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Category: Military issues

  • Post-Vietnam POWs: Addendum – the Tehran Embassy Seizure

    On 4 November 1979, Iranian “student demonstrators” broke into and occupied the US Embassy in Tehran, Iran.  The Government of Iran shortly afterwards backed the seizure, and took the US Embassy staff – plus one private citizen – prisoner.

    The seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran was not a “terrorist act”, as many have erroneously described it.  A nation’s embassy overseas is that nation’s sovereign territory.  Forcibly occupying an embassy is thus technically the occupation of another nation’s sovereign territory – which is an act of war.  The only reason I can come up with that we did not go to war at some point in the next 444 days was that the      ball-less wonder, Jimmuh the Clueless, and the Group of Fools he called his Administration        “wonderfully righteous and peaceful man” named James Earl Carter, Jr., was POTUS.  Apparently he made the determination that protecting America’s national honor was not worth a fight.

    A total of sixty-five US government employees and one other US citizen were held prisoner by the Government of Iran after the seizure of the US Embassy.  An additional six US Embassy personnel evaded capture and were sheltered by foreign governments in their embassies in Tehran.

    Of these, 26 individuals were military personnel.

    Here is a by-name list of US personnel held prisoner by Iran the Iranian seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran.  With the exception of the six personnel who were sheltered by friendly foreign governments and later spirited out of Iran by the CIA (with a huge assist from the Government of Canada), all were taken prisoner by Iran on 4 November 1979.  Military personnel on this list are in italics.

    Released by Iran on 19-20 November 1979

    Kathy Gross, Cambridge Springs, PA. Secretary.
    Sgt James Hughes, USAF, Langley Air Force Base, VA. Administrative Manager.
    Lillian Johnson, Elmont, NY. Secretary.
    Sgt Ladell Maples, Earle, USMC. Marine Guard.
    Elizabeth Montagne, Calumet City, IL. Secretary.
    Sgt William Quarles, USMC, Washington, DC. Marine Guard.
    Lloyd Rollins, Alexandria, VA. Administrative officer.
    Capt Neal (Terry) Robinson, USAF, Houston, TX. Administrative officer.
    Terri Tedford, South San Francisco, CA. Secretary.
    Sgt Joseph Vincent, USAF, New Orleans, LA. Administrative Manager.
    Sgt David Walker, USMC, Prairie View, TX. Marine Guard.
    Joan Walsh, Ogden, UT. Secretary.
    Cpl Wesley Williams, USMC, Albany, NY. Marine Guard.

    Released by Iran on 11 July 1980 due to illness:

    Richard I. Queen, New York, NY. Vice consul.

    Released by Iran on 20 January 1981 – shortly after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as POTUS

