with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK in 1998.
Other Personnel In Incident: Thomas R. Okerlund; Dennis W. Omelia; Luis G. Holguin; Carl Palen; Ferris Rhodes;
Michael Parsons (all missing)
SYNOPSIS: On January 3, 1971, Capt. Ferris A. Rhodes, Jr. was the pilot of a U6 "Beaver" (serial #52-25884), carrying
six passengers: 1Lt. Michaeld D. Parsons, WO1 Thomas R. Okerland, WO1 Dennis W. Omelia; WO1 Luis G. Holguin;
SP6 Patrick J. Magee; and SP5 Carl A. Palen. This was an administrative
support flight from Qui Nhon to Ban Me Thuot, South Vietnam, to collect replacement helicopters for the company. Some
of the men aboard were helicopter pilots, and would fly the choppers back to the base at Qui Nhon.
The U6 "Beaver" is an older, fixed wing aircraft of reasonable size (bigger than a "Bird Dog", for instance), rather short
and squatty with a somewhat wide body. The aircraft departed Qui Nhon at about 0900 hours on January 3 without filing a
proper flight plan, nor was the weather briefing obtained prior to takeoff. About 14 miles southeast of Phu Cat, at 1120
hours, radio and radar contact was lost with the plane.
Because Capt. Rhodes had announced plans to remain overnight at Ban Me Thuot, no immediate searches were made.
By January 9, when Rhodes and his passengers still had not returned, search efforts were begun at 0900 hours, and
continued throughout the day with no sign of the aircraft or its
personnel.
The area of takeoff was tricky and the weather conditions were not good. Other pilots said that if planes taking off did not
reach a safe altitude fast enough, they would crash into a mountain. Cruising speed for the "Beaver" was a mere 106 mph
making it a prime target for flak. Conditions in the area indicated that the aircraft was shot down, and several years
passed before the crew was finally declared dead.
Evidence mounts that Americans are still alive in Southeast Asia. It is not known for sure if any of the crew of the U6
survived and are among them, but there is no evidence that they are dead. If they survived, they could still be alive. If not,
then someone else's brother, son, husband, father is alive. We owe them our very best effort to bring them home
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Rolling Thunder Inc. Newsletter
October 2014
Page 6
National Alliance of Families
For the Return of America’s Missing Servicemen
World War II + Korea + Cold War + Vietnam + Gulf Wars + Afghanistan
Janella Apodaca Rose – 406-652-3528
Lynn O’Shea - 718-846-4350
E-mail [email protected]
E-mail [email protected]
Ann Holland – [email protected] Web Site www.nationalalliance.org
The National Alliance of Families Mourns the Passing of – Mary Spencer, mother of long time POW/MIA activist Danny “Greasy” Belcher. To the Belcher
family we offer our deepest sympathy.
The IG Report – Scheduled for release at the end of July, the DoD Inspector General Report on dysfunction within the POW/MIA accounting effort has yet to see
the light of day. The report a “stinging rebuke” of the governments POW/MIA accounting effort, now sits on Secretary Hagel’s desk.
Fortunately, we managed to obtain a copy of the draft report. The IG report detailed the mismanagement and leadership failures at the Central Identification
Laboratory. We were please to find the IG agrees with the Alliance positon that for the new effort to succeed there must be a change in leadership and
management. The IG report also deals with a number of other issues among them, sun setting the mission, methods of identification, and determining an accurate
number of recoverable MIA’s and Proving once again Tom Holland, Johnie Webb along with others must go.
Here are some of the points made in the IG Report.
The IG Report on the Central Identification Laboratory [Begin Excerpt] Approximately 50 current and former members of the MIA accounting community have submitted complaints to the DoD IG and
Congress regarding various alleged leadership and management derelictions and abuse. Most of these allegations dealt with JPAC and the CIL.
