My tribute to our pow/mia's lost in war

"34 Years To Late"The Associated Press Wednesday, May 17, 2000; 2:01 PM WASHINGTON ––

An Illinois Air Force pilot missing in action from the Vietnam War has been accounted for and his remains are being returned to his family for burial, the Pentagon said Wednesday. He was identified as Col. Harold V. Smith of Bridgeport, Ill. Smith was leading a four-aircraft attack against enemy surface-to-air missile sites in Thanh Hoa Province, North Vietnam, on March 7, 1966, when he disappeared, the Pentagon said in a statement. When the flight reformed after the attack, Smith's plane failed to rejoin the group. Other members of the flight searched the area, but couldn't find him. U.S. and Vietnamese investigators interviewed potential witnesses and searched again in 1993, 1994 and 1995, but neither the crash site nor human remains were found, the Pentagon said. Then in 1996, the Vietnamese government helped U.S. investigators find an informant who led them to the burial, which was excavated in August and September 1998, uncovering human remains and some personal items. Smith was identified through analysis of the remains and other evidence by the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory Hawaii. With the accounting of Smith,

2,028 Americans remain missing in action from the Vietnam War, and 555 have been identified and returned to their families. © 2000 The Associated Press

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MIA's/POW's

YOU WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN

It was the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the soldier who salutes the flag,
serves under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.

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"All Gave Some ~ Some Gave All"

"We must never forget our fallen Brothers and Sisters"

....POW's Prayer....
By Jean Ray and L. Vancil
Father,Your own Son was a prisoner. Condemned, he died for us.
Victorious, He returned to bring us the gift of life everlasting. Comfort us now in our longing for the return of the Prisoners Of War and those Missing In Action. Help Us Father;
Inspire us to remove the obstacles. Give courage to those who know the truth to speak out. Grant wisdom to the negotiators, and compassion to the jailors. Inspire the media to speak out as loudly as they have in the past. Protect those who seek in secret and help them to succeed. Show us the tools to do Your will.
Guard and bless those in captivity, their families, and those who work for their release. Let them come home soon.
Thank you Father. Amen.

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