    Thomas L. Ahern, Jr., McLean, VA. Narcotics control officer.
    Clair Cortland Barnes, Falls Church, VA. Communications specialist.
    William E. Belk, West Columbia, SC. Communications and records officer.
    Robert O. Blucker, North Little Rock, AR. Economics officer specializing in oil.
    Donald J. Cooke, Memphis, TN. Vice consul.
    William J. Daugherty, Tulsa, OK. Third secretary of U.S. mission.
    LCDR. Robert Englemann, USN, Hurst, TX. Naval Attaché.
    Sgt William Gallegos, USMC, Pueblo, CO. Marine Guard.
    Bruce W. German, 44, Rockville, MD. Budget officer.
    Duane L. Gillette, 24, Columbia, PA. Navy communications and intelligence specialist.
    Alan B. Golancinksi, 30, Silver Spring, MD. Security officer.
    John E. Graves, 53, Reston, VA. Public affairs officer.
    CWO Joseph M. Hall, US Army, Elyria, OH. Military attaché
    Sgt Kevin J. Hermening, USMC, Oak Creek, WI. Marine Guard.
    SFC Donald R. Hohman, US Army, Frankfurt, West Germany. Medic.
    COL Leland J. Holland, US Army, Laurel, MD. Military attaché.
    Michael Howland, Alexandria, VA. Security aide, one of three held in Iranian Foreign Ministry.
    Charles A. Jones, Jr., Communications specialist and teletype operator. Only African-American not released by Iran in November 1979.
    Malcolm Kalp, Fairfax, VA. Position unknown.
    Moorhead C. Kennedy Jr., Washington, DC. Economic and commercial officer.
    William F. Keough, Jr., Brookline, MA. Superintendent of American School in Islamabad, Pakistan, visiting Tehran at time of embassy seizure.
    Cpl Steven W. Kirtley, USMC, Little Rock, AR. Marine Guard.
    Kathryn L. Koob, Fairfax, VA. Embassy cultural officer; one of two women hostages.
    Frederick Lee Kupke, Francesville, IN. Communications officer and electronics specialist.
    L. Bruce Laingen, Bethesda, MD. Chargé d’affaires. One of three held in Iranian Foreign Ministry.
    Steven Lauterbach, North Dayton, OH. Administrative officer.
    Gary E. Lee, Falls Church, VA. Administrative officer.
    Sgt Paul Edward Lewis, USMC, Homer, IL. Marine Guard.
    John W. Limbert, Jr., Washington, DC. Political officer.
    Sgt James M. Lopez, USMC, Globe, AZ. Marine Guard.
    Sgt John D. McKeel, Jr., USMC, Balch Springs, TX. Marine Guard.
    Michael J. Metrinko, Olyphant, PA. Political officer.
    Jerry J. Miele, Mt. Pleasant, PA. Communications officer.
    SSgt Michael E. Moeller, USMC, Quantico, VA. NCOIC of Marine Guard unit.
    Bert C. Moore, Mount Vernon, OH. Counselor for administration.
    Richard H. Morefield, 51, San Diego, CA. U.S. Consul General in Tehran.
    Capt Paul M. Needham, Jr., USAF, Bellevue, NE. Air Force logistics staff officer.
    Robert C. Ode, Sun City, AZ. Retired Foreign Service officer on temporary duty in Tehran.
    Sgt Gregory A. Persinger, USMC, Seaford, DE. Marine Guard.
    Jerry Plotkin, Sherman Oaks, CA. Private businessman visiting Tehran.
    MSG Regis Ragan, US Army, Johnstown, PA. Defense Attaché staff.
    Lt Col David M. Roeder, USAF, Alexandria, VA. Deputy Air Force attaché.
    Barry M. Rosen, Brooklyn, NY. Press attaché.
    William B. Royer, Jr., Houston, TX. Assistant director of Iran-American Society.
    Col Thomas E. Schaefer, USAF, Tacoma, WA. Air Force Attaché.
    COL Charles W. Scott, US Army, Stone Mountain, GA.  Military Attaché.
    CDR Donald A. Sharer, USN, Chesapeake, VA. Naval Air Attaché.
    Sgt Rodney V. (Rocky) Sickmann, USMC, Krakow, MO. Marine Guard.
    SSG Joseph Subic, Jr., US Army, Redford Township, MI.  Defense Attaché staff.
    Elizabeth Ann Swift, Washington, DC. Chief of embassy’s political section; one of two women hostages.
    Victor L. Tomseth, Springfield, OR. Senior political officer; one of three held in Iranian Foreign Ministry.
    Phillip R. Ward, Culpeper, VA. Administrative officer.

    Spirited out of Iran by the CIA (with the assistance of the Canadian Government) on 28 January 1980:

    Robert Anders, Port Charlotte, FL. Consular officer.
    Mark J. Lijek, Falls Church, VA. Consular officer.
    Cora A. Lijek, Falls Church, VA. Consular assistant.
    Henry L. Schatz, Coeur d’Alene, ID. Agriculture attaché.
    Joseph D. Stafford, Crossville, TN. Consular officer.
    Kathleen F. Stafford, Crossville, TN. Consular assistant.

    Anyone not listed above who claims to be one of the “1979 US Iranian Embassy Hostages” is, bluntly, a liar.

    The vast majority of the US military personnel taken prisoner during the seizure of the Iranian Embassy were initially awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal for their actions while in Iranian captivity.  (One of them – SFC Hohman – also was awarded the Soldiers Medal for an act of noncombat heroism occurring during his captivity.)  They were also later accorded formal POW status (and formally awarded the POW Medal) by DoD.

    The sole exception was Joseph Subic, Jr., former SSG, US Army.