The assessment team contacted and interviewed all complainants referred to the OIG by Congress. While the team was at JPAC and the CIL in
February and March 2014, approximately 45 people contacted the team to submit complaints about JPAC and CIL management. The team interviewed
many of the complainants at off-site locations.
There have been a number of command climate surveys conducted at JPAC and the CIL over the years, the last one published in April 2014. However,
according to the employees interviewed, the command has not implemented corrective actions and the problems persist.
The incidents triggering these allegations occurred over a number of years and paint a picture of long-term leadership and management problems
resulting in a hostile and dysfunctional work environment.
For the reorganization of the accounting community announced by the Secretary of Defense on March 31, 2014 to be successful, the DoD must correct
these leadership problems before JPAC and DPMO are merged into the new Defense agency. [End Excerpt]
The IG Report on Past Investigations/Reviews of both JPAC and DPMO [Begin Excerpt] During the last 10 years, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoD
OIG), the U.S. Pacific Command Office of the Inspector General (USPACOM IG), Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE), Congressional
Research Service, Library of Congress (CRS), and the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) issued multiple reports discussing DoD’s POW/MIA mission
performance issues and made extensive recommendations for improvement. Based on our DoD IG inspection, it was not apparent that many of these
recommendations were ever implemented. [End Excerpt]
Alliance Comments on the IG Report:

Leadership and Management problems at the CIL translate to Webb and Holland.

Over the next year or two, expect to see a dramatic reduction of the present number of 83,000 unaccounted personnel to a number of approximately
33,000. This reduction will come with the removed of individuals involved in deep water losses, primarily involving World War II losses, although we
should expect some Korea/Cold War and Vietnam losses to be included in the approximate number of 50,000.

The IG report did not address the issue of correcting past mistakes. In our opinion, it is premature to discuss ending recovery missions, when past
efforts were so badly mishandled. There must be a mechanism for correcting past mistakes while moving forward.
We Told You So - Pardon us for stopping here for a “we told you so moment.” The National Alliance of Families began calling for the removal of Johnie Webb in
1998, and for a change in the methods used by the Central Identification Laboratory to identify remains in 1995. We pointed out DPMO’s penchant for editing
reports or deleting information from case summaries to support Vietnamese versions of a case, allowing DPMO to declare a case “fate determined” when the
evidence points otherwise. The efforts of both the lab and DPMO allowed for the naming of remains rather than their identification. Many of these identifications
would not stand in a court of law.
Counting Down to January 1, 2015 - That is the day the new POW/MIA accounting agency will “stand up.” When this process started, we stated we were
“cautiously optimistic.” From experience, we knew we had nothing to base this optimism on, beyond the law of averages. DOD has to get something on the
POW/MIA issue right at some point even by accident.
Now, four months out from the stand up of the new agency our level of optimism is taking a nosedive.
We have heard little on the actual reorganization effort. We did receive a set of briefing slides outlining the “vision” for the new effort. The slides were long on
buzzwords and platitudes with no solid information. In our response, we asked one question. “Where’s the beef?” At four months out, we have no idea of the
organizational structure of the new agency, or how it plans to accomplish its mission. DOD is sharing no solid information with the families.
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Rolling Thunder Inc. Newsletter
October 2014
Page 7
Here Is What We Know –
1. Dr. Thomas Holland Scientific Director & Deputy to the Commander for Central Identification Laboratory Operations is telling anyone who will listen
that he was fired and his services at the CIL end on 1 January 2015. Alisa Stack Director, Personnel Accounting Consolidation Task Force (PACT) said
during a conference call with family groups that no one has been fired. She did say that there would be some realignment of personnel but no decisions
have been made. It appears this is a word game.
The fact is Holland must go. Hopefully, his departure will put an end to the sign-offs of scientifically unsupportable identifications. In fairness, we must
point out Dr. Holland’s sign-off of these shoddy identifications would not stand without the support of senior management at both JPAC and DPMO. We,
once again, make it clear without a change in senior and mid-level management any reorganization is doomed. Those involved in the reorganization
effort are unable or unwilling to commit to any personnel changes.
