NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIIES

2007 HONORS PRESENTED

EACH year, the Board very carefully considers whether there are specific individuals or groups that merit special recognition.  This year, there were a number, including two Certificates of Appreciation, the initial step of League recognition.

The second stage is a League award given for sustained effort and dedication to the issue and, therefore, MUCH harder to earn.

The third and top award is the League’s Superior Service Award – PRESENTED ONLY four times in the League’s history – TO LEAGUE SENIOR ADVISOR Richard Childress, to the late Betty Bartels, to FORMER DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE Dr. Paul Wolfowitz, and THE LEAGUE’S OHIO STATE & REGION IV COORDINATOR AND CONCERNED CITIZEN liz flick.

THIS YEAR, AT THE 38TH ANNUAL MEETING, JUNE 22-24, 2007, two Certificates of APPRECIATION WERE voted and approved.

TORCO RACING FUELS

First, in recognition of their having significantly raiSed the public profile of the POW/MIA issue, we want to commend Torco Racing Fuels, owned by Evan Knoll.  His representative with us TO ACCEPT WAS Mr. Bobby Bennett, author and publisher of the racing magazine “Competition Plus.”  The top-fuel dragster bearing the image of our POW/MIA logo, is driven by Melanie Troxel, a lovely lady who also happens to be ranked in the top five drivers in the country.

Remainder of the season's schedule and their web site:  September 14-16th, Memphis, TN; September 20-23rd, Dallas, TX; October 5-7th, Richmond, VA; October 25-28th, Las Vegas, NV; and November 1-4th, Pomona, CA.

POCATELLO POW/MIA RALLY

EACH YEAR, THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE POCATELLO POW/MIA RALLY ASSOCIATION PUT TOGETHER A MAJOR POW/MIA AWARENESS RALLY AND MOTORCYCLE RODEO.  FROM THE PROCEEDS OF THIS ANNUAL EVENT, THEY HAVE CONTRIBUTED GENEROUSLY TO THE LEAGUE.  FOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE ACCOUNTING MISSION AND THEIR GENEROSITY IN SUPPORTING THE LEAGUE, WE COMMEND the POCATELLO POW/MIA RALLY ASSOCIATION AND PRESENT THIS CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION, ACCEPTED BY A MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATION AND LEAGUE VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MARK STEPHENSEN. 

THAT MORE DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE LEAGUE AWARD IS GIVEN VERY SERIOUS CONSIDERATION BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND THIS YEAR, THERE WERE THREE PEOPLE DEEMED WORTHY TO HAVE THEIR NAMES ADDED TO THE ROSTER OF RECIPIENTS. 

GEORGE JAY VEITH

gEORGE “JAY” VEITH IS THE AUTHOR OF CODE-NAME BRIGHT LIGHT: THE UNTOLD STORY OF U.S. POW RESCUE EFFORTS DURING THE VIETNAM WAR, PUBLISHED IN DECEMBER 1997.  CODE-NAME BRIGHT LIGHT WAS bOOK OF THE mONTH FOR THE MILITARY BOOK CLUB IN JANUARY 1998.  MR VEITH ALSO CO-AUTHORED LEAVE NO MAN BEHIND; BILL BELL AND THE SEARCH FOR AMERIcAN POW/MIAS FROM THE VIETNAm  WAR IN MARCH 2004.  HE HAS CONTINUED TO WRITE AND PUBLISH ABOUT THE VIETNAM WAR, INCLUDING MANY SYMPOSIUM PAPERS, AN ACCLAIMED ARTICLE ON THE APRIL 1975 BATTLE FOR XUAN LOC THAT APPEARED IN THE JANUARY 2004 ISSUE OF “JOURNAL OF MILITARY HISTORY.”  WITH MANY ADDED PUBLICATIONS AND A LONG HISTORY OF SUPPORT FOR THE ISSUE AND THE LEAGUE, WE ARE OVERDUE IN RECOGNIZING THE MANY CONTRIBUTIONS MADE BY MR. JAY VEITH.  nOW, HE ALSO SERVES OFFICIALLY AS THE LEAGUE’S ADVISOR ON ARCHIVAL RESEARCH AND INTELLIGENCE, AND WE ARE PLEASED TO ADD TO HIS IMPRESSIVE RESUME RECIPIENT OF AN INDIVIDUAL LEAGUE AWARD, A SYMBOL OF OUR SINCERE APPRECIATION.