    Then-SSG Subic received no award whatsoever for his time in Iranian captivity.  He was later the sole former military Iranian hostage denied recognition as a POW by the Army in 2003 because “his character of service was determined not to be consistent with POW Medal policy.”

    During captivity then-SSG Subic apparently collaborated with his captors.  He is known to have appeared in at least one propaganda film for them, and reportedly also cooperated in other ways.  On return to US control, he was reportedly subjected to administrative sanctions, apparently over the objections of the Army Chief of Staff (who reputedly wanted to court-martial Subic), and was also apparently discharged from the Army well prior to the scheduled end of his enlistment.

    In Subic’s case, it looks like the Army made the right call.  According to the articles here and here, his post-Iran life has been somewhat less than stellar – even if he did apparently manage to con his way back into the Florida National Guard (one wonders if he disclosed all the pertinent details concerning his prior active duty when he reenlisted).  He’s now a former LEO and a convicted criminal, having pleaded guilty to multiple counts of insurance fraud in 2008.

     

    Author’s footnote:  the following US military personnel died in a ground accident on 25 April 1980 after the decision was made to abort Operation Eagle Claw at its planned intermediate landing site, Desert One. This cancellation was due to the loss of three of the mission’s eight RH-53D aircraft due to mechanical problems. 

    Operation Eagle Claw was an attempt to rescue the 52 remaining US personnel held by Iran.

    Capt. Richard L. Bakke, USAF, Long Beach, CA
    Sgt. John D. Harvey, USMC, Roanoke, VA
    Cpl. George N. Holmes, Jr., USMC, Pine Bluff, AR
    SSgt. Dewey L. Johnson, USMC, Jacksonville, NC
    Capt. Harold L. Lewis, USAF, Mansfield, CT
    TSgt. Joel C. Mayo, USAF, Bonifay, FL
    Capt. Lynn D. McIntosh, USAF, Valdosta, GA
    Capt. Charles T. McMillan II, USAF, Corrytown, TN

    Rest in peace, gentlemen.  Rest in peace.

  • US POWs Since Vietnam

    Since the end of conflict in Southeast Asia, AKA the Vietnam War – and, in some cases, concurrent with it – US military forces have been involved in other conflicts. In a few cases, US personnel have been taken captive by America’s enemies.

    The numbers involved are not large. However, when there’s a benefit to be gained – as we’ve seen far too many times here – someone will eventually       lie through their teeth       falsely claim to have “been there, done that”.

    For other than the Vietnam War DPAA does not seem to publish lists of those US personnel who returned alive after being held as POWs. However, the numbers are small enough that I’ve been able to put together lists.  I believe these to be reasonably complete and accurate, with a couple of caveats:

    1. The lists which follow do not include US military personnel taken captive by terrorists in peacetime terrorist incidents. (Examples would include the captivity of US Army BG James Dozier and the temporary captivity and execution of US Navy PO2 Robert Stethem on TWA Flight 847.) Sorry, compiling such a list and verifying it to any degree of accuracy would be a massive undertaking that would take a great deal more time than I have available at present.
    2. The lists which follow do not include personnel taken prisoner during Cold War intelligence operations. (An example would be Gary Powers, captured and held prisoner by the Soviets after his U2 was shot down over the USSR on 1 May 1960.) That too is a major undertaking, and one for which some pertinent details and names may possibly not yet be declassified.

    With those caveats, let me describe what follows. The article is broken into 4 sections. The first is a section that lists known POWs returned alive, by conflict, since the Vietnam War. The second section is a special section discussing Korea since the armistice. The third section lists US military personnel known to have been taken POW since the Vietnam War, but who did not return alive. The last section lists some “dogs and cats” – e.g., a small number of questionable cases, plus those personnel (civilian and military) who were lost during US conflicts since Vietnam but who are still not formally accounted for.

     

    I: POWs Since Vietnam Who Returned Alive

    Dominican Republic – none.

    1979 US Tehran Embassy Seizure

    See the follow-on article linked here for a list of personnel taken captive (and, for the military personnel taken captive, later accorded POW status) during the 1979 US Tehran Embassy seizure.  Please note that one of the individuals taken captive was NOT accorded recognized POW status – the linked article provides the rationale for that determination.

    Grenada – none.

    Lebanon

    One US Naval Officer was taken POW and returned alive in Lebanon.

