POW MIA Recognition Day 2009
The following poems and text are from: Del "Abe" Jones, who writes frequently of veterans and holidays.
POW/MIA
So many fates are left unknown
And so many rumors that abound
So many families ask the question
"When will, the answers be found?"
So many years have come and gone
Sometimes, hope is hard to keep
There's some who feel there's none
And in some, it's buried deep.
The pain, is in not knowing
How, to put loved ones' to rest
When there is no way to prove
They have passed, the final test.
But, no matter what the answers
We can't let this cause alone
Until, each and every one of them
Is found, and brought back home
POW/MIA STORIES
It's hard to find, the stories
That, they won't talk about
It's hard, to realize the things
That they had, to go, without.
How can they let the feelings
(Even, they don't understand)
Show to, any other people
In this, Freedom's Land.
We can't know, the hardships
Unless, we were there
Especially, when they came back home
To those who didn't, seem, to care.
Unless you had, lived through it
Watching, Comrades that had died
Why should they, talk about it to us
Of, the tears, inside, they've cried?
Even, if they chose to tell us
What difference, would it make
Would it be worth the chance
That they, would have to take.
Why should they bare their soul
That's already been, stripped, clean
Because, even with, a picture of it
We couldn't see, what they have seen.
Sometimes, all we have to do
Is, to look into their eyes
And think that we might see or hear
Their, mournful, pain-filled cries.
That POW who came home
Who lived, through that Hell
Can't tell the stories, of the MIA
Who never had, a chance to tell!
So, we may never, ever, know
Of, the horrors, they have, known
And, if we think about it
It's probably best, that they aren't shown!
But there is, always an end
To every, never-ending story
Although sometimes, they're never told
In, all their Truth and Glory.
So if you ask about it
And if you ever wonder why
They won't talk of that nightmare
Maybe now, you might know, Why?
POW/MIA
For as long as we have Wars
And we send our Young to fight
We'll have Those who are Missing
And the POWs plight.
All People of this Nation
Have this Duty to fulfill.
We must keep Them in our thoughts
And, We must have the Will
To bring every One home
And do all we can to find
All those POW/MIAs
And leave NO Souls behind.
POW/MIA ISSUE
Ten years of "BITS 'N' PIECES"
By some People who still care
In a search for clues and answers
About Those We left "over there".
Trying to get the military
And all those politicians
To take actions to find Them
With calls, letters and petitions.
It's a sad State of Affairs
When the families and friends
Must lead the Battle in the Search
In this War that never ends.
All those loved ones still Missing
Who went to War for me and you
Deserve much more from our Country
Than just the efforts of those few.
"The National Alliance of Families"
Carries that Banner for us all
To bring home those Forgotten
Who answered our Nation's Call.
Please visit their pages
And give them a helping hand
For if "One Missing" was "One" close to you
Maybe then, you'd understand.
©Copyright 05 September 2004 by Del "Abe" Jones
"The National Alliance of Families"
http://www.nationalalliance.org/home1.htm
POW/MIA RECOGNITION DAY
(The third Friday of September)
As time goes on, remains are found
And another finds his way back home
After years spent lost on foreign shores
Feeling forgotten and left all alone.
But they will never be forgotten
By the Country they went off to serve
We will search until all are returned
To loved ones, the least they all deserve.
There are new ways to identify
DNA can tell, just who they may be
Those lost in those past conflicts
A Hero home, their final destiny.
War is so terrible and horrific
Worse for the POW and the MIA
All of those unaccounted for
Compounds the price they chose to pay.
Each year, we should all remember
Those we lost in the fog of War
Better yet, take a moment every day
While we appreciate what they fought for.
POW/MIA Recognition Day
Dedicated to honor their memory
For the time or the life they gave
To keep this, "The Land of the Free".
Del "Abe" Jones
09.13.2007
POW/MIA Remembrance Day
(Third Friday of September)
Thousands are still missing
>From those Wars of the past
Slowly, some are coming home
To grieving Families, at last.
