Vacation's over - Over the past two week the National Alliance of Families initiated two group letters to Congress. The first dealt with Most Favored Nation Status for Laos. The second dealt with S-755 the "Missing Persons Authorities Improvement Act."

With the help of many organizations and individuals our networking efforts were highly successful. Over 300 family members representing over 60 POW/MIAs from all wars united with one voice to support S-755 "Missing Persons Authorities Improvement Act." Joining the families in support of this important legislation were former POWs, WO Frank Anton, Michael Benge, Col. Laird Guttersen, Col. Ted Guy, Capt. Eugene "Red" Mc Daniel and Larry Stark.

S-755 will go to conference in September, immediately after Congress returns from its summer vacation. staffers, however, will work through the vacation period. So, family members and former POWs, if you have not signed the National Alliance of Families group letter in support of S-755 contact Dolores Alfond or Lynn O'Shea at the voice/fax or e-mail numbers listed at the top of this page. We will continue to add signatures to the letter and make sure it gets to the appropriate Senators and Congressmen.

REMEMBER -- This group letter does not take the place of individual letters to your Senators and congressional representatives or members of the conference committee.

Family members, former POWs and all concerned citizens must contact the conferees as well as their own representatives in support of S-755 "Missing Persons Authorities Improvement Act." A list of all conferees appears at the end of this Bits N Pieces.

Leading Senate opposition to S-755 is Dirk Kempthorne (R- ID.) Senator Kempthorne is being poorly advised by the senior Senator from Arizona. We ask that all letters be copied to Senator Kempthorne. Let's show Senator Kempthorne how strongly we support S-755. Perhaps if he hears another point of view, he will be inclined to re-evaluate his opposition to S-755.

Our group letter opposing Most Favored Nation Status for Laos has gotten some attention. We did not learn of the debate within the Ways and Means Committee until the recommendation for the extension of MFN for Laos was a done deal. Asked why we did not voice our objections sooner, we informed committee representatives that we had not been notified, while another family organization was notified and allowed to voice their comments.

The National Alliance of Families is the only POW/MIA family organization to oppose the extension of Most Favored Nation Status for Laos. The chairman and ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee are being misled on Lao cooperation with statements such as "... Nine American POWs, initially held in Laos, were returned in 1973 from Vietnam."

Who doesn't know that those nine POWs were captured by the Vietnamese, held by the Vietnamese and probably never saw a Pathet Lao. Yet, that statement would lead the reader into thinking the Pathet Lao returned their Prisoners. Wrong! NO PRISONERS WERE RETURNED FROM LAOS, in spite of the fact the Pathet Lao ADMITTED holding American Prisoners.

We ask all family members, former POWs and concerned citizens to send letters voicing your opposition to the extension of Most Favored Nation Status for Laos to:

Congressman William Archer, Chairman

1102 Longworth Building, 20515

Tel: 202-225-3625 Fax: 202-225 2610 or 225-4381

Congressman Charles Rangle, Ranking Member

House Ways and Means Committee

1106 Long Worth Building, 20515

Tel: 202-225-4021 Fax: 202-225-5680 or 225-0816

Remains Identified - The Defense Department announced the remains identification of Air Force Pilots Lt. Col. Thomas Morgan, of Akron Ohio, lost January 26, 1967 over South Vietnam and Major James East, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, lost April 26, 1969 over Laos.

With regard to Lt. Col. Morgan the Defense POW/MIA Weekly Update, dated July 30, 1997, states "Investigations of Morgan's crash site were conducted twice in 1967 and 1968 by American investigators but no remains were located. A joint U.S./Vietnamese recovery team in 1994 excavated the crash site and found human remains. In 1996, a local Vietnamese turned over more bone fragments and personal effects of Morgan scavenged from the crash site."

Of Major East the DPMO update states "In 1994, a Lao witness identified a possible crash site associated with that of East. A joint U.S./ Lao Recovery Team excavated the site later that year and found aircraft wreckage, pilot-related items, and human bone fragments."

Both pilots were identified based on Mitochondrial DNA testing.

To the families of Lt. Col. Morgan and Major East, we hold you in our hearts and prayers during this difficult time. We hope you now have the peace you have waited so long for.

The players never change, only the job titles -- "Kuala Lumpur, July 23 (Reuter) - President Clinton's special envoy on Cambodia said on Wednesday he wants to work with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) on a solution to Cambodia's troubles. "We very much want to work with our friends in ASEAN and other countries in region," former U.S. congressman Stephen Solarz told reporters after meeting Malaysian Foreign minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi...."

FYI - U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia is Kenneth Quinn.

COMMANDOS TO GET THEIR COMPENSATION -- The Vietnamese nationals employed and denied by the United States will finally get their compensation. From Associated Press -- WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon said Friday it will begin making payments of up to $50,000 each to Vietnamese commandos who participated in covert missions behind enemy lines during the Vietnam War....

...About 500 Vietnamese commandos infiltrated North Vietnam as part of covert intelligence missions run first by the CIA and later by a U.S. Joint Military Organization.

The operation failed, and those commandos who were not killed were imprisoned for an average of 20 years, well beyond the end of the war in 1973. About 150 of the commandos are still alive.

...The Pentagon took the position that the commandos could not be compensated without a specific congressional authorization, since the men were not members of the U.S. or South Vietnamese military, nor were they civilian employees of either government..."