    Rank Name Service Date Captured Circumstances Status
    LT GOODMAN, Robert O. USN 4-Dec-83 Captured by Syrian forces after the A6 in which he was Bombadier/ Navagator was downed during operations in Lebanon. Released by Syria on 3 Jan 84.  Aircraft’s pilot was KIA.

    Panama – none.  However, given the ridiculous loophole in the definition of a “former POW” in current Federal law – specifically, in 38 USC 101(32)(B) – it’s an open question whether the incident described here might qualify.  (IMO Congress really needs to tighten up this loophole by requiring DoD – not the VA Secretary – formally to declare someone a POW before the VA can authorize that individual benefits as a former POW.  The VA has proven it is absolutely institutionally incompetent to make that determination.)

    Gulf War

    DoD recognizes a total of 21 individuals to have been taken prisoner and released alive by Iraq at the end of the Gulf War (see p. A-13 of the linked document).

    Rank Name Service Date Captured Circumstances Status
    Lt Col ACREE, CLIFFORD M. USMC 18-Jan-91 Captured after the OV-10 he was piloting was shot down over Kuwait. Released by Iraq March 1991
    Capt ANDREWS, WILLIAM USAF 27-Feb-91 Captured after his F16 was shot down over Kuwait or southern Iraq and rescue attempts were unsuccessful. Released by Iraq March 1991
    Capt BERRYMAN, MICHAEL C. USMC 28-Jan-91 Captured after his AH8B was shot down over Kuwait Released by Iraq March 1991
    MAJ CORNUM, RHONDA US Army 27-Feb-91 Capured by Iraqi Armed Forces after helicopter crashed during attempt to rescue downed USAF pilot William Andrews. Released by Iraq March 1991
    SGT DUNLAP, TROY 27-Feb-91 Capured by Iraqi Armed Forces after helicopter crashed during attempt to rescue downed USAF pilot William Andrews. Released by Iraq March 1991
    Col EBERLY, DAVID WILLIAM USAF 17-Jan-91 Captured after the F15E he was piloting was shot down during the early portion of the Gulf War air campaign. Released by Iraq March 1991
    Lt Col FOX, JEFFREY USAF 19-Feb-91 Captured after his A10 was shot down over Kuwait Released by Iraq March 1991
    Maj GRIFFITH, THOMAS EDWARD JR. USAF 17-Jan-91 Captured after the F15E in which he was weapons systems officer was shot down during the early portion of the Gulf War air campaign. Released by Iraq March 1991
    CWO HUNTER, GUY L. JR. USMC 18-Jan-91 Captured after the OV-10 in which he was a crewmember was shot down over Kuwait. Released by Iraq March 1991
    SPC LOCKETT, DAVID US Army 30-Jan-91 Captured by Iraqi Armed Forces after vehicle became stuck in sand IVO Khafji, Saudi Arabia, while attempting to turn around after taking a wrong turn. Released by Iraq March 1991
    SPC RATHBUN-NEALY, MELISSA US Army 30-Jan-91 Captured by iraqi Armed Forces after vehicle became stuck in sand IVO Khafji, Saudi Arabia, while attempting to turn around after taking a wrong turn. Released by Iraq March 1991
    Capt ROBERTS, HARRY MICHAEL USAF Jan-91 Captured after his F16 was shot down over Iraq prior to 20 Jan 1991, exact date unavailable.. Released by Iraq March 1991
    Capt SANBORN, RUSSELL A.C. USMC 9-Feb-91 Captured after his AV8B was shot down over Kuwait. Released by Iraq March 1991
    LT SLADE, LAWRENCE RANDOLPH USN 21-Jan-91 Captured after the F14 in which he was RIO was shot down over Iraq. Released by Iraq March 1991
    Maj SMALL, JOSEPH III USMC 25-Feb-91 Captured after the observation aircraft he was piloting was shot down over southern Iraq or Kuwait. Released by Iraq March 1991
    SSG STAMARIS, DANIEL J. JR. US Army 27-Feb-91 Capured by Iraqi Armed Forces after helicopter crashed during attempt to rescue downed USAF pilot William Andrews. Released by Iraq March 1991
    LT STORR, RICHARD D. USAF 31-Jan-91 Captured after his A10 was shot down over Kuwait or southern Iraq Released by Iraq March 1991
    1stLt SWEET, ROBERT JAMES USAF 15-Feb-91 Captured after his A10 was shot down over Iraq Released by Iraq March 1991
    Maj TICE, JEFFREY SCOTT USAF Jan-91 Captured after his F16 was shot down over Kuwait or southern Iraq prior to 20 Jan 1991. Released by Iraq March 1991
    LT WETZEL, ROBERT USN 18-Jan-91 Captured after the A6E he was piloting was shot down over Iraq Released by Iraq March 1991
    LT ZAUN, JEFFREY NORTON USN 18-Jan-91 Captured after the A6E in which he was RIO was shot down over Iraq Released by Iraq March 1991