TOM McKAY

A SPECIAL PERSON TO ALL OF US, TOM MCKAY ENLISTED IN THE US ARMY IN OCTOBER 1967, AND RETIRED FROM ACTIVE DUTY – RANK OF CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER 3RD CLASS – IN DECEMBER 1993.  HIS MILITARY CAREER INCLUDES MANY HIGHLIGHTS DIRECTLY RELATED TO VIETNAM AND THE ISSUE, INCLUDING: 1968-1970 – TWO ENLISTED TOURS OF COMBAT DUTY IN VIETNAM with the 1ST CALVARY DIVISION AS A RECONNAISSANCE PLATOON MEDIC AND AN INFANTRY COMPANY SENIOR MEDIC.  1972-1973 – SERVED IN SAIGON AS SUPERVISOR OF A VIETNAMESE TRANSLATION TEAM.  fEB-MAR 1973 – INTERPRETER FOR THE FOUR PARTY JOINT MILITARY (CEASEFIRE) COMMITTEE. 

DURING OPERATION HOMECOMING IN 1973, HE FLEW TO HANOI TO BRING AMERICAN POWS HOME AS AN ON-BOARD VIETNAMESE LANGUAGE INTERPRETER, TRANSLATING LANDING INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE GIA LAM AIRFIELD CONTROL TOWER.  aFTER VIETNAM, HE SERVED IN A VARIETY OF TACTICAL UNITS INCLUDING THE 1ST AND 7TH SPECIAL FORCES GROUPS, THE 25TH INFANTRY DIVISION, AND THE 82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION, COMPLETING NEARLY 80 PARACHUTE JUMPS.  1983-1987 HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE JOINT CASUALTY RESOLUTION CENTER AS AN INTERVIEWER AND LINGUIST IN BANGKOK, THAILAND.  IN fEB 1991, HE JOINED DIA’S STONY BEACH TEAM AS THE HONG KONG-BASED SPECIALIST.  IN dECEMBER 1993, HE RETIRED FROM THE MILITARY AND HAS WORKED AS A DOD CIVILIAN FOR STONY BEACH FROM THAT TIME TO THE PRESENT. 

TOM’S COMMITMENT TO THIS ISSUE IS LONGSTANDING AND DEEPLY APPRECIATED.  IT WAS A SPECIAL PLEASURE TO PRESENT HIS AWARD IN THE PRESENCE OF TWO OF HIS STONY BEACH TEAM MEMBERS.   

JOHNIE E. WEBB, JR.

THE FINAL HONOREE NEEDED NO INTRODUCTION TO MOST ATTENDING THE 38TH ANNUAL DINNER, MR. JOHNIE WEBB, JR., DEPUTY COMMANDER FOR SUPPORT AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, JOINT POW/MIA ACCOUNTING COMMAND.

IN 1975 HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE CENTRAL IDENTIFICATION LABORATORY, THAILAND (CIL-THAI), LOCATED AT CAMP SAMAE SAN, THAILAND, WHERE HE SERVED AS A SEARCH AND RECOVERY TEAM LEADER.  THEN CAPTAIN WEBB WAS ASSIGNED THE RESPONSIBILITY OF RELOCATING THE LABORATORY TO HAWAII IN 1976.  THIS VIETNAM VETERAN BECAME COMMANDER OF THE CENTRAL IDENTIFICATION LABORATORY, BEFORE RETIRING TO BECOME THE CIVILIAN DEPUTY COMMANDER.  FOLLOWING THE MERGER OF CIL AND JTF-FA, HE WAS SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE COMMANDER BEFORE BEING NAMED TO HIS CURRENT POSITION. 

JOHNIE HAS LED MANY ‘FIRSTS’ IN THIS MISSION.  IN 1985 HE LED THE FIRST RECOVERY MISSION TO VIETNAM TO EXCAVATE A B-52 SITE.  IN 1996, HE LED A CILHI DELEGATION DURING THE FIRST NEGOTIATIONS WITH NORTH KOREA, RESULTING IN THE FIRST JOINT RECOVERY OPERATIONS FOR KOREAN WAR PERSONNEL.  JOHNIE ALSO LED DELEGATIONS TO THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, BURMA, AND PAPUA NEW GUINEA TO DISCUSS CONDUCTING WORLD WAR II OPERATIONS, AND EVEN A TECHNICAL ADVISORY TEAM TO SAUDI ARABIA TO DISCUSS FORENSIC IDENTIFICATION CAPABILITIES.

HIS INVALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ISSUE ARE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO ARTICULATE, BUT LONG DESERVING OF THIS INDIVIDUAL COMMENDATION, THE LEAGUE IS PLEASED TO PRESENT THE LEAGUE AWARD TO JOHNIE WEBB.

G. MICHAEL SCHLEE

The final award was presented to a long-standing friend of the league, known to past and current league officials for over three decades as the core of support from the american legion, due to retire this fall from his position as director of national security and foreign relations. 

mike’s tenure with the legion made him one of the very few senior veterans leaders who knew and worked with the league’s founders from inception. for nearly 15 years, the league’s national office was located in the legion’s washington, d.c. headquarters before moving across the street in 1989, then to our current location in october, 2001.  throughout these decades, mike was always available to provide insights on the political situation in washington and the veterans community nationwide. 

our collaborations were many, and he will be sorely missed when he departs washiNgton, d.c. 

for someone with the commitment and dedication mike has had for so long, a league award mAy be small recognition, but we all know that it will mean a great deal to him, and we are honored that he was present to accept the league award as a token of our heartfelt appreciation.

