Day 112 of Captivity for PFC Matt Maupin – Alive or Dead, we need to Bring Him Home.

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Dead Again – Although not official the U.S. government is, once again, preparing to declare Navy Capt. Michael Scott Speicher dead. Three articles published in the last two weeks, from the Associated Press, the Washington Times and Reuters makes it clear that the conclusion of the Iraq Survey Group is that Speicher is dead.

According to the Washington Times, July 22nd article, by Rowan Scarborough: "Members of the U.S. team investigating the fate of Capt. Scott Speicher have concluded that the Navy fighter pilot is dead, according to sources close to the mission. But his remains have not been found. A promising lead to finally resolving the matter vanished recently when buried remains thought to be Capt. Speicher's turned out not to be of the downed pilot."

"The sources said Army Maj. Gen. Keith Dayton, the former director of the Iraq Survey Group (ISG), has told officials in recent days that investigators now believe the pilot shot down in 1991 over Iraq is not alive.

The conclusion is based largely on the fact that all leads to Capt. Speicher's whereabouts have turned up no evidence he is alive. "What I have heard [Gen. Dayton] say is there is no evidence he was ever in captivity," said

a senior defense official. ISG officials now believe Capt. Speicher either died in the crash or shortly thereafter in Iraq's vast western desert, a second official said."

The Washington Times article went on to discuss Source 2314, now discredited, saying "The Washington Times previously reported on a secret DIA written report that cast doubt on the truthfulness of the defector who claimed to have seen Capt. Speicher alive in 1998. The report refers to defector No. 2314 who had worked in Saddam Hussein's Special Security Organization (SSO), the branch that enforced loyalty to the Ba'ath Party.

Labeled "secret. no foreign," the report states that the military "has debriefed several doctors whom 2314 indicated should have knowledge of Speicher. All denied having any knowledge. Two have passed a polygraph exam. ... None of the information provided by 2314 has proven accurate."

"The June 23, 2003, DIA report adds that the military "has searched every known location associated with Speicher. Other than at Hakimiyah prison, where U.S. forces found the initials 'MSS' carved in a cell wall, no significant evidence of his status has been discovered."

The article ended by saying: "The Iraq Survey Group has devoted a number of personnel to the Speicher search. But its main goal is to find out what happened to Saddam Hussein's stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons."

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Highest National Priority – The Search for Speicher NEVER rated a solely dedicated team. Instead the Speicher investigation came behind the search for WMD's and Saddam, and oh by the way, if you find anything on Speicher..... So, not for the first time or the second but for the third time..... Speicher is about to be declared dead......

While government sources are quick to point out that information provided by Source 2314 could not be confirmed, no one is talking about the other sources NOT discredited. In the August 16th 2003 edition of Bits, we detailed comments from a well placed source within the U.S. Government on the Speicher investigation. We called him "Buddy." Buddy was not happy with the government’s handling of the Speicher investigation and provided an interesting insight.. We urge you all to re-read those comments at http://www.nationalalliance.org/bits/naf2003/030816.htm

Among the most telling of Buddy's comments is:"the source in question claimed a long time ago that he had seen Speicher in the early 1990's and may have been the one that passed two polygraphs; however, some folks claim he was not telling the truth. In the meantime, there have been a number of different sources who claimed that Speicher was alive and being moved between facilities, which they identified. Some of those sources were deemed to be entirely credible, while others had no reason or motivation to lie."

"I am afraid that questions within the Government about the credibility of one source have tainted reporting by others."

According to Buddy: "For them to intimate that there has been only one source is totally wrong - there have been many, and the one they are claiming was less than credible passed the polygraph. Each of the sources that reported on Speicher put him in a different location or indicated that he was moving between locations.

The more credible of those sources [four (4) words that might give an indication as to Buddy's identity] indicated that Speicher was held three floors below ground and in that facility for years; the prison belonged to the Iraqi Intelligence Service (SIS); there was also Special Security Organization (SSO) involvement in control of the prisons."

"The one source that claimed to have been held with Speicher and fed him on a daily basis stated they had been held for 10 years in the underground prison; that individual was released and left Iraq."

Buddy also told us: "The individual that reported feeding the pilot was talking to an individual outside Iraq when he made the claim, and the U.S. side never interviewed him." [As of August 2003, we do not know if an interview was conducted since then.]

"Another source put him in another prison facility in downtown Baghdad, and underground, to which access was limited to a small number of people. These many, many source reports did not come from a single source, and there is no way they can claim the information is bogus."

"But Speicher was not a priority; too many people believed he died in 1991. After the invasion, CENTCOM said to the invaders, "Oh by the way, when you enter the prisons, look for Speicher."