    Two other US military personnel apparently ended up in Iraqi custody under unclear circumstances, and were also released by Iraq in early March 1991. They do not appear on the list of POWs in the DoD document linked in the previous table.

    Rank Name Service Date Captured Circumstances Status
    PVT JEFFRIES, LEM US Army unk Detained by Iraqi Armed Forces under unclear circumstances. Released by Iraq March 1991
    1LT RICE, KEVIN US Army unk Detained by Iraqi Armed Forces under unclear circumstances. Released by Iraq March 1991

    That’s it. No other individuals were taken captive by Iraqi Armed Forces during the Gulf War and released alive afterwards.

    Somalia.

    One US soldier was taken POW and returned alive in Somalia.

    Rank Name Service Date Captured Circumstances Status
    CW2 Durant, Michael J. US Army 3-Oct-93 Captured by Somali militia forces after his UH60 was downed during Operation Gothic Serpent. Released by Somali militia forces on 14 Oct 93.

    Bosnia/Kosovo.

    A total of 3 individuals were taken prisoner and later released alive by Serbian forces during our involvements in Bosnia and Kosovo.

    Rank Name Service Date Captured Circumstances Status
    SSG STONE, Christopher J. US Army 31-Mar-99 Captured by Serb forces Mar 1999. Released alive May 1999
    SPC RAMIREZ, Andrew A. US Army 31-Mar-99 Captured by Serb forces Mar 1999. Released alive May 1999
    SPC GONZALES, Steven M. US Army 31-Mar-99 Captured by Serb forces Mar 1999. Released alive May 1999

    Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan, 2001-present)

    No living POWs from the current conflict in Afghanistan are known to exist.  (At this point, there’s no way in hell I’m going to list Bergdahl here. I’ll let a court-martial decide if that . . . individual was a POW or a wartime deserter first.)

    Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq, 2003-2010) and later Iraq Operations

    A total of eight personnel were rescued or recovered by US forces during OIF and follow-on operations.

    Rank Name Service Date Captured Circumstances Status
    SPC HERNANDEZ, Edgar US Army 23-Mar-03 Captured by Iraqi Armed forces during ambush of 507th Maint Co convoy in Nasyriah after convoy took wrong turn Recovered alive by US forces 13 Apr 2003
    SPC HUDSON, Joseph US Army 23-Mar-03 Captured by Iraqi Armed forces during ambush of 507th Maint Co convoy in Nasyriah after convoy took wrong turn Recovered alive by US forces 13 Apr 2003
    SPC JOHNSON, Shoshana US Army 23-Mar-03 Captured by Iraqi Armed forces during ambush of 507th Maint Co convoy in Nasyriah after convoy took wrong turn Recovered alive by US forces 13 Apr 2003
    PFC LYNCH, Jessica US Army 23-Mar-03 Captured by Iraqi Armed forces during ambush of 507th Maint Co convoy in Nasyriah after convoy took wrong turn Rescued by US forces 1 Apr 2003
    PFC MILLER, Patrick US Army 23-Mar-03 Captured by Iraqi Armed forces during ambush of 507th Maint Co convoy in Nasyriah after convoy took wrong turn Recovered alive by US forces 13 Apr 2003
    SGT RILEY, James US Army 23-Mar-03 Captured by Iraqi Armed forces during ambush of 507th Maint Co convoy in Nasyriah after convoy took wrong turn Recovered alive by US forces 13 Apr 2003
    CWO WILLIAMS, David US Army 24-Mar-03 Captured by Iraqi Armed Forces after AH-64 shot down over central Iraq Recovered alive by US forces 13 Apr 2003
    CWO YOUNG, Ronald Jr. US Army 24-Mar-03 Captured by Iraqi Armed Forces after AH-64 shot down over central Iraq Recovered alive by US forces 13 Apr 2003

    That’s it.  Other than post-Armistice Korea, the total is a maximum of 35 – 21 from the Gulf War (23 if JEFFRIES and RICE are given the benefit of the doubt), 1 from Somalia, 3 from Kosovo, and 8 from the GWOT.