Some found in unmarked graves
On foreign lands across the sea
With the science of DNA
To reveal, their true identity.
JPAC was formed to find them
Around fourteen hundred, to date
And for loved ones seeking closure
It surely, never is, too late.
They think, forty thousand left
They might be able to recover
As they follow leads and tips
From, one country to another.
Some remains, may be lost forever
Like those Heroes, resting in the Deep
But, to bring those others home
Is a solemn promise, we must keep.
It's a very noble thing they do
As, they go, and search, and find
Those, who died for our Country
For, we must, leave no one behind.
Every year we have a special day
To, remember those still lost
To, renew that promise to them
No matter what, it may cost.
Del "Abe" Jones
abeabe@bellsouth.net
09.18.2008
POW/MIA Missing Man Ceremony
There's a table in the front
Raised so that it draws attention
Reserved for all those missing
Still not found or in detention.
Set for six of those missing
One each, for branches Serving
One place for lost Civilians
Whom, are felt just as deserving.
The table is shaped in the round
For the everlasting concern
As all of us, hope and pray
Someday they all, will return.
The tablecloth is bright white
To symbolize the purity
Of those, answering the call
Of their Country, doing their Duty.
The single rose, in a vase
For the lifeblood of those lost
And for those awaiting answers
A sad part of Wartime's cost.
The vase, tied with red ribbon
A symbol of determination
To account for those still missing
In the Service of our Nation.
A slice of lemon on the bread plate
For missing/captured in a foreign land
The bitter fate of some Heroes
Who chose to make a valiant stand.
A pinch of salt for all those tears
Shed, by missing and their Families
Seeking answers to their questions
>From all those faraway countries.
The Bible represents the strength
Gained through Faith, to sustain
Those missing on foreign shores
Where, far too many, still remain!
Each of their glasses are inverted
Because, they can't share the toast
That, one day we can account for them
What we want, first and foremost.
The candle is a light of Hope
To illuminate the way back home
To the loved ones who are waiting
Across the sea to Homeland's loam.
The chair just sits there empty
A place saved for just the one
Who has yet, to come home
And one each, for their brethren.
An Honor Guard places covers
On each empty dinner plate
For the Services and Civilian
Who have met, this terrible fate.
"Taps" is played, and "Some Gave All"
With a spotlight on their table
With a toast, for their accounting, sworn
For, as long as we all are able.
This solemn Honors Ceremony
Symbolizes they are here with us
Hoping someday, they will be back
This wish, the most, in God we trust.
This can be done for six or one
For, the meaning is the same
That all, will be returned one day
This, we pray, in Heaven's Name.
Del "Abe" Jones
07.19.2008
(Proud of the following)
Abe,
I sent your poem paying tribute to POW/Missing vets to a friend in Iraq who serves over there as a contractor doing work for the Iraqis...he's a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel...he sent back a reply that the mess hall where he eats regularly has such a table set up for Missing/POW for all to see who come in there...he thought it ironic to receive that poem.
So, i replied back to him, "why don't you see what you can do to have the poem displayed on the table"...well, he replied back with the email that i am forwarding to you...i thought you'd want to know that your poem is getting displayed in the war zone.
Keep up the good work,
Herb
Herb
I verified that the poem sits directly across from the reserved chair. Adjacent to the rose. Our table has only one chair and is leaned against the table as if to reserve the seat.
