Bits 'N' Pieces 2017
National Alliance of Families
For the Return of America's Missing Servicemen
+ World War II + Korea + Cold War + Vietnam +
BITS N PIECES 2017
Welcome to Bits N Pieces, the newsletter of the National Alliance of Families for the Return of America's Missing Servicemen. Please note that any and all information contained on our pages are available for downloading and distribution. In fact, we encourage it.
For more information on the National Alliance of Families
visit our Home Page at: http://www.nationalalliance.org
The National Alliance of Families is pleased to share with you the words of MIA family member and Alliance supporter, Robert Moore. Robert is the brother to Cpt. Harry Cecil Moore (USAF). We are also please to be partners and supporters of the POW Investigative Project, Inc (PIP) with launched on Veteran’s Day.
The PIP is an innovative project which combines investigative reporting & global crowd-sourcing. PIP invites contributors from across the world to provide information on US servicemen missing from the Korean, Cold and Vietnam Wars.
Bits ‘N’ Pieces September 2017 Edition: Kelly McKeague Named DPAA Director.
The National Alliance of Families hopes that you will be able to participate in this year’s National POW/MIA Recognition Day on 15 September 2017.
We would also like to thank everyone who contacted their representatives requesting the appointment of the DPAA Director. It was our sincere hope that the thoughtful appointment of a QUALIFIED individual who is dedicated to the accounting and recovery mission. This person must have a character which earns the trust and respect of POW/MIA families, concerned citizens, and Veterans. On the 5th of September 2017, DPAA announced their nomination of Mr. Kelly McKeague (USAF retired), whom some of you know to be the former commander of the now deactivated Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC).
The Alliance did not advocate for a particular person to be the DPAA Director. We chose to advocate for the type of Director we wanted. In light of the appointment of Mr. McKeague, The Alliance takes this opportunity to reiterate our expectations of DPAA and its Director. We want for the DPAA to not be like the old JPAC and DPMO that was described in the GAO, DOD-IG, and NBC reports. We want DPAA to use the most up-to-date scientific methods to provide families with truthful accountings of their loved ones to include valid identification of remains. We want and expect the DPAA Director to be honest about the information, intelligence, and recovery efforts of our American POW/MIA. We do not want to have another report entitled “DOD's POW/MIA Mission: Capability and Capacity to Account for Missing Persons Undermined by Leadership Weaknesses and Fragmented Organizational Structure”. Just as DPAA has a history to address and overcome, so does Director McKeague.
We wish all the best for Director McKeague and DPAA as our POW/MIA and their families deserve the best.
August 2017 Bits includes updates regarding a recently announced lawsuit from the Moore family whose family member Cpt. Harry Moore has not been accounted for. Now that we are over half way through the year we wanted to bring to your attention the lack of progress being made towards the truthful accounting of our unaccounted for Americans and the lack of a permanent director at DPAA. Since the beginning of the year we have seen many substantial issues facing our nation with China, Cuba, North Korea, and Russia. Each of these are key nations to truthful accounting. Therefore, we MUST be committed to bringing attention to the issues of our unaccounted for personnel to all of our elected officials. We use the term Unaccounted For as an all-inclusive term, even though it is not a not a legal status. The Alliance (and others) use the term to indicate Americans initially listed as POW, MIA, KIA-BNR, or PFOD, but whom little to no further information is yet known.
May 2017 Bits ‘N’ Pieces: 28th Annual Meeting Agenda & Speaker Biographies:
Below, please find the link for our May 2017 edition of our Bits 'N' Pieces Newsletter which has the full agenda and speaker biographies for our 28th Annual Meeting.
We hope to see you at the end of the month!
April Bits ‘N’ Pieces: Combat Artist Chip Beck’s Request for Assistance : Some of the paintings by Dr. Beck do not have the names of the personnel depicted. Dr. Beck reached out to the Alliance to assist in in the search for those names. Over the years it seems that the name data became separated from his notes on artwork. Please see the below link to review more information about Combat Artist Chip Beck and his work.
March 2017 Bits ‘N’ Pieces: Women’s History Month :
This month’s newsletter focuses on Ardel Vietti, who is the only American woman, civilian or military, still considered missing from the Vietnam War. Estimates say that the oldest unresolved POW case in Vietnam is that of Archie Mitchell, Ardel Vietti, and Dan Gerber. This year marks the 55 year anniversary of being prisoners of war.
Below please find the link to the February edition of our newsletter Bits 'N' Pieces. In this edition you will find continued information on the DPAA's lack of ability to hire new staff. Included is a copy of the update from DPAA on their operations as of 7 February 2017. And we are happy to share with you information on a new book written by the wife of MIA Air Force Pilot Colonel Dean "Pogie" Pogreba who was shot down in 1965 near the border of Laos and Vietnam in his F-105 Thunderchief Jet. The banner photo for this Facebook Note is of Pogie.
Below please find the link for the January 2017 edition of Bits 'N' Pieces. A copy of the Bits will also be archived onto our website, which we are in the middle of updating.
This issue of Bits includes updates regarding the current status of DPAA and its lack of a Director and budget; Remembrance of Ann Carolyn Standerwick, wife of MIA Robert L. Standerwick (Col. USAF), who passed away in 2016; and the list of press releases for all those recovered during 2016.
We thank you for your continued support of the Alliance. May we Never Forget!