thedrifter
06-14-07, 08:26 AM
Family of Marine looking for closure
Body overseas since Vietnam War
By: Dave Pearson, State & National Editor
Posted: 6/14/07
For the family of Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph Nelson Hargrove, the end of the Vietnam War might be in sight.
Cary Turner, a Duplin County commissioner and Hargrove's cousin, has been cutting through red tape and political pride to bring his deceased relative back home.
Turner got one step closer Tuesday when the N.C. House voted unanimously on a bill to urge the Department of Defense to take all measures possible to make this return possible.
"It went very smooth today," Turner said of the vote, at which he and Hargrove's widow, Gail, were present.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Russell Tucker, D-Duplin, said the state's authority is limited.
"We have begging power," Tucker said. "And that's all we have."
Tucker said he has written on behalf of Hargrove's relatives to all N.C. congressmen and congresswomen, both N.C. senators and the president. He said he will ask all state representatives to do the same.
Hargrove was killed on Koh Tang island in Cambodia in May 1975 during one of the final U.S. military actions of the Vietnam War - a rescue of 39 U.S. merchant crewmen whose ship, the S.S. Mayaguez, had been captured by Khmer Rouge forces.
The Marines encountered a larger number of Khmer Rouge troops than expected.
Hargrove and two other marines, Pfc. Gary L. Hall and Pvt. Danny Marshall, were ordered to defend the perimeter. Their actions saved the lives of fellow marines but cost them their own.
It was the decision of President Gerald Ford not to return to the island immediately to attempt a rescue of the marines left behind.
"It's probably going to be ugly," Turner said as a segue before he said he felt that after Ford's death, political doors began to open.
Hargrove died at a time when the government of Cambodia, which was not recognized by the U.S., referred to Western nations as imperialists.
Since that time, the Khmer Rouge officer who ordered Hargrove's execution, Em Son, has been in contact with U.S. officials and Hargrove's widow.
In 2001, Son directed a U.S. envoy to the site of Hargrove's death, but there was not time then to bring the remains back.
Turner said that he began his efforts in February and that the success so far is extraordinary.
"I couldn't be more pleased with how this has turned out in the last two months," he said.
The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command is planning a return trip to Cambodia in January 2008, and there are efforts being made by state representatives to allow Turner to accompany the mission.
"Should the government go and report that there's nothing, it's just another story," he said.
Turner said this trip has more pressure because Hargrove's mother, Charlotte, is 84 years old and of failing health.
"We're hoping we can get something home because she's running out of time," he said.
Turner said he has a good feeling about the next trip.
"I honestly believe we'll find something."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
Ellie
Body overseas since Vietnam War
By: Dave Pearson, State & National Editor
Posted: 6/14/07
For the family of Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph Nelson Hargrove, the end of the Vietnam War might be in sight.
Cary Turner, a Duplin County commissioner and Hargrove's cousin, has been cutting through red tape and political pride to bring his deceased relative back home.
Turner got one step closer Tuesday when the N.C. House voted unanimously on a bill to urge the Department of Defense to take all measures possible to make this return possible.
"It went very smooth today," Turner said of the vote, at which he and Hargrove's widow, Gail, were present.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Russell Tucker, D-Duplin, said the state's authority is limited.
"We have begging power," Tucker said. "And that's all we have."
Tucker said he has written on behalf of Hargrove's relatives to all N.C. congressmen and congresswomen, both N.C. senators and the president. He said he will ask all state representatives to do the same.
Hargrove was killed on Koh Tang island in Cambodia in May 1975 during one of the final U.S. military actions of the Vietnam War - a rescue of 39 U.S. merchant crewmen whose ship, the S.S. Mayaguez, had been captured by Khmer Rouge forces.
The Marines encountered a larger number of Khmer Rouge troops than expected.
Hargrove and two other marines, Pfc. Gary L. Hall and Pvt. Danny Marshall, were ordered to defend the perimeter. Their actions saved the lives of fellow marines but cost them their own.
It was the decision of President Gerald Ford not to return to the island immediately to attempt a rescue of the marines left behind.
"It's probably going to be ugly," Turner said as a segue before he said he felt that after Ford's death, political doors began to open.
Hargrove died at a time when the government of Cambodia, which was not recognized by the U.S., referred to Western nations as imperialists.
Since that time, the Khmer Rouge officer who ordered Hargrove's execution, Em Son, has been in contact with U.S. officials and Hargrove's widow.
In 2001, Son directed a U.S. envoy to the site of Hargrove's death, but there was not time then to bring the remains back.
Turner said that he began his efforts in February and that the success so far is extraordinary.
"I couldn't be more pleased with how this has turned out in the last two months," he said.
The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command is planning a return trip to Cambodia in January 2008, and there are efforts being made by state representatives to allow Turner to accompany the mission.
"Should the government go and report that there's nothing, it's just another story," he said.
Turner said this trip has more pressure because Hargrove's mother, Charlotte, is 84 years old and of failing health.
"We're hoping we can get something home because she's running out of time," he said.
Turner said he has a good feeling about the next trip.
"I honestly believe we'll find something."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
Ellie