Status of the Issue

June 1,2020

   Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, all USG field operations are currently suspended;
unilateral recoveries are being conducted in Quang Binh province by Vietnamese officials.

1,587 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War: Vietnam - 1,246 (VN-443, VS-803); Laos–286; Cambodia-48; Peoples Republic of China territorial waters–7. (These numbers fluctuate due to investigations resulting
in changed locations of loss.) The League seeks the fullest possible accounting for those still missing and repatriation of all recoverable remains. Highest priority is accounting for Americans last known alive. US intelligence indicates some Americans known to be in captivity in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia were not returned at the end of the war. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, it must be assumed that these Americans could still be alive, and the US Government should not rule out that possibility.

Vietnam established comprehensive wartime and post-war processes to collect and retain information and remains; thus, unilateral efforts by them offered significant potential. Vietnam has since taken many unilateral actions that are welcome and appreciated, plus announced that there are no obstacles to full cooperation. Recently, Vietnam has increased implementation of commitments to provide long-sought archival records with relevant, case-related information, thanks in part to improvement of working-level efforts, but primarily due to increased bilateral relations across the board. The January 2018 League Delegation brought commitments that offered real promise for increased success. Vietnamese officials are participating with greater seriousness and professionalism, achieving increased results, including both US-led Joint Excavation Teams and Vietnamese Recovery Teams (VRTs), led by Vietnamese and supported by some US personnel. Unless budget reductions interfere, this formula allows a greater number of teams to “increase the pace and scope of field operations,” as requested by Vietnam since 2009. Due to increased military-to-military cooperation, US Navy assets now participate in underwater survey and recovery operations, when requested. These long sought steps are now coming to fruition and reportedly are raised by US officials at all levels.

After a rough period, joint field operations in Laos are now increasingly productive, even though more difficult than elsewhere. Recently, Laos is showing much greater flexibility, having again authorized an increased number of US personnel in-country simultaneously, allowing ground transportation to accessible sites, and reaching agreement for contracting a private company to provide reliable, smaller-scale helicopter support to access remote sites. When helpful, Vietnamese witnesses are also allowed to participate in joint US-Lao operations. Importantly, the Lao Government authorized two additional Lao officials to work year-round with DIA’s Stony Beach POW/MIA specialist, assigned full time in-country. Lao officials had approved field investigations outside the confines of scheduled DPAA field operations but, recently, their commitment hasn’t been borne out in the field. A border dispute with Cambodia, ongoing when the League Delegation visited in early 2018, was impeding recovery operations there. Hopefully, as urged by the League, Lao and Cambodian officials agreed to temporarily set aside political disagreements and work trilaterally with the US to proceed on this humanitarian recovery to end the uncertainty of the impacted families.

DIA’s Stony Beach Team: One Cambodia specialist works full time at the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, and research and field operations in Cambodia have received excellent support. For years, two Stony Beach personnel rotated on temporary duty in and out of Vietnam, collecting information via archival research and interviews of potential witnesses. DIA long ago expressed willingness to permanently station one Stony Beach Vietnam specialist in Hanoi and one in Hawaii, a proposal to which Vietnam has not yet fully agreed. Successive US Ambassadors have strongly supported this important move, and increases in bilateral military relations clearly contributed to overcoming past reluctance. US Ambassador to Laos Dr. Peter Haymond is knowledgeable and supports full use of DIA’s Stony Beach specialist. It is hoped that heavy visa restrictions on Lao officials, imposed by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), will not impede cooperation, as Stony Beach specialists are urgently needed to augment the investigation process while witnesses are still living and able to facilitate locating incident sites for follow-up.

The greatest obstacles to increased Vietnam War accounting efforts are too few qualified intelligence analysts and scientists, as well as unreliable funding that has caused US cancellation of scheduled operations, thus sending negative signals to foreign counterpart officials, especially in Vietnam. Since over 80% of US losses in Laos and 90% in Cambodia occurred in areas where Vietnamese forces operated during the war, Vietnam’s expanded access to and provision of helpful archival records and research, source interviews and field operations are the core means to increase accounting results for Vietnam War missing personnel, America’s UNRETURNED VETERANS.

   POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sighting statistics provided by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)

Live Sightings: 1,996 first-hand live sighting reports have been received since 1975, none recently. 1,941 (97.24%) are resolved: 1,340 (67.13%) equated to Americans previously accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating SRV codes); 45 (2.25%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted-for; 556 (27.86%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 55 (2.76%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of continuing analytical and collection efforts: 48 (2.40%) concern Americans reported in a captive environment; 7 (0.35%) are non-captive sightings. The unresolved 55 first hand sightings are listed below:

                                   Pre-1976    1976-1985    1986-1995    1996-2005    2006-2015     Total
                                      36                 3                       1 14 1 55

Accountability: At the end of the Vietnam War, there reportedly were 2,583 unaccounted-for American prisoners, missing or killed in action/body not recovered. As of June 1, 2020, the Department of Defense still lists 1,587 Americans as missing and unaccounted-for, 90% of them in Vietnam or in areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the 996 Americans accounted for from Vietnam War-related losses after the official end of the war on April 30, 1975 follows:

1965-1974                     War years: (recently identified)                                                    2
1974-1975                     Winding down USG effort    28
1976-1978                     US/SRV normalization negotiations    47
1979-1980                     US/SRV talks break down                                                             1
1981-1985                     1st Reagan Administration    23
1985-1989                     2nd Reagan Administration 168
1989-1993                     George H.W. Bush Administration 129
1993-1997                     1st Clinton Administration    327
1997-2001                     2nd Clinton Administration                                                            57
2001-2004                     1st George W. Bush Administration 64
2004-2008                     2nd George W. Bush Administration    62
2008-2012                     1st Obama Administration                                                           51
2012-2016                    2nd Obama Administration                                                           27
2016-2020                    Trump Administration 10

According to the DPAA Lab, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for less than 200 of the 674 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but seven of the 278 Americans accounted for in Laos since the end of the war have been the result of joint recoveries. Six were recovered and turned over by indigenous personnel from Laos and one from Vietnam. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. There follows a breakdown by country of the 996 Americans accounted for since the official April 30, 1975 end of the Vietnam War: Vietnam, 674; Laos, 278, Cambodia, 41 and the PRC, 3.

An additional 63 US personnel were accounted for between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 1,059. Of the 63, 9 were from Laos, 53 from Vietnam, and 1 from Cambodia. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where access was possible, not due to cooperation with post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.   Added to results from government-to-government humanitarian cooperation post-war, a total of 287 have been recovered and identified from Laos, 727 from Vietnam, 42 from Cambodia and 3 from the PRC.

For the latest information, call the League Office (703) 465-7432 or check the League website: www.pow-miafamilies.org
CFC #10218
status_of_the_issue__6-1-20.pdf

April 27, 2020

   Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, all USG field operations are currently suspended!

1,587 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War: Vietnam - 1,246
(VN-443, VS-803); Laos–286; Cambodia-48; Peoples Republic of China territorial waters–7. (These numbers
fluctuate due to investigations resulting in changed locations of loss.) The League seeks the fullest possible accounting
for those still missing and repatriation of all recoverable remains. Highest priority is accounting for Americans last
known alive. US intelligence indicates some Americans known to be in captivity in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
were not returned at the end of the war. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, it must be assumed that
these Americans could still be alive, and the US Government should not rule out that possibility.

Vietnam established comprehensive wartime and post-war processes to collect and retain information and
remains; thus, unilateral efforts by them offered significant potential. Vietnam has since taken many unilateral
actions that are welcome and appreciated, plus announced that there are no obstacles to full cooperation. Recently,
Vietnam has increased implementation of commitments to provide long-sought archival records with relevant,
case-related information, thanks in part to improvement of working-level efforts, but primarily due to increased
bilateral relations across the board. The January 2018 League Delegation brought commitments that offered real
promise for increased success. First undertaken in northern Vietnam in 1985, joint field operations have dramatically
changed and are now much more effective. Vietnamese officials are participating with greater seriousness and
professionalism, achieving increased results, including both US-led Joint Excavation Teams and Vietnamese
Recovery Teams (VRTs), led by Vietnamese and supported by some US personnel. This formula allows a greater
number of teams to “increase the pace and scope of field operations,” as requested by Vietnam since 2009,
unless budget reductions interfere. Due to increased military-to-military cooperation, US Navy assets are now
allowed to participate in underwater survey and recovery operations, when requested. These steps, long
advocated by the League, are now coming to fruition and reportedly are raised by US officials at all levels.

After a rough period, joint field operations in Laos are now increasingly productive, even though more difficult
than elsewhere. Recently, Laos is showing much greater flexibility, having again authorized an increased number
of US personnel in-country simultaneously, allowing ground transportation to accessible sites, and reaching
agreement for contracting a private company to provide reliable, smaller-scale helicopter support to access
remote sites. When helpful, Vietnamese witnesses are also allowed to participate in joint US-Lao operations.
Importantly, the Lao Government authorized two additional Lao personnel to work year-round with DIA’s Stony
Beach POW/MIA specialist, assigned full time in-country. Lao officials had approved field investigations outside
the confines of scheduled DPAA field operations, but recently, their commitment isn’t born out in the field. A border
dispute with Cambodia, ongoing when the League Delegation visited in early 2018, was impeding recovery
operations there The League urged officials in Laos and Cambodia to temporarily set aside political disagreements
and work trilaterally with the US to proceed on this humanitarian recovery, to end the uncertainty of the impacted families.