2. Michael Lumpkin, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict, the man Secretary of Defense Hagel put in charge of
the effort to reorganize the POW/MIA accounting community is no longer involved in the process. When Secretary Hagel made his announcement of
the reorganization, Mr. Lumpkin became the face of this effort. To us changing leadership mid-mission makes no sense. In fact, we believe it
detrimental to the mission.
What began as an attitude of “cautious optimism” is slipping toward an attitude of “it is going to be business as usual.”
We are also hearing rumors of other dismissals within the Lab at JPAC and removals at the upper levels of JPAC management. However, until those rumors are
confirmed we will not comment on them, other than to say,
Why Does Johnie Webb Still Have a Job?
Musings and Speculation – The comments in this section are purely our speculation. We base our speculation on past inactions and reactions asking the
question, why DOD and Congress reacted this time to dysfunction and mismanagement within the POW/MIA accounting effort.
The leak of the Cole Report led to unprecedented congressional and senior DOD management reaction. However, a close look at the Cole Report and the
subsequent GAO Report reveals no truly new accusations against JPAC or DPMO. The same failures chronicled in the Cole and GAO reports are found in reports
and investigations’ going back to the mid-1980’s. As the IG report noted many of the failures found today were found years ago, with management ignoring
corrective recommendations. The failures found in the 1980s simply carried through as personnel moved from one agency or position to another, eventually
evolving into the JPAC and DPMO of today.
The Cole and GAO reports and now the IG report focus primarily on the lab section at JPAC. Beyond the inability of DPMO and JPAC to work together, to develop
proper plans and policy to accomplish its mission, there is little mention of the monumental failures we all know exist within DPMO.
We guess our question is why was the reaction to the Cole and GAO reports so swift and sweeping? What was so different about these reports? The accusations
in the reports are old news, mismanagement, poor leadership, falsification of data, ongoing harassment both professional and sexual, wasteful expenditures, and
no clearly defined mission policy.
So why now, why this long overdue reaction now? Is there another shoe that has not dropped? Is there something more, something we don’t know about? We
do not know, that’s why it’s called speculation.
JPACs K208 Project – On September 1, 2014, Voice of America reported on JPAC efforts to identify a group of remains designated as K208. These remains
could possibly represent up to 600 Korean War MIAs, repatriated in the early 1990s. We excerpt the following from the VOA article.
[Begin VOA Article] The process of identifying American remains from the Korean War has picked up speed. Out of the 208 boxes of U.S. remains
that Pyongyang handed over to Washington in the early 1990s, a total of 49 were identified in the last three years.
That is a large increase from earlier efforts, when only 61 bodies were identified between 1992 and 2011. The progress came after the Joint POW/MIA
Accounting Command (JPAC) launched its "K208 Project Team" in 2011.
The process sped up significantly with the use of state-of-the-art DNA identification technology based on the remains’ location information.
In an interview with the VOA Korean service, forensic anthropologist Jennie Jin, who’s leading the project, attributed the advancement in DNA analysis
and comparison technology to the breakthrough in JPAC’s findings. "There were many instances where remains that look like they are from one person
actually had different people’s bones assembled together," Jin said. "In such cases, [a] DNA test is crucial."
While Pyongyang claimed each box represented a single U.S. service member lost during the war, the American team found that most boxes contained
remains from more than one individual.
According to K208, the boxes from Pyongyang also contain remains of South Korean and possibly other United Nations Command soldiers.
The minimum number of remains in the 208 boxes is estimated to be around 600. "We have to use anatomical, anthropological testing, as well as
precise DNA identification," Jin said. The Korean-American manager said DNA samples acquired from surviving family members contributed greatly to
speeding up the process. According to Jin, the information found in DNA testing is not very useful until it can be compared to the DNA testing results of
their family members.