Best Regards
Bill
p MIA Rcogniion
AMERICANs ANNOUNCED AS ACCOUNTED FOR: There are now 1,784 US personnel listed by the Department of Defense as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. The identification of the remains of two American previously listed as MIA in
On March 21st, two family members visited one area of the 88th Joint Field Activity (JFA) in
ARCHIVAL RESEARCH: There is widespread disappointment – in DPMO, JPAC and the League – in responses to the US Government-funded archival research programs, especially in
WIN A HARLEY DAVIDSON SPORTSTER: The League will receive all proceeds from a nationwide raffle of a beautiful customized 1989 Harley Sportster that is now ongoing. Only 8,000 raffle tickets have been printed and numbered, $10.00 each, obtainable by contacting the League office. With a 1/8,000 chance of winning this Harley Davidson Sportster, the drawing will be held on National POW/MIA Recognition Day, September 21, 2007, in Washington, DC. Tickets can also be obtained through the League’s website, www.POWMIALeague.org, by clicking on Pay Pal, though handling adds an additional $2.00 per raffle ticket. Now is your chance to win a Harley AND support the League, a nonprofit 501 [c] 3 tax-exempt organization.
38TH ANNUAL MEETING DATE & LOCATION: The League’s 38th Annual Meeting will be held June 22-24th at the Hilton Crystal City Hotel,
Registration & Hotel Reservations: The two forms have been distributed to all League members and are also available to download on the League’s web site, www.POWMIALeague.org.
Special Events: The 38th Annual Dinner will be on Friday, June 22nd, an event that is always inspirational; cost is $40 per person. A combined Casino and BINGO Night will take place on Saturday, June 23rd. On Thursday a concert and special tours are planned at the new USAF Memorial. We urge visits to Capitol Hill on Wednesday or Thursday before the meeting convenes, and registration will also take place on Thursday, June 21st.
Transportation: As authorized by Congress, DoD is again implementing, through the Service Casualty Offices, transportation for two family members of each missing and unaccounted for
Silent Auction: There will again be a Silent Auction, though smaller in scope. Sorely as are needed the funds generated by this highly successful event spread over three days, it is very labor-intensive and demanding. Hopefully, more League members will volunteer to help on this project. There was serious consideration given to not holding this event in 2007; however, the board again decided that due to the event’s popularity and the need for funds, it should be included in the planning.
Program Ad Rates: Each year, the League publishes a beautiful program that includes individual ads honoring missing US personnel, organizational ads sending best wishes to the families gathered for the events, ads promoting POW/MIA-related and other products, etc. The deadline for receipt of ads is
COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN (CFC) APPROVES LEAGUE FOR 2007: The League was just notified that all criteria were met, and our newly assigned (five digit) number is 10218, just assigned by the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Washington, DC. The League is the ONLY nonprofit organization representing Vietnam War POW/MIAs and KIA/BNR’s and their families that is eligible for donations through the CFC & United Way structure. Despite the reality that there are many competing charities and much need, especially in a time of war, the League is proud of our CFC eligibility, knowing the tough criteria any organization must meet. .
CHECK THE LEAGUE’S UPDATED WEB SITE
Ann Mills Griffiths
Executive Director
National League of POW/MIA Families
1005 North Glebe Road, Suite 170
Arlington, VA 22201
(PH) 703-465-7432 (FX) 703-465-7433
www.pow-miafamilies.org
ROCKY MOUNT Widow's Husband Dog Tags Returned
|
IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
No. 586-06 |
Airman Missing from Vietnam War is Identified
The Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that a U.S. Air Force officer missing in action from the Vietnam War has been identified and is being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
He is Maj. John F. Conlon III, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. His funeral is tentatively scheduled for Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C., in the fall.
On March 4, 1966 Conlon and another crewmember took off from Qui Nhon Air Field, Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam, in their O-1E Bird Dog light observation aircraft. They were on a visual reconnaissance mission to Cheo Reo, an airstrip approximately 60 miles southwest of Qui Nhon. The last radio contact with the crew was with a U.S. Special Forces Camp about 30 minutes after take-off. The crew reported the aircraft’s position but made no mention of problems. When the aircraft failed to arrive at Cheo Reo, a search and rescue effort was initiated, but failed to find the aircraft or crew after six days of searching.
Between May of 1993 and August of 2005 teams from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) conducted six investigations in the Binh Dinh Province. They developed leads which took them to a site which was later scheduled for excavation.