"I could go on and on Lynn, but you can see through the smoke and mirrors and the spin - those in Government who should have led the charge all along to account for Speicher have been swayed by the naysayers or on their own have come to believe that he died long ago."

"Don't be misled by those who would pooh pooh the Speicher reporting."

Buddy ended his comments saying: "I am not impressed that journalists, members of the DIA team and others reported to be looking for Speicher are busting their buns to do so."

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When Speicher Gets Left Behind.... Again – We won't be leaving a POW behind because the POW designation/status no longer exists.

If it does, we challenge the Department of Defense, and the agencies within, such as DPMO, DIA or any of the Service Branches to prove the designation/status exists. It's time to Put Up and Shut Us Up!

That's the challenge we are issuing to DOD, DPMO, DIA, and the Service Branches responsible for captured and missing service personnel.

Is there or is there not a Prisoner of War (POW) designation/status in a controlling directive and under what circumstances would a member of the Armed Forces be declared POW.

Controlling DOD Directive 1300.18, which details various Missing status' under Section E2.1.1.24 such Missing/Beleaguered, Missing/Besieged, Missing/Detained, Missing/Interned and Missing/Captured (MIA-C), makes no mention of a POW designation/status. If the designation/status is still in use, there must be another directive outlining the circumstances under which Service personnel would be assigned or listed in a POW status.

We challenge the Department of Defense to produce this directive and settle this matter once and for all.

Not acceptable as proof of a POW designation/status are the following:

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms 12 April 2001 amended 9 January 2003.

DOD Instruction 2310.4 "Repatriation of Prisoners of War (POW), Hostages, Peacetime Government Detainees and Other Missing or Isolated Personnel". Oddly, DOD Instruction 2310.4 used the term POW in describing the process of handling the return of captured men. The Instruction DOES NOT detail the circumstances under which a service member would be designated POW.

Acceptable proof is the DOD Instruction or Controlling Directive detailing the circumstances under which a member of the Armed Forces would be assigned the designation/status POW.

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The Press Gets Involved and Gets the Run-a-Round – On July 2nd and 3rd both Charles Hurt of the Washington Times and Ron Martz of the Atlanta Journal Constitution wrote articles on the lack of a POW designation/status for captured service members. (Full text of both articles can be found on our website) Lynn O'Shea, of the National Alliance of Families, and government officials, past and present, commented for both the Washington Times and Atlanta Journal Constitution.

From the Washington Times – "Shari Lawrence, deputy public affairs officer of the Army Human Rights Command, said it was a simple matter of following the established guidelines for classifying captured service members. "To be a prisoner of war, you have to be held by a recognized government."

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution – "To be a POW you have to be in the hands of a recognized military of a recognized government, and Matt (referring to PFC Matt Maupin) is not," said Shari Lawrence, spokeswoman for the Army's Human Resources Command.

From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution – "It doesn't do away with POW. It's just a clarification of what categories people could be placed in at any particular time" said Bob Jones, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for POW-MIA affairs under Clinton.

Our Comments: According to Ms. Lawrence, a service member must be "held by a recognized government" or "be in the hands of a recognized military of a recognized government." If that is true, Scott Speicher should be classified POW. The Speicher status change was based on the belief that Speicher was captured by Iraqi forces, and held as a Prisoner by the recognized government of Iraq. Certainly, under Ms. Lawrence's definition Speicher would be carried under the POW designation/status. Instead, Speicher was placed in the Missing/Captured or MIA-C status.

In signing the memo on the Speicher status change, Secretary of the Navy, George England, wrote, [Since] "the controlling missing persons statute and directives do not use the term 'Prisoner of War,' the facts supporting a change in Captain Speicher's category from 'Missing in Action' to 'Missing/Captured' would also support the conclusion that, if alive, he is a Prisoner of War."

Speicher could not be classified POW, because the designation/status no longer exists.

As for the comment of Bob Jones, former head of DPMO, "It doesn't do away with POW. It's just a clarification..." We say prove it!

Will the alphabet soup gang meet the challenge? Can they produce a controlling directive outlining the circumstances under which a service member would be designated POW and the designation/status POW used? Why didn't they produce the directive when questioned by the media? Will they answer us?

We'll let you know.... and if they don't answer us, we'll find someone they will answer!

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Speaking of Answers – Prior to our 15th Annual Forum, we were asked by a DPMO official, though a third party, to submit a list of topics/question our members would like addressed during the DPMO briefing. The list was submitted by fax on June 9th.

None of the questions submitted were addressed during the DPMO presentation. However, when asked about our list of unanswered questions during the Q&A, we were assured the topics would be addressed and we would receive a response.