Republicans:

Chairman Strom Thurmond

228 Russell Building,

Washington D.C., 20510

Tel: 202-224-3871

Strom Thurmond (SC)

Tel - 202-224-5972 Fax - 202-224-1300 Email senator@thurmond.senate.gov

John Warner (VA)

Tel - 202-224-2023 Fax - 202-224-6295 Email senator@warner.senate.gov

John Mc Cain (AZ)

Tel - 202-224-2235 Fax - 202-228-2862 Email senator_mccain@mccain.senate.gov

Dan Coats (IN)

Tel - 202-224-5623 Fax - 202-224-4745 Email N/A

Robert Smith (NH)

Tel - 202-224-2841 Fax - 202-224-1353 Email opinion@smith.senate.gov

Dirk Kempthorne (ID)

Tel - 202-224-6142 Fax - 202-224-5893

Email dirk_kempthorne@kempthorne.senate.gov

James Inhofe (OK)

Tel - 202-224-4721 Fax - 202-228-0380 Email james_inhofe@senate.gov

Rick Santorum (PA)

Tel - 202-224-6324 Fax - 202-228-0604 Email senator@santorum.senate.gov

Olympia Snowe (ME)

Tel - 202-224-5344 Fax - 202-224-1946 Email olympia@snowe.senate.gov

Pat Roberts (KS)

Tel - 202-224-4774 Fax - 202-224-3514 Email pat_roberts@roberts.senate.gov

Democrats:

Carl Levin, Ranking Member

239 Russell Building, Washington D.C., 20510

Tel: 202-224-9337 Fax: 202-228-0036

Carl Levin ( MI)

Tel - 202-224-6221 Fax - 202-224-1388 Email senator@levin.senate.gov

Edward Kennedy (MA)

Tel - 202-224-4543 Fax - 202-224-2417 Email senator@kennedy.senate.gov

Jeff Bingaman (NM)

Tel - 202-224-5521 Fax - 202-224-2852 Email senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov

John Glenn (OH)

Tel - 202-224-3353 Fax - 202-224-7983 Email senator_glenn@glenn.senate.gov

Robert Byrd (WV)

Tel - 202-224-3954 Fax - 202-228-0002 Email senate_byrd@byrd.senate.gov

Charles Robb (VA)

Tel - 202-224-4029 Fax - 202-224-8689 Email senator_robb@robb.senate.gov

Joseph Lieberman (CT)

Tel - 202-224-4041 Fax - 202-224-9750 Email senator_lieberman@lieberman.senate.gov

Max Cleland (GA)

Tel - 202-224-3521 Fax - 202-224-0072 Email senator_max_cleland@cleland.senate.gov

House Conferees are:

Republicans: Chairman Floyd Spence

Floyd Spence (SC)

Tel 202-225-2452 Fax - 202-225-2455

Bob Stump (AZ) Tel 202-225-4576 Fax - 202-225-6328

Duncan Hunter (CA)

Tel 202-225-5672 Fax - 202-225-0235

John Kasich (OH)

Tel 202-225-5355 Fax - 202-225-7695 Email budget@hr.house.gov

Herbert Bateman (VA)

Tel 202-225-4261 Fax - 202-225-4382

James Hansen (UT)

Tel 202-225-0453 Fax - 202-225-5857

Curt Weldon (PA)

Tel 202-225-2011 Fax - 202-225-8137

Joel Hefley (CO)

Tel 202-225-4422 Fax - 202-225-1942

Jim Saxton (NJ)

Tel 202-225-4765 Fax - 202-225-0778

Steve Buyer (IN)

Tel 202-225-5037 Fax - 202-225-2267

Tillie Fowler (FL)

Tel 202-225-2501 Fax - 202-225-9318

John McHugh (NY)

Tel 202-225-4611 Fax - 202-226-0621

Jim Talent (MO)

Tel 202-225-2561 Fax - 202-225-2563 Email rep.talent@mail.house.gov

Terry Everett (AL)

Tel 202-225-2901 Fax - NA Email everett@hr.house.gov

Roscoe Bartlett (MD)

Tel 202-225-2193 Fax - 202-225-2721

Jerry Lewis (CA)

Tel 202-225-5861 Fax - 202-225-6498

J.C. Watts (OK)

Tel 202-225-6165 Fax - 202-225-3512 Email rep.jcwatts@mail.house.gov

Saxby Chambliss (GA)

Tel 202-225-6531 Fax - 202-225-3013 Email saby@hr.house.gov

Bob Riley (AL)

Tel 202-225-3261 Fax - 202-225-5829

Democrats:

Ronald Dellums (CA)

Tel 202-225-2661 Fax - 202-225-9817

Ike Skelton (MO)

Tel 202-225-2876 Fax - 202-225-2695 Norman Sisisky (VA) Tel 202-225-6365 Fax - 202-226-1170

John Spratt (SC)

Tel 202-225-5501 Fax - 202-225-0464 Email jspratt@hr.house.gov

Soloman Oritz (TX)

Tel 202-225-7742 Fax - 202-226-1134

Owen Pickett (VA)

Tel 202-225-4215 Fax - 202-225-4218 Email opickett@hr.house.gov

Lane Evans (IL)

Tel 202-225-5905 Fax - 202-225-5396

Charles Taylor (MS)

Tel 202-225-5772 Fax - 202-225-7074 Email chtaylor@hr.house.gov

Neil Abercrombie (HI)

Tel 202-225-2726 Fax - NA Email neil@abercrombie.house.gov

Martin Meehan (MA)

Tel 202-225-3411 Fax - 202-226-0771 Email mtmeehan@hr.house.gov

Jane Harman (CA)

Tel 202-225-8220 Fax - 202-226-0684 Email jharman@hr.house.gov

Paul McHale (PA)

Tel 202-225-6411 Fax - 202-225-5320 Email mchale@hr.house.gov

Patrick Kennedy (RI)

Tel 202-225-4911 Fax - 202-225-3290

Rod Blagojevich (IL)

Tel 202-225-4061 Fax - 202-225-5603

Vic Snyder (AR)

Tel 202-225-2506 Fax - 202-225-5903 Email snyder.congress@mail.house.gov