EX-POW BULLETIN · Ex-POW Bulletin Apr-June 2018 5 news from hq Clydie Morgan Chief Operating Officer Spring is finally here. Hope you all survived the winter well. With spring comes

EX-POW BULLETINthe official voice of the

American Ex-Prisoners of War Volume 75 Number 4/5/6www.axpow.org

April/May/June 2018

We exist to help those who cannot help themselves

April 9, 1998~ grand opening of “our” museum at Andersonville National Historic Site

Opening D

ay, April 9, 1998

National PO

W M

useum

EX-POW Bulletin (ISSN 0161-7451) is published quarterly (four times annually) by the American Ex-Prisoners of War,PO Box 3444, Arlington, TX 76007-3444. Periodical postage paid at Arlington, TX and additional mailing offices.Postmaster: send address changes to EX-POW Bulletin, AXPOW Headquarters, PO Box 3444, Arlington, TX 76007-3444. Founded April 14, 1942, in Albuquerque, NM, then known as Bataan Relief Organization, Washington State non-profit corporation, “American Ex-Prisoners of War”, October 11, 1949, recorded as Document No. 133762, Roll 1, Page386-392. NONPROFIT CORPORATION. Nationally Chartered August 10, 1982. Appearance in this publication does notconstitute endorsement by the American Ex-Prisoners of War of the product or service advertised. The publisherreserves the right to decline or discontinue any such advertisement.

PublisherPNC Milton M Moore Jr2965 Sierra Bermeja

Sierra Vista, AZ 85650(520) 459-7295

[email protected]

EditorCheryl Cerbone

23 Cove View DriveSouth Yarmouth, MA 02664

(508) [email protected]

Deadline for the July-Sept2018 issue is June 1, 2018.Please send all materials to

the editor at the aboveaddress.

officers/directors 4commander/coo 5ceo 6medsearch 7legislative 9andersonville 10namPOW 12pow/mia 15civilian 18news 20100 years ago 22last pow released 23the ride home 25contributions 28new members 29taps/chaplain 30voluntary funding 34

table of contents

Ex-POW BulletinApr-June 2018

3

Apr/May/June 2018

© 2018American Ex-Prisoners of War

It has been 20 years since we dedicated “our” museum at Andersonvilleand we’re going back to celebrate! The National Park Service hasgrand plans for the 20th anniversary. There’s more information in theAndersonville column in this issue. If you haven’t been to the mu-seum yet, this is the perfect opportunity to see the POW experienceis portrayed...if you were there for the grand opening on April 9,1998, come on back! The AXPOW Board of Directors will be havingtheir mid-year meeting in conjunction with this event and all mem-bers are welcome to attend that as well.

Happy Birthday, AXPOW!April 9, 1942In the Philippines... American GeneralKing surrenders 75,000 men (12,000Americans) to the Japanese. A deathmarch begins for the prisoners as theyare taken to San Fernado, 100 milesaway. Many thousands of them die onthe march. Resistance continues in iso-lated areas of Luzon and other islands.General Wainwright and his troops con-tinue to hold out on Corregidor Island.

At home… Information was leaking out about the atrocities andsubhuman treatment that American prisoners of war were receivingin Japanese prison camps in the Pacific. It was Mrs. Charles W.Bickford and Mrs. Fred E. Landon who, on April 10, 1942, persuadedother parents and relatives to hold a mass meeting. They formed anorganization to get relief to the captured boys on Bataan. On April14th, the Bataan Relief Organization began with Dr. V. H. Spensley,as Chairman.

National HeadquartersPO Box 3444, Arlington, TX 76007-3444

(817) 649-2979 [email protected]

axpow officers & directors

National CommanderCharles Susino, Jr.110 Boss RoadStockton NJ 08559(609) 397-5965(732) 713-8811 - Cell

Senior Vice CommanderEdward “Ted” Cadwallader9501 Nut Tree CourtElk Grove, CA 95624(916) [email protected]

Ben Garrido6813 W 60th StreetTulsa OK 74107(951) [email protected]

Milton ‘Skip’ Moore2965 Sierra BermejaSierra Vista AZ 85650(520) 459-7295 – Home(520) 249-7122 – [email protected]

directors

Chief Operations OfficerClydie J MorganPO Box 3444Arlington TX 76007-3444(817) 649-2979 – Office(817) 300-2840 - [email protected]

Chief Financial OfficerMarsha M Coke2710 Charon CourtGrand Prairie TX 75052(817) 649-2979 – Office (817) 723-3996 – [email protected]

Chief Executive OfficerDavid Eberly205 Roger WebsterWilliamsburg VA 23185(757) 253-9553 – Home(757) 508-8453 - [email protected]

officers

Cheryl Cerbone23 Cove View DriveSouth Yarmouth, MA 02664(508)394-5250 - Home(508) 360-4090 - [email protected]

Pam Warner EslingerPO Box 117Hammon, OK 73650(580) [email protected]

Charles A. Susino951 Gates Ave.Piscataway, NJ 08854(732)463-8355(732)[email protected]

Jan Williams4353 Bending PointGuthrie, Ok 73040(580) [email protected]

National CommanderCharles Susino, Jr.


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newsfromhq

Clydie MorganChief Operating Officer

Spring is finally here. Hope you allsurvived the winter well.

With spring comes the opportunityto participate in town parades andevents. If you are asked to speakor appear, please make an effortto do so. It will be good for bothyou and your audiences.

2018 is the 100th anniverary ofthe end of WWI. In order to raisefunds for the completion of thememorial honoring these heroes,

the WWI Centennial Commissionhas released a commemorativesilver dollar to honor the 4.7 millionwho served. If you would like topurchase it, please contact the USMint directly: 1-800-USA-MINT.

One thing we’ve noticed this yearhas been the number of ourmembers who have reached themagic 100 years! A couple yearsago, PNC Jim Cooper turned 100;this year, we had a request from adaughter to honor her dad’smilestone. We were glad to do sowith a certificate of appreciationand notice in the magazine. LoretoLazo will be 100 on April 10th andwe wish him a very happy birthday.If you know of a member turning100, please let us know at least90 days in advance and we’ll makeevery effort to make note of it.

As you know, Marsha, Cheryl andI are working out of our homes.

This has saved the organizationthousands of dollars and that,combined with your continueddonations to AXPOW, have keptus in the black. We do dependmightily on your contributions,however, and are very grateful foryour generosity.

A note to you who have namedAXPOW in your wills, please notifyyour executors of theorganization’s new address. Usingthe old address causes delays inthe paperwork and sometimesmissed deadlines. We appreciateyour consideration and generos-ity. Thank you.

Clydie

I hope this bulletin finds you andyour family in good health.

I often take this opportunity toreview recent or upcoming eventsof particular interest to our mem-

bers. So very often it is personalor military related which is of greatinterest.

First, March 6th the AmericanAXPOW was invited to Washing-ton to provide public testimony tothe Senate VA subcommittee alongwith many other Veteran serviceorganizations. Please take the timeto read the Legislative Articlewhich represents the words sub-mitted. The actual testimony isslightly different and can be heardon the Senate VA subcommitteewebsite.

Rarely is there an event whichencompasses both personal andmilitary related interest to all ofus! In April, Andersonville NationalPrisoner of War Museum will be cel-ebrating its 20th year of operation.The facility is a source of pride foreach of us and our family. Fur-ther it is a source of pride, patrio-

tism, and education for all thatvisit. How great would it be tospend time at the Museum whenthere are so many people present.Those that are present from thepublic are the ones most interestedin history, most interested in thestories, most interested in meetingwith veterans who were prisonersof war. I can’t help but believe itwill be one of our most rewardingexperiences. I realize it is not easyto travel and I too have health is-sues which are very challenging tome.

To all, please give it your best ef-fort to be there!!

——Remember————

David Eberly

205 Roger WebsterWilliamsburg VA 23185(757) 253-9553 – Home(757) 508-8453 - [email protected]

from the CEO


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David

It’s been three full months sincemoving the office to our homes.With the first month, just gettingset up and then the holidays inlate November-December, I feellike this month is really the first“regular working from the home”

Spring and New Opportunities

Signals of an approaching Springare budding in the Colonial Capitaland our feathered friends are chip-ping the news of fresh opportuni-ties.

As I write this the gardens aroundtown are alight with Daffodils lead-ing the charge toward warmerweather, and our Tulip Magnoliablooms daring to open in spite ofanother frost.

Our Red-Shouldered Hawk has re-turned to catch an early worm,several of our adopted deer ap-pear on the path to parenthood,and our tee times are no longerplagued by frost delay.

As you read this, your AXPOW of-ficers and staff are preparing fornew opportunities with the boardof directors - and welcome visi-tors - at Andersonville NationalHistoric Site in conjunction with

the 20th anniversary of The Na-tional POW Museum.

During the past twenty years, fewAmericans have been heldCaptive—although civil strife inareas of the world carry politicaland economical challenges. Ourchallenge is to foster through edu-cational programs at The Museumthe heritage and legacy of the menand women who continued thefight in on marches, in camps, andprisons.

On the local level, if you are a re-turnee, I encourage you to tellyour story, participate in an oralhistory program, and tell othersabout our terrific expanded website.

Nationally, take this opportunity tojoin us April 7th and 8th atAndersonville or simply renew yoursupport to AXPOW so that to-gether we may help those thatcannot help themselves.

treasurer’snews

Marsha Coke, CFO

month. So far, so good! I’ve at-tached a picture of the office atmy house. The office, which Ithought would take up some spacein Elizabeth’s old bedroom, actu-ally ended up taking up the wholeroom and the small walk-in closet.However, it is working out well forme. The second picture is theprinter/copier/scanner and 4-drawer file cabinet, which is in thefar left side of the first picture.

As a reminder to everyone, manyof you make dedicated donationsto AXPOW, and an increasing num-ber are leaving bequests to us.Please make sure your attorneys/banks/executors use our PO Box.

Thanks!Marsha

[email protected]


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pow medsearchMarsha Coke, Chairmane-mail: [email protected] Box 3444Arlington, TX 76007-3444(817) 649-2979

nsoRuth Powell, Director

191 Florence RoadWaltham, MA 02453

781-296-6307 cell

OsteoporosisOsteoporosis is a disease thatweakens bones to the point wherethey break easily—most often,bones in the hip, backbone(spine), and wrist. Osteoporosisis called a “silent disease” becauseyou may not notice any changesuntil a bone breaks. All the while,though, your bones had been los-ing strength for many years.

Bone is living tissue. To keep bonesstrong, your body breaks down oldbone and replaces it with newbone tissue. Sometime around age30, bone mass stops increasing,and the goal for bone health is tokeep as much bone as possible foras long as you can. As people en-ter their 40s and 50s, more bonemay be broken down than is re-placed.

A close look at the inside of boneshows something like a honey-comb. When you have osteoporo-sis, the spaces in this honeycombgrow larger, and the bone thatforms the honeycomb gets smaller.The outer shell of your bones alsogets thinner. All of this makes yourbones weaker.

Who Has Osteoporosis?Risk Factors and CausesAlthough osteoporosis can strikeat any age, it is most commonamong older people, especiallyolder women. Men also have thisdisease. White and Asian womenare most likely to have osteoporo-sis. Other women at great risk in-clude those who:· Have a family history ofbroken bones or osteoporosis

· Have broken a bone afterage 50· Had surgery to removetheir ovaries before their periodsstopped· Had early menopause· Have not gotten enoughcalcium and/or vitamin D through-out their lives· Had extended bed rest orwere physically inactive· Smoke (smokers may ab-sorb less calcium from their diets)· Take certain medications,including medicines for arthritisand asthma and some cancer drugs· Used certain medicines fora long time· Have a small body frame

The risk of osteoporosis grows asyou get older. At the time ofmenopause, women may lose bonequickly for several years. Afterthat, the loss slows down butcontinues. In men, the loss of bonemass is slower. But, by age 65 or70, men and women are losingbone at the same rate.

What Is Osteopenia?Whether your doctor calls itosteopenia or low bone mass, con-sider it a warning. Bone loss hasstarted, but you can still take ac-tion to keep your bones strong andmaybe prevent osteoporosis laterin life. That way you will be lesslikely to break a wrist, hip, or ver-tebrae (bone in your spine) whenyou are older.