If you were at the Saturday morning session, the list of questions was read to those in attendance. We know those present are most anxious for the answers. As soon as we receive a response, we will share it with our readers.

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Speaking of the Meeting – Were both Korean and Vietnam War POWs shipped to Czechoslovakia? Were some of those POWs trans-shipped through Czechoslovakia to the former Soviet Union? Those were the charges leveled in the testimony of Czechoslovakian defector and former General Jan Senja. For years, U. S. investigators dismissed General Senja's charges as untrue.

Now, after exhaustive investigation by the Joint Commission Support Directorate (JCSD) the only creditable POW/MIA investigative unit within the Defense Dept., it looks like the statements of Jan Senja have been confirmed.

This startling revelation comes as a result of intense investigation in the now free Czech Republic. Years after his death, Senja is about to be vindicated. American POWs from both Korea and Vietnam were transferred to Czechoslovakia.

We can only hope that the JCSD investigation continues without interference from either the Departments of State or other POW/MIA investigative agencies within the DOD.

We will have more on this important development and other goings on from the 15th Annual Forum in a future edition of Bits.

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Korean War Unknown Identified – from the Associated Press, July 3, 2004, - Fayetteville, N.C. (AP) - The remains of a soldier missing 54 years have been identified by the military. Edmund "Teddy" Lilly III, 22, of Fayetteville died Sept. 3, 1950 in the one of the most violent battles of the Korean War, the battle of the Pusan Perimeter.

Lilly's remains were identified from those of about 1,000 soldiers in buried Hawaii's Punchbowl Cemetery using DNA samples taken from his sisters. Fewer than five servicemen from the cemetery have been identified, according to the Pentagon's POW/MIA Office.

"I think this gives us a very warm feeling to know a part of him will be back in Fayetteville," said Tori Lilly MacMillan, Lilly's younger sister. Lilly graduated in June 1950 from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., married a few days later and left for Korea within five weeks. Lilly's remains will be buried at a family plot next to his father.

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We Should Remind Readers – many of the Korean War Unknowns buried at the Punchbowl, have name associations. One such associations belongs to Louis Mutta buried as X656. The National Alliance of Families believes the current government policy of exhumations of Korean War Unknowns, at the Punchbowl, is far too slow. An all out effort must be undertaken to identify as many of the Korean War Unknowns as possible.

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Why Does Johnie Webb Still Have a Job.

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Remains Recovered From Chosin Reservoir and Unsan County – Reuters August 4, 2004 – "Remains believed to be those of two U.S. soldiers missing in action from the Korean War have been recovered in North Korea and will taken to Hawaii for identification, the Pentagon said on Wednesday."

"The remains, found by a U.S.-North Korea search team, will be driven across the Demilitarized Zone between North Korea and South Korea and repatriated at Yongsan Military Compound in Seoul on Thursday. One team

operating near the Chosin Reservoir recovered remains believed to be those of a U.S. Army soldier from the 7th Infantry Division who fought against Chinese forces in November and December of 1950. About 1,000 American troops were estimated to have been lost in battles around the reservoir."

"A second team recovered remains in Unsan County about 60 miles north of Pyongyang. This area was the site of battles between communist forces and the Army's 1st Cavalry and 25th Infantry divisions in November 1950.

The remains will be flown to Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, where U.S. forensic experts will work to establish positive identification."

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Robert Jenkins - Kidnap Victim or Deserter – Maybe now we'll find out! On Friday July 9th Jenkins and his two daughters, join wife Hitomi Soga in Indonesia. Regular readers of Bits know Jenkins disappeared in 1965, during a patrol near the South Korean DMZ. Three weeks later, Jenkins was heard in a broadcast from North Korea. He also appeared in the North Korean propaganda film "Nameless Heros."

In the early 1980's Jenkins married Hitomi Soga a Japanese national kidnaped and taken to North Korea. We now know the North Koreans had an active program to kidnap foreigners to be used as teachers in the North Korean version of the Charm School. Soga, along with other Japanese nationals were kidnaped and used to teach North Koreans to speak and pass as Japanese.

After years of talks, between the Japanese and North Korean government a deal was struck for the release of the surviving Japanese nationals kidnaped by North Korea. Upon their release it was learned that one of the survivors Hitomi Soga was married to Charles Robert Jenkins carried as a deserter by the U.S. government.

Since her release efforts have been underway to reunite the family, in Japan. The problem.... an extradition agreement between Japan and the United States would have required Japan to turn Jenkins over to the U.S. Military for prosecution as a deserter. Because of this, Jenkins refused to go to Japan. Finally, a solution was reached. Jenkins and Soga, along with their daughters would reunite in Indonesia. The site was chosen because the U.S. and Indonesia do not have an extradition treaty. Shortly after the reunion Jenkins and his family traveled to Japan, so that Jenkins could undergo medical treatment. As of this writing Jenkins is still hospitalized.