In February of 2006 a joint JPAC-Vietnamese team excavated that site and found aircraft debris, personal effects, human remains and a dog tag that related to Conlon’s crew. JPAC scientists used Conlon’s dental records to confirm his identity from those remains excavated at the site.
Of those Americans unaccounted-for from all conflicts, 1,803 are from the Vietnam War.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703)-699-1169.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.jpg)
Veterans group returns dog tags to widow(The Daily Reflector - 1/26/2006)Cox News Service Tuesday, January 24, 2006 ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — Before Jimmie Batchelor died in December 2002, the Vietnam veteran often told his wife, Wanda, he lamented losing his dog tags in combat. Three years after Jimmie's death, Wanda Batchelor opened a surprising letter mailed to her in November. Jimmie Batchelor's dog tags were in the United States, recovered by the nonprofit group Tours of Peace Vietnam Veterans, stated the letter, which also asked Wanda's permission to return the tags. "I had to read it twice to make sure of what I read," said Batchelor, who lives in Nashville. "It was amazing. He wanted these dog tags back, and here I was getting them." Near the end of November, Batchelor held in her palm a battered silver tag, still stained with specks of red dirt from a Vietnam battlefield, that summarized her husband's military life in five brief lines: his name, military ID number, B positive blood type, Social Security number and Methodist religion. "The fact that they found them in the field after all these years, that's pretty amazing," said Batchelor, who married Jimmie before he joined the Army and was deployed to Vietnam in 1968. "It helped me to get his because it was so important to Jimmie." TOP Vietnam Veterans, founded by a Marines Vietnam veteran in 1998, tries to provide veterans and their family members with opportunities for healing. In addition to finding and returning lost items, mostly dog tags, the organization offers trips to Vietnam to see the former military sites and the rest of the country. "We just felt like it was something that somebody had to do," said organization President Jess DeVaney, who added that they had found more than 1,100 dog tags. "It's a great thing we can do, and it's another way we can help families heal from their losses." Batchelor said she plans to have the dog tag framed with Jimmie's other memorabilia, which includes two Purple Hearts. She said she was grateful to TOP Vietnam Veterans because she often felt her husband, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and died from exposure to Agent Orange, was neglected. "That kind of hurt Jimmie's feelings," she said. "People just don't understand." Jimmie, like many other Vietnam veterans, rarely spoke of his time in combat, Batchelor said. But when he mentioned Vietnam, he would usually add something about his dog tags. "He mentioned them several times, that he wanted his dog tags and that he was sorry he lost them," Batchelor said, unsure of how Jimmie would react to knowing the tags were home. "He would just probably say, 'They're mine and they're back where they belong.'" John Ramsey writes for the Rocky Mount Telegram. E-mail: jramsey@coxnc.com | |||
|
Here is the Price Americans Have Paid the Last 228 Years
Here is the Price Americans Have Paid the Last 228 Years
WAR OF THE REVOLUTION 19 Aril 1775 - 20 September 1783
Participants: 250,000 :: POWs: 18,152 :: MIAs: 1,426 :: Deaths In Service: 6,824
WAR OF 1812 18 June 1812 - 24 December 1814
Participants: 286,730 :: POWs: 20,000 :: MIAs: 695 :: Deaths In Service: 2,260
MEXICAN WAR 24 April 1846 - 2 February 1848
Participants: 78,718 :: POWs: 20,000 : : MIAs: 695 :: Deaths In Service: 2,260
INDIAN WARS US Date 1815 - December1890
Participants: 106,000 :: POWs: Many, few survived :: MIAs: Many :: Deaths In Service: 1,000