Can My Bones BeTested?For some people, the first sign ofosteoporosis is to realize they aregetting shorter or to break a boneeasily. Don’t wait until that hap-pens to see if you have osteoporo-sis. You can have a bone densitytest to find out how strong yourbones are.

The U.S. Preventive Service TaskForce recommends that womenaged 65 and older be screened(tested) for osteoporosis, as wellas women under age 65 who areat increased risk for an osteoporo-sis-related fracture.A bone mineral density test com-pares your bone density to thebones of an average healthyyoung adult. The test result,known as a T-score, tells you howstrong your bones are, whetheryou have osteoporosis orosteopenia, and your risk for hav-ing a fracture.

How Can I Keep MyBones Strong? Prevent-ing OsteoporosisThere are things you should do atany age to prevent weakenedbones. Eating foods that are richin calcium and vitamin D is impor-tant. So is regular weight-bearingexercise, such as weight training,walking, hiking, jogging, climbingstairs, tennis, and dancing.

If you have osteoporosis, avoidactivities that involve twistingyour spine or bending forward fromthe waist, such as conventionalsit-ups, toe touches, or swinginga golf club. Learn how to exercisesafety with Go4Life, the exercise


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medsearch, cont’d...and physical activity campaignfrom the National Institute on Ag-ing.

Those are the best ways to keepyour bones strong and healthy.Learn more about keeping yourbones strong to prevent falls.

What Can I Do for MyOsteoporosis?Treating osteoporosis meansstopping the bone loss and rebuild-ing bone to prevent breaks.Healthy lifestyle choices such asproper diet, exercise, and medi-cations can help prevent furtherbone loss and reduce the risk offractures.

But, lifestyle changes may not beenough if you have lost a lot ofbone density. There are also sev-eral medicines to think about.Some will slow your bone loss, andothers can help rebuild bone. Talkwith your doctor to see if medi-cines might work to treat yourosteoporosis.In addition, you’ll want to learnhow to fall-proof your home andchange your lifestyle to avoidfracturing fragile bones.

Can I Avoid Falling?When your bones are weak, asimple fall can cause a brokenbone. This can mean a trip to thehospital and maybe surgery. Itmight also mean being laid up fora long time, especially in the caseof a hip fracture. So, it is impor-tant to prevent falls. Learn howto prevent falls.

Do Men HaveOsteoporosis?Osteoporosis is not just a woman’sdisease. Not as many men have itas women do, maybe becausemost men start with more bonedensity. As they age, men losebone density more slowly than

women. But, men need to be awareof osteoporosis.

Experts don’t know as much aboutthis disease in men as they do inwomen. However, many of thethings that put men at risk are thesame as those for women, includ-ing family history, not enough cal-cium or vitamin D, and too littleexercise. Low levels of testoster-one, too much alcohol, taking cer-tain drugs, and smoking are otherrisk factors.

Older men who break a bone eas-ily or are at risk for osteoporosisshould talk with their doctors abouttesting and treatment.

Veterans andOsteoporosisPurposeLess than 24 percent of Veteransreceived appropriate evaluationand/or treatment for osteoporosiswithin 6 months of an indexfracture. An electronic consult (E-consult) service was implementedat 3 Veterans Affairs MedicalCenters to facilitate identificationof and to recommend managementfor patients with recent fracture.

MethodThe E-consult service used clinicalencounter data based on ICD9diagnosis codes to prospectivelyidentify patients with potentialosteoporotic fractures. Eligiblepatients’ medical records werereviewed by a metabolic bonespecialist and an E-consult notewas sent to the patient’s primaryprovider with specificrecommendations for furthermanagement. Recommendationswere initiated at the provider’sdiscretion.

ResultsBetween 2011 and 2013, the E-consult service identified 444 eli-gible patients with a low-traumafracture who were not already ontreatment. One hundred twenty-nine (29.1%) consults recom-mended immediate bisphosphonatetreatment and 258 (58.1%) rec-ommended bone density assess-ments. Primary providers re-sponded by prescribingbisphosphonates in 74 patients(57.4%) and by ordering bonedensity testing in 183 (70.9%)patients. At the facility level, priorto implementation of the E-con-sult service, the rate of os-teoporosis treatment following afracture was 4.8% forbisphosphonates and 21.3% forcalcium/vitamin D. After implemen-tation, the treatment rate in-creased to 7.3% forbisphosphonates (P = 0.02) and35.2% for calcium/vitamin D (P <0.01).

ConclusionWhile feasible and relatively lowcost, an E-consult servicemodestly improved the rate ofosteoporosis treatment amongpatients with a recent fracture.These results suggest that aprogram with direct patientinteraction is probably required tosubstantially improve treatmentrates.

For More Information onOsteoporosisNational Institutes of Health Os-teoporosis and Related Bone Dis-eases National Resource Center1-800-624-2663 (toll-f r e e ) 1-202-466-4315 (TTY)NIHBoneInfo@mai l .n ih .govwww.bones.nih.govNational Institute of Arthritis andMusculoskeletal and Skin Diseases1-877-226-4267 (toll-free) 1-301-565-2966 (TTY)n i a m s i n f o @ m a i l . n i h . g o vwww.niams.nih.gov

PNC Charles Susino Jr110 Boss RoadStockton NJ 08559(609) 397-5965(732) 713-8811 - Cell

legislative


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2017-2018 LegislativeCommittee

PNC Charles Susino, Jr.ND Charles Anthony [email protected]

Testimony before Joint House/SenateVeterans Affairs Committees, March 6,2018.

Chairmen and members of the Houseand Senate Veteran’s Affairs committeeand guests, my name is Charles A.Susino, National Director of the Ameri-can Ex-Prisoners of War. I am speak-ing today on behalf of my father, NationalCommander Charles Susino, Jr. Manyof you know him from his previous testi-mony over the years. My dad joins mein thanking you for the opportunity toexpress our comments today.

We are grateful for your efforts over thispast year. This Congress has steppedup and passed several key pieces oflegislation in support of our veterans withrespect to health care, compensation,and public awareness in the case ofapproving a location for the OperationDesert Storm memorial. Your time isscarce and other major Congressionalagendas often displace the attention onveterans’ needs so we ask for your pa-tience, persistence, and unwaveringsupport.

Several pieces of new legislation areimportant and continually improving allfacets of the Veterans Administrationoperation is necessary. We often speakat this hearing about how the VA needsto improve and model its methods aboutparticular successful and efficient indus-tries. We need to get to where we usethe term operational excellence and VA

in the same sentence. For an organi-zation that large it takes time, but weneed to focus on select areas to buildsome successes to point at.

Our legislative agenda has been veryconsistent year to year. It is based onthe earned benefits of the veteran forserving their country, never using theword “entitlements” in the same sen-tence as veteran. Its center ishealthcare and fair compensation to theveteran and their family.

Studies of society conclude thecountry’s population is getting older.That is also true of the veterans as well,especially those that served in WWII,Korea, and Vietnam. The typical WWIIveteran is in their 90’s along with theirspouse and as people are living longerso does our veteran and this createssome unique challenges for the VA. Inour organization, we have members inthat age group. I am always surprisedhow little is actually provided for the eld-erly veterans who are sickly, even thosewith 100% rating disability.

In 1986, Congress and the Presidentmandated VA health care for veteranswith service connected disabilities aswell as other special groups of veterans.It included veterans up to WWI, some58 years after the end of the war. WWIIended over 72 years ago. We haveasked you for the better part of the lastdecade to revisit the special groups andupdate to include veterans of WWII,Korea, Vietnam, Cold War, and our re-cent conflicts in the Middle East. Wehave requested for many years with nomovement on the part of Congress. WithPresident Trump’s support of our mili-tary, this President may see it appropri-ate and fair treatment for those that havekept our country free.

We also draw your attention to severalbills which we believe have special meritand request your active support.

H.R. 27: Ensuring VA Employee Ac-countability Act. All veterans in all VAfacilities deserve adequate care from VAemployees.

H.R. 4369: To amend title 38, UnitedStates Code, to codify the authority ofthe Secretary of Veterans Affairs to as-sign a disability rating of total to a vet-eran by reason of unemployability, andfor other purposes

H.R. 299 and S. 422 : To amend title38, United States Code, to clarify pre-sumptions relating to the exposure ofcertain veterans who served in the vicin-ity of the Republic of Vietnam, and forother purposes.

H.R. 303 and S.66: To amend title 10,United States Code, to permit additionalretired members of the Armed Forceswho have a service-connected disabil-ity to receive both disability compensa-tion from the Department of VeteransAffairs for their disability and either re-tired pay by reason of their years of mili-tary service or combat-related specialcompensation.

S. 339: A bill to amend title 10, UnitedStates Code, to repeal the requirementfor reduction of survivor annuities underthe Survivor Benefit Plan by veterans’dependency and indemnity compensa-tion, and for other purposes.

HR 1472 and S. 591: Military and Vet-eran Caregiver Services Improvement Actof 2017

S. 1990: Dependency and IndemnityCompensation Improvement Act of 2017

S. 544: A bill to amend the VeteransAccess, Choice, and Accountability Actof 2014 to modify the termination datefor the Veterans Choice Program, andfor other purposes.

Thank you for your time and attentionand most importantly your unwaveringsupport of ex-POWs and all veterans –deserving heroes every one.

God bless our troopsGod bless America

“There is nothing so American asour national parks.... Thefundamental idea behind theparks...is that the countrybelongs to the people, that it is inprocess of making for theenrichment of the lives of all ofus.” -Franklin D. Roosevelt(1936)

andersonville

Andersonville NHS496 Cemetery RoadAndersonville, GA 31711(229) 924-0343Supt. Charles [email protected]


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This winter had been an excep-tionally cold one, with a raresnowfall covering the cemetery,prison site, and museum on Janu-ary 17th. Despite the cold winter,our Wreaths Across America eventwas a great success, with arecord number of wreaths placedin Andersonville National Cem-etery.

Park staff are now gearing up fora busy spring. Thousands of stu-dents will come to the park overthe next few months to learnabout Andersonville and the ex-periences of American prisoners ofwar. On March 10-11, living his-torians will gather at the park toportray Union prisoners and Con-federate guards during our LivingHistory Weekend. The Avenue ofFlags will be raised March 30th andcontinue through April 11th for Na-tional Former POW RecognitionDay.

This year marks the 20th anniver-sary of the National Prisoner ofWar Museum. The park will offerspecial items and programsthroughout the year to recognizethe importance of the museum andits mission to preserve and inter-pret the stories of all Americanprisoners of war. A special pass-port stamp and free commemora-tive envelope and message will beavailable to visitors all year. Ananniversary banner will hang abovethe entrance to the museum’scentral hallway. A series of spe-cial programs will be offered dur-ing the year, with the first pro-gram, “African Americans atAndersonville” on February 3rd. Thepark will also offer free showingsof selected films about AmericanPOWs in the museum theater dur-ing the year, beginning with a filmfocused on the Revolutionary Waron April 7th and continuing with afilm focused on the Civil War onMay 5th. A series of monthlyFacebook posts will feature someof the many objects that havebeen donated to the museum col-lection over the years. Two tem-porary exhibits will be offered atthe museum, with the first focusedon the opening and history of themuseum and the second display-ing the objects featured in ourseries of Facebook posts.

The Grand Opening of the NationalPrisoner of War Museum, whichtook place on April 9, will be rec-ognized April 7-9 with several ac-tivities and programs offered inpartnership with AXPOW, Friendsof Andersonville, and Eastern Na-tional. The walkways leading tothe museum will be lined with smallAmerican and POW/MIA flags. Aspecial free showing of a film aboutAmerican POWs held during theRevolutionary War will be offeredon Saturday, April 7th. On Sunday,April 8th, activities will begin witha performance by the Army Ma-

neuver Center of Excellence cer-emonial band at 1:30 pm. A com-memorative ceremony will be heldat 2:00 pm featuring guest speak-ers Seymour Lichtenfeld, who washeld prisoner by Germany duringWorld War II, and David Eberly,AXPOW CEO and former POW dur-ing Desert Storm. Other sched-uled activities include a perfor-mance by a local high schoolNJROTC drill team, a special pre-sentation by a Survival, Evasion,Resistance, and Escape (SERE)Program Specialist, a flyover ofmilitary aircraft, and a static dis-play of a UH-1 Huey helicopter.On Monday, April 9th, we will in-vite area schools to bring theirstudents to the museum to meetand talk to former POWs.

Park staff would like to extend aninvitation to all former POWs tobe our honored guests at the com-memorative event on Sunday, April8th. We hope you will attend andallow us to thank you and honoryour service and sacrifice for yourcountry. We also invite you tomeet and talk with area studentson Monday, April 9th. For more in-formation, please contact JodyMays, Chief of Interpretation andResource Management, at 229-924-0343 ext. 115 [email protected].


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andersonville,cont’d..A Record Year forWreaths AcrossAmerica Event andOther News fromAndersonville NHSBy Charles Barr,Cemetery Administrator

Wreaths Across America was heldon Saturday, December 16th, 2017in Andersonville National Cemeteryat 12:00 pm. Wreaths AcrossAmerica is a national program thatencourages individuals, communitygroups, and families to sponsorwreaths for placement in nationalcemeteries throughout the UnitedStates. These wreaths may beplaced on specific graves, or leftundesignated to place on one ofthousands of unvisited graves.Wreaths may be purchased andsent to Andersonville NationalCemetery by visitingwww.wreathsacrossamerica.org.Wreaths may also be purchasedfrom local florists or home improve-ment stores and placed at theCemetery throughout the monthof December.

On December 16th the Civil Air Pa-trol conducted a beautiful cer-emony for Wreaths AcrossAmerica, with Lt. Col Robert Kelly(Civil Air Patrol) and Superinten-dent Charles Sellars both givingkeynote addresses to over 250people who were present. Once

the ceremony was completed, thevolunteers moved to Sections D,E, and F to place the wreaths onthe headstones.

In total there were approximately3,660 wreaths placed throughoutthe National Cemetery. This totalincluded 3,340 wreaths fromWreaths Across America; the restwere either bought from local flo-rists or were handmade. This wasa record number of wreaths for

our Cemetery, and withthe continued support ofWreaths Across Americaand private citizens wecan hopefully one dayreach our goal of a wreathon every grave in theCemetery.

This year SuperintendentSellars shared the story ofa special burial we had in2017 for Private Harold

Hirschi, who served in World WarII. He was captured by the Japa-nese in 1942 in the Philippines, andsurvived the Bataan Death March.He died as a prisoner of war atCabanatuan prison camp and wasburied in a mass grave with 13other prisoners. In 2017, 75 yearsafter his death, Private Hirschi’sremains were returned to his fam-ily. He was laid to rest with fullmilitary honors in Andersonville

The Traveling POW exhibit, “Vic-tory from Within”, is still travelingaround the country for visitors tosee. This past year it was at theCivil War Naval Museum in Colum-bus, GA. And from there it trav-eled to the National Naval Avia-tion Museum in Pensacola, FL.From Pensacola it will travel to theRice County Historical Society inKansas where it will stay for theremainder of 2018.

Several Special Events are com-ing up at Andersonville NationalHistoric Site and National Cem-etery. On March 10th and 11th wewill host our annual Living Historyevent where people from all overthe United States come to spendthe weekend to witness historicalreenactors portray AndersonvillePrisoners or Guards. The FirstAvenue of Flags for 2018 will begoing up on March 30th throughApril 11th in honor of former POWrecognition day.

On April 8th we will commemoratethe 20th Anniversary of the Na-tional Prisoner of War Museum. Oursecond Avenue of Flags will go upfrom May 18th through May 30th inhonor of Memorial Day. Our Me-morial Day weekend starts on Sat-urday May 26th through May 28th

where we will place a flag on ev-ery grave and host our MemorialDay Observance ceremony onSunday May 27th.

All events held at AndersonvilleNational Historic Site are open tothe public and are free of charge.

Credit: Hugh Peacock


12

namPOWnews

Richard “Beak” Stratton

In the Fall of last year (2017) twoevents caught my eye: a newsitem in the Manchester Guardianand a PBS programannouncement. The Guardianreported that more than 30 ofSaudi Arabia’s most senior and elitefigures, among them bloodrelatives of senior rulers, werelocked inside the five-starRiyadh Ritz-Carlton hotel,accused of corruption.” Thisnews gave me one of thoseYogi Berra moments: “Its déjàvu all over again.” For it was50 years since I too had beenchecked into Hanoi’s MaisonCentrale for a six year’s stayas a Yankee Air Pirate,Blackest of All the Criminalsin the DRV. And any time PBSclaims to be executing a“documentary” it isguaranteed to be a screedslanted against our country.

In 1965 one of the earliest NorthVietnam shoot-downs (BobShumaker?) had made thefacetious and infelicitousdesignation of the Maison Centrale

as “The Hanoi Hilton”. To thecitizenry of Hanoi it was knownas the Hoa Lo Prison; ostensiblyso-called for being locatedwhere pottery furnaces used tobe. However it was really sotagged by the slang usage ofHoa Lo as “fiery furnace”referring to the prison’sreputation for miserabletreatment of those incarceratedtherein for over the past 100years. At the time I arrived (1/6/1967), as I found out later, ithoused in addition toadministrative personnel and theirfamilies, US & RVN prisoners,female civilians, crooks, streetpeople and political prisoners. Asfar as Maison Centrale went, aHilton Hotel it was not; five starswere not even in the firmament.

In 1970 a basket of deplorables(Communist Designation) weresettling into Cell Seven as partof a massive relocation ofprisoners in North Vietnam. [Afterthe Son Tay Rescue Raid theCommunists decided to ship theyounger studs up to the Chineseboarder and place us old fudsdowntown Hanoi, on ground zero,in case of massive raids and aninvasion. American POWs had bythen attained a measure of valueas hostages.]

An Air Force Ace, Jim Kassler (RIP)was regaling me with war storiesfrom Korea and Vietnam. In theprocess he observed that justbefore his shoot down his crew chiefremarked, while strapping him in tohis aircraft: “Don’t worry if you getshot down, sir. I understand thatthey are putting you up in the HanoiHilton until the end of the war.” Jimallowed as how we were going tohave trouble with that Hoteldesignation in our dotage. Today Ifeared future generations wouldconsider us to be in the samesituation as the Saudi Princescurrently find themselves – all of

us allegedly having beenensconced in the 5 staraccommodations of aprestigious hotel chain.

As Jim had predicted revisionistpundits posing as professors,if they teach about theVietnam War at all, manage toremove the quotation marksaround “The Hanoi Hilton” whenreferring to the POW mainprison location. In PBS’s ersatz18 hour “documentary” The

Vietnam War. Burns and Novicktotally distort the Vietnamexperience by coating grains ortruth with truckloads of lies andinnuendo. My granddaughtersattending colleges and watching TVare being indoctrinated, noteducated.

Maison Centrale1 Pho Hoa Lo, Hanoi, Vietnam

1967 Main Entrance Hoa Lo Hanoi

1967 Maison Centrale,Hanoi Vietnam

maison, cont’d...


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Jim and I started our own realitycheck by matching stories aboutour first few weeks after check-in to the Maison Centrale. Therewas no lounge, lobby or check inarea. We were placed in a holdingroom with knobby walls designedto attenuate sound, a hook in theceiling and a couple of hooks inthe walls. There was one lighthanging form a wire out of theceiling. There was a rusted bucketin the corner obviously for humanwaste. The surfaces were stainedwith human fluids. The air wasstale, fetid and cloying. I was tospend a week there in my skivvies– “checking in”.

After about a week in the KnobbyRoom I was transferred to aprivate accommodation in themaximum security wingappropriately named by the oldtimers as “Heart Break Hotel”. Thiscell had hot and cold running ratsthrough a rat hole (drain) at thebase of a courtyard wall. I hadmy own private toilet – a rustedbucket but with a lid. There weretwo cement bed pads built againstthe wall with leg stocks at theend of each. It appeared to be aspace about 6 feet wide, 8 feetlong and 14 feet high. There wasa bared and boarded window highup on the outside wall and astrong door with a Judas hole onthe passageway side. I had twomeals a day with random hits onthe head and interrogations atunpredictable times through any24 hour period.

There was no medicalcare. Once theydetermined that I wasgoing to live they issuedme some go-aheads madeof rubber tires for solesand inner tubes for anarch strap, T shirt, skiveshorts (boxer), messdress uniform (stripedPJs), a hand towel, a seethrough blanket and astraw matt. I was a thingof sartorial splendor.

Interestingly enough, I had noinjuries resulting from the blowingup of and my ejection from theA4E Skyhawk. There were noinjuries resulting from theparachute landing or thesuccession of beatingsadministered by the rather iratepeasants that captured me. Everywound on my body was the directresult of the Check-In process.There were puncture wounds onthe back of my wrists that wentto the bone inflicted by theprimitive gear and screw handcuffsthey used to immobilize my hands.Where the ropes were tied acrossmy elbows my left arm was cut tothe muscle and the right elbow tothe bone as a result of the sawingmotion they used to apply forcethe various parts of the body. Ihave those scars with me even tothis day. The shackles and bararrangement they used toimmobilize my legs tore away theskin to bone at both ankles. Noone of these injuries in themselvesor in combination was lifethreatening until all six becameinfected. At that point my survivalwas in the hands of God.

To counter the results of thetrauma I decided to check out ofmy accommodations. Physicalescape was not in the cards.However I was able todisassociate. It took a while to

develop this talent. I started bytalking to various parts of my bodycommiserating with them. I scoldedthe pain saying that we were wellaware that something was out ofwhack and we needed no moreprompts. My favorite perch wasup on the ceiling where I couldlook down on myself and observewhat was going on with me or if inthe Knobby Room what was beingdone to me. I became a master ofcritical evaluation regarding myinterrogators and torturers

Knobby Room Torture Chamber

Rope Trick~courtesy Mike McGrath

1967 Prison Uniform


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techniques. I was unmerciful incritiquing my performance andreaction to the VC – learning fromevery mistake and becomingaware of every cue as to theirupcoming behavior. It was a grandshow! I proved to myself whilethey might be able to control mybody they had nothing to sayabout my mind. They could bendmy will but they could not breakme. They being the disease, thegerms, the pain or the Communists.I could check out any time Iwanted to and they wouldn’t evenknow that I was gone.

If you arrived in Hoa Lo withinjuries which they exacerbated aspart of their torture regime asthey did with Jim Kassler andothers, torture was an unmitigatedevil. Otherwise, if they torturedyou, you either lived or you died.Their intent was not to kill you bytorture but to exploit you. Sovoluntary death was not an optionthat was on the table. As a resultyou learned how far you couldresist on any one day and tookthe process to that limit. Theconcept was to bend to just beforethey broke you and you didsomething incredibly stupid to hurtyour shipmates or your country.You learned that they also hadlimitations. Authority for torturecame from the highest levels andthe individual interrogator may ormay not have that authority onany one day. They also wereworking with time constraints andmaybe you could outlast them.And sometime, you could make it

just too much work for them, givenwhatever result they were lookingfor on that day. It was a crapshoot.

Eventually I was moved around toother prisons in the Hanoi area:the Zoo, the Plantation, Hoa Lo –Little Vegas, and Hoa Lo – Unity.At each step the accommodationsimproved: another cell mate, 3 cellmates, 30 cell mates, 40 cellmates. Torture, as a routine event,stopped around 1969; my lastbeating was in 1970. I wasreleased in 1973. Food and waterbecame adequate to sustain life.Sporadic mail (6 line forms)exchange was negotiated by Mr.Kissinger.

Eventually I won as had JimKassler. After about a year we wereof no use to them. They could getno real propaganda value out ofJim the captured “Ace” nor of me“The Mad Bomber of Hanoi”. Theirefforts to exploit us actually mayhave done us some good in thatthey had to produce us or at leastaccount for us at the end of thewar.

What is the purpose of thisdiscussion? Certainly my woundswere insignificant compared to thehorrific combat woundsexperienced by the ground troops.

maison, cont’d...

2007~By Fuller with Hoa LoCell Door

Plantation Prison Warehouse

Camp Unity~Mike McGrath

Our living conditions werefar superior to thoseexperienced by thosecaptured and held inSouth Vietnam, Cambodiaand Laos.I did get to live in theshadow of greatAmericans: future VP andPresidential candidates,ambassadors, senators,congressmen, politicians,flag & general officers,

artists, teachers and captains ofindustry. I was blessed.

The purpose of this discussion isto document two facts. Americanswere not treated as Prisoners ofWar, they were treated ascriminals. There was no HiltonHotel in Hanoi in which prisoners(or princes for that matter) wereever held captive.

American POWs were held in theMaison Centrale on 1 Pho Hoa Lo,Hanoi, Vietnam. This jail was sortof a cross between Rikers Island,NYC and Sing Sing in Ossining, NY.The remains of the Maison Centraleare now a museum.

In summation, Yogi said it best:“I’m lucky. Usually you’re dead toget your own museum, but I’m stillalive to see mine.”

Thanks to Mike McGrath for theline drawings.

pow/mia

Mary Schantag, ChairmanP.O.W. [email protected]


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My name is Michael McDonald-Lowand I’m asking for your help inbringing attention to the problemsat DPAA, (Defense POW/MIA Ac-counting Agency), that are inhib-iting MIA recovery efforts in South-east Asia: Vietnam, Cambodia andLaos.

I am a former Army officer whoserved as an infantry platoonleader and company commander inVietnam (D/1/20 Inf, 11th LIB,Americal) in 1967 and 1968.

In 2009, I contacted DPMO (De-fense Prisoner of War/Missing Per-sonnel Office) and JPAC (Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command) and in-formed them that they were goingto the wrong location in theirsearch for an MIA from my platoon- MIA case 1165 - Clifford VanArtsdalen. They had sent Investi-gative Teams four previous timesto Vietnam in their search for 1165,without ever contacting me, hisplatoon leader at the time of theincident.

After three years of contacts withJPAC/DPMO, I was finally able tolead a JPAC Investigative Team tothe mountains of the Que Son Val-ley near Tam Ky, Vietnam in 2012.Our goal was to find the correctlocation of a soldier from my pla-toon who was killed there - MIA1165. The mission was success-ful, however I am still waiting, likemany others, for approval by aDPAA Excavation Decision Board.

In September 2014, after provid-ing advice on other ground losscases, I was appointed as the firstever Southeast Asia (SEA) VeteranLiaison - the first Vietnam infantry

veteran to be officially involved inthe search for MIA’s in SoutheastAsia.

As the SEA Veteran Liaison, I par-ticipate in Southeast Asia MIAcase analysis by reviewing exist-ing DPAA background informationand investigative reporting relatedto unresolved ground loss casesin Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Ialso conduct independent open-source research related to as-signed cases, including but notlimited to additional Vietnam Warera veteran interviews, when ap-plicable.

I was also invited by Alisa Stackto join the government organizedPACT (Personnel Accounting Con-solidation Task Force) when it wasformed to review JPAC/DPMO pro-cedures and methods in 2014. Ivisited JPAC as a PACT represen-tative to review their mission pro-cedures. I submitted a detailedreport based upon those obser-vations. Unfortunately, all of thePACT input (and money spent) hadlittle effect in changing the agen-cies.

In 2016, my book, Unaccounted,was published and released. It isthe true story of an American in-fantryman MIA in one of Vietnam’sdeadliest locations and the mis-sion to find him 44 years later. Itprovides a firsthand look at a JPAC(DPAA) IT mission.

Recovering Southeast Asia MIAsis the foundation of the MIA mis-sion, but there is something terri-bly amiss at mission control -DPAA.

The search for American MIAs ofthe Vietnam War has been led overthe years by the government or-ganization which has gone bymany names, most recently, JPAC,DPMO and now DPAA.

After almost 50 years, there arestill over 1,600 American militarypersonnel missing in action - andconsidered unaccounted in South-east Asia: Vietnam, Cambodia andLaos. 1,450+ of these MIA casesfall into categories of pending anInvestigation Decision Board (IDB),pending an Excavation DecisionBoard (EDB), or like most - still inresearch. There are more than150 MIAs who have been approvedfor excavation, but are still wait-ing. Most of these are not evenscheduled for excavation due toa lack of funding, and in most in-stances, lack of key personnel,specifically archeologists.

The priority of DPAA should be tofinish the mission originally foundedby the mothers of Vietnam Veter-ans - POW/MIA League of Fami-lies. These cases need to be givenimmediate priority over all otherMIA cases worldwide as there is adiminishing window remaining be-fore disintegration of all skeletalremains in the acidic soil and harshclimate of Southeast Asia.

How the MIA mission of DPAA isfailing Vietnam Vets.

1) DPAA Hawaii It is refreshing to seethat Mr. Kelly McKeague is the newdirector at DPAA. Hopefully, un-der his leadership things will dra-matically change.

Department leadership at DPAAHawaii has been all about self-preservation of career rather thangetting the job done - it is a cultof personality. The same people,problems, attitudes, and pro-cesses that forced the creationof DPAA still exist, even after 30Jan 2015 (the formation date).DPAA kept the same people in thesame jobs in Hawaii, but placedthem under new departmentnames; the mission continued asit had in the past. The discon-nect between DPAA Hawaii andDPAA in Washington, D.C. is obvi-ous and counter-productive. A


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fresh direction requires new, dy-namic people and leadership at thedepartment level, not the sameold career GS JPAC Hawaii “vet-erans” operating as they have foryears.

2) IDB/EDBThe IDB (Investigation DecisionBoard) and EDB (Excavation De-cision Board) process is a niceexample of how DPAA Hawaiiserves the process rather than theprocess serving the mission.People with no field experience arevoting and running through theringer those who know what theyneed to do to accomplish the mis-sion. Policy, and External Relationsand Planning have no businessbeing involved in any IDB/EDB.Their input is not relevant to anydecision relating to investigationsor excavations. Their job shouldbe to review and insure all mea-sures are being taken to success-fully accomplish the mission. Toinsure objectivity and fairness, alldecisions regarding IDB’s andEDB’s should be made by a panelthat consists of: DPAA J2, J2 leadinvestigator, IT/RT case analyst,MIA Case Consultant / Veteran Li-aison, DPAA - Washington DC caseleader, CIL (Central InvestigationLaboratory), American Witness,and headed by Director DPAA.

3) Burden of Proof ProtocolsThe current recommended Burdenof Proof protocols appear overlyweighted on aircraft MIA’s, metalobject losses, and are not appro-priate considerations for infantrysurface losses. I believe thereshould be two sets of protocols,or two sets of weighting stan-dards: one for aircraft losses andone for surface losses. It is alsoimportant to note that all of theeasy MIA cases have been com-pleted. The toughest remainingcases are for the most part in-fantry surface losses.

4) Ignorance of Battlefield, EnemyTactics, Infantry Organization,Weapons and InjuriesPrior to the appointment of a SEAVeteran Liaison there were nocombat veterans from Vietnamwho worked on any MIA case.Consequently, many mistakeshave been made over the yearsby investigators who are ignorantof basic combat tactics, weap-onry, wounds, and circumstancesthey have no ability to evaluate.I have seen cases where no fur-ther action was indicated by theinvestigator, because he/shecouldn’t identify the possibility (forexample) . . . that a human beingcould not be disintegrated by a81mm mortar. And yet, that hashappened. I believe an accurateanalogy would be trying to de-scribe the color red to a blind per-son.

5) Failure to Properly InterviewVeteran SurvivorsVietnam veterans, particularly in-fantrymen and Marines, are a spe-cial group that deserves specialhandling when you’re investigat-ing a fallen comrade. If you can’tdo the talk, you certainly can’tdo the walk. If you’re an investi-gator you should be familiar withcombat and all that it entails, oth-erwise you won’t ask the rightquestions or be able to identifyinformation that may or may nothelp you. In my opinion, one ofJPAC’s and DPMO’s (And nowDPAAs) biggest oversights hasbeen their inability to identify acredible veteran witness and thenobtain relevant information fromthat witness.

6) Investigation Team (IT) / Re-covery Team (RT)The IT process needs to be moredynamic and fused. An IT leaderin the field should have the au-thority to be able to run downleads in the field to closure. but

the host nation, due to time con-straints and coordination, oftentimes do not allow further pursuitduring the operation. This rigidprocess forces IT to visit a siteat least two or more times withapproval boards at DPAA in be-tween. Meanwhile, years pass andhundreds of thousands of dollarsare spent for multiple trips. Anaverage IT mission is Vietnam car-ries a hefty price tag - approxi-mately $250,000.

Ideally, IT/RT should be combinedinto a single unit for investigationand recovery. When IT success-fully locates an MIA location it canbe years before an RT visits it.When an RT eventually gets tothe site they are depending onfield notes and GPS to re-identifythe site. This process is haphaz-ard even with GPS. It is absolutelynecessary that the IT be involvedto positively identify the location,as well as any witness, Americanor otherwise. This combined unitwould have the flexibility in thefield that is needed to immediatelyexcavate a site that has a highpotential for recovery. This couldsave years of waiting to return toa site and/or could even save theloss of a site that was in danger.Additionally, the new IT/RT teamsshould consist of a historian, ana-lyst, Geographic Information Sys-tem specialist, archeologist, andan external relations person.

7) American WitnessesAn American Witness should al-ways sit on the EDB of his MIA,particularly after providing exactcoordinates and leading the teamto the MIA site. Further, the inputby the American Witness to theEDB will add a sense of place, im-portance and legitimacy to theproceeding. He should then alwaysbe invited to participate in the RTto re-verify that the correct lo-cation is being excavated. In thepast there has been little trans-parency at DPAA particularly in-volving decisions concerning ex-cavation. This shroud should beremoved and the inclusion and

POW/MIAGuest Column cont’d...


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participation in an EDB by theAmerican Witness would go a longway towards that endeavor.

8) Central Investigation Labora-tory (CIL)The CIL’s control over the use oftechnology for IT needs to end.IT needs to be free to try anyand all technologically that isavailable. CIL needs to be focusedon identifications only and not begiven any power over any otheraspect of the organization. Se-nior lab leadership should be re-moved to improve the culture ofthe lab and the future version ofDPAA. The archeologists should beremoved from CIL and moved intothe future version of the IT/RTorganization.

9) The Center for the Investiga-tion of the Missing and Advance-ment of Geospatial Methods(CIMAG)The CIMAG is a program in whichDPAA could have served as anexus to help direct and developproducts by universities, NASA,and NGA to develop remote sens-ing methods to search for MIAs(particularly high altitude aircraftwreckage). The program was a lowinvestment initiative where DPAAwould have provided the problemand coordinated with other agen-cies to establish lines of researchfunding to solve the problem. Un-fortunately, this initiative angeredthe CIL scientific director and heforced it to be cancelled.

10) Skilled Archeologists - Univer-sity Battlefields InitiativeThere are usually only one or twoarcheologists working for DPAA,which slows down the IT/RT pro-cess. The University BattlefieldsInitiative was a proposal devel-oped that would focus on usinguniversity personnel to conductbattlefield archaeology. The cur-rent mode of search and recov-ery used by DPAA is not gearedtoward the systematic work re-quired of complex battlefields. TheDPAA recovery model had evolved

around the concept of a single lo-cation that was defined by a burialor wreckage feature rather thanthe complexities of a battlefield.The University Battlefields Initia-tive would establish endowed pro-fessorships to head programmaticin-depth archaeological studies ofhistoric battlefields that would bechosen based on the missing ca-sualty densities determined byDPAA researchers. Again, univer-sities would be responsible forestablishing their own funding linesthrough grants or other public andprivate support under the assump-tion that their affiliation with DPAAwould be a benefit. When pre-sented to several universities,each expressed a high level of in-terest.

11) Search Methods - AdvancedTechnologyOne of the biggest challengesDPAA will face is the excavationof surface loss cases where theloss location can only be narroweddown to a 25 meter (m) x 25m,50m x 50m, or larger area. Mostof these sites are remote and/orlightly populated where there islittle chance of a local Vietnam-ese or a People’s Army of Viet-nam (PAVN) soldier corroboratingan American loss from 50 yearsago; too much time has passed,and the ability of a PAVN soldieror local Vietnamese to recall datesand specific locations are ques-tionable.

The MIA remains at a loss loca-tion sites are typically small bonefragments or teeth (not metal).Currently, DPAA’s only on-the-ground search tool is a metal de-tector. Metal artifacts (dog tags,weapon, equipment) supportingthe location of an MIA are at timesdiscovered, but in many instancesPAVN and Viet Cong forces rou-tinely stripped equipment, weap-ons, dog tags and personal ID ofany American left behind.

A larger excavation footprint re-quires more efficient search meth-ods. Use of Ground PenetratingRadar, Sonic Analysis, Magnetom-etry, micro aerial drones, and otherpromising technologies would makesearches quicker and more produc-tive in finding remains. Many com-panies actively involved in the de-velopment of these technologieswould rush to the opportunity touse their equipment on an MIAmission.

The reality of my mission and per-sonal work experience with DPAAis sub-par and is probably bestexplained by a letter I sent to BobMaves, my DPAA senior supervi-sor in Hawaii. It should be notedthat Mr. Maves did not respond.

Nov. 1, 2017 Mr. Maves,I haven’t heard much from youor others at DPAA. In the pastyear, I have been asked buttwice to look into cases. It’sdisappointing that I cannot beof more service, especiallygiven the limited window oftime remaining to find MIA re-mains in Southeast Asia.Frankly, I don’t see any changeat the new DPAA that encour-ages me about the MIA effortin Southeast Asia. In fact, I’dhave to say my skills have beenutilized less and less since thereorganization. In some specificcases, I provided detailed in-formation about an MIA thatwas never acknowledged norwas I given any explanationregarding its value or contri-bution.Even the very basics in com-puter assistance, so I couldaccess case files, has takenalmost a year to accomplish.My credentials expire tomorrowand if I thought things wouldchange, I’d renew them.

I appreciate any assistance youcan provide. I have sent a copyof this letter to President Trumpand many other Veteran and POW/MIA organizations and media.

Sincerely, Michael [email protected]

POW/MIAGuest Column cont’d...


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civiliansThe Army Nursesin STICby Angus Lorenzenwith help from The Army NurseApril 1945

In her book, We Band of Angels,Elizabeth Norman describes theArmy nurses who served on Bataanand Corregidor, and after the sur-render of Corregidor were trans-ferred to Santo Tomas InternmentCamp. On Bataan their field hos-pitals were sometimes clearings inthe jungle subjected to Japaneseartillery fire. Just before Bataanfell, the nurses were evacuatedto Corregidor, where they servedin the hospital wards buried in thetunnels and subjected to heavyJapanese artillery.

When Corregidor surrendered onMay 6, 1942, the men captured,including military and civilians, weremarched through the streets ofManila to Bilibid, the old Spanishprison which the American FederalBureau of Prisons had declaredunsuitable and had started to teardown before the war. From therethey were transferred to CampO’Donnell, Cabanatuan, and even-tually back to Bilibid for transporton the Hell Ships to the slave la-bor camps in Japan, Korea, andManchuria. But what to do withthe women nurses was a dilemmafor the Japanese, and they choseto imprison them with the civiliansin Santo Tomas Internment Camp.

On July 2, 1942, the 68 capturedArmy nurses arrived at SantoTomas from Corregidor and weretemporarily isolated in the dormi-tory of the Santa Catalina Hospi-tal across the street from the maincampus. Shortly afterwards, theJapanese Commandant approvedthe rental of Santa Catalina as ahospital for the camp. Joining the12 Navy nurses who had been in-terned in Santo Tomas since March8, the Army nurses were assigned

to staff the Santa Catalina hos-pital as well as the isolation hos-pital inside the camp and assistat various clinics. In May of 1943,the Navy nurses all transferred tojoin in organizing the Los BanosCamp.

For the first two years, the medi-cal staff within the camp includeddoctors and nurses from outsidethe camp, and with the ability totransfer patients to Manila Gen-eral Hospital and other hospitalsoutside the camp, the medicalstaff was able to work effectively,though with a chronic shortageof medications.

In early 1944, the Japanese for-bid any outside doctors or nursesto enter the camp. This put astrain on the camp doctors andnurses, which was further exac-erbated by a lack critical medica-tion and surgical supplies. Thiswould have been a greater crisisif not for the presence of the Armynurses, who had to take on theadded burden of the outsidenurses who were no longer per-mitted into the camp.

On February 3, 1945, the night ofliberation, the flying column arrived with some casualties incurredon their way into Santo Tomas andduring the firefight that ensuedwhen the Japanese took hostagesin the Education Building. The Armynurses assisted the Army doctorsand corpsmen in operating onthese troopers and providing othermedical assistance. There assis-tance was also invaluable duringthe Japanese shelling of the campwith the deaths of 21 people andwounding of 100.

On February 9, 100 new ArmyNurses flew in from Leyte to re-lieve them. The ones who hadbeen in Santo Tomas remained onduty with the new nurses to helporient them. Then on February 12,while the Battle of Manila was rag-ing just a little over a mile away,they boarded an Army truck andwere taken to a temporary air-strip for their flight to Leyte. Thegroup of 71 included 67 nurses,the physical therapist, the dieti-cian, and the Red Cross represen-tative, plus the Lt. Col. in chargeof the nurses.

Many internees were there to seetheir departure from camp and tocheer them and wish them luck.They boarded a C-46, which de-veloped engine trouble and landed

The Nurses board trucks for their departure from STIC


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civilians, cont’d...on Mindoro. There they changedto two planes, which landed atthe Tacloban Air Strip, where theywere taken to a convalescenthospital. Some of the nurses werehospitalized due to malnutritionand fatigue, but the rest stayedat the convalescent hospital lo-cated on a wide, spacious beach.There they were issued the lat-est nurses uniforms, which werequite different from what they hadbefore, which delighted them,

specially since they had beenwearing the same shirts and skirtsthat had been made by the Quar-termaster on Corregidor, supple-mented by a few items they hadpicked up during internment.

Just before their departure for theU.S. on two deluxe C-54s, theywere lined up and awarded thebronze star and a promotion in rankto one grade higher.

Arriving in the States, they real-ized that they had so much to

catch up with and to learn withthe advances in medicine and sur-gery that had been developedduring the war. They had misseda lot, but now had time to catchup with those advances and tocontinue with their careers. Andwe will remember what they didfor us when we were prisoners ofthe Japanese.

Reprinted from Beyond theWire, May 2018Angus Lorenzen, [email protected]


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NewsBriefs

Same-DayService Offered

The U.S. Department of VeteransAffairs (VA) announced a majormilestone, that 100 percent of itsmore than 1,000 medical facilitiesacross the country now offersame-day services for urgent pri-mary and mental health-careneeds.

Same-day services means a Vet-eran with an urgent need for pri-mary care and mental health-carereceives services that may in-clude: a face-to-face visit with aclinician; advice provided duringa call with a nurse; a telehealthor video care visit; an appoint-ment made with a specialist; or aprescription filled the same day,depending upon what best meetsthe needs of the Veteran.

“We made a commitment to ournation’s Veterans that we wouldwork to reduce wait times and im-prove access, and we are doingit,” said VA Secretary Dr. David J.Shulkin. “We were able to meetthis goal, in large part, becauseof the concerted focus of our staffwho care for our Veterans in fa-cilities across the country.”

Since 2014, VA has concentratedits efforts on improving access andmeeting the urgent health-careneeds of Veterans. In 2016, all ofVA’s medical centers offeredsame-day services for primaryand mental health services.

In addition to offering same-dayservices, VA has reduced patientwait times. VA also implementeda new process to ensure timely

British UniformApril 15, 1945 ~ 90 pounds

American serviceman in anothercountry’s uniform - with the British

Army and in their uniform afterescaping from the Germans from

Stalag Luft 4 on the 86-dayHunger March.

Bob Teichgraber, age 97Collinsville, IL

follow-up appointments for time-sensitive medical needs. Morethan 100,000 such appointmentshave been completed.

In 2017, Veterans completed over57.5 million appointments and VAclinicians saw almost 6 million pa-tients.

To view access information abouteach facility nationwide, visitwww.accesstocare.va.gov/.

VA Decision ReadyClaims Program Ex-pands to Include MoreTypes of Claims

As part of the U.S. Departmentof Veterans Affairs’ (VA) ongoingefforts to modernize and improveVeterans’ experience with the dis-ability claims process, VA unveiledits latest enhancements to theDecision Ready Claims (DRC) pro-gram, which will expand the poolof Veterans, surviving spouses andservice members eligible to par-ticipate in the program.

“These enhancements are anotherkey step in modernizing VA’s ben-efits delivery to Veterans to a fullydigital operating environment,”

said VA Secretary Dr. David J.Shulkin. “With electronic claimsprocessing as a foundation, VA’sinnovation will improve service toVeterans, their families and survi-vors.”

In addition to claims for increaseddisability compensation (commonlyknown as claims for increase), Vet-erans will now be able to file cer-tain claims for direct service con-nection, presumptive service con-nection and secondary serviceconnection. Additionally, survivingspouses will be able to file certainclaims for Dependency and Indem-nity Compensation, andtransitioning service members willbe able to file pre-discharge claimsless than 90 days from leaving themilitary. Veterans who choose tosubmit their claim under DRC canexpect to receive a decision within30 days from the time VA receivesthe claim.

To file under DRC, Veterans mustwork with an accredited VeteranService Organization (VSO) repre-sentative, who will ensure all sup-porting evidence — such as medi-cal exams, military service records,etc. — is included with the claimsubmission. This advance prepa-ration by the VSOs allows claimsto be assigned immediately toclaims processors for a quick deci-sion.

In the future, VA aims to expandthe DRC program, where possible,to ensure more Veterans can get


21

news, cont’d... AXPOW’s Fresno Chapter #1 Annual Christmas Party at the Red RoofBarn. Color Guard provided by the Jr. Marine ROTC. L/R: Earl Miles-WWII EUR, Jack Schwartz-WWII PAC (102), Bill Sanchez-WWII PAC(99), Sam Banuelos-Korea, Joel Hinojosa-Korea, Pasqual Reyes-WWIIEUR, Jim Gough-Vietnam.

faster decisions on their claims.For more information about DRCor to find an accredited VSO rep-resentative, visit https://www.benefits.va.gov/compensa-tion/DRC.asp.

$12B Increase inFY2019 VA Budget toSupport Nation’sVeteransIn the fiscal year (FY) 2019 bud-get, a total of $198.6 billion is pro-posed for the U.S. Department ofVeterans Affairs.

This request, an increase of $12.1billion over 2018, will ensure thenation’s Veterans receive high-quality health care and timely ac-cess to benefits and services.Italso continues to implement re-forms that will modernize VA andrebuild the full trust of Veterans.

The FY 2019 budget prioritizes VA’smost urgent needs and incorpo-rates internal offsets, moderniza-tion reforms and efficiencies toyield the greatest value to Veter-ans and taxpayers. The budgetincludes $88.9 billion in discretion-ary funding, including medical col-lections — $6.8 billion above theFY 2018 budget. The budget alsoincludes $109.7 billion in manda-tory funding for benefit programs,$5.3 billion above FY 2018.

VA ID Card update

Veterans are once again able toapply for the free Department ofVeterans Affairs ID card after tech-nical problems late last year forceda delay to the program. The freeID card, originally rolled-out in lateNovember, was ordered by Con-gress in 2015 as a way to giveveterans proof of service at busi-nesses without carrying a copy of

their DD-214 forms. It is availablefor all honorably discharged vet-erans, regardless of era or time inservice. The link for the applica-tion is found at the bottom of theVets.gov homepage under thewords “Apply for Printed VeteranID Card.”

Concierge for CareProgram

The U.S. Department of VeteransAffairs (VA) announced the launchof Concierge for Care, a health-care enrollment initiative that con-nects with former service mem-bers shortly after they separatefrom the service.

“Our goal is to give transitioningservice members one less thing toworry about,” said VA SecretaryDavid J. Shulkin. “We know thatmore than a third of Veterans whohaven’t yet visited our facilities

indicated they are not aware ofVA health care benefits, while aquarter reported they do not knowhow to apply.”

As part of Concierge for Care, VAstaff members are personally con-tacting recently separated servicemembers to answer questions,process their health-care enroll-ment applications over the phoneand help schedule eligible Veter-ans’ first VA medical appointment,if needed.

Each week, VA receives a list ofseparating service members fromthe Department of Defense. Thegoal is to make contact with themwithin a month of discharge.Certain Veterans who served in atheater of combat operations areeligible to enroll and receive cost-free health care for medical con-ditions related to their military ser-vice during the five-year periodafter discharge.

Information about VA health careand the application process canbe found at https://www.vets.gov/health-care/apply/


22

100 Years Ago...Apr 1 United Kingdom: the Royal Air Force is created from the Royal Naval Air Service and the RoyalFlying Corps.

Apr 1 Henry Miller’s Theatre opens at 124 W 43rd St NYC

Apr 3 US House of Representatives accepts American Creed written by William Tyler

Apr 4 Food riot in Amsterdam

Apr 9 Latvia proclaims independence

Apr 12 Loreto L Lazo ex-POW (Philippines), US Army (Ret) was born

Apr 13 Electrical fire kills 38 mental patients at Oklahoma State Hospital

Apr 14 Douglas Campbell is 1st US ace pilot (shooting down 5th German plane)

Apr 15 Georges Clémenceau publishes secret French/Austrian documents

Apr 16 The British House of Commons passes a new Military Service Bill, taking men up to 55 years oldand extending to Ireland

Apr 18 Cleveland center fielder Tris Speaker turns an unassisted double play

Apr 20 Manfred von Richthofen, aka The Red Baron, shoots down his 79th and 80th victims marking hisfinal victories before his death the following day

Apr 21 World War I: German fighter ace Baron Manfred von Richthofen “The Red Baron”, shot down andkilled over Vaux sur Somme in France, Canadian pilot Arthur Roy Brown credited with the kill

Apr 23 Battle of Zeebrugge endsApr 23 Dover Patrol overthrows Germany U-boat in East SeaApr 23 National Urban League forms

Apr 27 Giants’ 9-0 winning start & Dodgers’ 0-9 losing streak are stopped

Apr 29 Tris Speaker ties career outfield record of 4 unassisted double plays

Apr 30 Orange Nassau soccer team forms in Groningen


23

Operation Homecomingas seen through theeyes of the last POWreleased.Robert WhiteDenver, [email protected]

In 1972 life in the camp was prettygood. I made lots of chopsticks,which were sold in the local village.My bird snares and rat trap wereproductive. One of my guards hada battery powered radio. It wasa fairly big radio. It looked like itheld 4, maybe 8 D cell batteries.He didn’t use it a lot, I think,because batteries were expensive.Over the years I got to listen to afew English broadcasts of RadioHanoi. Since no one knew Englishit was hard for them to know theorigin of the broadcast. So, I didget snippets of Armed ForcesRadio. I remember hearing oneDJ, although I don’t remember hisname. I think he was fromCincinnati. Around December of1972 Radio Hanoi talked aboutpeace talks in Paris. Then on 27January 1973 the peaceagreement was signed. That was28 January in the Mekong Delta.I heard Hanoi Hanna read thedocument word for word. It wasparticularly exciting to hear thatall prisoners would be returnedwithin 60 days.

My ordeal started on 15 November1969. I was flying an Army OV-1A Mohawk out of Vung Tau,South Vietnam. The aircraft gothit by ground fire and caught fire.After ejecting, I landed on thebeach of the South China Sea.Capture was immediate. The

aircraft ended up in the ocean,still burning.

The next two years were a badtime. I got very sick. My weightdropped to about 120 pounds. Iwas kept in a 4 x 6 foot cage.There was a pallet inside to keepme off the mud. At high tide thepallet was inches above the water.I was only able to sit in that cage.It was not tall enough to stand.I wore a leg iron at night. I got 2bowls of rice a day. I spent 23 1/2 hours a day for 2 years in thoseconditions.

We moved to a new camp.

The new camp was better. Stillwore a leg iron at night, but nocage. There was a differentattitude. I was able to movearound more. I snared 50 or 60birds. My deadfall got a rat anight. I cooked for my guard andmyself. We had rice, rat, and anoccasional bird. I made close to140 matching chopsticks. Thechopstick business wasparticularly rewarding. Onereward was a toothbrush, a tubeof toothpaste, and flip-flops. Iwas too weak to try to escape,so I made the best of thesituation.

After the Paris Peace Accordswere signed my captors were in abetter mood. I think they werelooking forward to life without me.And, maybe, they were happy forme as well. We were all countingdown the 60 days. We had noverbal communication, but about50 days after the signing, I couldtell they were wondering why theystill had a prisoner. We werehearing about other releases. Iremained stoic throughout, but Iwas getting nervous. On the 60thday, I’m still there, and my captorsare noticeably agitated. I’mguessing they sent a courier to

HQ to ask why I’m still there. We’llnever know, but I think HQ eitherthought I was dead, or just forgotabout me.

Day 61 brought some activity. Iwas measured for a suit of clothes.I didn’t realize until then that thecamp had treadle sewingmachines. No electricity needed.They were being used to makeNorth Vietnamese flags. In lessthan a day I had going homeclothes. That evening we got intoa boat. I was covered up and wetraveled the waterways for acouple hours. We put ashore at atemporary camp. There was apallet to sleep on, but no cage orleg iron. In the morning I wasgiven some canned meat andbread. That was a first for me. Itsure looked like they were tryingto make good last impression.That night, another boat ride. Iwas covered as usual. This timewhen we put ashore there was nocamp. We slept on the hard groundunder a tree. That’s not acomplaint. After more than 3 yearsin a tidal swamp, hard ground wasvery welcome.

This new day was 1 April 1973.No joke, it was April Fool’s day.Things were looking good. We atecold rice. My stoic expression

Your

Stories


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counting, cont’d...didn’t change, but inside I wasbeginning to feel like this wasgoing to be a really good day. Wewalked. We stopped in a sugarcane field, broke off a stalk, andenjoyed the sweetness. The nextstop was a small village. I wastold later that the village wasnamed Xom Tieu. It was about 2km from where I was shot down.We went inside a hooch andwaited. This was probably around1000 hours. We sat. The peoplein the hooch had never seen mebefore, and probably never heardof me. My existence was supposedto be a secret. Their curiositywas obvious, but there was noconversation. I knew very littleof their language, and they knewnone of mine. So, we sat andsmiled politely. I was given abouquet of plastic flowers.

I’m guessing it was around noonwhen we started to get organized.My guards, some of whom I hadknown for years got into a looseformation. Four on each side ofme. They were uniformly dressedand carried AK-47s. We also hada guidon with a small NorthVietnamese flag on it. I’m bettingthe flag was made in home camp.After a very short march wearrived at the release site. It wasa good sized area large enough toland 3 Hueys. The area wassurrounded by North Vietnameseflags. Several hundred civilians,all in a good mood were there. Itwas almost festive. A parachutecanopy had been pitched as a tent

to provide shade for thenegotiating parties. I think it wasmy parachute. Tables and chairswere provided so the properdocuments could be signed andwitnessed. An internationalcommission was present tooversee the proceedings. Thecommission was made up of Poles,Hungarians, Canadians, andIndonesians. I recognized somefamiliar uniforms, US Air Force andUS Army.

While all this is going on, I’mstanding out in the hot sun. Myguards have melted into the crowdand I’m standing there alone. Athoughtful civilian brought me astool and a glass of beer. Notwanting to be rude, I sat andenjoyed my beer. Several minuteslater I was joined by two officers.One, the chief negotiator, theother an Air Force flight surgeon.The negotiator, a Lt. Col, took myarm and said, “Bob, we’re goinghome.”

We climbed on one of the Hueysand took off. The Huey wasdistinctively marked with orangebands to identify it as a friendlyaircraft. The pilots were SouthVietnamese. It didn’t take longto get to Saigon and Tan Son NhutAir Base. On the ramp was an AirForce C-9. It was running and

ready for take off. The next stopwas Clark Air Base in thePhilippines. There was a nicecrowd waiting to greet theaircraft. Maybe 50 people. Amicrophone was set up and I madesome brief remarks. This was thefirst time I’d spoken to a crowd ina long time, but not the last. Abus took me to the hospital.

Once inside the hospital I wastreated like royalty. A whole floorhad been set aside for returningPOWs. I was the only one there.I guess that’s fitting since I spentmy captivity alone. All the othershad got home. I received aphysical exam. I was measuredfor another suit of clothes. Thisone an Army uniform. Once I hadthe uniform, it was time for a BXrun. I had an entourage. Mydoctor, and assistance officer, aphotographer, and I all wentshopping. Next, we visited aschool.

I spent 3 days at Clark. I hadgood food and good treatment. Itwas time to go. My newtransportation was a C-141. Itwas about midnight on 4 April1973 when we touched down atHickam in Honolulu. Anotheramazing crowd was on hand. Iwas told 500 people. There wasa red carpet and lots of Americanflags. Inside the terminal I wasgreeted by several flag rankofficers.

Full of fuel we left for theMainland. Nearing the coast ofCalifornia I was invited up to theflight deck. Sitting in the jumpseat with a headset on I heardSan Francisco approach controlclear us to 5000 feet. A newclearance was issued about 5miles out. We were cleared totake up the heading and altitudeof our choice. At 2500 feet wecrossed over the Golden GateBridge. We climbed back toaltitude and continued to NewJersey.

That’s my recollection ofOperation Homecoming.


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Did you know that there are only two(2) days on our Julian Calendar that weset aside to recognize all Americans,civilian and military, who have been heldagainst their will by enemies of theUnited States?

The first date is 9 April, Former Pris-oner of War Recognition Day. Why 9April you ask, because that is the daythe largest number of American Militarywere taken captive by an enemy duringcombat operations. After a three-monthheroic battle in the Philippines, MajorGeneral King, Jr. surrendered all troopsunder his command to Colonel MootooNakayama of the 14th Imperial JapaneseArmy. The total number varies by re-porting source but it is safe to say thetotal exceeded sixty thousand (60,000)combat troops were taken as Prison-ers of War. The second date, The ThirdFriday of September, came about moreas a compromise than any historicalsignificance to the date. It was Com-mander in Chief Jimmy Carter who ini-tially requested a Joint Resolution fromCongress annually to which he provideda Presidential Proclamation. The Rec-ognition Day was held in April, to theliking of the American Ex-POW organi-zation, or in July from 1978 through1985. The debating parties, AmericanEx-POW and the Vietnam POW/MIAFamilies reached a compromise andstarting in 1986 the day has been theThird Friday of September in which werecognize all former Prisoners of War(POW) as well as those who are stillclassified as Missing in Action (MIA).

For well over a decade a small group ofPOW/MIA advocates from across thecountry have been extending an invita-tion to Former Prisoners of War, civil-ian & military, and to the Families ofthose who are still classified as Miss-ing in Action with the goal of fulfillingthe Commander in Chief’s proclamation,which notes:

National POW/MIA Recognition Day The RIDE HOME 2018

“I call upon the people of theUnited States to join me inhonoring and remembering allformer American prisoners ofwar and those missing in ac-tion who valiantly served ourgreat country. I also call uponFederal, State, and local gov-ernment officials and privateorganizations to observe thisday with appropriate ceremo-nies and activities.”

In their effort to meet the President’srequest this group, appropriately named“The RIDE HOME” will be working inconjunction with; The National Prisonerof War Museum, located on thegrounds of Andersonville Historical Site,Andersonville Georgia, Central GeorgiaTechnical College, Warner Robins Cam-pus, corporations, private organizationsas well as individual patriots from thecommunities of Warner Robins, Perry,Georgia, and Andersonville Georgia.

The Itinerary for this national event be-gins on Thursday, 20 September 2018,with honored guest checking in earlyafternoon followed by a Recognition DayService, open to the public, commenc-ing at 1500 hrs. at the Museum of Avia-tion located at Warner Robins Air ForceBase. Friday morning, 21 September,

following a Law Enforcement escortedride, service at the National Prisoner ofWar Museum, open to the public. Fri-day evening the Hero’s Banquet willoccur on the Central Georgia TechnicalCollege campus. (Dinner requires pre-paid reservation for everyone except theHonored guest.) KEEPING the PROM-ISE and Candlelight Services follow thedinner and are open to the public. Sat-urday, 22 September, Recognition Ser-vice followed by the FLY-BOY –GROUND-POUNDER Lunch, open tothe public, followed by open socials atparticipating hotels/motels in the Perry/Warner Robins market.

For all the former Prisoner of WarHonoree’s, the Next of Kin of our Miss-ing in Action Honorees who wish to at-tend the RIDE HOME 2018, we haveincluded an invitation letter as well asthe registration form for this year’s eventon the following pages. Due to the factthis is a National event all registrationapplications will be vetted prior to ac-ceptance. If you mail your applicationto the RIDE HOME Corporate address,noted at the top of the form, we will startthe process and you’ll be contacted ac-knowledging your participation at thisyear’s event. Due to popularity of theevent all applications will be addressedon a first come first served basis. If youwish to have some of your family orfriends join you at the event the RIDEHOME Team will be happy to help youobtain/arrange room accommodationsas well as reservations for the twomeals for your guest/friends.

We look forward to saying ‘Thank YOU!’face to face, for not just your service tothis great Republic, but for the sacri-fices you have made and continue tomake on our behalf.

For Questions or Concerns feel free tocontact: Moe – 407 448 1181 [email protected]

Until they all come home……….


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The RIDE HOME3818 Litchfield Loop Lake Wales, Florida 33859

www.theridehome.com

The Ride 2016

Dear Former Prisoners of War and Families of our Missing in Action,

We respectfully request that you join us as our guest at the National POW/MIA Recognition Day event, The RIDE HOME,to be held 20 - 22 September 2018 in Americus/Andersonvlle. Our goal is to answer the call of every sitting Presidentsince 1978;

“I call upon the people of The United States to join me in Honoring and Remembering all formerPrisoners of War and those still Missing in Action who valiantly served our great nation.”

It will be our privilege to provide your room accommodations, seating for two at both the Heroes Dinner and Ground-Pounder& Fly-Boy luncheon, Military styled recognition for your service, transportation for you and a guest/spouse while you are inAmericus/Andersonville as well as fellowship and camaraderie you can only find with those who served this great nationwith you.

Take a moment, please, and complete the information sheet on the following page, drop it in the mail and we’ll handle thearrangements. If you have a question or concern or perhaps would like to confirm your participation this year verbally, callus and we will do our best to accommodate you.

We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you in September.

Until they all come home……….

Warm regards,On behalf of the Board of Directors for The RIDE HOME, INC.,Jim ‘Moe’ Moyer


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contributions

Please send donations to:National Headquarters, PO Box3444, Arlington, TX 76007-3444

Checks must be made payable toAXPOW or American Ex-Prisonersof War.


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The Meaningful Gift

A number of years ago, one of our members made the decision to establish a bequest to the American Ex-Prisoners of War. He felt strongly that he truly cared about the future of AXPOW and wanted to leave alegacy to us. He and his wife are now gone, but their generous gift enabled them to demonstrate in a verymeaningful way their commitment to the organization. Most recently, Garden State Chapter #1 in NewJersey made a most generous donation in honor of the chapter members and commander Bob Levine. Aone-time scholarship to Andersonville and support for the Bulletin became the beneficiaries of thatgenerosity.

You, too can take action today to help ensure that the American Ex-Prisoners of War is there for returningPOWs, their families and their dependents through your will or living trust. This gift can be funded withcash or securities, mutual funds or other investments that are not serving your current needs. Thisspecial gift will benefit future generations as well as we transition to a legacy organization.

It’s very simple to make a bequest to the American Ex-Prisoners of War. Simply share this sentence withyour attorney or financial planner and they can add the following to your will or living trust:

“I give, devise and bequeath to the American Ex-Prisoners of War, PO Box 3444, Arlington, TX 76007-3444, the sum of $_______ or _______(named investment) or ______percent of the rest, residue andremainder of my estate.”

Your generous support of our programs over the years has made a tremendous difference to ex-POWs andtheir families.

Please take a few minutes of your time to help. And feel free to contact CFO Marsha Coke at 817-649-2979/[email protected] or CEO David Eberly at (757) 508-8453 /[email protected]

Thank you!

When you or your family make a donation to AXPOW, or list us in your will, please make sureto update your instructions by using our Post Office Box listed above.

The PO does not have to forward our mail after one year.

GENERAL FUNDIn honor of my stepfather, Rufus Choate,by Anne Zuehlke

In memory of Autavee “Audie” Hartney,by Eileen Beuler, by friends of AudieHartneyIn memory of my dad, James O Cornforth,by Janell CornforthIn memory of my dad, John W Fields, byDeborah BartlettIn memory of Percy Paget, by Erica & YuriDeSimone, by Ken Steigelman, by Mindy& Chip Gelfman, by Linda & Andy Goff,by Hunt’s Photo & Video, by ClaireLutkewitte, by Selma Waters, by DouglasWatson, by D Jean Eason, by AimmuneTherapeutics, by Rene & Michele Lerer,by Jody Cukier, by Barbara CohenIn memory of Carroll Knutson, by JoanneMolenIn memory of Richard Pelletier, by RosaliePelletierIn memory of Robert N Swift, by Familyand FriendsIn memory of Ruth Vest, by Nancy Clarkeand Bradford Clarke

BULLETINBrooklyn “Key” Chapter of New York

VOLUNTARY FUNDINGClayton Nattier, Lakewood CAClifford Amrgard, Genoa WIErma Jean Bird, Novato CAHoward Greiner, Wellman IAIrving Lautman, Monroe Twp NJNorman Gustafson, Scotch Plains NJRobert Smith, Tomahawk WIThomas Wilson, Mequon WIIn memory of our parents, Vernon &Virginia Rathbun, by Vern and KathyIn memory of Robert L Jones, by BeverlyJones

Thank you!for the generous donation

from the Brooklyn “Key” Chapter

new members

Suitable for framing, thiscertificate of captivity,printed on 8½” x 11” qualitypaper, proudly displays yourhistory as a prisoner of war.Each certificate backgroundis personalized to the theaterof operation. To receive thiscertificate from AXPOW,please order from NationalHeadquarters. If you areordering at Convention, youcan place your order in theMerchandise Room. We willneed your name, servicenumber, branch of service,unit when captured, POWnumber (if known), campnames and locations. Youcan call 817-649-2979 oremail:[email protected].

You may include a picturewith your order.

Certificateof Captivity

National HeadquartersPO Box 3444Arlington, TX 76007-3444(817) 649-2979

request formembership applicationAmerican Ex-Prisoners

of War

Name:_____________________Address:______________City/State/Zip:_________

Membership is open to USMilitary and Civilians capturedbecause of their US citizenship

and their families.

Do NOT send dues with thisrequest for an application

Mail to:American Ex-Prisoners of WarPO Box 3444Arlington, TX 76007-3444(817) 649-2979e-mail:[email protected]

WELCOME!


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Norman E Meads, JrUpperco MDSon of Norman E Meads,Sr, ETO

taps Please submit taps notices to:

Cheryl Cerbone, 23 Cove View Drive, South Yarmouth, MA 02664


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ANDERSEN, Paul C., of Austin, TXpassed away Dec. 3, 2017. He was100. During WWII, he served withthe 564th BS, 389th BG. He was shotdown, captured and held in Luft1, Barth Germany until liberation.Paul leaves his wife of 71 years,Milllie, 3 children and their spousesand 2 grandchildren.

ANDERSON, Charles A., 95, ofNorth Reading and formerly of Ply-mouth, MA died Nov. 23, 2017. Hewas the beloved husband of thelate Edith A. (Smith) Anderson.Charlie was a proud U.S. Army Vet-eran of World War II and was aPOW for two years. He is survivedby several nieces and nephews.

BEARDEN, Robert Lawrence, ofKilleen, TX passed away Aug. 18,2017. He was 95. In 1940, Bobjoied F Company, 144th Inf., 36th

Inf. Div, Texas National Guard. Hewas called into duty later that year,then joined the Army paratroopsin 1942, then assigned to H Co.,507th Parachute Inf. He was cap-tured during the D-Day invasionand held in Stalag III-C until lib-eration. His first wife, Doris, pre-deceased him; Bob leaves his wifeof 26 years, Debbie, 5 children andtheir spouses, 14 grandchildren, 6great-grandchildren and numerousnieces, nephews and lifelongfriends.

BURKE, Francis Dewey, of NewtonSquare, PA died Dec. 5, 2017. Hewas captured while serving withthe 94th BG, flying out of Bury St.Edmunds, England and held inStalag 17B. He is survived by hiswife of 69 years, Marian, 2 daugh-ters, 2 sons, 10 grandchildren and4 great-grandchildren.

CUNNINGHAM, Louis E., 93, ofChesterfield, VA passed away Nov.27, 2017. A member of the 106th

Recon Troop, 106th Inf. Div, he wascaptured during the Battle of theBulge and spent the rest of the

war in POW camps – XIIA, ID, IA,XB and XC. He leaves his wife of72 years, Charlotte, 2 sons, 4grandsons and 4 great-grandchil-dren.

DIXON, James R, of Bennettsville,SC died Sept. 1, 2015 at the ageof 93. He was shot down and cap-tured while serving as a ball turretgunner on a B-17. He was helduntil liberated by Russian troopsin May 1945. Survivors include 1daughter.

ECKENROD, Gervase, a member ofFresno Chapter #1, AXPOW,passed away Dec, 23, 2017 at theage of 100. Gerry, a WWII vet-eran, served with the 1st Inf. Div.,involved in the invasion of Sicily &Italy in 1943, then landing atOmaha Beach on D-Day 1944. Hewas wounded three times, the lasttime during the Battle of the Bulge,captured by the Germans and held.Gerry is survived by his wife,Sherian, three sons, one daugh-ter and one Grandson.

FLETCHER, Robert, of Ann Arbor,MI passed away Feb. 12, 2018.He was 86. “Fletch” went into theservice at age 17 and was as-signed to an all-black unit in thestill segregated U S Army. His unitwas one of the first to enter theKorean War on July 10, 1950. Theywere involved in heavy fightingwith high casualties the entirelength of the Korean peninsulauntil, after running out of ammu-nition and food, being captured onNov 27, 1950 by the Chinese armynear the border of China. He re-mained a prisoner of war until Aug.8, 1953. He married his wife, Carol,on July 2, 1962 and she survives.They were blessed with 55 yearsof marriage during which time they

especially enjoyed, camping, fish-ing, traveling the country, and lifeboth at their farm home in ScioTownship and vacation home inPresque Isle. Fletch remaineddedicated to veterans’ issues, es-pecially former POWs. He was ex-tremely proud of his 22 years ofservice on the Congressional Ad-visory Board for Former POWs,during which time many formerlyunrecognized mental and physicalhealth problems resulting from be-ing a POW were reclassified asservice connected disabilities byCongress and the VA. He also rosein the ranks of the American Ex-Prisoners of War, serving as theNational Commander in 2006-07.He and Carol traveled the countrywidely while he served in both ofthose positions. He was the guestof President Bill Clinton at theWhite House for the unveiling ofthe POW & MIA stamp in 1995,and of President George Bush twicefor the laying of a wreath at theTomb of the Unknown Soldier inArlington National Cemetery dur-ing the Memorial Day and Veter-ans Day ceremonies in 2006. Heappeared in several films for theVA including “POW, Americans inEnemy Hands”. Excerpts of inter-views with him were included inseveral books. For the last sev-eral years he served on theWashtenaw County Veterans Ser-vices Board. He was also a speakerat multiple schools and veterans’related events around the coun-try, relating not only what it waslike to be a POW, but also what itwas like to be a black enlisted manserving under white-only officersand the glaring lack of recognitionof the contributions by black sol-diers in battle. He and Carol trav-eled frequently, including 2 trips toSouth Korea where he witnessedthe amazing results of the country’sfreedom attained by sacrifices suchas his. They continued to attendbasketball and baseball games un-til the last days of his life. He is sur-vived by 4 of his children, Elizabeth


31

taps, cont’d...(Michael) Schuchert, Kanda Fletcher,Andrew Fletcher and Angela (Jo-seph) Eddins and 10 grandchildren,Also by 5 great-grandsons, onenewly-born great-granddaughter,his brother-in law and his cat Olivewho brought him comfort in his finaldays.

FORTNAM, Robert W, of Pembroke,NH died Aug. 1, 2017. He was aUSAF pilot in WWII, part of the 305th

BG, shot down over Belgium, andheld POW for 19 months. He’s pre-deceased by his 1st wife, Marion,and survived by his 2nd wife, Janet,and 5 children.

GATES, Henry Cecil, of Monroe, LApassed away Dec. 18, 2017 at theage of 96. He was captured whileserving with the AAC and held inStalag 17B for 18 months. Henrywas a life member of AXPOW. Heleaves 2 daughters, 1 son, 2 grand-children, and numerous nieces andnephews.

HARTNEY, Autavee, 92, passed awayFriday, January 26, 2018 in Keller,Texas. She met Sgt. Charles “Chuck”Hartney in 1964, and both were ateach other’s side in love for the re-mainder of their lives here on thisearth. You could not talk about onewithout the other. Their unionbrought with it a combined family of4 children, 12 grandchildren and 6great-grandchildren. Audie andChuck were extensively involved inAXPOW both locally and nationally,holding offices together. She waspreceded in death by her husbandof 48 years; survivors include herchildren and grandchildren and alarge, loving extended family.

HEREFORD, Keith D., of Westminster,CO died Dec. 23, 2017 at the age of92. During WWII he served with theAAC and after capture was held inStalag Luft IV. He was a life memberof AXPOW and member of the MileHigh Chapter. His partner of 28years, Betty Griffith, survives him; healso leaves 4 daughters, 1 brother,grandchildren and great-grandchil-dren.

JACKSON, Susanne E., of Loveland,CO died Jan. 18, 2018. She was 89and the widow of ex-POW Cleo (15th

AF, 465th BG, 783rd BS, held in LuftIV). She was a life member of AXPOWand member of the former ColoradoNortheast Chapter. She leaves 2grandchildren, 3 great-grandchil-dren, 1 daughter-in-law and 1 sis-ter.

KANE, Lloyd E., 95, of McClure, OHpassed away Jan. 8, 2018. Heserved with the 15th AF, 97th BG (HV),341st BS during WWII. He was shotdown during the Ploesti Oil Fields runand was held in Bulgaria. His wife,Deloris, predeceased him; he is sur-vived by 2 daughters, 1 son, 6 grand-children and 14 great-grandchildren.

KILMER, Ruth Phillips Natvig, 97, aformer school teacher and residentof Sun City West, Arizona, passedaway Dec. 18, 2017. Ruth was thewidow of her first husband formerAXPOW National Commander OrloNatvig, deceased (POW in 17B).With Orlo she helped organizeAXPOW Chapters in Iowa and Min-nesota prior to moving to Arizonaand joining the Agua Fria Chapter,Sun City, where she was ChapterAdjutant for 15 years. In 1996 shemarried former AXPOW memberLloyd W. Kilmer (deceased). She wasalso preceded in death by 1 daugh-ter; she is survived by 2 daughters,1 son, 8 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

MARAVILLAS, Ricardo, of Fairfield, CA,died Dec. 12, 2017, at the age of 97.He was captured while assigned tothe 12th Medical Battalion (PhilippineScouts) following the surrender ofthe Filipino-American armed forces atthe end of the Bataan Campaign inApril 1942. He was a Bataan DeathMarch (approx. five days) survivor.After his release from the ImperialJapanese military’s Camp O’Donnell,Philippine Islands, in October 1942,he fought as a guerrilla fighter untilliberation in June 1945. Ricardo waspredeceased by his wife, Bonifacia;he is survived by five children, tengrandchildren, and two great-grand-children.

MOULIS, Ralph E., 94, of Palm Har-bor, FL died December 18, 2017.Af-ter flying 28 missions with the 306th

Bomb Group out of Bedford, Englandduring WWII, he was shot down andtaken prisoner by German forcesand held in Stalag 17B. Though heeventually escaped, his 14 monthsas a prisoner of war left an indeliblemark. Survivors includes wife of 34years, Patricia; 3 sons, 1 sister, andmany grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

MILGO, Betty, of Albany, NY, died Nov25, 2017. She was the wife ofChristopher Milgo, who served withthe 8th AF, captured May 12, 1944,and held at Stalag Luft IV. An AXPOWlife member since 1991, she and herhusband were members of theNortheast New York Chapter.Survivors include her belovedhusband, Christopher; 2 daughters,1 son, 2 step-daughters, 1 brother,16 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

ODAHOWSKI, Elenor, 90, joined thelove of her life, Steve (434th BG, 71st

BS, held in Luft IIB, III and VIIA) onDec. 30, 2017. She was an activemember of her Florida chapter andwill be missed by many friends.

PAGET, Percy, of Lighthouse Point,FL passed away Dec. 26, 2017 atthe age of 96. Percy joined theArmy at age 21 and served firstas a tail gunner and then as a bom-bardier in the Army Air Corps, fly-ing missions with the 398th BG outof Nuthampstead, England. He wasshot down, captured and held inStalag 7A until liberation. In 1969,His first wife, Lillian, predeceasedhim. He is survived by Naomi, hiswife of 47 years, 5 children, 5grandchildren and 3 great-grand-children.

POWELL, John of Waltham, MApassed away Feb. 10, 2018. Hewas 85. Jack served in the KoreanWar with the 82nd Anti-Aircraft Ar-tillery and was captured there andheld in Camps 3 and 5. He and hisbeloved wife Ruth were active inthe Korean Ex-POWs and AXPOW.In addition to his wife, Jack leaves2 sons and 1 daughter. He wasdevoted grandpa to 8 grandchil-dren, 5 great-grandchildren and 3great-great-grandchildren.


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Benny Rayborn

chaplain

I recently visited a friend whoshowed me his fruit orchard. “Itake good care of this orchard tomake it produce fruit.” I asked “ alot of work?” My friend replied“some work. Two big things arefertilizer and pruning. Surprisinglypruning is good for a tree. It putsthe tree under stress, or chas-

tisement. The tree responds withnew growth which bears fruit. Lotsof fruit. Calling pruning a chas-tisement is appropriate becausethe goal of chastisement is to pro-duce a desired outcome. I prunemy trees to get a desired result.”

Looking at the lives of our AX-POW’s, our friends, families andourselves, we can identify timeswhen we were under stress. Wecould say we were being chas-tised because these are opportu-nities to grow spiritually by trust-ing God.

Stress (or even chastisement) isa sign that God loves you. With

God’s help, you can handle all ofthe problems of life.Proverbs 3:12 “For whom the Lordloveth, he correcteth, even as afather the son in whom he de-lighted.”

Prayer: O Lord, In all of our toilsand troubles, cause us to growdeeper in trust and closer to you.For Christ’s Sake, Amen

RATHBUN, Virginia, of Waterloo, IAdied Aug 2, 2017. She was thewidow of ex-POW Vernon “Bud”(333rd BS, 94th BG/ 7A, 17B). Ginnyand Bud were active members ofAXPOW – both nationally and lo-cally. She is survived and will begreatly missed by 1 son, 1 daugh-ter, 2 granddaughters and 4 great-grandchildren.

REDTFELDT, Lucille V., of Fortuna,CA passed away Nov. 18, 2017 atthe age of 96. She was a life mem-ber of AXPOW with her husband,Gordon (ex-POW, 8th AF, 95th BG/Stalag Luft 1). In addition to herhusband of 74 years, she leaves 2daughters, 7 grandchildren and 11great-grandchildren.

SKUBIK, Henry A. of Massapequa,NY and Englewood, FL died Jan.3, 2018 at the age of 94. DuringWWII, he served with the 8th AF,398th BG, 601st BS. He was shotdown, captured and held in DulagLuft for interrogation, then Stalag17B and 13B. As the war was wind-ing down he was marched toStalag VIIA, Moosburg. His wife,

Kaye, predeceased him; Henryleaves 1 son, 1 daughter and 4grandchildren.

SUPNIK, Ross Harold, ofFramingham, MA passed away Oct.26, 2017 at the age of 92. Rossserved in WWII with the 106th Inf.Div. he was captured during theBattle of the Bulge and held inStalag 9B until liberation. Ross issurvived by his wife of 61 years,Edna, 3 children and 6 grandchil-dren.

SWIFT, Robert N., of Jamestown,NY (formerly of Harbor Creek, PA)died Oct. 27, 2017. He was 95.He was captured while serving withthe 458th AAC, as a bombardier ona B-24. He parachuted over Hol-land and was taken prisoner andheld in Luft I, Barth. His wife of 65years, Dorothy, predeceased him;survivors include 3 children, 3grandchildren, 1 great-grand-daughter, his good friend and hiscat.

THOMPSON, Maynard M., 91, ofSun City, Arizona passed awayJan. 26, 2018. He was a long-timemember of the Agua Fria Chapter,Sun City. Maynard served in Com-pany L, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 5th

Division and was held in 13DNuremberg. He was preceded indeath by his wife Doris and is sur-vived by a son and a daughter.

THROCKMORTON, Aletha, ofOmaha, NE died Jan. 1, 2018.Jeanne was 97 years old and thewidow of Past National CommanderRichard (Arbeit Kommando USA #1,11A). Both Jeanne and Dick werevery active members of AXPOWand Jeanne always had a smilingface whenever you saw her. Sur-vivors include 3 sons, 1 daughter,17 grandchildren, 35 great-grand-children, 1 sister and a host offriends. (ED. NOTE: I will miss herwonderful Facebook pictures.)

WALLER, Allen Dwight, of SierraVista, AZ passed away at the ageof 92. Fighting under Patton’s ThirdArmy during WWII, Al waswounded, then reconnected withhis old outfit – 80th Inf. Div. Hewas captured in the Battle of theBulge and walked and took box-cars during the Black Bread Marchof 1944/1945. He leaves his lov-ing wife of 40 years, Tommie, 2daughters, 2 sons, 2 step-daugh-ters, 10 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.

BennyBennyBennyBennyBenny

taps, cont’d...

ALL CHECKS MUST BE MADE PAYABLE TOAXPOW OR AMERICAN EX-PRISONERS OF WAR


33

Contribution should be sent to:A

merican Ex-Prisoners of W

arPO

Box 3444

Arlington, TX

76007-3444

The 106th InfantryDivision Association

Organized atCamp Lucky Strike 1945 active since

1946

If you are a former 106th Infantry Division vet, wereattached to the 106th, a relative of a 106th veteran, you

are eligible for membership in the Association.

The CUB Magazine is published three timesper year. Published since 1946.

Annual Reunions held yearly since 1947.

Jacquelyn Martin, Membership Chairman121 McGregor Ave.

Mount Arlington, N.J. 07856973-663-2410

E-mail: [email protected]


34

AMERICAN EX-PRISONERS OF WARVOLUNTARY FUNDING PROGRAM

The AXPOW Voluntary Giving Program parallels that of other VSOs, whereby the entiremembership, including life members, is given the opportunity to contribute to theoperation of our organization, based on ability and willingness to contribute. Allcontributions are to be sent directly to National Headquarters to be used for the

operation of the organization. A complete accounting of contributors will appear in theBulletin each issue.

I am enclosing my contribution to support the operation of the American Ex-Prisoners ofWar.$20.00 $30.00 $40.00 $50.00 $100.00 Other

NameAddressCity/State/ZipPhone #

Please make checks payable to American Ex-Prisoners of War - Voluntary FundingMail contributions to: National Headquarters, American Ex-Prisoners of War

PO Box 3444, Arlington, TX 76007-3444

JEFFERSON BARRACKS POW-MIA MUSEUM

N is {or Never Forget is a child -friendly book that takes readers on a compelling journey through wartimehistory. Poignant illustrations and stories capture key people, concepts, and memorials to help readersunderstand and honor the sacrifices endured by men and women prisoners of war and missing in action onbehalf of freedom .

Proceeds from books purchased through JBPMM, Inc. (501c3) go directly to restoring \ renovating theformer 1896 Officers Quarters Building into the Jefferson Barracks POW-MIA Museum.$21.95 including S/H. Contact Paul Dillon at [email protected]; 314-609-9037.

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Please print:Name____________________________________________________Address__________________________________________________City/State/Zip_____________________________________________Phone ( )___________________ Email _______________________Please allow 4 weeks to make address corrections.

Mail to: National Headquarters, AXPOW, PO Box 3444, Arlington, TX 76007-3444Or e-mail: [email protected]

All orders for products sold by AXPOW National Organization, including dues/subscriptionsshould be mailed to: American Ex-Prisoners of War National Headquarters

PO Box 3444, Arlington, TX 76007-3444; [email protected]

change of address form Include your mailing label for address change orinquiry. If you are receiving duplicate copies, please send both labels. Ifmoving, please give us your new address in the space provided.

Bronze Grave Medallions

$100.00 includes S/H/I

Challenge Coins!

$13.00 includes S/H/I

Documents

EX-POW BULLETIN · Ex-POW Bulletin Apr-June 2018 5 news from hq Clydie Morgan Chief Operating Officer Spring is finally here. Hope you all survived the winter well. With spring comes