The Rostrum

Our missing Americans

SEN. Charles H. Percy called it "A National Disgrace." What the senator was referring to is the abandonment of over 2,500 American men in Southeast Asia, over 100 of whom are from Illinois. These men remain missing and unaccounted for more than eight years after the end of the Vietnam War.

The Illinois Chapter of the National League of Families of Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia was, at one time, one of the strongest chapters, expending tremendous energy fighting for these forgotten men. Many congressmen pledged themselves to the cause and even wore the POW bracelets to show their support. However, in the past few years the families have weakened and dwindled, not from lack of concern but from frustration. And our congressmen — where are they now?

On January 27, 1973, an agreement was signed by the U.S. and Vietnam providing for the release of all POWs and stating that personnel would be accounted for within the same time frame as the American withdrawal. This has proven to be misleading and false. The uncooperative attitude of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) and ineptitude and lack of interest by some members of our own State Department have caused this issue to remain unresolved for eight, ten, and in my family, fifteen years.

Among the American military personnel not released, 113 were known POWs. They were men who were either seen alive at one time or who had corresponded with their families. Others were used in propaganda films and photographs. Recurring reports of sighting Americans held against their wills now total 335 first-hand and over 900 second-hand. These reports come from the hundreds of Vietnamese and Laotian refugees entering the U.S. Knowledge of these sightings is not the result of government inquiries; the reports are responses to advertisements in various Vietnamese and Laotian publications seeking information on Americans. The National League of Families began to run these ads after learning from a refugee interview in 1977 that refugees were not being questioned about Americans by our Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

Since 1973 the remains of only 77 Americans have been returned by the SRV, and then only when it was felt to be politically advantageous. While the SRV claims to be searching for information on MIAs, the sincerity of its efforts remains questionable. In June 1980, an ethnic Chinese mortician testified that he had seen or processed the remains of over 400 Americans stored in a Hanoi facility once used as a POW camp. Our DIA has determined this source to be valid. Although we hold normal relations with Laos, we have received the remains of only eight servicemen out of 559 missing. Two were identified as not being Americans, and four were recently released by a Laotian anti-communist resistance group.

A question frequently asked is, why? Why whould the SRV/LAO hold prisoners and remains this long after the war? There are several possibilities. First, the communists have a history of withholding POWs at the end of hostilities. They continue to release French Foreign Legionnaires from a conflict dating back to the 1950s. Furthermore, President Nixon made a secret agreement with the Vietnamese to provide $3.25 billion in unconditional "reconstruction" aid following the end of the war. This aid was never received. It is possible the SRV kept POWs to use as future bargaining chips or as insurance for obtaining the funds. Also, one must keep in mind, when the U.S. withdrew from Vietnam and Laos, billions of dollars worth of equipment was left behind, and quite possibly our men have been held for their technical knowledge.

With every new president, hopes spring forth. But this is the fifth administration I have known since my brother was reported missing on September 19, 1966, and I am prepared for another uphill climb in reeducating our elected officials. This time, I hope, it will result in full congressional support. Past administrations have claimed there was "no credible evidence" that any Americans remained in captivity in Indochina. Lately, more realistic statements are being issued by our government. This change in attitude is due to the sighting reports and a recent statement by DIA Director Lt. Gen. Eugene Tighe, who said that in his own personal judgement there are Americans still alive and being held against their will in Indochina.

Inertia and forgetfulness in our society have caused this issue to remain unresolved. But we cannot afford to ignore this glaring example of man's inhumanity to man. How long will it take our American citizenry to become aware, stand up, and support these Americans whom we sent to fight on foreign soil to defend our freedoms? How many will be abandoned after the next conflict? A precedent was established after the Korean War when we left behind 389 known POWs. Now there are over 2,500 unaccounted for in Vietnam and Laos. How long will it take to bring this "National Disgrace" to a close and end the torment which our men and their families have endured for well over a decade?

November 1981 | Illinois Issues | 39