Bits 'N' Pieces 2018

National Alliance of Families

For the Return of America's Missing Servicemen

+ World War II + Korea + Cold War + Vietnam +

BITS N PIECES 2018

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

A lot has gone on over the last several months of 2018. Any news articles of interest can be found on the blue links shown in the Bits newsletter.

For instance US personnel with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency's Stony Beach Team and Vietnamese National Representatives met 12 Dec 2018 to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of sustained bilateral field operations to account as fully as possible for missing Americans and recognize both the U.S. and Vietnamese for their efforts to obtain answers. (Cover photo: U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jamarius Fortson) Please use the link above to access the Bits newsletter.

A lot has gone on over the last three months. POW/MIA families and our nation have been very busy with everything going on with North Korea, the return of Korean War remains, talks with Vladimir Putin, and the deaths of Senator John McCain and Adrian Cronauer.

In the March edition of the Bits N Pieces, the National Alliance of Families would like to extend an invitation for you to attend our 29th Annual Meeting on 26 May 2018. We are excited to have our annual meeting coincide with Rolling Thunder’s 31st Annual Ride for Freedom. It will be held at the Hyatt Regency, 2799 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Arlington, VA 22202. Thank you to all who reached out with information and help with our Request for Assistance regarding an unidentified photo. The pilot has been identified as Returned POW Col. LeRoy Stutz. The 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Tarawa is this coming November as such we wanted to share with you some information that has been shared with us. There will be a ceremony on Betio on 20 Nov 2018 though we do not yet have details. The POW Flag 50 State Tour would like to invite all former POWs, their families, as well as families of those still MIA to Grundy, VA for the conclusion of the POW Flag 50 State Tour ceremony. And finally, we have republished the Accounting's from January 2018 to Date of Publication from the DPAA. Some were accounted for by DPAA while others were found through partnerships with non or not-for-profits with DPAA repatriating remains and verifying through DNA when applicable.

The National Alliance of Families hopes this edition of our Bits finds your 2018 bringing health, happiness, and answers. There are many things to update you on over these last 3 months, some of which explains why we fell behind on our newsletters. We apologize now for the long newsletter but plenty of information to be shared can be found inside the pages.