Stoney
Stony
New Source Comes Forward – On March 2nd 2005, we received an e-mail from an individual using the pen name "Publius." After careful review and input from several individuals, we believe the information, provided by "Publius" to be accurate and certainly disturbing. This e-mail is also in line with information provided during the Stony Beach briefing at the Alliance's 2003 meeting. [Begin Source Statement]
Dear National Alliance of Families,
In reference to your note, which was posted along with Warren Grey's comments:
(Alliance Note: We have an unconfirmed report that there were plans to move Stony Beach back to its base in Thailand. We have not heard if the move has taken place or not.)
I'd like to confirm to you that there are NO plans to move Stony Beach back to its base in Thailand. I personally know people who work in that unit and I'm just as frustrated and appalled with how they are treated by DPMO/JPAC as Warren Grey is.
No leader in the US Govt. can say this POW/MIA issue is a priority, while keeping the bulk of Stony Beach in Hawaii. It's simply not a true statement. It's tantamount to saying publically you are going to investigate a crime, but privately holding back and obstructing the investigators from doing their job.
Even more sad, you families have been deceived for the past several years into thinking that no effort is spared and that all live sightings are investigated in a timely manner. This simply could not be further from the truth! In reality, very little to nothing has been done. Although Stony Beach has tried to launch intitiatives to truly get to the truth surrounding these live sighting reports, they have been obstructed, discouraged, and stopped at every turn.
It is truly unfortunate I'm sending this email to you, but I believe the families have a right to know the truth. The time for cheap talk and half-measures is over. Policy officials and analysts in DPMO must be held accountable for their negligence in regards to this important issue. If not, how can we expect our soldiers to fight and die for this country if Govt. leaders and policymakers are going to obfuscate efforts to account for them if they become missing or captured. - Publius
End Source Statement]
We responded to this e-mail, asking about a recent item found in another newsletter stating Stony Beach had been fully staffed. This is the response we received.
[Begin Source Statement]
Dear National Alliance of Families,
Thank you for your response. Apropos Stony Beach manning, my trusted source informs me that the unit is NOT manned with nineteen personnel, but in fact only has less than fifteen personnel, four of whom occupy administrative positions. Wherefore, the figure of nineteen is erroneous and produces a false illusion to the public. The motives for propagating this number are therefore quite dubious and should be treated with a high degree of incredulity by the families.
Is it all for show, you ask? In response, my trusted source replied, "it takes us three days minimum to get to Thailand and up to a week to enter Vietnam, so it's impossible to quickly react on anything." So, is it all a show for public consumption? Excellent question and one that needs to be addressed at the highest levels. Although Stony Beach personnel are dedicated, creative, and work extremely hard, they are limited and restricted on what they are really able to do in support of this priority.
While geography is not my forte, I do know that no live sighting investigations have ever been conducted within the state of Hawaii, or within the United States for that matter. Ergo, Stony Beach's current posturing has had a cataclysmic/chilling affect on their operations and raises grave questions concerning the U.S. Govt's real, though unstated, intent on the POW/MIA matter.
For U.S. Govt. Officials, or anybody, to state that the POW/MIA issue is a national priority, while at the same time posturing your most effective and highly trained investigators thousands of miles away from their target/potential witnesses, is in inherent contradiction. It simply is not a valid statement. In fact, it is insidious, incredulous, and the American people deserve better from our Govt.
It is a myth and a lie to believe that Stony Beach is allowed to effectively do their jobs. Richard Cheney, then Secretary of Defense stated, "a nation that does not care for those who have fallen in battle, a nation that does not seek freedom for those held captive, a nation that forgets its missing, such a nation is a nation that has lost its soul..." Unfortunately, this is exactly what is happening at the hands of incompetent and self serving U.S. Govt. officials, who have used this POW/MIA tragedy for their own personal gain, with little to show for their efforts.
Whether in this life or the next, a day of accountability will come. John 8:32
- Publius
[End Source Statement]