[LANMaster]

When John Kerry's Courage Went M.I.A.

An article from the Village Voice
I wonder if this reporter will have a job tomorrow

Senator John Kerry, a decorated battle veteran, was courageous as a navy lieutenant in the Vietnam War. But he was not so courageous more than two decades later, when he covered up voluminous evidence that a significant number of live American prisoners—perhaps hundreds—were never acknowledged or returned after the war-ending treaty was signed in January 1973.

The Massachusetts senator, now seeking the presidency, carried out this subterfuge a little over a decade ago— shredding documents, suppressing testimony, and sanitizing the committee's final report—when he was chairman of the Senate Select Committee on P.O.W./ M.I.A. Affairs.

Over the years, an abundance of evidence had come to light that the North Vietnamese, while returning 591 U.S. prisoners of war after the treaty signing, had held back many others as future bargaining chips for the $4 billion or more in war reparations that the Nixon administration had pledged. Hanoi didn't trust Washington to fulfill its pro-mise without pressure. Similarly, Washington didn't trust Hanoi to return all the prisoners and carry out all the treaty provisions. The mistrust on both sides was merited. Hanoi held back prisoners and the U.S. provided no reconstruction funds.

The stated purpose of the special Senate committee—which convened in mid 1991 and concluded in January 1993—was to investigate the evidence about prisoners who were never returned and find out what happened to the missing men. Committee chair Kerry's larger and different goal, though never stated publicly, emerged over time: He wanted to clear a path to normalization of relations with Hanoi. In any other context, that would have been an honorable goal. But getting at the truth of the unaccounted for P.O.W.'s and M.I.A.'s (Missing In Action) was the main obstacle to normalization—and therefore in conflict with his real intent and plan of action.

Full Story

[LANMaster]

This picture accompanies the story.

[RSM123]

MIA / POW figures for all conflicts involving US (Note number of MIAs in WW2 - many were known to have been 'liberated' from German Camps by Russian forces.)

http://66.102.11.104/search?q=cache:...hl=en&ie=UTF-8


Korea - Report Eisenhower was briefed on known live POWs

http://66.102.11.104/search?q=cache:...hl=en&ie=UTF-8

One noteworthy MIA from Vietnam :

http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/b/b186.htm


Have read about this man (Mike Bosilijevac) - his wife gave birth to a daughter while he was mid way through a tour in Vietnam.

The birth was announced - on Radio Hanoi before US MACV even got the message to him. Needless to say he found that somewhat unsettling.

Here's another - former leader of the Blue Angels and due for Astronaut training once Vietnam tour was complete :

http://www.blueangels.org/History/Hall/POWMIA.htm

Here's another :

http://limasite85.us/the_destruction...ma_site_85.htm

Most people at this base were shot, some thrown off the mountain ... useful (ie tech people) are the MIAs.

..................................................


It is a documented fact that the Soviets went to great lengths to learn all they could about US Technology throughout the Cold War. As the war was constantly fought by 'proxy nations', they were certainly able to offer material assistance in return for 'useful' pows.

[LANMaster]

Damn. powerful RSM.

Why didn't the UN charge NVN with warcrimes?

[EdGreene]

Originally posted by LANMaster:
When John Kerry's Courage Went M.I.A.

An article from the Village Voice
I wonder if this reporter will have a job tomorrow

Senator John Kerry, a decorated battle veteran, was courageous as a navy lieutenant in the Vietnam War. But he was not so courageous more than two decades later, when he covered up voluminous evidence that a significant number of live American prisoners—perhaps hundreds—were never acknowledged or returned after the war-ending treaty was signed in January 1973.

(SNIP)
But getting at the truth of the unaccounted for P.O.W.'s and M.I.A.'s (Missing In Action) was the main obstacle to normalization—and therefore in conflict with his real intent and plan of action.

Full Story

We (two Huey dust-offs) were in-bound when my best Bud's aircraft was struck by a missile. They blew up just 30 or so yards off our Port-side, folded-then fell out of the air. We followed the spiraling wreckage down into the top of the thick canopy of trees. We knew exactly where they were, to the exact grid square.
Two Cobra's and an Air Force Air Rescue helo rushed in.
They searched for nearly 90 minutes, with three pairs of A-1s circling overhead, taking turns keeping Charlie's head down.
They were never found and my best Buddie, "Chico," is still M.I.A.

What does that have to do with anything? My "bud" and hundreds like him, "disappeared" and without us recovering at least a femur, he will stay M.I.A.
This continuing raucous clamor for M.I.A.s is at least just a vehicle for those who can't get over it.
The worst thing about some in the M.I.A. movement is they know what I reported above is true but still they exaggerate the numbers of missing as if there are still secret camps where Charlie has M.I.A.s hidden in the jungle.
Worse, the method of reporting casualties leaves much to be desired regarding final outcomes for families.

At least two of us told Chico's Mom what happened. And at least, she is one US Mom who no longer had to grieve her "missing" son.

[EdGreene]

Lan, Dubya, a draft-dodging son-of-Bush or those who stand knee deep in slime, raking up twisted, lying filth like you do.

[LANMaster]

I just borrowed the rake from you, Ed.

[bassetman]

[LANMaster]

Originally posted by EdGreene:
We (two Huey dust-offs) were in-bound when my best Bud's aircraft was struck by a missile. They blew up just 30 or so yards off our Port-side, folded-then fell out of the air. We followed the spiraling wreckage down into the top of the thick canopy of trees. We knew exactly where they were, to the exact grid square.
Two Cobra's and an Air Force Air Rescue helo rushed in.
They searched for nearly 90 minutes, with three pairs of A-1s circling overhead, taking turns keeping Charlie's head down.
They were never found and my best Buddie, "Chico," is still M.I.A.

What does that have to do with anything? My "bud" and hundreds like him, "disappeared" and without us recovering at least a femur, he will stay M.I.A.
This continuing raucous clamor for M.I.A.s is at least just a vehicle for those who can't get over it.
The worst thing about some in the M.I.A. movement is they know what I reported above is true but still they exaggerate the numbers of missing as if there are still secret camps where Charlie has M.I.A.s hidden in the jungle.
Worse, the method of reporting casualties leaves much to be desired regarding final outcomes for families.

At least two of us told Chico's Mom what happened. And at least, she is one US Mom who no longer had to grieve her "missing" son.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.
Your service is admirable and the government doesn't treat vets properly. I appreciate what you have done, Ed. I appreciate what John Kerry did in Vietnam. What I don't appreciate is what he did when he came home.

I have a question.
Do you think all the POW/MIA's in Vietnam or Laos or even Cambodia had killed by the time Saigon fell to the NVA in 1975?

Could there have been some still alive 5 years later in 1980?

John McCain spent 6 years as a POW, didn't he?

Could there have been any US men alive and in captivity long after the war ended?

Evidence suggested there was a possibility.
John Kerry supressed this evidence.
I can't imagine any Vietnam Veteran who wouldn't be outraged.