North Carolina VFW POW/MIA

Friday 11 July 2008 at 01:19

by POW/MIA Chairman

Below are resolutions adopted by the NC Department Convention:

WHEREAS, on 25 January 1944, a B-24J aircraft named “Hot As Hell” flew a resupply mission from Kunming, China to Chabua, India known as “The Hump”; and

WHEREAS, the crew of eight, 1LT William A. Swanson (VT), Flight Officer Sheldon L. Chambers (PA), 1LT Irwin G. Zaetz (VT), 1LT Robert E. Oxford (GA), SSG Charles D. Ginn (IL), SSG Harry B. Queen (MA), SGT James A. Hinson (NC), SGT Alfred H. Gerrans, Jr. (NC), did not arrive at their destination and were declared dead on 20 November 1944; and

WHEREAS, Clayton Kuhles is commended for finding the wreckage of the “Hot As Hell” on 7 December 2006, during a personal expedition to specifically research downed WWII aircraft in this area; and

WHEREAS, Larry Zaetz, brother of 1LT Irwin Zaetz, and Gary Zaetz of Cary, NC, nephew of 1LT Zaetz, have spent painstaking time researching and contacting family members of the “Hot As Hell” crew; and

WHEREAS, the “Hot As Hell” family led by Larry and Gary Zaetz have been the driving force between the governments of India and the United States renewing humanitarian efforts to recover remains of unaccounted for Americans from WWII; therefore

BE IT RESOLVED, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States strongly supports the efforts of U.S. and Indian government officials in re-establishing humanitarian efforts for the recovery of the “Hot As Hell”; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we strongly urge the Congress to direct the Department of Defense to carry out this recovery mission as quickly as possible and to fully fund efforts to locate and return to U.S. soil all recoverable remains from this theater of operation.

WHEREAS, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States has supported and continues to advocate for the accounting of U.S. personnel previously listed as prisoner of war, missing in action, killed in action/body not recovered for from the Korean War and all our nation’s wars; and

WHEREAS, in May 2005 the U.S. Government temporarily suspended remains recovery efforts in North Korea and recognizes the time and effort involved in re-establishing bilateral talks between the U.S. and DPRK to restore joint field activities;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States supports the renewal of bilateral talks with the DPRK to reach an agreement for the purpose of resuming humanitarian operations to recover unreturned Korean War Veterans.

WHEREAS, the Administration’s determination dated 7 March 2008 was submitted to Congress as defined in Section 109 of the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act 2008; and

WHEREAS, in this determination Vietnam is called upon to work aggressively to improve tangibly its unilateral provision of POW/MIA related documents and records, focused initially on archival data pertaining to Americans captured, missing, or killed in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control; and

WHEREAS, Vietnam should also focus grater attention on locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and to locating and repatriating the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that have not yet been returned;

BE IT RESOVLED, that the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States calls upon SRV Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and all Vietnamese leaders to authorize officials in the SRV government to locate and release immediately to the United States all records related to Americans still missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam conflict; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States also calls on the leaders of the SRV to locate and release, if deceased, remains of Americans last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture by their forces that are in SRV possession which have not yet been returned to United States control.

WHEREAS, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States has faith in the abilities of the US-Russia Joint Commission (USRJC) on POW/MIAs, also known as JCSD (Joint Commission Support Directorate), their unique expertise and commitment to the mission; and

WHEREAS, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States recognizes the meritorious efforts of U.S. Chairman General Robert Foglesong, USAF (Ret), Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) serving as Senate Republican Commissioner and Representative Sam Johnson (R-TX) as the House Republican Commissioner; and

WHEREAS, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is disappointed by the abandonment of the Senate Democrat Commissioner and the House Democrat Commissioner which is vacant; now

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States strongly recommends Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Speaker of the House Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to name a qualified Member of the House and of the Senate to serve as Commissioners who will fulfill the mission objectives and support the POW/MIA families and our nation’s veterans; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States urges Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev to commit to the agreement made between our governments when the U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIA Affairs was established, and requests full cooperation on all humanitarian objectives of this committee.

WHEREAS, in November 2003, the USS Vandergrift docked in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, symbolizing an improvement in military ties between the United States and Vietnam; and

WHEREAS, despite the improvement in military ties, Vietnam refuses to honor requests by the U.S. to permit United States Navy vessels to conduct humanitarian underwater recovery missions as agreed in principle between the U.S. and Vietnam in the fall of 2006;

WHEREAS, it is recognized that the humanitarian POW/MIA accounting mission in Vietnam should capitalize the use of the latest and safest technology for the mission objectives;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States urges the government of Vietnam to respond positively to the 2006 agreement and permit a U.S. Navy vessel to conduct humanitarian underwater recovery missions in the territorial waters of Vietnam; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States requests the President, the Secretaries of State and Defense and the PACOM Commander to immediately implement the terms of this agreement reached for using a U.S. Navy vessel to conduct humanitarian underwater recovery missions in the territorial waters of Vietnam that could help account for Americans lost during the Vietnam War.

0 Comments | Post Comment | Email This