     

    II.  Post-Vietnam POWs Known to Have Died in Captivity

    A small number of US military personnel are known to have been taken prisoner, but to have died in captivity since the end of the Vietnam War.

    Rank Name Service Date Captured Circumstances Status
    PFC PIESTEWA, Lori US Army 24-Mar-03 Captured by Iraqi Armed forces during ambush of 507th Maint Co convoy in Nasyriah; died of injuries shortly thereafter. Captured; died in captivity of injuries/wounds received while attempting to evade capture
    SGT WATERS, Donald Ralph US Army 24-Mar-03 Captured by Iraqi Armed forces during ambush of 507th Maint Co convoy in Nasyriah; later separated from other POWs and executed. Taken POW by Iraqi forces; later executed by captors
    SSG AL-TAIE, Achmed Kousay US Army 23-Oct-06 Taken prisoner by Iraqi insurgents in Baghdad after leaving base without authority, likely to visit family. Held prisoner for undetermined number of months, then executed.
    SSG MAUPIN, Keith Matthew US Army 9-Apr-04 Taken prisoner during KBR convoy ambush IVO Baghdad International Airport. Taken POW by Iraqi insurgents; executed by captors
    PFC MENCHACA, Kristian US Army 16-Jun-06 Taken prisoner during insurgent raid on checkpoint IVO Yusufiyah, Iraq. Executed by captors within days of capture.
    PFC TUCKER, Thomas L. US Army 16-Jun-06 Taken prisoner during insurgent raid on checkpoint IVO Yusufiyah, Iraq. Executed by captors within days of capture.
    CPT FREEMAN, Brian Scott US Army 20-Jan-07 Taken prisoner in insurgent raid on Karbala Provincial HQ. Held prisoner for short period, executed and body dumped by captors.
    1LT FRITZ, Jacob Noel US Army 20-Jan-07 Taken prisoner in insurgent raid on Karbala Provincial HQ. Held prisoner for short period, executed and body dumped by captors.
    SPC CHISM, Jonathan Bryan US Army 20-Jan-07 Taken prisoner in insurgent raid on Karbala Provincial HQ. Held prisoner for short period, executed and body dumped by captors.
    PFC FALTER, Shawn Patrick US Army 20-Jan-07 Taken prisoner in insurgent raid on Karbala Provincial HQ. Held prisoner for short period, executed and body dumped by captors.
    SPC JIMENEZ, Alex Ramon US Army 12-May-07 Taken prisoner during insurgent raid on checkpoint IVO Mahmoudiyah, Iraq. Executed by captors; body recovered from shallow grave approx 12.5 mi from capture site on 9 July 2008.
    PVT FOUTY, Byron Wayne US Army 12-May-07 Taken prisoner during insurgent raid on checkpoint IVO Mahmoudiyah, Iraq. Executed by captors; body recovered from shallow grave approx 12.5 mi from capture site on 9 July 2008.   Autopsy indicated body showed signs of torture over a 4-mo period from May-Sep 2007.
    PFC ANZACK, Joseph J. Jr US Army 12-May-07 Taken prisoner during insurgent raid on checkpoint IVO Mahmoudiyah, Iraq. Executed by captors; body recovered from Euphrates river 23 May 2007.

    Afghanistan, 2001-present

    Rank Name Service Date Captured Circumstances Status
    CS2 NEWLOVE, Jarod US Navy 23-Jul-10 Taken prisoner by Taliban during vehicular movement. Held by Taliban for short period of time, then died or was executed. Remains recovered OA 27 Jul.

     

    III.  Post-Armistice Korea

    Post-Armistice Korea is an interesting case.  Because of the legal requirement for the individual’s capture to occur during a “period of war”, it is unclear if all personnel taken prisoner by North Korea qualify as “POWs” or not.  Nonetheless, I personally consider anyone captured and held captive by North Korea to have a legitimate claim to POW status.