"Back in 1999, we could only attain 15 percent of DNA samples from the family members. Now we have 89 percent," Jin said. That means JPAC
acquired DNA samples of around 14,000 people in the last decade.
In addition to the work by JPAC, the U.S. military also has identified more than 30 remains from the Korean War through other projects. [End VAO
Article]
Alliance Comment: In the approximately 20 years the K208 remains have been at the lab, there were 110 identifications. That is an overall average of 5.5
identifications per year. Our question here is why the lab waited almost 20 years before initiating its K208 Project. It is disgraceful that remains wait at the lab
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Rolling Thunder Inc. Newsletter
October 2014
Page 8
unidentified when a nuclear DNA centric program could identify these servicemen, faster, less expensively and more accurately that the current method of mt-DNA
testing.
How the South Koreans Are Getting the Job Done – The South Korean government has an active effort to find the remains of its soldiers missing from the
Korean War. We excerpt the following article dated September 1, 2014 from the Korean Herald.
[Being excerpt] In a four-month project that began in April to find remains of missing service personnel, some 46,000 soldiers dug out sites in 56 regions
across the country to recover the bodies, according to the ministry. The excavation team will analyze the registry of missing soldiers and conduct DNA
tests to trace their families after retrieving their remains, it added.
"Today, we kicked off another four-month excavation project, mobilizing some 50,000 soldiers to search some 46 regions for those missing," a defense
ministry official said.
It is part of the military's excavation project, which first began in 2000 based upon records of former battle sites and registered soldiers during the threeyear conflict, to repatriate the remains to their families.
So far, 9,339 bodies have been recovered, with 8,178 of them identified as South Korean soldiers, according to the ministry. [End excerpt]
We confirmed the South Korean government is using the far more accurate nuclear DNA program to identify its missing soldiers.
One Hundred Years Ago - July 28, 2014 marked the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I. It also marked the beginning of the Communist practice of
holding back of any Prisoner of War and American policy of denying their existence. As noted in a report titled “An Examination of U.S. Policy Toward POW/MIAs
by the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Republican Staff in 1991 (commonly known as the Helms Report),
“The U.S. Government did not publicly admit that U.S. military personnel remained in the custody of the Red Army in Russia upon the return of the
American Expeditionary Force in Russia. However, on April 18, 1921, the New York Times reported:
It has been demonstrated that the Soviet government is holding Americans
in the hope that the United States will agree to recognize the Soviet [government]
or enter into trade relations with it or release communists from prison in this country…”
So began a century of Communist policy to hold back American and Allied POWs from World War I, World War II, Korea, the Cold War and Vietnam. Others like
Saddam learned well and continued the practice.
Let’s Send Lethal Weapons to Vietnam - If Senator John McCain has his way that is exactly what we will do. On August 18, 2014, John Boudreu of Bloomberg
News reported McCain wants to lift the ban on the sale of lethal weapons to Vietnam. We excerpt the following from the Boudreu article.
[Begin Excerpt] McCain, who along with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse met with Vietnamese government officials in Hanoi yesterday, said that the U.S.
is willing to step up military cooperation with its former enemy and that the weapons ban could be lifted as early as September. “Now is the time for
Vietnam and the United States to take a gigantic leap together,” McCain said at a press conference in Hanoi.
….McCain, a Republican member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Foreign Relations Committee, had previously opposed lifting the ban
because of Vietnam’s human rights record. While more needs to be done, Vietnam has improved in that area, he said yesterday.
A push by McCain “should carry weight,” Thayer said. “The symbolic effect is Vietnam is no longer ostracized,” he said. “It becomes like a Malaysia or
an Indonesia, countries the U.S. has no qualms about selling appropriate weapons. For Vietnam, it opens up the Sears and Roebuck Catalog they can
go through.” [End Excerpt]
Recommended Reading Abandoned in Place - The Men We Left Behind and the Untold Story of Operation Pocket Change the Joint Special Operations Command
Planned Rescue of American POWs Held in Laos Six Years After the End of the Vietnam War by Lynn O’Shea - available at amazon.com
“Shot down January 27, 1973, hours before the signing of the Paris Peace Accords, Search and Rescue forces reported Morris and Peterson
activated their emergency beeper signals. Lt. Peterson made voice contact with circling aircraft. After a brief period, Lt. Peterson radioed: “This
is NAIL 89' er. I'm going to be captured! Asked to repeat his transmission he radioed; “I'm going to be captured!”