LEAGUE AWARDS RECIPIENTS BY YEAR

2007 Johnie E. Webb, Jr., DCO – Support & External Relations, JPAC

George “Jay” Veith, League Advisor – Research & Intelligence

G. Michael Schlee, Director – National Security, The American Legion

Tom McKay, Chief – DIA’s Stony Beach Team

Certificate: Torco Fuels – Bobby Bennett, accepting

Certificate: Pocatello POW/MIA Rally Assn., Mark Stephensen accepting

2006 Georgia Power

American Legion Post 351, Dept. of New Jersey

LtCol Paul Mather, USAF (Ret)

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD: Liz Flick

2005 -0-

2004 James A. Kelly, AS/EAP

Mathew P. Daley, DAS/EAP

Raymond F. Burghardt, US Amb. to Vietnam

Douglas A. Hartwick, US Amb. to Laos

Charles A. Ray, US Amb. to Cambodia

Kingdom of Cambodia.

Kingdom of Thailand

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD: Dr. Paul Wolfowitz, DepSecDef

2003: Sos Kem

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD: CILHI

2002: John K. Kiehm, Chief of Staff, DIA

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD: Betty A. Bartels

2001: Joint Task Force-Full Accounting

Capital One Services, Inc.

2000: Kate Jones, League Volunteer Webmaster

Theresa Montani, CC, Asst. Annual Meeting Chairman

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD: Richard T. Childress

1999: Rudy de Leon, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness

Tom Nielsen, CC, Artist-Vietnam Veteran

1998: Life Sciences Equipment Laboratory

Florence W. Madden, Associate General Counsel, USAF

C. Gary Sydow, Defense POW/MIA Office, Research & Analysis

1997: George Atkinson, USAF Casualty

Robert C. “Bud” McFarlane, National Security Advisor to Reagan

Paul D. Wolfowitz, Bush Admin USDP, Reagan Admin AS/EAP

The U.S. Army Chorus

1996: John Sommer, Jr., Executive Director, The American Legion

Ladies Aux. to the VFW – National

Charles Trowbridge – DPMO Chief of R&A, former DIA

1995: Senator Bob Dole

Senator Bob Smith

Representative Ben Gilman

Jane Durgom-Powers, CC, Volunteer League Counsel

Paola Riva – CC, League Staff Volunteer from Switzerland

1994: 0

1993: Carl Ford, Jr. – PDASD/ISA

COL John Cole, USA, Commander, Stony Beach/DIA

Liz Flick, CC, State & Regional Coordinator

Rosemary Jersak, CC, State & Regional Coordinator

1992: Garnet “Bill” Bell, Chief, POW/MIA Office, Hanoi

Tommy Clack, CC, Vietnam Veteran-GA

Lynne Gilcoine, CC, MA, Annual Meeting Chairman, Sergeants at Arms

Massachusetts Vigil Society

1991 0

1990: Senator Bob Dole (Special Commitment Award)

Ambassador David Lambertson, former AS/EAP

1989: CILHI

1988: Richard L. Armitage, Reagan Admin. ASD/ISA

BG Jim Shufelt, USA, DIA

USAF Casualty Office

USA Casualty Office

USN Casualty Office

USMC Casualty Office

1987: 0

1986: Everett Alvarez, Deputy Administrator of Vets. Affairs, R-POW

Representative Gerald B.H. Solomon

Representative Stephen J. Solarz

Senator Frank Murkowski

1985: General John W. Vessey, Jr., Chairman, JCS

Richard T. Childress, NSC Director for Asian Affairs

The American Legion

The Air Force Association

1984: Arnold Air Society

Dr. Larry Ward, CC

1983: Anne Keegan, Chicago Tribune

Eddie Schwartz, WGN Chicago

Diana Collins, CC

Real People, TV Show

Brian Burke, CC

Ron Mischler, CC

Ron Burdette, CC

Joint Casualty Resolution Center

1982: Senator S.I. Hayakawa

Representative Stephen J. Solarz

Fred Travalena, Entertainer

Ron Miller, ABC News

Jack Hatcher, journalist

Patti Sheridan, CC

Al Chapin, CC

Joel Cook, CC

Betty Bartels, CC

1982 (cont) Peg Treadway, CC

Tom Kaiser, CC

1981: General Richard L. Lawson, USAF, former JCS/J5

LTG Eugene F. Tighe, Jr., USAF, Director, DIA

RADM Jerry G. Tuttle, USN, Director of Ops, DIA

Jon D. Holstine, House International Relations Committee Staff