US identifies remains of 12 MIAs from Vietnam War

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N10525754.htm

WASHINGTON, Aug 9 (Reuters) - The remains of 12 U.S. servicemen who were killed together in battle in the Vietnam War 37 years ago have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.

The 11 Marines and one Army soldier were lost on May 9 and 10, 1968, in a battle near Kham Duc in South Vietnam when their units were overrun by North Vietnamese forces, the Pentagon's POW/Missing Office said.

The Pentagon has scheduled a ceremonial group burial on Oct. 11 at Arlington National Cemetery, said Larry Greer, a spokesman for the office.

The remains of the 12 servicemen were recovered over the course of several investigations and excavations that began in 1993, he said.

[tmooses]

1. Ah yes. Vietnam, the war our president supported but found it in-

convenient to actually face combat-instead leaving the combat for those less privileged or with actual courage and integrity. May God have mercy on these poor soldiers and may they rest in peace now. I do not suppose Bush will be present for any ceremonies- it would send a bad message and remind people how he avoided combat while others were sent in his place.

[uppityperson]

2. I am glad they were identified, 12 more bracelettes/wall names changed

Bracelettes of MIA removed. Names of 12 added to KIA wall.

[TahitiNut]

3. Welcome home, brothers.

"If you are able, save for them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go.

Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always. Take what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own.

And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind."

Major Michael Davis O'Donnell
1 January 1970
Dak To, Vietnam

:cry:

[Ptah]

5. Yes, we welcome you home

:patriot: :pals: :cry: :grouphug: :toast:

[loudsue]

6. Gut kick.

:cry: That just tore me inside out. :cry:

Those were guys my age....the same age as we were, when the MP's came and took one of our football players out of class to send him to Vietnam. (His number had come up, and he didn't respond. :shrug: )

He was one of the luckier ones.... he came home eventually. But he was never the same. None of 'em were.

Gawd. War SUCKS!!!

:kick::kick::kick:

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[The_Casual_Observer]

11. Who cares what feepers do?

It's been a long time, the guy remembers that his friend was taken away and it was a ugly deal. That's all that matters.

[kodi]

4. my brother was involved in those digs in 2004

strange, my uncle was killed in viet nam, yet my brother was over there 26 years later looking for the remains of dead american servicemen.

he sent me a vietnamese helmet, complete with red star. and his promotion ceremony was attended by a vietnamese army colonel... i have the pix.

when i talked to him about the digs he said that the vietnamese worked the digs from dawn to dust, and worked amazingly hard. he was too young to know my uncle but i told him that when our uncle was home on leave in '68 a few months before he died he had told me that the vietnamese were impossible to beat because of the sacrifices they were willing to make.

my brother is heading back to the gulf in a few months. i hope he does not get killed. my family has done enough fighting and dying. we lost three of our family men in WWII and dad was wounded in korea.

[Adrian Luca]

7. Creepy Americans obssessed with corpses

The U.S government used coercion to force the Vietnamese government to waste resources on helping to find the bones of a few dead invaders, while hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese victims of American agression remain unaccounted for.

But of course everyone knows American bones are the most valuable things on earth.

[Historic NY]

8. I would disagree with you on that..................

the government did use diplomatic channels & relations to work up agreements to search. It was part of the normalization process. The teams employee locals in their search. JPAC's not only operate in Vietnam but worldwide, in recovering & investigation thousands of unresolved missing soldiers from all wars. It is sometimes hot, stinking work in some of the jungles of the world. Their effort is to provide some closure or accounting to the families left behind. I for one commend team members for their dedication to duty. I had a military friend who commanded one of the mission teams.

http://www.jpac.pacom.mil/index.htm

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Megahurtz]

9. Very Sad. n/t