As promised, this edition of POW/MIA Corner will introduce you to the various family groups that have organized over the years in light of the POW/MIA issue.  Some believe that POW/MIAs are only related to the Vietnam War, yet, the concept of prisoners of war date back to all conflicts in modern warfare.   Once in awhile we see a news report tell of the identification and return of remains from WW I and we are very pleased for a family’s long ordeal to be over.  At the very heart of this issue is the families of these heroes who boldly fight our governmental entities for a truly full and accurate accounting of those left behind.

In the late 1970s family members of military personnel and even some civilians who did not return from Southeast Asia decided to organize in a sense to present a united front to the government in response to the lack of answers about their loved ones.  What we have today are a handful of family groups that serve as everything from a support group to a sounding board for the individual cases of our missing men and woman.

The National Alliance of Families (www.nationalalliance.org) represents all POW/MIA families from WWII, Korea, Cold War, Vietnam, Gulf War I and Gulf War II.  This group is presently served by two amazing women who give their time on a completely volunteer basis; National Chairperson, Dolores Alfond, sister of a MIA airman from the Vietnam War and a simply brillant researcher, Lynn O’Shea.  This group has annual meetings every year that coincide with the governments Annual Family Meetings usually held in June in the Washington, DC area.

Another family group, the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia (www.mia-powfamilies.org) focuses solely on Vietnam and has a paid staff that is supported by annual membership dues and revenue from their annual meetings that also coincide with the Annual Family Meetings.   Ann Griffiths Mills is their Executive Director and a part of the League’s paid staff. The League does have an all-volunteer Board of Directors to oversee operations.

Representing those still missing from the Korean War we have The Korea/Cold War Families of the Missing (www.koreacoldwar.org ), for family and non-family members;  The Korean War POW/MIA Network (www.koreanwarpowmia.net ), focused on the families and research only;  the Coalition of Families of Korean & Cold War POW/MIAs (www.coalitionoffamililes.org ), active in the political landscape of the issue and solely for family members.

With each story I will provide you wit the link to a case summary of a Marine that is still unaccounted for.  This week it is Carlos Ashlock, http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/a/a027.htm .  

What can you do to help?   Here are some suggestions for you.

1)       Go to www.ojc.org Operation Just Cause, a POW/MIA site that allows visitors to adopt a missing, soldier, airman, sailor or Marine as well as learn more about the POW/MIA issue.

2)       Find the documentary DVD “Missing Presumed Dead” a 2005 documentary about one brother’s lifelong struggle to find out the fate of his younger brother who was a POW during the Korean War. http://www.missingpresumeddead.com/

3)       To find out the status of a fellow Marine who is still unaccounted for you can go to www.pownetwork.org .  Also,  put his name in on a Search Engine and you will find Remembrance Pages/Memorial Pages made by those who have adopted him and possibly even make contact with his family.

I hope this focus on the POW/MIA family groups has been useful, next time we will look at the structure of the governmental and military entities responsible for accounting for the missing.

Semper Fidelis!

Mary Ann

Proud Cousin of US Marine, Gregory J Harris

Captured 12 June, 1966 Quang Ngai Province, SVN