The U.S. government is pressing ahead with plans for Courts Martial and this week Jenkins met with his military lawyer. U.S. officials are most anxious to speak with Jenkins. They hope information obtained from Jenkins will give some insight into North Korea.

Japan's Kyodo News reported on July 31st "A senior U.S. official in charge of American soldiers classified as missing in action said Saturday he hoped to question alleged U.S. Army deserter Charles Jenkins about other Americans in North Korea. Jerry Jennings, deputy assistant secretary of defense responsible for prisoners of war and missing personnel affairs, said he had received thousands of reports indicating movements of possibly thousands of Americans in North Korea."

"Jennings said he only wants to ask Jenkins whether he has seen any other Americans in North Korea. "If he answers 'yes,' I would like to know who they were. But if he says 'no,' I would have no other questions for him. He is no interest to me beyond that question," said Jennings, who was in Bangkok after a two-day consultation in Siem Reap, Cambodia, with the governments of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam on POWs and MIAs."

"Jennings said the charges Jenkins, 64, faces are severe and might not be pardoned. "To us, as it has been reported many, many times, this gentleman is a criminal," Jennings said."

Jenkins may be a criminal but we'll wait for all the evidence to be produced. That includes Jenkins statement and the notes he left behind proving intent. Oops, last we heard the government couldn't produce the notes. They are lost. Only transcripts survive.

Frankly, we hope Jenkins deserted. We'd hate to think that an American serviceman was kidnaped and held for over 30 years, while his government did nothing to get him back and called him a deserter.             

Hopefully, we'll find out what really happened that night in the DMZ.

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Volunteers Needed for Media Truth Patrol – The following two excerpts come from articles written, last week, about John Kerry.

From The Christian Science Monitor – "his work with fellow Sen. John McCain of Arizona to normalize relations with Vietnam and to dispel conspiracy theories about left-behind POWs."

From The San Jose Mercury News – ""Kerry and McCain led a special Senate committee in the early 1990s to investigate the fate of Americans still missing in action and rumors that prisoners of war were still alive and being held captive. Their 1993 report finally concluded there was no evidence to support those claims."

When you see mis-statement like those above, contact the reporter and give him the facts, as stated in the Report of the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs.

The following comes directly from the committee's report:

"In 1976, the Montgomery Committee concluded that because there was no evidence that missing Americans had survived, they must be dead. In 1977, a Defense Department official said that the distinction between Americans still listed as "POW" and those listed as "missing" had become "academic". Nixon, Ford and Carter Administration officials all dismissed the possibility that American POWs had survived in Southeast Asia after Operation Homecoming."

"This Committee has uncovered evidence that precludes it from taking the same view. We acknowledge that there is no proof that U.S. POWs survived, but neither is there proof that all of those who did not return had died. There is evidence, moreover, that indicates the possibility of survival, at least for a small number, after Operation Homecoming:

First, there are the Americans known or thought possibly to have been alive in captivity who did not come back; we cannot dismiss the chance that some of these known prisoners remained captive past Operation Homecoming.

Second, leaders of the Pathet Lao claimed throughout the war that they were holding American prisoners in Laos. Those claims were believed--and, up to a point, validated--at the time; they cannot be dismissed summarily today.

Third, U.S. defense and intelligence officials hoped that forty or forty-one prisoners captured in Laos would be released at Operation Homecoming, instead of the twelve who were actually repatriated. These reports were taken seriously enough at the time to prompt recommendations by some officials for military action aimed at gaining the release of the additional prisoners thought to be held.

Fourth, information collected by U.S. intelligence agencies during the last 19 years, in the form of live-sighting, hearsay, and other intelligence reports, raises questions about the possibility that a small number of unidentified U.S. POWs who did not return may have survived in captivity.

Finally, even after Operation Homecoming and returnee debriefs, more than 70 Americans were officially listed as POWs based on information gathered prior to the signing of the peace agreement; while the remains of many of these Americans have been repatriated, the fates of some continue unknown to this day."

The committee did not conclude " there was no evidence to support those claims" of POWs left behind. Nor, did it "dispel conspiracy theories about left-behind POWs." Instead, it confirmed a belief, long held by many, that POWs were most probably left behind at the end of the Vietnam War.

The media needs to know the truth. Spread the word!

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Wondering Where We Were.... or Didn't Notice We Haven't Been Around – We had a computer crash! We managed to save almost everything but had to reload programs and data.