DIA’s Stony Beach Team: One Cambodia specialist works full time at the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, and
research and field operations in Cambodia have received excellent support. Two Stony Beach personnel for
years rotated on temporary duty in and out of Vietnam, collecting information via archival research and interviews
of potential witnesses. DIA long ago expressed willingness to permanently station one Stony Beach Vietnam
specialist in Hanoi and one in Hawaii, a proposal to which Vietnam has not yet fully agreed. Successive US Ambassadors
have strongly supported this important move, and increases in bilateral military relations clearly contributed to
overcoming past reluctance. Former US Ambassador to Laos Rena Bitter supported full use of DIA’s Stony Beach
specialist in Laos and current US Ambassador to Laos Pete Haymond is knowledgeable and supportive as well.
It is hoped that ever-expanding bilateral relations with Laos and Vietnam will mean positive decisions and greater
flexibility to expand. Stony Beach specialists are urgently needed to augment the investigation process while
witnesses are still living and able to facilitate locating incident sites for follow-up.

The greatest obstacles to increased Vietnam War accounting efforts are too few qualified intelligence analysts
and scientists, as well as unreliable funding that has caused US cancellation of scheduled operations, thus sending
negative signals to foreign counterpart officials, especially in Vietnam. Since over 80% of US losses in Laos and 90%
in Cambodia occurred in areas where Vietnamese forces operated during the war, Vietnam’s expanded access to
and provision of helpful archival records and research, source interviews and field operations are the core means
to increase accounting results for Vietnam War missing personnel, America’s UNRETURNED VETERANS.

POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sighting statistics provided by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)

Live Sightings: 1,996 first-hand live sighting reports have been received since 1975, none recently. 1,941 (97.24%)
are resolved: 1,340 (67.13%) equated to Americans previously accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or
civilians detained for violating SRV codes); 45 (2.25%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975
sightings of civilians still unaccounted-for; 556 (27.86%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 55 (2.76%)
unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of continuing analytical and collection efforts: 48 (2.40%) concern Americans
reported in a captive environment; 7 (0.35%) are non-captive sightings. The unresolved 55 first hand sightings are
listed below:

                                   Pre-1976    1976-1985    1986-1995    1996-2005    2006-2015     Total
                                      36                 3                       1              14                 1            55

Accountability: At the end of the Vietnam War, there reportedly were 2,583 unaccounted-for American prisoners,
missing or killed in action/body not recovered. As of April 27, 2020, the Department of Defense still lists 1,587
Americans as missing and unaccounted-for, 90% of them in Vietnam or in areas of Cambodia and Laos where
Vietnamese operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the 996 Americans accounted for from
Vietnam War-related losses after the official end of the war on April 30, 1975 follows:

1965-1974                     War years: (recently identified)                                                    2
1974-1975                     Winding down USG effort 28
1976-1978                     US/SRV normalization negotiations 47
1979-1980                     US/SRV talks break down                                                             1
1981-1985                     1st Reagan Administration    23
1985-1989                     2nd Reagan Administration 168
1989-1993                     George H.W. Bush Administration    129
1993-1997                     1st Clinton Administration    327
1997-2001                     2nd Clinton Administration                                                            57
2001-2004                     1st George W. Bush Administration 64
2004-2008                     2nd George W. Bush Administration    62
2008-2012                     1st Obama Administration                                                           51
2012-2016                    2nd Obama Administration    27
2016-2020                    Trump Administration    10

According to the DPAA Lab, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have
accounted for less than 200 of the 674 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but
remains were actually recovered at that time. All but seven of the 279 Americans accounted for in Laos since the end
of the war have been the result of joint recoveries. Six were recovered and turned over by indigenous personnel from
Laos and one from Vietnam. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war.
There follows a breakdown by country of the 996 Americans accounted for since the official April 30, 1975 end of
the Vietnam War: Vietnam, 674; Laos, 279, Cambodia, 42 and the PRC, 3.

An additional 63 US personnel were accounted for between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 1,059. Of the 63, 9
were from Laos, 53 from Vietnam, and 1 from Cambodia. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort
in areas where access was possible, not due to cooperation with post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
Added to results from government-to-government humanitarian cooperation post-war, a total of 288 have been
recovered and identified from Laos, 725 from Vietnam, 43 from Cambodia and 3 from the PRC.

For the latest information, call the League’s Office (703) 465-7432 or check the League website: www.pow-miafamilies.org
CFC #10218

status_of_the_issue__4-27-20.pdf

2020

status.of_.the.issue__1-21-20.pdf

2019

Status of the Issue 2-26-19.pdf
File Size:	235 kb
File Type:	pdf