NEWS
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Due to the lapse of appropriations, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has been forced to cancel its Joint Field Activities (JFA) in Vietnam and Laos that were planned for late October through early December. The JFA in Laos consisted of three recovery teams and one investigation team, while the JFA in Vietnam consisted of two recovery teams and one investigation team, all of which cannot be deployed. Not affected by the lapse of appropriations are the two Vietnamese recovery teams, both of which will start operations next week. DPAA military and contractor personnel continue to advance the noble mission of providing the fullest possible accounting for U.S. missing personnel to their families and the nation.
Source: dpaa.mil -
The recent article which was published by the Washington Times, written by Bill Gertz, is an insightful piece about the current state of not only Secretary of War Hegseth's recent trip to Vietnam, but also perceptions of where Accounting Mission stands as a whole. Link below!
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/nov/3/pete-hegseth-hanoi-pursuit-lost-americans-vietnam-war-top-pentagon/ -
Last night, July 13th 2025, we were pleased to see a large POW/MIA display grace MetLife Stadium during the FIFA Club Finals. We commend those who organized this, and are elated such large venues and organizations continue to spread awareness for the many still missing and unaccounted-for!
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CLARIFICATION FROM CHAIRMAN EMERITUS/ACTING CEO ANN MILLS-GRIFFITHS
JULY 6, 2025
IN RESPONSE TO A GROWING NUMBER OF INQUIRIES, OUR 501(c)(3) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION (NGO) DOES NOT RECEIVE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.
WITH ALL THE LEAGUE HAS FOUGHT FOR AND ACHIEVED OVER 50+ YEARS, IT DIDN’T OCCUR THAT ANYONE WOULD THINK SUCH. WE WERE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT IN TODAY’S ENVIRONMENT OF WORLDWIDE NGO ACTIVITY, MUCH OF IT FUNDED BY USAID AND USIP, SOME DID.
TO CLARIFY, THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POW/MIA FAMILIES IS NOT AND HAS NEVER BEEN FUNDED BY U.S. TAXPAYERS, VIA OUR GOVERNMENT, AS I PERSONALLY CAN CONFIRM SINCE 1978!!!!
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June 25, 2025
Today DPAA has released the identities of the four servicemen originally declared accounted-for on June 23, 2025. They are Tech. Sgt. Donald Springsteadah, Tech. Sgt. Willis Hall, Staff Sgt. Henry Gish, and Col. Walter Renelt. All of these brave airmen served their nation dutifully, and are thankful for their return to our great nation.
Spingsteadah, Hall, and Gish were all assigned to Lima Site 85 on the mountain peak of Phou Pha Thi in Laos. On March 11, 1968 the site came under attack by Vietnamese commandos, and while eight airmen were later evacuated by helicopter, eleven others were unaccounted for and declared killed-in-action/body-not-recovered. This was considered the largest Air Force ground loss of the entire war, and investigations along the steep rocky cliffsides have proved challenging. Col. Renelt was declared MIA after his plane crashed on November 20 1969, and he and his co-pilot were nowhere to be found.
We applaud DPAA’s efforts and commend their talented field teams, DNA analysts, and everyone in between. The scope of this release is the kind of robust Vietnam War Accounting results that we look forward to receiving in the future! -
June 23, 2025
Today, the League is releasing two documents: one covers the current Status of the League; the other document is a report, written by League Intelligence Advisor Dr. Jay Veith, called Vietnam’s Knowledgeability Cooperation: A Follow-up Report on the League Assessment on “Achieving the Fullest Possible Accounting.” Both can be found on the League website, and by clicking the hyperlinks within this post. We encourage all to read and share these documents and to advocate for continued and increased Vietnam War Accounting efforts.