George Morris and Mark Peterson two servicemen “Abandoned in Place.”
HELP! We are in desperate need of donations. Even an all-volunteer organization needs operating funds. We cannot continue our
work without your support. Please consider a donation to the Nation Alliance of Families. We know these are difficult economic times, but we really need your
assistance. You can now donate from our website by credit card via PayPal. Checks may be mailed to:
National Alliance of Families
c/o Janella A. Rose
2528 Poly Drive
Billings, Montana 59102-1442
Remember, donations are tax deductible!
®
Rolling Thunder Inc. Newsletter
October 2014
Page 9
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Rolling Thunder Inc. Newsletter
October 2014
Page 10
Rolling Thunder® Charities Inc.
2nd Wreaths Across America Project
Celebrating National Wreaths Across America Day
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Our Goal - To place 1,300 Holiday Wreaths on Veterans graves at Somerset Hills Memorial Park, Basking Ridge, NJ.
The price of each wreath is $10 and the total cost of the project will be $13,000. Please help us achieve this goal!
Donations can be made through PayPal located on our Rolling Thunder® Inc. website (www.rollingthunder1.org)
Home Page, Rolling Thunder® Charities Inc./Click Here, indicate Wreaths Project.
Or
By check (payable to Rolling Thunder® Charities, Inc.) with this form to the address below. All donations to Rolling
Thunder® Charities Inc., a tax-exempt corporation under section 501 (c)(3) of the IRS tax code are tax deductible.
Contact Person: Tom D'Alessio
([email protected] - 732-968-3880)
Rolling Thunder® Charities, Inc. (Mailing Address)
P.O. Box 327
Neshanic Station, NJ 08853
Name:
_______________________________
Mailing Address:
_______________________________
_______________________________
Number of Wreaths:
_______________________________
Amount Enclosed:
_______________________________
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Rolling Thunder Inc. Newsletter
October 2014
Page 11
“National Wreaths Across America”
Saturday December 13, 2014
Sponsored By: Rolling Thunder ®, Inc. National
Please Support our 2nd Annual
“Wreaths Across America”
We will be placing wreaths on 1,300 veterans graves at the
Somerset Hills Memorial Park, Basking Ridge, NJ
Your DONATION will help make this project successful
This event is to honor the men and women of our armed forces who
put themselves in harm’s way
Ceremonies start at 12:00 Noon December 13, 2014
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Rolling Thunder Inc. Newsletter
October 2014
Page 12
®
Rolling Thunder Inc. Newsletter
October 2014
Page 13
ROLLING THUNDER®, INC.
NEWSLETTER
POW/MIA
“We Will Never Forget”
WWI
3,344
WWII
78,503
Cold War
120
Korea
8,044
Vietnam
1,651
POW/MIA “WE WILL NEVER FORGET"
2014
Rolling Thunder ® National Inc.
Lyons VA Hospital Visits
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7:00pm~ Community Living Center ~2nd Fl.
January 16
March 20
May (none)
July 17
September 18
November 20
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7:00pm ~ PTSD Ward
Bldg. 143~2nd Fl.
(Please bring a dessert)
February 20
April 17
June 19
August 24, Sunday (VA Picnic) 11:00am
October 16
December 3, Weds. (Holiday Party)
Recreation Dept. (908)-647-0180 Ext. 427 (Days)
Please obey speed limits on VA grounds
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Rolling Thunder Inc. Newsletter
October 2014
Page 14