Aboriginal American Date 1540 - 2004
Participants: Unknown, in the millions :: POWs-MIAs: Unknown - Aboriginal Americans are the longest held documented POWs, serving into the 20th Century in excess of 28 years :: Deaths In Service: Millions
CIVIL WAR 12 April 1861 - 26 May 1865
Union Participants: 2,213,365 :: Union POWs: 194,743 :: Union Deaths In Service: 364,511
Confederate Participants: 1,082,119 :: Confederate POWs: 214,865 :: Confederate Deaths In Service: 134,563
SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR 21 April 1898 - 12 August 1898
Participants: 260,000 :: POWs: 8 :: MIAs: 72 Deaths In Service: 2,446
WORLD WAR I 6 April 1917 - 11 November 1918
Participants: 4,743,826 :: POWs: 7,470 :: MIAs: 116,708 :: Deaths In Service: 116,708
WORLD WAR II 7 December 1941 - 2 September 1945
Participants: 16,353,659 :: POWs: 124,079 :: MIAs: 30,314
COLD WAR 2 September 1945 - 21 August 1991
Participants: Classified :: POWs: Classified :: MIAs: 343 :: Deaths In Service: Classified :: Deaths In Service: 407,316
KOREAN WAR 25 June 1950 - 27 July 1953
Participants: 5,764,143 :: POWs: 7,140 :: MIAs: 8,177 :: Deaths In Service: 36,940
SECOND INDOCHINA WAR 08 July 1959 - 27 January 1973
Active Duty: 9,087,000 :: In-Country: 2,594,000 :: POWs: 2,583 :: MIAs: 3000-6000 :: Deaths In Service: 58,486
USS PUEBLO 23 January 1968 - 23 December 1968
Incident Personnel: 82 :: POWs: 82 :: POW Deaths In Incident: 1
GRENADA 25 October 1983 - 2 November 1983
Participants: 2,700 :: POWs: Unknown :: MIAs: 4 :: Deaths In Service: 20
USS STARK 17 May 1987
Participants: Unknown :: MIAs: 1 :: Deaths In Service: 36
PERSIAN GULF WAR 16 January 1991 - 27 February 1991
Participants: 650,000 :: POWs - MIAs: 52 :: Deaths In Service: 255
SOMALIA 02 December 1992 - 15 September 1994
Participants: Classified :: POWs: 6 :: MIAs: 2 :: Deaths In Service: 44
JOINT POW/MIA ACCOUNTING COMMAND (JPAC) RELEASE NO. #A05-39 Dec. 05, 2005
MIA REMAINS RETURN TO AMERICAN SOIL
HICKAM AFB, HAWAII — A ceremony honoring remains believed to be those of American military members missing from the Vietnam War will take place this week.
A joint honor guard will memorialize the repatriation of the remains on Dec. 9 at 9 a.m. outside of the 15th Airlift Wing Base Operations Building, Hickam Air Force Base.
Following the ceremony, the remains will be transported to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command where the forensic identification process begins.
One transfer case holds remains recovered from Laos while the other case holds remains recovered from Cambodia.
Media are invited to attend the ceremony. For access to Hickam AFB or information media can contact JPAC public affairs at (808) 448-1937 or e-mail public_affairs@jpac.pacom.mil. Media must RSVP before noon, Dec. 8 in order to receive access to the base and must meet escorts at the gate no later than 8:20 a.m., Dec. 9.
-END-
- JPAC is the military unit responsible for missing American service members from past conflicts.
- JPAC specialists investigate last known alive cases and search for and recover remains throughout the world while JPAC scientists work to identify remains in their laboratory at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.
- Today, there is one American missing from the Gulf War, more than 1,800 from the Vietnam War, 120 from the Cold War, more than 8,100 from the Korean War, and more than 78,000 from World War II.
JOINT POW/MIA ACCOUNTING COMMAND (JPAC) EUROPE & SOUTH KOREA
JPAC TEAMS RETURN FROM EUROPE
HICKAM AFB, HAWAII – Two Recovery Teams and one Investigative Team from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command will return to Hawaii this week with possible osseous remains from World War II after a month-long operation in Europe.
JPAC’s mission is to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans missing as a result of the nation’s past conflicts.
