H.Res 111 is endorsed by the following POW/MIA family organizations, the Korea-Cold War Families of the Missing, World War II Families of the Missing and the National Alliance of Families. If your group endorses H.Res 111 let us know and we will post it along with other endorsements on our web site.

Congress must take a look at the new information uncovered since the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs concluded in 1993, and information available to the Senate Committee but never addressed. While past investigations did not live up to expectations, we simply can not give up. Who among us could be opposed to shining a new light into the dark corners of the POW/MIA issue?

Making It Look Easy – Our congratulation and deep appreciation to Howard "Weebles" Bushnell and the men and women of Rolling Thunder®, Inc. IL Chapter #1. The following email, from "Weebles" describes their efforts on behalf of H.Res 111 and the goal they achieved.

"This is a story of how an individual in our chapter can get something started and accomplished. Dennis "LT" Reiter forwarded to some of us a "Call to Action" from the National Alliance of Families for the Return of America's Missing Servicemen. The action called for was to alert our local congressman to HR111 introduced by Rep. Peter King of New York asking for the creation of a House of Representatives Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs. Rolling Thunder® Inc. IL Chapter #1 called Congressman Peter Roskam of the 6th Dist of Illinois and we were granted an appointment. As the result of the visit despite the typo in his letter to us (which has been cleared up) he has agreed to be a co-sponsor of H. Res. 111."

Congressman Peter Roskam joined the list of co-sponsors of H.Res 111 on February 27th.

Deep Appreciation To – Donald Amorosi, Tri-County Council, Vietnam Era Veterans(TCCVEV), Albany, NY and the North East POW/MIA Network. On behalf of his organizations, Don has contacted all Congressional Representatives in New York, New Hampshire and Vermont asking their support of H.Res 111.

Surprise Visit to North Korea – A private delegation, with White House approval, will arrive in North Korea on Easter Sunday April 8th. During their three day stay, it is expected the North Koreans will turn over the remains of Servicemen missing from the Korean War.

On April 3rd, the White House issued the following statement; "At the invitation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), a private bipartisan U.S. delegation headed by Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico and former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony Principi will travel to North Korea from April 8-11, 2007 to facilitate the return of the remains of missing servicemen. The United States Government has invested considerable energy in persuading the DPRK to adhere to the provisions of the Armistice Agreement that cover repatriation of remains. This trip will reinforce progress already achieved in this area. A small number of U.S. officials will accompany the delegation to provide support and technical expertise."

The National Alliance of Families welcomes this new dialogue with North Korea. Our Korean War families have waited far too long for answers on the fate of their service members.

Sadly, there is no indication that this delegation intends to ask the North Koreans about American survivors from the Korean War. In a joint letter to President Bush, the Korea-Cold War Families of the Missing and the National Alliance of Families wrote; "Reports of American survivors in North Korea were so persuasive, one analyst with the Defense Departments POW/MIA Office (DPMO) wrote: "There are too many live sighting reports, specifically observations of several Caucasians in a collective farm by Romanians and North Korean defectors' eyewitness of Americans in DPRK to dismiss that there are no American POWs in North Korea."

This analyst made a clear distinction between the American defectors living in North Korean and bonafide Prisoners of War.

We can only hope that one day soon the subject of surviving American POWs in North Korea will receive the attention it demands.

Members of the House Armed Services Committee Visit Vietnam – Nhan Dan reported on April 7th – "A delegation from the US House of Representatives, led by Solomon Ortiz, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Readiness, is on a working visit to Vietnam from April 5-7. "

"The delegation, comprised of four House Representatives from both Democratic and Republican Parties, aims to exchange views on matters relating to the two countries' relations, particularly in the search for Americans Missing in Action (MIA), economy and trade."

".... The US delegation held a working lunch meeting with permanent members of the NA External Relations Committee and a number of members of the Vietnam parliamentarians' group for relations with the US and exchanged views with the American MIA Office in Hanoi. During the meetings, the Vietnamese side expressed its pleasure at the positive development of Vietnam-US bilateral relations in the recent past, benefitting both sides in terms of commerce, economy and multifaceted humanitarian co-operation, the search for MIAs, co-operation in drug control, fighting against terrorism and other transnational crimes, and the fruitful implementation of co-operation programmes between the two defense ministries."

"This is the first delegation from the House of Representatives of the new tenure and also the first from the US House Armed Services Committee to visit Vietnam."

Did Anyone Ask – We wonder if any of the Congressional Representatives on this trip to Vietnam asked about the 19 New POWs. Men Vietnamese officials admitted "survived into captivity" but were not acknowledged or returned during Operation Homecoming.

April 9, 2007 – Marks the 3rd year of captivity for Sgt. Matt Maupin. Our thought and prayers are with Sgt. Maupin and his family. May he be returned safely to his family.

The POW Status – To us, the Geneva Conventions and international law Matt Maupin is a Prisoner of War. To his government, he is listed ambiguously as "missing/captured." For years we have printed a photo of Matt Maupin in captivity with the caption.... Who wants to tell Matt Maupin he's not a POW?

Now We Understand – This past week the Army issued their report on the "friendly fire" death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman. The report found evidence destroyed, and documents falsified in order to maintain the story that Tillman died as a result of enemy action. Inexplicably, the report also concluded there was no cover-up.

In late January the Department of Defense mis-represented the loss of four soldiers in Iraq, saying they were killed defending their post. In reality the four were captured, transported many miles and executed. But, there was no attempt to cover-up the true facts of this incident.

We thought about this and how it applied to the POW/MIA issue. Then the light dawned! The Department of Defense simply does not understand the definition of "cover-up."

So, we thought we would offer a few examples.

When a conscious decision is made to destroy evidence, to maintain a fictional conclusion..... it's a cover-up.

When reports are knowingly falsified, to support a known non-truth..... it's a cover-up.

When circumstances and location of loss are purposely mis-reported.... it's a cover-up.

When information is purposely withheld from a family, to support a falsehood.... it's a cover-up.

Speaking of cover-ups.......

Why does Johnie Webb still have a job?????

Clarification of Rumor – Back on January 27th, we wrote that the Kenya London News reported that U.S. troops were missing in Somalia. We now have some clarification that MAY explain this report. At least one American civilian, some reports say two, was captured in Kenya, in late January after fleeing the fighting in Somalia. He, along with a number of refugees entered Kenya illegally. They were sent back to Somalia. In Somalia, this American civilian was picked up by the Ethiopian Army and sent to Ethiopia. He is currently in jail there.

News articles contain conflicting reports. Some quote U.S. officials saying the New Jersey resident is not a terrorist threat and violated no U.S. laws. Others say the F.B.I. believes he has terrorist ties but they do not have the evidence to make the charge. Embassy officials in Ethiopia have visited with this American and the State Department continues to press for his release.

So, this may explain the report of Americans captured in Somalia.

The National Alliance of Families 18th Annual Forum is scheduled for June 21th - 23th, 2007. Our forum is conducted to coincide with the Government's annual Vietnam POW/MIA Family Briefings. We urge all family members to attend this years government briefings. The government will provide free airfare to two family members to attend the government briefings. There is no charge or registration fee to attend these briefings and you DO NOT have to belong to any organization to attend the government briefings.

This year the Alliance will meet at the Radisson Hotel located at 2020 Jefferson Davis Highway in Crystal City Va. Room rates for June 21 - 23 are $109.00 per night plus taxes. To make your reservations call 703-920-8600. Remember to make your reservations early.

The Alliance is an all volunteer organization. Our meetings are open to all, without charge. At this time of year, we actively seek contributions to finance our forum. If you wish to contribute, donations may be mailed to: