EX-POW BULLETINEX-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

EX-POW BULLETINthe official voice of the

American Ex-Prisoners of War Volume 75 Number 10-12www.axpow.org

October/November/December 2018

We exist to help those who cannot help themselves

Honor. Remember. Respect.

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.Founded April 14, 1942, in Albuquerque, NM, then known as Bataan Relief Organization, Washington State non- profitcorporation, “American Ex-Prisoners of War”, October 11, 1949, recorded as Document No. 133762, Roll 1, Page 386-392. 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 Jan-Mar 2019issue is Dec 1, 2018.Please send all materials to

the editor at the aboveaddress.

officers/directors 4commander/coo 5ceo 6medsearch 8legislative 10andersonville 12namPOW 15pow/mia 17civilian 19news/events 20stories 21conventions/pncs 24contributions 26new members 27taps/chaplain 28voluntary funding 34

table of contents

Ex-POW BulletinOct-Dec 2018

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October-December 2018

© 2018American Ex-Prisoners of War

Sad news. Our National Commander Charles Susino, Jr. passed awayin New Jersey. Past National Commanders Carroll Bogard, James Lollarand Alex Salinas also died. And finally, life member and friend ofAXPOW, Sen. John McCain, passed away after a courageous battlewith cancer. Their obituaries are with their comrades in this issue’sTAPS.

TAPS Additions from last issue:Sascha Jean (Weinzheimer) Jansen. In 1942 she and her immediatefamily were interned in the Santo Tomas Internment Camp in north-ern Manila where they spent three years as civilian prisoners of theJapanese.Robert Ehrart. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Re-serve; he was activated in April 1941 and shipped to the Philippines.Therese “Terry” Wadsworth Warne. Terry was a civilian living withher parents on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines when WWIIstarted.For their complete obituaries, please see the July-Sept EX-POWBulletin.

COVER: Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place formore than 400,000 active duty service members, veterans and theirfamilies. Service to country is the common thread that binds all whoare remembered and honored at Arlington.

From theDirectors &

Officers:

We wish youand yours

peace for thisholiday season

National HeadquartersPO Box 3444, Arlington, TX 76007-3444

(817) 649-2979 [email protected]

axpow officers & directors

National 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 Sr. Vice CommanderTed Cadwallader


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newsfromhqClydie Morgan, COO

In my position as Senior ViceCommander of the American Ex-Prisoners of war (AXPOW) and,in the wake of the passing ofour National Commander CharlesSusino, Jr, I have been asked tomake a statement for this issueof the Ex-POW Bulletin.

National Commander (NC) CharlesSusino, Jr. has passed from the scene and leaves us with hisvital, living legacy in the American Ex-Prisoners of War. Hewas a leader in AXPOW on virtually every level and wascurrently serving his second NC term in an extended term.Charles represented the interests of all of us, particularlythose who served in WW II, as he did. Please see the Tapssection of this Bulletin for a description of his full, activelife. We will miss Charles and continue to respect all hestood for.

My membership in this organization is due to my status as acivilian ex-internee.

Let me briefly describe my background. Being born in thePhilippine Islands my age was just over three years on De-cember 7, 1941. The Japanese invaded the Philippines shortlyafter the Pearl Harbor attack. On January 2, 1942 the capi-tol city of Manila was occupied by main forces of the 14thImperial Japanese Army under the command of LTG MasaharuHomma. Immediately “enemy aliens,” American, English, Aus-tralian, and other civilian nationalities representing nationsat war with Japan were rounded up, some at the point ofmore than one bayonet, and ordered to report to the 50acre campus of the University of Santo Tomas in the northpart of Manila with few personal belongings or food. Some ofthe internees were sure we would be released or liberatedby the American Army in 2-3 weeks. Many of the internees,including my immediate family, were to spend 37 months ascivilian prisoners of the Japanese in the concentration campeventually referred to as the Santo Tomas Internment Camp.Some of us were killed, some died of malnutrition, most losthomes and holdings, and all of us suffered. History revealsmilitary POWs of the Japanese suffered terribly and died enmasse in the Philippines.

As noted above, my current title is listed as Senior ViceCommander of this organization until such time as the AXPOWBoard of Directors may designate a revised leadership orga-nizational structure serving under the guidance of our CEO,David Eberly.

Welcome to Fall! After a long and hot sum-mer, it is welcome.

We have such good news. After muchwork and effort, AXPOW is now a dona-tion deductible charity. All donations, giftsand bequeathments are tax-deductible tothe full extent of the law. AXPOW is nowa C3 charity. Now is the time to go outfor big donations from local businessesand companies. We are now supportingseveral scholarships administered throughthe Andersonville National Historic Site inGeorgia. This is also the home to the Na-tional Prisoner of War Museum. It wouldbe nice to, one day, be able to expandthe museum to open it up for research-ers and students. Keeping the POW storyalive and relevant is a main goal ofAXPOW. Being a C3 charity will help usreach this goal.

It is time to renew your annual dues toAXPOW. You will receive a notice in themail later this year but doing it now savesAXPOW time and money.

We still offer Certificates of Captivity andChallenge Coins for sale. The coins are$13 and make nice gifts and tokens ofappreciation. The certificates make a nicegift for the former prisoner of war andtheir families. They are $25 and can in-clude a photo of the former POW. Seethe pages in this magazine for more in-formation.

If you name AXPOW in your will, pleaseuse our post office box number as theaddress:American Ex-Prisoners of WarPO Box 3444Arlington TX 76007-3444

Thank you for your support over theyears. AXPOW would be nothing withoutyou, its members.

David Eberly

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

from the CEO


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David

Lest We Never ForgetA couple years ago I madereference to the Doolittle Raiders’Last Man Standing traditionwherein a prized bottle ofHennessy VS cognac was set asideto be opened by the last survivingmember of their historic squadron.In the spirit of camaraderie,however it was shared earlier onNovember 9, 2013 by the final fourairmen at The Air Force Museum.Then, finally that day came for Lt.Col. Richard Cole, when he aloneraised his silver goblet and toastedhis squadron mates.

Lest we never forget these heroes.

Sadly, in this Bulletin you will readthe memorial to our CommanderCharles Susino Jr. and three PastNational Commanders: PNC Lollar,PNC Bogard, and PNC Salinas. Itis fitting that we lovingly salutethese men as AXPOW leaders, andalso the gallant manner in whichthey served our country. Ourgreatest generation membersshare no common unit patch andnow span the globe. For them wemust individually raise a toast andcontinue to show our love and

appreciation for their service andreturn with honor.

Lest we never forget these leadersand those who served along sidethem.

As I write this, our Daily Press rana front-page story paying tributeto another member of the greatestgeneration. Pvt. 1st Class RobertWhite of the 507th ParachuteInfantry Regiment was justawarded a Bronze Star after nearly75 years for his heroic actionsduring D-Day and the Battle of theBulge. My point in relating thislocal news is to remind you thatwhile our heroes are falling fast,there are still those comparativelyfew among us that must berecognized, listened to, and hailedas soldiers, sailors, and airmen whodid things we may never haveimagined to guarantee ourfreedoms.

Lest we never forget those whohave served.

Finally, as members of AXPOWand NOK (next of kin), we mustcontinue to pay tribute to thosewho have the courage to servetoday. The women and men whoput on the uniform are makingtremendous sacrifice.

Lest we never forget those whoserve today.

United States Postal ServiceStatement of Ownership,

Management, and Circulation

EX-POW BULLETIN Pub. # 0161-7451filing date 9/18Frequency: quarterly (4 issues annually)$40.00 annual subscription price, or as partof membership duesPub. Office: PO Box 3444, Arlington, TX76007-3444Clydie J. Morgan, COO(817) 649-2979Headquarters: PO Box 3444, Arlington, TX76007-3444Publisher: Milton M. Moore, Jr., 2965 SierraBermeja, Sierra Vista, AZ 85650Editor: Cheryl Cerbone, 23 Cove ViewDrive, South Yarmouth, MA 02664Managing Editor: Cheryl Cerbone, 23 CoveView Drive, South Yarmouth, MA 02664Owner: American Ex-Prisoners of War, POBox 3444, Arlington, TX 76007-3444Known bondholders, mortgagees, othersecurity holders: NONETax status: Purpose, function and non-profitstatus of this organization and the exemptstatus for federal income tax purposes hasnot changed during the preceding 12months.

Publ. Title: EX-POW BULLETIN

Circulation Data:Issue July/Aug/Sept 2018Since last file date 9/2017

Average Single IssueTotal copies printed:

7921 7711Total paid/and or requested:

7775 7563Free distribution outside the mail: 30 30Total distribution:

7805 7593Copies not distributed:

116 118Total: 7921 7711Percent paid/requested circulation: 98% 98%

Publication Statement of Ownership Form3526 filed with the Postmaster, United StatesPostal Service, Arlington, TX. Copy held atNational Headquarters, Arlington, TX

American Ex-Prisoners of War is a non-profitcorporation, incorporated in Washingtonstate, October 11, 1949, recorded asDocument No. 133762, Roll 1, Page 386-392.


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pow medsearchMarsha Coke, ChairmanPO Box 3444Arlington, TX 76007-3444(817) 649-2979

nsoRuth Powell, Director

191 Florence RoadWaltham, MA 02453

781-296-6307 [email protected]

What Is PeripheralNeuropathy?

The name of the condition tells youa bit about what it is:Peripheral: Beyond (in this case,beyond the brain and the spinalcord.)Neuro-: Related to the nerves -Pathy: Disease

Peripheral neuropathy refers to theconditions that result when nervesthat carry messages to and fromthe brain and spinal cord from andto the rest of the body are dam-aged or diseased.

The peripheral nerves make up anintricate network that connectsthe brain and spinal cord to themuscles, skin, and internal organs.Peripheral nerves come out of thespinal cord and are arranged alonglines in the body called der-matomes. Typically, damage to anerve will affect one or more der-matomes, which can be trackedto specific areas of the body. Dam-age to these nerves interruptscommunication between the brainand other parts of the body andcan impair muscle movement, pre-vent normal sensation in the armsand legs, and cause pain.

Types of PeripheralNeuropathy

There are several different kindsof peripheral neuropathies thatstem from a variety of causes.They range from carpal tunnel syn-drome (a traumatic injury commonafter chronic repetitive use of thehands and wrists, such as with

computer use) to nerve damagelinked to diabetes.

As a group, peripheral neuropathiesare common, especially amongpeople over the age of 55. All to-gether, the conditions affect 3%to 4% of people in this group.Neuropathies are typically classi-fied according to the problemsthey cause or what is at the rootof the damage. There also areterms that express how extensivelythe nerves have been damaged.

MononeuropathyDamage to a single peripheralnerve is called mononeuropathy.Physical injury or trauma such asfrom an accident is the most com-mon cause. Prolonged pressure ona nerve, caused by extended pe-riods of being sedentary (such assitting in a wheelchair or lying inbed), or continuous, repetitivemotions, can trigger a mononeur-opathy.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a com-mon type of mononeuropathy. Itis called an overuse strain injury,which occurs when the nerve thattravels through the wrist is com-pressed. People whose work re-quires repeated motions with thewrist (such as assembly-line work-ers, physical laborers, and thosewho use computer keyboards forprolonged periods) are at greaterrisk.

The damage to the nerve can re-sult in numbness, tingling, unusualsensations, and pain in the firstthree fingers on the thumb side ofthe hand. The person may awakenat night with numbness in their

hand or discover that when theyperform activities like using a hairdryer, the numbness is more no-ticeable. In time, carpal tunnel in-juries can weaken the muscles inthe hand. You may also feel pain,tingling, or burning in your arm andshoulder.

Here are examples of othermononeuropathies that can causeweakness in the affected parts ofthe body, such as hands and feet:

Ulnar nerve palsy occurs when thenerve that passes close to thesurface of the skin at the elbow isdamaged. The numbness is notedin the 4th and 5th digit of the hand.Radial nerve palsy is caused byinjury to the nerve that runs alongthe underside of the upper arm andcan occur with fractures of thehumerus bone in the upper part ofthe arm.Peroneal nerve palsy results whenthe nerve at the top of the calfon the outside of the knee is com-pressed. This leads to a conditioncalled “foot drop,” in which it be-comes difficult to lift the foot.

Neuropathy can affect nerves thatcontrol muscle movement (motornerves) and those that detectsensations such as coldness or pain(sensory nerves). In some cases,it can affect internal organs, suchas the heart, blood vessels, blad-der, or intestines. Neuropathy thataffects internal organs is called anautonomic neuropathy. This rarecondition can cause low bloodpressure or problems with sweat-ing.

PolyneuropathyPolyneuropathy accounts for thegreatest number of peripheral neu-ropathy cases. It occurs whenmultiple peripheral nerves through-out the body malfunction at the

[email protected]


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same time. Polyneuropathy canhave a wide variety of causes, in-cluding exposure to certain toxinssuch as with alcohol abuse, poornutrition (particularly vitamin B de-ficiency), and complications fromdiseases such as cancer or kidneyfailure.

One of the most common forms ofchronic polyneuropathy is diabeticneuropathy, a condition that oc-curs in peoplewith diabetes. Itis more severe inpeople withpoorly controlledblood sugar lev-els. Though lesscommon, diabe-tes can alsocause amononeuropathy.

The most com-mon symptoms ofpolyneuropathyare:TinglingNumbnessLoss of sensationin the arms andlegsA burning sensa-tion in the feet orhands

Because people with chronic poly-neuropathy often lose their abil-ity to sense temperature and pain,they can burn themselves and de-velop open sores as the result ofinjury or prolonged pressure. If thenerves serving the organs are in-volved, diarrhea or constipationmay result, as well as loss of bowelor bladder control. Sexual dysfunc-tion and abnormally low bloodpressure also can occur.

One of the most serious poly-neuropathies is Guillain-Barre syn-drome, a rare disease that strikessuddenly when the body’s immunesystem attacks nerves in the bodyjust as they leave the spinal cord.Symptoms tend to appear quicklyand worsen rapidly, sometimesleading to paralysis. Early symp-

toms include weakness and tin-gling that eventually may spreadupward into the arms. Blood pres-sure problems, heart rhythm prob-lems, and breathing difficulty mayoccur in the more severe cases.However, despite the severity ofthe disease, recovery rates aregood when patients receive treat-ment early.

Chronic inflammatory demyelinat-ing polyneuropathy is a chronicform of Guillian-Barre where thesymptoms continue for months

and even years. Early diagnosisand treatment is crucial for CIDPpatients, 30% of which risk even-tually being confined to a wheel-chair.

What Causes PeripheralNeuropathy?

There are many factors that cancause peripheral neuropathies, soit is often difficult to pinpoint theorigin. Neuropathies occur by oneof three methods:

Acquired neuropathies are causedby environmental factors such astoxins, trauma, illness, or infec-

tion. Known causes of acquiredneuropathies include:DiabetesSeveral rare inherited diseasesAlcoholismPoor nutrition or vitamin deficiencyCertain kinds of cancer and che-motherapy used to treat themConditions where nerves are mis-takenly attacked by the body’sown immune system or damagedby an overaggressive response toinjuryCertain medicationsKidney or thyroid disease

Infections such asLyme disease,shingles, or AIDS

Hereditary neuropa-thies are not as com-mon. Hereditary neu-ropathies are diseasesof the peripheralnerves that are ge-netically passed fromparent to child. Themost common of theseis Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1.It is characterized byweakness in the legsand, to a lesser de-gree, the arms —symptoms that usuallyappear between mid-childhood and age 30.

This disease is caused by degen-eration of the insulation that nor-mally surrounds the nerves andhelps them conduct the electricalimpulses needed for them to trig-ger muscle movement.

Idiopathic neuropathies are froman unknown cause. As many asone-third of all neuropathies areclassified in this way.

Complications

Complications of peripheral neur-opathy can include:

Burns and skin trauma. Youmight not feel temperaturechanges or pain on parts of yourbody that are numb.Infection. Your feet and otherareas lacking sensation can be-come injured without yourknowing. Check these areas

medsearch, cont’d...


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regularly and treat minor inju-ries before they become in-fected, especially if you havediabetes mellitus.Falls. Weakness and loss of sen-sation may be associated withlack of balance and falling.

Prevention

Manage underlying conditions

The best way to prevent periph-eral neuropathy is to managemedical conditions that put youat risk, such as diabetes, alco-holism or rheumatoid arthritis.

Make healthy lifestyle choices

For example:

Eat a diet rich in fruits, veg-etables, whole grains and leanprotein to keep nerves healthy.Protect against vitamin B-12deficiency by eating meats,fish, eggs, low-fat dairy foodsand fortified cereals. If you’revegetarian or vegan, fortifiedcereals are a good source ofvitamin B-12, but talk to yourdoctor about B-12 supple-ments.

Exercise regularly. With yourdoctor’s OK, try to get at least30 minutes to one hour of ex-ercise at least three times aweek.

Avoid factors that may causenerve damage, including repeti-tive motions, cramped posi-tions, exposure to toxic chemi-cals, smoking and overindulg-ing in alcohol.

Diagnosis

Peripheral neuropathy has manypotential causes. Besides a physi-cal exam, which may include bloodtests, diagnosis usually requires:

A full medical history. Your doc-tor will review your medical his-tory, including your symptoms,your lifestyle, exposure to tox-

ins, drinking habits and a fam-ily history of nervous system(neurological) diseases.

Neurological examination. Yourdoctor might check your ten-don reflexes, your musclestrength and tone, your abilityto feel certain sensations, andyour posture and coordination.

Your doctor may order tests, in-cluding:

Blood tests. These can detectvitamin deficiencies, diabetes,abnormal immune function andother indications of conditionsthat can cause peripheral neu-ropathy.Imaging tests. CT or MRI scanscan look for herniated disks,tumors or other abnormalities.Nerve function tests. Elec-tromyography records electri-cal activity in your muscles todetect nerve damage. A probesends electrical signals to anerve, and an electrode placedalong the nerve’s pathwayrecords the nerve’s response tothe signals (nerve conductionstudies).Other nerve function tests.These might include an auto-nomic reflex screen thatrecords how the autonomicnerve fibers work, a sweat test,and sensory tests that recordhow you feel touch, vibration,cooling and heat.Nerve biopsy. This involves re-moving a small portion of anerve, usually a sensory nerve,to look for abnormalities.Skin biopsy. Your doctor re-moves a small portion of skinto look for a reduction in nerveendings.

Treatment

Treatment goals are to managethe condition causing your neur-opathy and to relieve symptoms.If your lab tests indicate no un-derlying condition, your doctor

might recommend watchful wait-ing to see if your neuropathy im-proves.

MedicationsBesides medications used to treatconditions associated with periph-eral neuropathy, medications usedto relieve peripheral neuropathysigns and symptoms include:

Over-the-counter pain reliev-ers.Medications containing opioids.Anti-seizure medications.Topical treatments.Antidepressants.

TherapiesVarious therapies and proceduresmight help ease the signs andsymptoms of peripheral neuropa-thy.

Transcutaneous electrical nervestimulation (TENS). Electrodesplaced on the skin deliver agentle electric current at vary-ing frequencies. TENS should beapplied for 30 minutes daily forabout a month.Plasma exchange and intrave-nous immune globulin. Theseprocedures, which help sup-press immune system activity,might benefit people with cer-tain inflammatory conditions.Plasma exchange involves re-moving your blood, then remov-ing antibodies and other pro-teins from the blood and return-ing the blood to your body. Inimmune globulin therapy, youreceive high levels of proteinsthat work as antibodies (immu-noglobulins).Physical therapy. If you havemuscle weakness, physicaltherapy can help improve yourmovements.Surgery. If you have neuropa-thies caused by pressure onnerves, such as pressure fromtumors, you might need surgeryto reduce the pressure.

National Institute of NeurologicalDisorders and StrokeNational Institutes of HealthP.O. Box 5801Bethesda, MD 20824800-352-9424http://www.ninds.nih.gov

medsearch, cont’d...


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National DirectorCharles Anthony Susino951 Gates Ave.Piscataway, NJ 08854(732)463-8355(732)[email protected]

legislative

Congress is busy trying to get re-elected this year, but a few itemsare worth noting. In November, allmembers of the House of Repre-sentatives and one-third of theSenate is up for election.

A couple of highlights from theJohn S. McCain National DefenseAuthorization Act for Fiscal Year2019 that could be of interest:

Medals and Awards

Atomic VeteransThe law creates a new “AtomicVeterans Service Certificate”, tohonor retired and former membersof the Armed Forces who are ra-diation-exposed veterans. Sincemost Atomic Veterans are prettyold, or have passed (the testingended in 1962), this certificate willalso be available to family mem-bers.

Military WorkingDog HandlersThe law will create a medal andcommendation that will be avail-able to military working dog han-dlers.

Addtional Provisions

MWR (AAFES)Use for VeteransPurple Heart, Medal of Honor, ser-vice-connected disabled veterans,

and family caregivers will be eli-gible to use MWR retail and lodg-ing facilities starting in 2020. Theymay have to pay a surcharge. Noword on how base access will beworked out for those who don’talready have it.

Space-A TravelTotally disabled veterans are noweligible for Space-A travel.

Veteran BillsBefore Congress

It is important to know that ifthese bills are not passed andsigned by the end of term, theywill need to be reintroduced againwith the new Congress

H.R.303/S.66 (Retired Pay Resto-ration Act) Referred to Commit-tees: Armed Services; VeteransAffairs

H.R.4106/S.1990 (Dependency andIndemnity Compensation Improve-ment Act of 2017) Referred toCommittees: Veterans Affairs

H.R.333 (Disabled Veteran’s TaxTermination Act) Referred to Com-mittees: Armed Services’ Veterans’Affairs

H.R.3272 (Veteran Education Em-powerment Act) Referred to Com-mittee: Veterans’ Affairs

H.R.4571 (Fair Access to Insur-ance for Retired [FAIR] Heroes Actof 2017) Referred to Committees:Armed Services, Energy and Com-merce, Ways and Means.

S.591 (Military and VeteranCaregiver Services ImprovementAct) Referred to Committee: Vet-erans’ Affairs. See also S.2193

S.1198 (Veterans Care FinancialProtection Act) Referred to Com-mittee: Veterans’ Affairs.

S.2117 (Fair Access to Insurance[FAIR] Heroes Act of 2017) Re-ferred to Committee: Veterans’Affairs.

S.2193 (Caring for Our VeteransAct of 2017) Referred to Full Sen-ate.

VA Mission Act

The VA MISSION Act is the mostmassive comprehensive healthcare reform bill passed out of Con-gress in over 25 years. It wassigned into law by President DonaldTrump on June 6, 2018. VA hasquietly begun working on imple-menting these major changes butrecognizes it can’t do so withoutveterans’ help.

VA wants to know what questionsveterans have about the VA MIS-SION Act as VA moves forward inrolling out these huge health sys-tem changes. While the veteranservice organizations (VSO) havestarted working with VA to imple-ment the legislation, veterans arecentral to making the transforma-tion smooth and in helping the de-partment meet the very tightdeadline mandated by Congress.

Passage of the VA MISSION Actsignaled Congress’ readiness toimplement major changes in VA’shealth care system - seen by somecongressional leaders as longoverdue reform.


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legislation, cont’d...

One of the most significantchanges veterans will see in thenext few months is the elimina-tion of the Veterans Choice Pro-gram, established in 2014, to pro-vide temporary relief and help VArebuild internal capacity to reducelong wait times for veterans seek-ing health care. A new, stream-lined community care program willreplace Choice and consolidatemultiple community care programscurrently managed by VA into asingle program.

A few other major changes veter-ans can expect to see are:

The expansion of VA’s comprehen-sive caregiver support program,opening up the program to eligiblepre-9/11 veterans;

Veterans and their doctors will beable to decide the best option onwhere the veteran should get theircare, whether inside VA or in thecommunity;

More telehealth programs; and,

Walk-in health care services withlocal community providers.

What would normally take threeto five years to implement suchmassive system changes, Con-gress gave VA one year from theenactment of the MISSION Act toreplace the Choice Program andtwo years to implement thecaregiver program expansion.

Late in August, the VA gave VSOsa little peek under the tent as tothe rough timelines the depart-ment is working under to combineand implement the new commu-

nity care program and walk-incare services over the next year.

Here’s generally what they know:

· Phase 1, June - October2018. Build the operatingstructure, access and eligibil-ity criteria, new veteran carecontract agreements, and newcompetency standards forcommunity providers; and,draft regulations.

· Phase 2, November 2018- February 2019. Complete andtest the operating structureand elements initiated in Phase1; continue rollout of the newcommunity care provider net-work; begin educating andtraining VA staff; and, finalizedregulations.

· Phase 3, March - June2019. Transition and beginoperation of the new walk-incare and community care pro-gram; continue educating VAstaff; continue rollout of newcommunity care provider net-work; begin using new compe-tency standards for communityproviders; publish regulations;and, end the Choice Program.

Recovery Operationsfrom North Korea

$10M To Cover AnticipatedIncreased Workload

On Aug. 21, 2018, Senate law-makers backed adding $10 millionto their defense budget plans fornext year to offset what they

hope will be more expenses relatedto returning the remains of fallenU.S. combat troops from North Ko-rea in the near future. The move,part of the fiscal 2019 defense bud-get debate in the Senate follows asimilar move by House lawmakersin June and all but guarantees ahefty boost for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency if bothchambers can settle on a defensespending plan by the start of thenew fiscal year on Oct. 1st.

Provision sponsor Sen. Deb Fischer(NE) said the move will ensure thatDPAA officials will have the re-sources needed in coming monthsto increase their workload and pro-cessing as negotiations with NorthKorea progress. “For the familiesof those lost, this is a long-awaitedopportunity to gain closure and togive their loved ones the respect-ful, dignified remembrance theydeserve,” she said on the Senatefloor just before the 85-0 vote.“For the families of those lost inservice, it is never too late to of-fer closure, and for our heroes inuniform, it is never too late to re-member and to honor their sacri-fice.”

More than 35,000 Americans diedon the Korean Peninsula during thewar, which lasted from 1950 to1953. Of those, 7,700 are stilllisted as missing in action, with5,300 believed to be on North Ko-rean soil.

The $675 billion Senate defenseappropriations bill, in line withHouse spending levels and previ-ously agreed upon bipartisan bud-get levels for fiscal 2019, is ex-pected to be passed by senatorslater this week as part of a pack-age with education and Health andHuman Services funding legislation.

andersonville

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


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Andersonville National Historic Sitecontinues recognizing the 20thAnniversary of the National Pris-oner of War Museum throughout2018. Park Guide Jennifer Hopkinsand Museum Curator Bridget Beersselected a number of objects fromthe park’s collection to highlightthrough social media posts and aspecial temporary exhibit. The ex-hibit will contain items from vari-ous conflicts that depict clothing,everyday utensils, items createdfrom prisoner ingenuity, and dia-ries and drawings of camp life. Theexhibit will open in September intime for our POW/MIA RecognitionDay event.

Once again the park is partneringwith The Ride Home and GeorgiaSouthwestern University for thisannual event. At 11:00 a.m. onWednesday, September 19th atGeorgia Southwestern University’sannual Convocation, David Kellerwill discuss his research into fac-tors affecting Union and Confed-erate prison camps. On Friday,September 21st, The Ride Homewill escort former Prisoners of War(POWs) from World War II, Korea,Vietnam, and other conflicts to theNational Prisoner of War Museum,where a ceremony will be held at9:00 a.m. Featured speakers for

the ceremony include WilliamPebly, a former POW held by theGermans during World War II, andthe family of Commander MichaelHoff, Missing in Action in Vietnam.

In November, the park will offervisitors the opportunity to expe-rience the museum and historicprison site after dark during ourannual Night Museum event. From6:00 p.m.– 9:00 p.m. on Novem-ber 10th, living historians will givevisitors a glimpse of what life waslike for Union prisoners strugglingto survive winter at Camp Sumter.At 7:00 p.m., guest speaker GaryMorgan will discuss the Raiders, agroup of Camp Sumter prisonerswho committed crimes againstother prisoners.

The park is also looking forwardto this year’s Wreath AcrossAmerica event on December 15th.Will we meet last year’s recordnumber of 3,300 wreaths, or ex-ceed it? This event, conducted inpartnership with the Civil Air Pa-trol, gives visitors the chance toplace wreaths on the graves ofthose buried in Andersonville Na-tional Cemetery as a way to re-member and honor them. Anyoneinterested can sponsor one or morewreaths by following the link onthe Wreath Across Americawebsite.

We invite you to join us this fallfor one or more of these com-memorative events and help uscontinue our mission to preserveand share the stories of CampSumter, all American POWs, andthose buried in Andersonville Na-tional Cemetery.The “Victory From Within” travel-ing POW exhibit is now on displayat the Coronado Quivera Museumin Lyons, Kansas. A couple of thelarge shipping crates for the ex-hibit were apparently damagedduring transit, and two audio

wands and one interactive touchscreen were also reported to bemalfunctioning. The park is work-ing with the Coronado QuiveraMuseum staff and National ParkService staff at nearby FortLarned National Historic Site toaddress these needed repairs. Weinvite those in the Lyons, Kansasarea to make a trip to theCoronado Quivera Museum to seethe park’s traveling POW exhibit.In 2019, the exhibit will move toHeroes Hall in Costa Mesa, Cali-fornia.

The park continues to meet itsgoals of preservation and promo-tion of POW research this yearthrough several projects that willcreate digital versions of collec-tion items, making them more ac-cessible to researchers, family,staff, and others while protectingthe objects themselves. Hundredsof photographs will be scanned.The POW Oral History collectionis being converted from DVD videoformat to Mpeg4 files. Over 100oral histories from the LewisCarlson audio cassette collectionare being migrated to digital for-mat. Finally, the park is convert-ing resource management VHS re-cordings to digital format. Theseprojects will ensure collectionitems are safeguarded while stillproviding a way to view and even“use” a version of them for re-search, education, and other pur-poses.

Another research and preserva-tion project initiated this year is athree-year geophysical survey ofthe park, conducted by the Na-tional Park Service Southeast Ar-cheological Center (SEAC). Thissurvey will use ground penetrat-ing radar, magnetometer, conduc-tivity meter, and resistivity meterinstruments to map anomalies be-neath the surface without diggingor otherwise disturbing the site.The goal of the project is to pin-point and explore evidence of keyfeatures of the prison and sur-rounding sites, such as hospitals.


13

andersonville,cont’d...

During this first year of the three-year project, SEAC staff examinedthree high priority areas. The southslope of the enclosure near theSouth Gate was surveyed in hopesof finding evidence of the sick callenclosures, gallows, and barracksbuildings that historic referencesindicate were located in the vi-cinity. Surveys conducted on thenorth slope of the enclosure nearthe North Gate were focused onpinpointing the Sutler’s store.Some surveys were also con-ducted at the site of the ThirdHospital, which was located inwhat is now a large field adjacentto the Star Fort. Informationgained from this project will helpus learn more about life inside theCivil War prison during its use toconfine Union soldiers in 1864 and1865.

Numerous other projects havebeen completed or are underwayto improve park facilities, ensureprotection of resources, and en-hance visitor experience. The parkis working with the Federal High-ways Department to resurface allpark roads. The heat, ventilation,and air conditioning (HVAC) sys-tems in the POW Museum are be-ing replaced to better protectitems on exhibit. An electricalpanel is being installed on the Cu-ratorial Building to allow for gen-erator power during severeweather and so maintain protec-tion of the museum’s collection.Solar power is being added to the

park’s electronic gates to reduceenergy usage. Sections of theboundary fence that were dam-aged during a car wreck havebeen replaced. And youth crewsfrom American Conservation Ex-perience (ACE) will be working withthe park over the next 6 monthsto clean, set, and align headstonesin the National Cemetery, conductgrounds maintenance on the prisonsite, and clear vegetation alongthe park boundary.

As always, such volunteers andinterns play a vital role at the park;we could not successfully man-age and preserve the park with-out their help. Two interns, Jes-sica Greenman and Maci Mark,were sponsored through theGettysburg Institute and helpedwith museum operations this sum-mer. Local volunteers Gloria Beard,Jodi Todd, Megan Dolan, RobertGill, and Jimmy Culpepper are sup-porting the park’s interpretive,museum, and library programs.Michael Ramey just completed athree-year internship for our cem-etery program and was instru-mental in getting thousands of his-toric burial records entered into anational database. Earl Dupree isvolunteering with our maintenanceprogram to help care for the na-tional cemetery and other parkg r o u n d s .R e s i d e n tvolunteersJerry andRosemaryHiggs andKurt andS a n d iNelson willarrive inO c t o b e rand No-vember, re-spectively,and bolsterthe park’ss t a f f i n g

during the upcoming winter sea-son. The challenges of maintain-ing over 20,000 gravesites, assist-ing 130,000 visitors, educatingthousands of students, conduct-ing 180 funerals, and much morewith only 10-15 employees areoverwhelming. We would not beable to maintain or preserve parkresources, offer interpretive tours,educate school groups, promotePOW research, or accomplishmany of the things we do withoutthe valued help and contributionsof these interns and volunteers.

Several other changes in staff areoccurring. We are pleased to wel-come Adam Childs, a new memberof our maintenance division, andRyan O’Connell, who will join us inSeptember as a seasonal parkguide. It is with both sadness andwell wishes we note the depar-ture of maintenance team mem-ber Todd Wooten, who has ac-cepted a position with the U.S.Forest Service, and interpretiveteam member Jake Koch, who istaking on a new position at Bent’sOld Fort National Historic Site inColorado. We wish them both thebest in their new adventures.

The park’s museum collection con-tinues to grow. This past year, giftdonations included Vietnam era

documents from Donald K. Weise,a Civil War Soldier’s Diploma fromDustin Dunbar, a World War II campcookbook by Mike Wepsiec do-


14

nated by Charles Lopez, and anadditional World War II diary to theJohn E. Bills Jr. Collection by hisson John E. Bills III.

The park is processing additionaldonations from Norman Bloch be-longing to his father Jacque Bloch,a World War II POW, and from thefirst National Park Service Super-intendent of Andersonville, JohnE. Jensen.

These objects, like all items do-nated to the park’s collection, willbe preserved and cared for in per-petuity. They will be valuable ob-jects now and in the future forthose researching prisoner of wartopics, for family members re-searching their family’s history, foreducating visitors about prisonersof war, and for possible use in ex-hibits. The park’s ultimate goal isto create a virtual exhibit of theseobjects online that can be viewedfrom anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in donatingan item to the National Prisonerof War Museum collection, pleasecontact our Museum Curator at229-924-0343 ext. 113.

Reflectionson AndersonvilleMaci Mark~Intern

When one first sees AndersonvilleNational Historic Site it takes afew moments to understand whatone is looking at. It is an openfield of bright green grass, a fewtrees over in the corner, monu-ments scattered about and tworeconstructions of the stockadethat formerly stood there. It ishard to balance the understand-ing of the peaceful, scenic viewthe visitor is looking at with re-membering what happened atAndersonville and how many mensuffered and died there.

When I drove around and exploredthe site for the first time I did notunderstand what I was seeing.Who were the monuments for?How many people lived here? Andwhat were the earthworks for?After a few days I started to un-derstand how Andersonville oper-ated and what it looked like in the1860s. This was with the help ofthe Park Rangers and other ma-terials shown in the National Pris-oner of War Museum.

Andersonville brings peace andserenity to a place haunted by itspast. Andersonville is haunted, notin the ghost sense, but by thesuffering that happened there.One cannot look out on thegrounds without thinking abouthow they are standing wheresomeone died. Did his family knowhe died there? But the perfectscene that is Andersonville nowwill hopefully bring some closureabout those men who sufferedover 150 years ago. They may notbe able to see it, but the guestswho visit Andersonville today, re-gardless of if they have a con-nection to someone who was atAndersonville, are able to take amoment and understand whatthose soldiers went through. They

can also see them peacefully laidto rest in the cemetery.

This combination of peacefulscenery combined with itshaunted past creates a greatplace to reflect on our country andwhat it means to believe in acause.

These men stayed atAndersonville and suffered, givingtheir lives for the Union in somecases, instead of joining the Con-federates. It was a conscious de-cision on their part, preferringdeath to dishonor. This is a phrasethat shows up on many of themonuments at Andersonville, butI do not think it can be properlyunderstood until one stands outon the prison site and comprehendswhat those men were giving up.They were giving up their family,their friends and loved ones, theirstory. Because of what they gaveup, today we have this place tolearn about what happened in theCivil War, this peaceful place tostand and reflect on the sufferingof those men.

Andersonville teaches us manythings, and I learned a lot duringmy time there. But one of the mostimportant lessons it teaches us iswhat we are willing to do for acause we believe in.

During my time at Andersonville Iwas able to reflect on and under-stand what it means to believe inyour cause, and also how impor-tant family is. Many prisoners justwanted to go home to their lovedones. They would always writeletters to their wives or mothers,and whenever they got out theywould say how it was the hope ofgoing home that got themthrough.

The National Prisoner of War Mu-seum also helped my understand-ing grow as it illustrated all Ameri-can Prisoners of War experiences.It showed how they were differ-ent but at the same time similar.All of the soldiers put their liveson the line and suffered for a causeor country that they believed in.

andersonville,cont’d...

“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)


15

namPOWnews

FORTY-FIVE YEARSOF FREEDOM

In August 2018, 125 former POWsfrom Vietnam, plus another 300 orso family members and friends,gathered at the Omni Hotel inFrisco TX to celebrate the friend-

ships forged in the prisons of Viet-nam. We were released and repa-triated during the months of Feb-

ruary and March 1973 and haveenjoyed our freedom every daysince. Most of us arrived onWednesday, August 15. OnThursday morning, we toured theGeorge W. Bush Presidential Cen-ter. As we returned to the hotel,we were hosted to lunch by theDallas area US Armed Forces As-

Robert [email protected]

sociation of Vietnamese-Americans.They showered us with thanks andpraise for what American warriorshad done for them in our attemptto secure their own freedom in theirhomeland. We were proud to wel-come them as fellow Americans allthese years later.

That afternoon we traveled by buscaravan to the Perot Legacy Hallto view the amazing collection ofmemorabilia belonging to one of thebest friends we NAMPOWs haveever had. We knew much of hisstory from our long association withhim, but there were many surprisesthat came to our attention whilewe gazed at memorabilia spanninga lifetime of personal achievementand patriotic service to our coun-try. Of special note to us was thesection devoted to POW/MIAs.

Friday morning we ventured to theCavanaugh Flight Museum to get upclose and personal with some his-toric airplanes in their collectionfrom WWI through Vietnam, includ-ing an F-105, many Navy planes andseveral MiGs. The Dallas Model AFord Club was also present with a


16

number of their restored cars andtrucks.

In the afternoon we again trav-eled by bus caravan (always es-corted by Dallas Police motorcycleofficers) to Ross Perot’s Circle TRanch. The festival event includedposting of the colors, an air showwith a B-52 flyover, an amazingdinner of BBQ beef, chicken andsausage, a delightful country

western band, and lots of time toenjoy the fellowship of friends,family, and fellow former POWs.The speaker for the evening high-lighted the ongoing 50th Anniver-sary of the Vietnam War.

We completed our reunion on Fri-day with a business session inwhich Dr. Tom McNish was electedPresident and plans were dis-cussed for our next couple of re-union opportunities, including onein Portland ME in 2019 to visit LeeHumiston’s 20,000 square foot mu-seum of all things NAMPOW. Laterin the morning we had the oppor-tunity for a tour of the Dallas Cow-boys draft war room and the Su-per Bowl Station with a display ofall five Super Bowl trophies, ringsand memorabilia. Finally, on Fri-day evening we put on our fineryand enjoyed a farewell banquetreception and dinner.

“For those who fight to protectit, freedom has a flavor that theprotected will never know.” Forty-five years of freedom continuesto have that wonderful flavor.

namPOW, cont’d... Saigon Update: Destructionof Historical Building Underway

A historical building related to U.S.military history is now being de-stroyed here in Saigon, to makeway for modern buildings - Thetwo photos (April and July) are ofthe east stairway entrance of theformer SAMIPIC mansion whichserved as the headquarters of theMilitary Assistance Advisory Group(MAAG) and then of the MilitaryAssistance Command VietNam(MACV) before eventually becom-ing the headquarters of Republicof Korea Forces VietNam in 1966-1973. “Then” photo April 2018“Now” photo July 18, 2018, bothphotos by Paul Blizard. Submittedby George Fryett.

PaulBlizardVietnamWarHistory.Org


17

pow/mia

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

More than a Memory –Maybe

Master Sgt. Charles HobertMcDaniel, a U.S. Army medic fromIndiana, once wore the sole dogtag returned from North Korea atthe end of July.

Fifty five coffins of remains andpersonal items were transferred inmultiple dignified ceremonies, un-til they arrived at Dover Air ForceBase where anthropologists havebegun the painstaking work ofidentification. Still unknown, iswhether there are any remains forMSGT McDaniel.

The remains appear to have beenfrom more than one location, ac-cording to Kelly McKeague, Direc-tor of the Defense POW/MIA Ac-counting Agency (DPAA). He notedthat one of the locations wasSinhung-ri in the area east of theChosin Reservoir, where indepen-dent family researchers know ofat least 55 losses, most from abattle fought late in 1950.

News reports appear to differ onwhether we can expect 55 iden-tifications, or each coffin mightcontain mixed remains from mul-tiple individuals.

The search continues for familymembers whose DNA is necessaryfor final identification.

According to the (DPAA) website,those eligible to donate DNA ref-erence material are: “… a mater-nal relative (maternal mother, ma-ternal aunt, brother, sister [mtDNAtesting]), a paternal relative (fa-ther, brother, paternal uncle, pa-ternal cousin [Y-STR testing]), ora nuclear relative (father, mother,brother or sister [auSTR testing])of a missing service member, youare eligible to donate a DNA ref-erence material.

Depending on your relationship tothe missing service member youcould be a reference for multipletesting methods (mtDNA, auSTRand/or Y-STR). For example, if thefather is the missing service mem-ber and is survived by his son, hisson is an eligible nuclear (auSTR)and paternal (Y-STR) reference.AFDIL is attempting to collect atleast 2 mtDNA references, 2 Y-STR and 2 auSTR references foreach missing service member.

As of January 2015, the percentof missing service members thathave some type (mtDNA, auSTR,or Y-STR) of a family referenceon file varies by the conflict:

• Vietnam War – 81%• Korean War – 89%• Cold War – 83%• WWII – 4%

Efforts for family reference col-lection are ongoing. If you orsomeone you know is a valid DNAreference donor for a missing ser-vice member please contact therespective service casualty officefor information on participating.For World War II collections, fam-ily references are being collected

on an as needed base due to thefact that a large number of miss-ing individuals were lost in deepwater losses and are not recov-erable at this time.”

In 2016, an article ran in the UKThe Sun, headlined “CAGED INKOREA - Kim Jong-Un is still hold-ing elderly British and Americanprisoners of war in death campsSIXTY years after Korean War, ex-perts claim.”

The article went on to say “CIAdocuments also suggest an un-known number of Western soldierswere abandoned at the end of thewar” and “CIA documents, oneas recent as 1997, also suggestthe existence of the prisoners, leftabandoned by their governmentsat the end of the war.”

Missing from the public discussionsare those Last Known Alive. ForKorea, the number is thought tobe over 1000 individuals.

The co-chair of Honor-Release-Return, Jim Moyer, reminds us that“Recovery of LIVE Military person-nel does/did not fall under DPAA/DPMO/JPAC mission – SecDef,Pentagon, JSOC, State Depart-ment & White House as well asIntelligence Agencies are units in-volved in such action.”

Those agencies have made nocomment on the negotiations withNorth Korea or the effort to bringattention to those who were “LastKnown Alive.”

So where are Major Sam Logan,seen in a contemporary propa-ganda film, alive in North Korea,or Roger Dumas, Last Known Alivein Camp 5. Is anyone negotiatingfor their return?


18

pow/mia cont’d... Ann Mills-Griffiths,COB,ED, National Leagueof POW/MIA FamiliesUPDATE: August 31, 2018

AMERICANS ACCOUNTED FOR:DPAA announced on 8/24/18 thatCDR James B. Mills, USNR, CA,was accounted for on 8/20/18.Listed as MIA on 9/21/66, NVN,his remains were recovered inJune, 2018. Earlier in the month,DPAA announced that Col Rich-ard A. Kibbey, USAF, NY, was ac-counted for on 8/618. Listed asMIA ON 2/6/67, NVN, his remainswere noted as returned on April13, 2017.

The accounting for CDR Mills andCol Kibbey brings the number stillmissing from the Vietnam Wardown to 1,594. Prior to that, anddated 7/17/18, DPAA released thename of Col Frederick M. Mellor,USAF, listed as MIA, NVN, on 8/13/65.

Prior to this posting, the most re-cent Vietnam War accounted-re-lated release was on May 31stwhen DPAA posted the name ofLCDR Larry R. Kilpatrick, USN, ofGA, though he actually was ac-counted for on May 18th. Listedas MIA on 6/18/72 in North Viet-nam, remains were recovered 12/14/2015. Nearly a month earlier,on April 5th, DPAA posted thenames of two Vietnam War per-sonnel as accounted for. Col Pe-ter J. Stewart, USAF, of FL, listedMIA 3/15/66, was recovered 12/12/15 and ID’d on 2/1/18. ArmySSGT Marshall F. Kipina, of MI,listed MIA 7/14/66 in Laos, wasrecovered 2/17/16 and ID’d 2/1/18. Prior to that, DPAA posted the

Meanwhile, DPAA announcedthey have identified the 100thUSS Oklahoma sailor, and PettyOfficer 1st Class Arthur Glennwas laid to rest on August 23rd.He was one of 388 personnelunidentified after the attack onPearl Harbor.

News was also shared that thebrother of Ann Mills Griffiths,Chairman of the Board and Na-tional League of FamiliesSpokesperson, was identified inAugust. CDR James Mills was aNaval aviator, who went downover water near North Vietnamin September 1966. He was fly-ing off the USS Midway. Thepilot, Captain James Bauder,was recovered and identified in2017.

Griffiths wrote “Only once eachyear is the visibility sufficientlyclear in that coastal area tomaximize recovery efforts.

Those identifications bring thetotal announced identificationsin 2018 to 78 from World WarII; 27 from North and SouthKorea; and 6 from Vietnam andLaos.

In mid-August, the POW return-ees from Vietnam celebratedthe 45th Anniversary of theirHomecoming in Frisco, TX. Itwas a glorious affair, as the re-turnees, families and friends,joined Ross Perot for a tour ofPerot’s Legacy Hall, and en-joyed an evening at the CircleT Ranch.

news that LTC Robert G. Nopp,USA, of OR, listed as MIA 7/14/66, was recovered 2/17/16 andID’d 2/1/18. On January 18th,DPAA released notice that ColEdgar F. Davis, USAF, of NC, listedMIA in Laos on 9/17/68, recov-ered 4/29/15 and ID’d 12/22/17,is now accounted for, the firstsuch announcement since Sep-tember 11th of last year. At thattime, DPAA reported the account-ing for CAPT James. R. Bauder,USN, of CA, listed as MIA 9/21/66 in North Vietnam, recovered6/11/17, and ID’d 8-28-17. Thenumber still missing (POW/MIA)and otherwise unaccounted-for(KIA/BNR) from the Vietnam Waris 1,594. Of that number, 90%were lost in Vietnam or in areasof Cambodia or Laos underVietnam’s wartime control: Viet-nam-1,248 (VN-453, VS-795);Laos-291; Cambodia-48; PRC ter-ritorial waters-7.

Since formed in 1970, the Leaguehas sought the return of all POWs,the fullest possible accounting forthe missing, and repatriation ofall recoverable remains. The totalaccounted for since the end ofthe Vietnam War in 1975 is 989.A breakdown by country of these989 Americans is: Vietnam – 670,Laos – 274, Cambodia – 42, andthe PRC – 3. In addition, 63 USpersonnel were accounted for be-tween 1973 and 1975, the formalend of the Vietnam War, for agrand total of 1,052. These 63Americans, accounted for by US-only efforts in accessible areas,were not due to cooperation bypost-war governments in Vietnam,Laos or Cambodia. Combined, atotal of 282 have been accountedfor from Laos, 725 from Vietnam,42 from Cambodia and 3 from thePRC.

BACEPOWBay Area Civilian Ex-

Prisoners of War.Membership is open to all

former prisonersof the Japanese, theirfamilies, and friends.

There is an activedescendents group.www.bacepow.netCommander, Angus

LorenzenEx-POW BulletinOct-Dec 2018

19

civiliansHearts and MindsCurtis [email protected]

Following the attack on Pearl Har-bor the Japanese set out to con-quer all of South East Asia. Manilain the Philippines was occupied onJanuary 2nd, 1942. Within days theJapanese rounded up Americanand other Allied civilians, nearly4000 of them, for internment in acamp established at the Univer-sity of Santo Tomas compound inthe northern section of Manila.Interment was to last over threeyears; starvation dogged theirexistence in the final year of in-carceration.

The night of February 3rd, 1945,was, for the internees of the SantoTomas Internment camp one ofdeliverance, freedom, food (!) andexplosive exuberance over a long-awaited almost unbelievable gift ofliberation.

Well, for most of the camp thatwas true; for the 200+ of us inthe Education Building, the smaller(much) of the two main buildingsin the camp, while we shared thewonder of the arrival of the Ameri-can soldiers, there was a catch;we weren’t free. The Ed Buildingas we called it, was the quartersand headquarters of the Japanesegarrison of the camp. They occu-pied the first two floors of thethree story building. Internees oc-cupied the third. The Japanesestayed put, we were stuck, stillprisoners, in effect, hostages. Thebuilding was surrounded on all sidesby American soldiers who poured

machine gun fire into the building.There was some firing on the partof the Japanese as well. In time,in the dark of night, in the turbu-lence of the time, a truce was ar-ranged. Firing stopped.

So there we were, a massiveAmerican presence on the outside,Japanese hold-outs, 67 of them,on the inside and us. We watchedand waited.

In my diary I wrote, Huge fireshave sprung up in the city andare burning unchecked. The de-struction of the city, the Pearl ofthe Orient, the only home manyof us had ever known, had begun.Looking out the front windows itseemed the whole American armywas in the grounds of SantoTomas, trucks, artillery, jeeps,tanks, with machine gunsemplaced at intervals, pointing upat us. And there, right on the en-trance to our building was a hugetank, very menacing, right belowus. The hatch was open and thegunner looked up and smiled. Wespoke, questions and answers, theliberating soldier and the still-im-prisoned internee, across the lines,two worlds. A rare occasion in war,perhaps unique in the Pacific the-ater. I later met the gunner, JohnHincke at unit reunions and be-came fast friends. A true soldier,unflinchingly brave, he was, truly,one of the ‘greatest generation.’

And so we waited and watched.We knew there were negotiationsbut knew none of the details.Tense yet exuberant; the Japa-nese sullen, the city burning. Thenin the middle of the afternoon weheard a commotion from amongthe houses outside the camp a

block or so away. It got louder andlouder; cheering, yelling, wavingFilipinos poured out of their housesand stood along the sides of thestreet. We wondered what wasgoing on; People burst out of thehouses just across from the wallsof the camp, again cheering andwaving with unbridled enthusiasm.

The reason for this demonstration?There were two American soldierson patrol walking down the middleof the street, the first Americanliberators these Filipinos had seen.The demonstration was impres-sive, indeed, awesome, not theslightest doubt whose side theywere on, they cheered as muchas we had. In the web and woofof history, somebody had donesomething right.

The truce worked. The followingmorning the Japanese filed out,carrying their weapons and wereescorted by 1st Cavalry troopers,through the streets of the city toapproximately their own lines. Andwe were, finally, also free. An epi-sode, perhaps unique in manyways, in the Pacific war. And 73years on, the cheering and thewaving in the midst of battle, staywith me.


20

eventsMarch 1-2, 2019. USSHouston CA-30 SurvivorsAssociation & Next Genera-tions will host its annual ‘Dayof Remembrance. For moreinformation: usshouston.org;[email protected].

What is the originof the 21-gun salute?The use of gun salutes for militaryoccasions is traced to early warriorswho demonstrated their peaceful in-tentions by placing their weapons ina position that rendered them inef-fective. Apparently this custom wasuniversal, with the specific act vary-ing with time and place, dependingon the weapons being used. A NorthAfrican tribe, for example, trailed thepoints of their spears on the groundto indicate that they did not meanto be hostile.

The tradition of rendering a saluteby cannon originated in the 14thcentury as firearms and cannonscame into use. Since these earlydevices contained only one projec-tile, discharging them once renderedthem ineffective. Originally warshipsfired seven-gun salutes—the num-ber seven probably selected becauseof its astrological and Biblical signifi-cance. Seven planets had been iden-tified and the phases of the moonchanged every seven days. The Biblestates that God rested on the sev-enth day after Creation, that everyseventh year was sabbatical andthat the seven times seventh yearushered in the Jubilee year.

Land batteries, having a greater sup-ply of gunpowder, were able to firethree guns for every shot fired afloat,hence the salute by shore batterieswas 21 guns. The multiple of threeprobably was chosen because of themystical significance of the numberthree in many ancient civilizations.Early gunpowder, composed mainlyof sodium nitrate, spoiled easily atsea, but could be kept cooler anddrier in land magazines. When po-tassium nitrate improved the qualityof gunpowder, ships at sea adoptedthe salute of 21 guns.

The 21-gun salute became the high-est honor a nation rendered. Vary-ing customs among the maritime

powers led to confusion in salutingand return of salutes. Great Britain,the world’s preeminent seapower inthe 18th and 19th centuries, com-pelled weaker nations to salute first,and for a time monarchies receivedmore guns than did republics. Even-tually, by agreement, the interna-tional salute was established at 21guns, although the United States didnot agree on this procedure untilAugust 1875.

The gun salute system of the UnitedStates has changed considerablyover the years. In 1810, the “na-tional salute” was defined by the WarDepartment as equal to the numberof states in the Union—at that time17. This salute was fired by all U.S.military installations at 1:00 p.m.(later at noon) on Independence Day.The President also received a saluteequal to the number of states when-ever he visited a military installation.

In 1842, the Presidential salute wasformally established at 21 guns. In1890, regulations designated the“national salute” as 21 guns and re-designated the traditional Indepen-dence Day salute, the “Salute to theUnion,” equal to the number ofstates. Fifty guns are also fired onall military installations equipped todo so at the close of the day of thefuneral of a President, ex-President,or President-elect.

Today the national salute of 21 gunsis fired in honor of a national flag,the sovereign or chief of state of aforeign nation, a member of a reign-ing royal family, and the President,ex-President and President-elect ofthe United States. It is also fired atnoon of the day of the funeral of aPresident, ex-President, or President-elect.

Gun salutes are also rendered toother military and civilian leaders ofthis and other nations. The numberof guns is based on their protocolrank. These salutes are always inodd numbers.

Source: Headquarters, MilitaryDistrict of Washington, FACTSHEET: GUN SALUTES

Hello,

My daughter and I just wantedto send quick email to let youknow how helpful your pagehas been. At the end of theschool year my daughter,Addison, did one of her finalschool projects on wartimevehicles and weapons. Evenafter the school year ended,she seemed to really take aninterest in history. Over thissummer we spent hourswatching documentaries andreading books about the WorldWars. During our research forher project and after we fin-ished the project we found aton useful sites but your pagehas probably been the mostinteresting.

Addison asked me to sharethis article with you: https://www.titlemax.com/articles/cars-tanks-airplanes-of-wwii/. She found it was very inter-esting and thought it wouldbe a great addition to the in-formation on your page.

We would love to know whatyou think and I know Addisonwould be excited if you addedit to your page.

Thanks again,John and Addison


21

A Genuine Heroby Beth DawsonBaton Rouge, Louisiana

My dad is a genuine hero.For five months they held the

Japanese at bay.He fought right beside brave

Filipino Scouts.With antiquated WWI equipment,

they say!

My dad is a genuine hero.Though he surrendered to the

Japanese years agoMy hero then walked seventy

torturous miles.The Bataan Death March it’s

called now.No food, no water for any of the

men.This atrocity was certainly a sin.

My dad is a genuine hero.For he survived that Japanese

cruelty show.Yet again they were treated

inhumanelyCrowded into rail cars, worsethan cattle they were stowed

My dad is a genuine hero; hethen suffered in prison campsYou may know. As a Japanese

slaveAt Camp O’Donnell, Cabanatuan,

Bilibid and JensinNow let this record proudly

show.

My dad is a genuine hero.On three “Hell Ships” he lan-

guished below.No ventilation, no sanitation, no

water for those men

Cruelty and abuse was all theywould know

(Two of those ships Americanspilots did sink.

How could they know that oursoldiers were cargo)?

Yes, my dad is a genuine hero.Liberated he weighed 87 pounds

and no more.I finally met my hero the year

that I was four!He loved his country right down

to the core, did this man.God Bless the “Battling Bastards

of Bataan.”I can assure you, I’m your big-

gest fan!

True Heroesby Nancy Messel Bobergproud daughterof Kenneth Messel

The freeing of Iraq by our ArmedForces has brought a renewedappreciation for the sacrificesmade by American soldiers. Return-ing servicemen and women arebeing greeted with respect andadmiration not seen since the endof WWII.

Ever since my dad, a decoratedWWII lead Squadron Bombardier,died one year ago, I have wantedto tell everyone I meet how proudI am of how well he served othersduring his 81 years on earth. KenMessel always set his standard ofconduct very high; thus he leftthis world a warmer and saferplace. Like other WWII veterans,my dad was a modest man. Hetouched numerous lives throughacts of kindness. However, somany who benefited from his gooddeeds knew nothing of his manyachievements. These accomplish-ments included being awarded theDistinguished Flying Cross by Gen-eral Omar Bradley at the close ofthe war.

Dad’s many acts of bravery in-cluded: caring for injured crewmembers after his seat was shot

from beneath him; jumping from aburning plane at 12,000 feet asGerman fighter planes and Germancivilians on the ground shot athim; facing Hitler Youth firingsquads; and protecting the iden-tity of a Jewish POW to preventthe Nazis from burning him todeath. Despite acts such as these,Ken Messel never considered him-self an exceptionally courageousman. In Dad’s eyes, the heroeswere the men who died fightingfor the cause of world freedom.

There was no sense of entitle-ment or feeling of commiserationfor the abusive treatment andstarvation inflicted by the Nazisduring Dad’s capture, interroga-tion, solitary confinement and sub-sequent imprisonment at StalagLuft I. Dad’s code of conduct wasbased on accepting responsibilityfor his actions and using his intel-lect to move forward throughharm’s way. No time was wastedon resentment of others’ actions.He put the past behind him andfocused on valuing the preciouslittle time on earth to move in posi-tive ways. Dad’s POW experienceonly served to reinforce hisstrength of convictions and hisresolve to do good deeds for hisfamily, his many friends, and hiscommunity at large.

Two months after my dad died,his hometown newspaper providedmy family with yet another re-minder of his altruistic approachto life. The paper’s historical re-flection section described the na-tionwide energy shortages of 1950that resulted from the nationalcoal miners’ strike. With local sup-plies completely depleted and noother sources of available energy,Ken Messel, who was serving asCounty Auditor, quietly took theinitiative and transferred what coalremained from the courthouse tothe area orphanages and hospi-tals.

As Dad always said, “When oddsseem insurmountable, realize thatdoing the right thing for theproper cause will enable you toget the job done.”

YourStories

Holiday stories and poems fromthe families of our POWs.Merry Christmas ~ Happy

Hanukkah to all


22

So, as we read reports of heroismby American troops who fought inIraq, we can be reassured inknowing that today’s children ofthese brave men and women willbe tomorrow’s proud adults. I’mconfident that they, too, will becompelled to speak of theirparents’ honorable strength ofcharacter and compassion forhumankind. True heroes expect nofanfare; they act out of goodnessand faith in helping others.

A POW’s Nemisisby Bea Smith

Hours were like days;Days were like weeks;

Weeks like months;Years too long to count.

It was a timeWhen time meant nothing.Time was only night or day.

It was a stretch of sameness;There were no dividers.

Christmas? Really?A New Year?

What happened to the old?

How much time can passWithout meaning for one’s soul?

How long since freedom set mycourse

When I could come and gosee those I love, complete a job

Make plans, dream dreamsAnd feel the joy of it all?

How long since waking bringsonly dread;

While nagging fear hands heavyon my head?

How long since all was well,With happiness by my side?

How much longer, Lord,before I know

That time has not passed meby?

What Does aSurvivor Look Like?

by Ginny Suarez Kleindaughter of Mary Suarez

The survivor I know is my mother.Mary Young Suarez was born inManila, Philippines on Oct. 16,1923. She is the daughter of MariaRamirez of the Philippines and Rob-ert Young, a British subject bornin the US.

Since my mother was a US citizenliving in the Philippines, she be-came a prisoner of war during theJapanese occupation. My mother,along with her sister Alice Fox andbrothers Fred and Robert Young,was sent to Santo Tomas to beinterned. My uncles Bill and GeorgeYoung had enlisted in the Army andeventually died in action in thePacific.

At home, my grandmother, Maria,was bedridden with terminal can-cer. At the young age of 17, mymother (whose father died whenshe was seven) was granted per-mission to leave camp to care formy grandmother. Maria finally suc-cumbed to this disease and it wasmy mother who washed, dressedher and made arrangements forthe burial.

While my mother was out of camp,she married my father, CarlosSuarez. My father was not a UScitizen, so he was not interned.Dad was, however, best friendswith my uncles Bill and George. Acouple of years into the war, mymother was once again allowed toleave camp to care for her brother,Jim, who was losing his battleagainst TB. My mother nursedUncle Jim with the limited re-sources available. She witnessedyet another death and was re-

sponsible for preparing her brotherfor burial. During the time mymother was caring for Uncle Jim,she was pregnant with my sister,Mary.

When the US forces liberated Ma-nila, my parents and sister madethe momentous journey to Cali-fornia and a new life. My mothersurvived all of that horror and sad-ness and went on to raise fivechildren with my dad. She hasmade a meaningful and happy lifefor herself and her family.

Dedicated to ElwinDiehl and the

Survivors from Co. Mby Carolyn Reubenking

You were a young man then.You and the rest of Co.. Mas you marched off to war

leaving to defend other shoresand leaving loved ones with a

heavy heartbut eager and willing to do

your part.

You left for a strange andforeign land

and followed each and everycommand.

You wondered what youwould find

as you left your security behind.

You fought in battles, you didyour best.

You fought with courage andlittle rest.

You ran out of ammo, waterand food.

Your situation did not look good.

When told to surrender, you didnot hesitate.

Driven by hunger and thirst youaccepted your fate.

They marched you 100 miles justto wear you down.

Many nights you slept on a cold,cold ground.

They loaded you

stories, cont’d...


23

in boxcars thenyou and the others from Co. M.

A prisoner-of-war you hadbecome

but still you were better offthan some.

Soup of rutabagas and blackbread was your fare.

Anything else was extremelyrare.

Your body became so very thinfrom the hunger you faced

deep within.But you lived on from day to day

because there was no otherway.

Then after many monthshad passed

the Russians liberated you atlast.

But they detained you for a time.Eventually you made it to

American lines.

They took you to a tank for de-lousing

and gave you all a good dousing.They put you on a Liberty ship

bound for homeand back to where you had

come from.With no fanfare or parades when

you arrived,you were just happy to be home

and alive.

You were a happy young manthen.

You and the rest of the survivorsfrom Co. M.

Christmas in MukdenDecember 1942Submitted by John Bo Author unknown

T’was the night before ChristmasAnd all through the houseOnly one creature stirred

T’was a lean lonely mouse.

He nibbled with careOn a stale crust of bread

That some sleepy soldierHad left on the bed.

The clothes were arrangedOn the shelf board with careThe spoons and the bowls

and dishes were there.

But the thoughts of the menWere not on the dishes

Some good old home cookingWere their uppermost wishes.

A golden brown turkeyWith rich flavored stuffing

With celery and spudsWe’d all soon be puffing.

To get down the cranberriesThe olives and picklesThe salads and saucesOur palates to tickle.

So dream away soldierAnd forget your caresTomorrow the barley

And soup will be there.

Corn mush for your breakfastPotatoes for lunchWith rich tiki tiki

And hard toast to crunch.

Don’t moan for the goodiesAnd all the things nice

At least what we have nowBeats lugao and rice.

Our new resolutionIs no more to roam

And hope by next ChristmasWe all will be home.

Junior’s Coming Homesubmitted by Stephen Carfora

My father has in his records apoem that he said he found whenhe was at Camp Lucky Strike atthe end of the war in 1945. Hefound it on a cot in the barracksor tent where his quarters were.

He’s always wondered about thepoem and who the author mightbe. He said that he’s pretty surethat a fellow POW wrote it.

IJunior has come home at last

He’s been through a bad ordealBut the war is now a thing

of the pastHow happy we may feel

IIJunior was a prisoner of war

In north Germany some-whereThe Red Cross sent us bulletins

Concerning his welfare

IIIIt seems he survived the war

just fineFrom the beginning to the endBut the Red Cross said its pos-

sibleHis mind is around the bend

IVSo, of course he’s not the same

dear boythat we sent off to war

He’s been so awfully shy and coyAs the Red Cross said - and more

VIt’s little things he does at times

that worry me a lotLike sleeping in the basement

On a broken army cot

VIAnd chasing girls down side

streetsCatching them when they are

slowAnd in the hush (quiet) of

eveningYelling, “Come on, Joe”

VIIHe rises early in the morningAnd runs around the street

And insists on being countedBefore coming in to eat

VIIIHe loves his chocolate bars and

jam.

stories, cont’d...


24

1949 Hollywood, CA Virgil McCollom(BVO Changes its name to AXPOW-Ken Day elected)

1950 El Paso, TX Ken Day1951 Chicago, IL John Walker1952 Albuquerque, NM Ray O’Day1953 Oklahoma City, OK Robert Geis1954 Ft. Worth, TX William Berry1955 New York, NY James S Browning1956 Kansas City, MO Roger Bamford1957 Birmingham, AL Walter Yosko1958 Tacoma, WA Walter Yosko1959 San Jose, CA Leo J “Moose” Maselli1960 San Antonio, TX Paul Richter1961 Miami Beach, FL George Coates (civilian internee)1962 Albuquerque, NM Jack Warner1963 San Antonio, TX Alex Salinas1964 Hot Springs, AR Pat Wheat1965 Shreveport, LA Ralph Rodriquez1966 Tacoma, WA Rufus W “Willie” Smith1967 Albuquerque, NM Calvin Graef1968 Longview, TX DC “Bull” Massey1969 Anaheim, CA Chuck Towne1970 Wichita Falls, TX John Lay1971 Pittsburgh, PA Grady Inzer1972 Portland, OR Juan Baldanado1973 Orlando, FL Harold Page1974 Las Vegas, NV Walter Pawlesh1975 St. Louis, MO DC Wimberly1976 Albuquerque, NM Joseph Perry1977 Houston, TX Mel Madero1978 Orlando, FL Joe Schisser1979 Pittsburgh, PA Joseph B Upton1980 Las Vegas, NV Herman Molen1981 Ft Worth, TX Stanley Sommers1982 Colorado Springs, CO Charles Morgan1983 Cleveland, OH Charles Miller

AXPOW National Conventionsand

Past National Commanders


25

1984 Seattle, WA Clarence Earl Derrington1985 Milwaukee, WI Alfred P “Joe” Galloway1986 Jackson, MS Orlo Natvig1987 Charlotte, NC Curtis Musten1988 Las Vegas, NV Albert Bland1989 Niagara Falls, NY Milton Moore, Sr. *died in office1990 Seattle, WA John Edwards1991 Tulsa, OK Francis Agnes1992 Evansville, IN John Krejci1993 Knoxville, TN Chuck Minietta1994 Albuquerque, NM William Bearisto1995 Des Moines, IA Charles Prigmore1996 Birmingham, AL Larry Moses1997 Tacoma, WA William “Sonny” Mottern1998 Baton Rouge, LA Wayne Hitchcock1999 Evansville, IN Richard Throckmorton2000 Louisville, KY Zack Roberts2001 Tucson, AZ Bill Schmidt2002 Rochester, MN John Klumpp2003 Greenville, SC Maurice Sharp2004 Arlington, TX Paul Dallas2005 Denver, CO James Cooper2006 Nashville, TN Gerald Harvey2007 Springfield, IL Robert Fletcher + removed from office2008 Kansas City, MO Warren King2009 Boise, ID Jim Clark2010 Albany, GA Kenny Hanson2011 Dayton, OH Morris Barker2012 Arlington, TX Carroll Bogard2013 Arlington, TX Charles Susino, Jr.2014 Arlington, TX Jim Lollar2015 Arlington, TX Milton “Skip” Moore, Jr.2016 Arlington, TX Ed Dement2017 Arlington, TX Charles Susino, Jr.*died in office

AXPOW National Conventionsand

Past National Commanders

contributions


26

GENERAL FUNDIn memory of Alice Messler, byThe Messler FamilyIn memory of Alice Messler, byRuth DavisIn memory of Alice & WilliamMessler, by William & VirginiaMesslerIn memory of Arthur l Goss, byRocky Mountain ChapterIn memory of Ira Book, by GeorgeBubashIn memory of Irving Bailey, byDorothy BaileyIn memory of Isabel Hufnagel, byLinda Klug

A number of years ago, one ofour members made the decisionto establish a bequest to theAmerican Ex-Prisoners of War. Hefelt strongly that he truly caredabout the future of AXPOW andwanted to leave a legacy to us.He and his wife are now gone, buttheir generous gift enabled themto demonstrate in a very mean-ingful way their commitment to theorganization. Earlier this year, Gar-den State Chapter #1 in New Jer-sey made a most generous dona-tion in honor of the chapter mem-bers and commander Bob Levine.A one-time scholarship to

Andersonville and support for theBulletin became the beneficiariesof that generosity. And just re-cently, we received a large be-quest from the estate of memberBarbara Brown. All of these dona-tions showed the commitment ourmembers have to the future ofAXPOW.

You can take action today to helpensure that the American Ex-Pris-oners of War is there for returningPOWs, their families and their de-pendents through your will or liv-ing trust. This gift can be fundedwith cash or securities, mutualfunds or other investments thatare not serving your currentneeds. This special gift will ben-efit future generations as well aswe transition to a legacy organi-zation.

In memory of Isabel Hufnagel, byWilliam TriantafelIn memory of Isabel Hufnagel, bySusan PalmerIn memory of NC Charles Susino,Jr, by Bear Creek ElementarySchool staffIn memory of NC Charles Susino,Jr., by Norm & Betty GustafsonIn memory of NC Charles Susino,Jr., by Joseph RomelczykIn memory of NC Charles Susino,Jr., by Gladys RaskIn memory of NC Charles Susino,Jr., by Edward SusinoIn memory of NC Charles Susino,Jr., by Vietnam Veterans Chapter233In memory of Orville J Jackson,by Deanna KoopmanIn memory of Orville J Jackson,by Carol FeltesIn memory of PNC Carroll Bogard,by Department of IowaIn memory of PNC Carroll Bogard,by Ioway Great Lakes ChapterIn memory of PNC Carroll Bogard,by Southwest Iowa Chapter

In memory of PNC Carroll Bogard,by Mid-Iowa ChapterIn memory of PNC Carroll Bogard,by Eastern Iowa ChapterIn memory of Roger Ancel Allen,by Robert & Carol NunnallyIn memory of Roger A Allen, byCarole MartinIn memory of Roger A Allen, bySherry BeasleyIn memory of Roger A Allen, byKevin & Susan RupeIn memory of Stephen Long, byJoanne Molen

VOLUNTARY FUNDINGIn memory of PNC Carroll Bogard,by Jackye RayIn memory of Sascha JeanJansen, by Maryjane & StephenLaznibatIn memory of Teresa Warne, byMaryjane & Stephen LaznibatBeverly Jones, Melbourne FLLucretia Leen, The Villages FLRobert Smith, Tomahawk WITommie Waller, Sierra Vista AZ

It’s very simple to make a bequestto the American Ex-Prisoners ofWar. Simply share this sentencewith your attorney or financialplanner and they can add the fol-lowing to your will or living trust:

“I give, devise and bequeath tothe American Ex-Prisoners of War,PO Box 3444, Arlington, TX 76007-3444, the sum of $_______ or_______(named investment) or______percent of the rest, resi-due and remainder of my estate.”

Your generous support of our pro-grams over the years has made atremendous difference to ex-POWsand their families.

Please take a few minutes of yourtime to help. And feel free to con-tact CFO Marsha Coke [email protected]; PH:817-649-2979 or CEO David Eberlyat [email protected]; PH:757-508-8453

Thank you!

Please send donations to: National Headquarters, PO Box 3444, Arlington, TX 76007-3444Checks must be made payable to AXPOW or American Ex-Prisoners of War.

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!


27

Deanna KoopmanPatrickDubuque IADaughter of Orville J Jackson,ETO,

Michael Lee BrazeltonFairfax VAUSAF 357 Tact Ftr SqdHanoi Hilton, Zoo, Zoo Annex,Dogpatch 8/7/66 to 3/4/73

William F GreyOrange City FLSon of Frank Grey, ETO

taps Please submit taps notices to:

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


28

Charles Susino, Jr., affectionatelyknown as Charlie, of East AmwellTownship, NJ, died July 12, 2018at the age of 94.

Born in New York City, Charlie wasraised in New York City, NY andlived in Metuchen, NJ for oversixty-four years prior to moving toEast Amwell Township a year ago.

Charlie was married to the love ofhis life, Lillian, for over seventy-one years. Lillian was Charlie’s prin-cess, and he always affectionatelyreferred to her as “darling” or“sweetheart”. He lived to make herhappy and they never had an ar-gument in all their time together.

Charlie was a United States ArmyAir Corps Veteran of World War II.He was captured and held as aPrisoner of War. In the early yearsafter the war, he never spokemuch of those horrors he wit-nessed. However, as time went on,he felt the need to speak out forthose veterans and their familieswho, “did not have a voice” in hisopinion.

From his biography, Charlie writes,“In World War II, I served as aStaff Sergeant in the Army AirForce assigned to a B-24 Bomberas a gunner flying in the European

theatre. On March 5, 1944 overFrance on our 13th mission, ourbomber was shot down by enemyfire. With the plane on fire, thecrew parachuted out into enemyterritory. The bomber spiraledupside down and lost one of itswings. I suffered injuries to bothlegs from shrapnel and was in timecaptured by the Germans.

There was no medical treatmentprovided. The Germans held usprisoners in deplorable conditionsfor 14 months. We never knewwhat or when we were going toeat and drink again, or even if.We never knew if we would live tosee another day. We were movedbetween several prison campsduring our captivity. At one pointwe were force-marched for 86days, during which time I and sev-eral of my crew escaped. We werehunted by German soldiers withdogs, but we managed to eludethem. We survived on whateverwe could find to eat.

We eventually ran across an USArmy truck which drove us tosafety and to the 48th Field Hos-pital in Hanover. We arrived onMay 8, 1945.

In civilian life, I have been activewith veterans’ organizations forseveral decades in various lead-ership roles, principally as a mem-ber of American Ex-Prisoners ofWar. I have served as AXPOW’SNational Commander, Senior andJunior Vice Commander, Directorof Legislative Affairs and have saton the organization’s Board of Di-rectors. I also counseled otherveterans on their benefits eligibil-ity as an accredited National Ser-vice Officer. I also served asAXPOW’s New Jersey State Com-

mander and as National Directorof Legislative Affairs.

Facing the enemy twice, once onthe battlefield and then again intheir prison camps — and then attheir mercy — is a life expe

Documents

EX-POW BULLETINEX-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