The first recovery team deployed to Germany to conduct recovery operations East of Torgau, Germany and North of Hanover, Germany at two sites. One site is associated with a 1945 loss of a P-38J aircraft. The team also excavated a B-24H aircraft loss
The second team deployed to Hungary and conducted recovery operations in relation to a P-47D aircraft loss. Additionally, members of this recovery team deployed to Corsica, France to recover remains from a 1944 loss of a modified B-25C aircraft.
An investigative team conducted additional operations and possible recoveries in Hungary, Poland, and Luxembourg.
Teams exhumed several graves purportedly of American service members buried during World War II.
The U.S. Government, the Department of Defense and the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command are committed to scientific excellence and the fullest possible accounting of all Americans still missing as a result of our nation’s conflicts.
-END-
- JPAC specialists search for, recover and identify remains of Americans missing from all conflicts from World War II through the Persian Gulf War.
- Today, there is one American missing from the Gulf War, more than 1,800 from the Vietnam War, 120 from the Cold War, more than 8,100 from the Korean War, and more than 78,000 from World War II.
JPAC TEAMS RETURN FROM SOUTH KOREA
HICKAM AFB, HAWAII – Recovery and Investigative Teams from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command returned this week from South Korea with possible human remains and material evidence related to Americans missing from the Korean War.
During the month-long deployment, the recovery team excavated four sites purportedly of American service members buried during the war, three of which yielded possible human remains.
At one site in the Kyonggi Province, remains and material evidence were recovered within eyesight of the Demilitarized Zone fence.
The team also recovered some possible human remains and a small cache of coins left in a fox hole on Hill 209, a famed site where a fierce battle took place during the Korean War.
The third site was located thanks to a tip from a witness who viewed a South Korean report about the American recovery mission back in 2003. Subsequent JPAC investigations revealed that this site fit the circumstances of loss for U.S. Marines who were lost shortly after the Inchon invasion. The recovery team began excavations at this site during the recent mission. JPAC experts anticipate the site will be closed during the next South Korea Mission.
Meanwhile, an IT conducted investigative operations relating to at least two dozen cases throughout South Korea associated with missing service members.
Today, there is one American missing from the Gulf War, more than 1,800 from the Vietnam War, 120 from the Cold War, more than 8,100 from the Korean War, and more than 78,000 from World War II.
-END-
"UNTIL THEY'RE HOME!"
History of POW/MIA Flag & Recognition Day
The two Links are in "Microsoft Word" format (click on them to view)
History of the League's POW/MIA Flag
Background: National POW/MIA Recognition Day
RESULTS From Off Shore Fishing Trip Raffle 2010
Drawing was held July 4, 2010 at the VVA Hut on Cemetery Rd.
The winners are: Bryant Fowler, Ron Hammeren Donated to WWP,
Ric Snow Donated to WWP.
WWP = Wounded Warrior Project
Each will receive 2 passes for the trip
Fishing Aboard Captain Bobby Freeman's Charter Boat Sunrise II
Veteran Assistance-Wheelchair Available
VVA 272 has several wheelchairs that have been dontated to the chapter. We will be loaning these chairs out to anyone in need. We have both electric and manual. Contact us at the hut, or call 757.0817 or email us @ mailto:vietnamveteransofamerica272@yahoo.com
Upcoming Events
23rd Annual VVA & TRB Bass Fishing Tournament
Shotgun & Cash Awards Raffle Winners from December 2009
Shotgun Winner was John Sprouse with ticket number 5615 from Belhaven NC
$200 cash winner was J. & C. Stokes
$100 cash winner was Doug Smithey and was donated back to the chapter for veterans assistance
Thanks to all who participated in this fundraising raffle.
Yard Sale Donations Needed
VVA 272 is now collecting donations for
the annual spring yardsale. We are
planning an April sale this year,
so if you have clutter problems
give us a call @ 757-0817 to pick up
your stuff or drop it off at the "HUT"
2805 Cemetery Rd in Greenville NC.
(Near St Peters Catholic Church).
Moving Wall