    A minimum of 86 DoD personnel – 84 military and 2 civilians – have been taken captive by Korea since the 1953 Armistice ending hostilities on the Korean peninsula.

    Rank Name Service Date Captured Circumstances Status
    multiple captured members of the crew of the USS Pueblo (81 mil, 2 civ) (Note: honorary crew members excluded.) US Navy 23-Jan-68 Ship seized by NK forces in international waters off eastern NK coastline. Released 23 Dec 1968.   One sailor was KIA during seizure.
    CW2 SCHWANKE, Glen W. US Army 14-Jul-77 US Army CH-47 shot down after straying into NK airspace. 3 Killed, 1 captured Released alive during July 1977. Other 3 crew KIA.
    CWO HALL, Bobby Wayne US Army 17-Dec-94 Aircraft shot down after navigational error took it several miles into NK. Released alive 29 Dec 1994. Co-pilot killed in shoot down and crash.

    Post-Armistice Korea was – and remains – a dangerous place.  That was particularly true from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s.  A fascinating page maintained by USFK documents many of the incidents that have caused US KIAs since the Armistice, including the two helicopter downings referenced above.

    Including post-Armistice Korea and the USS Pueblo incident, the total of post-Vietnam POWs returned alive to US custody rises to at most 120.

     

    IV.  Uncertain Cases

    A number of other cases have circumstances such that it is unclear whether or not the individuals concerned  were taken POW.

    Gulf War

    Rank Name Service Date Missing Circumstances Status
    SPC BUSH, DAVID US Army N/A Became separated from unit, later returned. Returned to duty; does not appear to have been held as POW.
    SSG RICKETT, CRYSTAL L. US Army N/A Became separated from unit, later returned. Returned to duty; does not appear to have been held as POW.d

    Iraq, 2003-2010

    Rank Name Service Date Captured Circumstances Status
    SGT KRAUSE, Elmer US Army 9-Apr-04 Disappeared during KBR convoy ambush IVO Baghdad International Airport. Possibly taken POW and died of wounds/was executed shortly thereafter; body recovered from shallow grave 23 April 2004.
    SGT PADILLA-RAMIREZ, Fernando USMC 28-Mar-03 Disappeared during convoy operations in Iraq. Possibly taken POW; body recovered 10 Apr 2003, may have been executed by captors

     

    Finally:  a total of six US personnel – 3 military, and 3 civilian contractors – remain unaccounted for from Operation El Dorado Canyon (Libya 1986), the Gulf War, and OIF.  This page from DPAA has the details concerning these individuals.

     

    Summary.

    As far as I can tell, that’s all.  While this list is not guaranteed to be 100% comprehensive and complete, I believe it to be reasonably so – subject to the caveats stated above.  Should anyone have verifiable information about any cases I’ve missed, please email the info and references to Jonn and ask him to forward same to me.  Once I’ve double-checked it, if it checks out I’ll add it above.

    I would regard any claims of “I was a POW” from Lebanon, the Gulf War, Somalia, Bosnia/Kosovo, or the GWOT that don’t check out above to be, well, bullsh!t; ditto for post-Armistice Korea.  I’d personally require a load of independently verifiable proof before I would accept any such claims as fact.

     

    (Author’s Note:  this article is also linked to the TAH “Military Records” page as a reference.)

  • Davidson: Band of sisters: Elite group of female Army Rangers battled under harrowing conditions

    Davidson: Band of sisters: Elite group of female Army Rangers battled under harrowing conditions

    There is an article in the New York Times written by Janine Davidson entitled “Band of sisters: Elite group of female Army Rangers battled under harrowing conditions“. Davidson claims to be a Senior Fellow for Defense Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former Air Force C-130 and C-17 pilot. She writes about a book, Ashley’s War about Army Lieutenant Ashley White and the “cultural support teams” (CST) in Afghanistan. The team were a group of women who accompanied special operations forces on their “hearts and minds” missions among Afghans.

    Davidson calls the CSTs’ training “an abbreviated Army Ranger course”. For someone who claims to have been in the military, that’s a pretty ignorant statement. There’s no such thing as an abbreviated Army Ranger course. It may have been an introduction to infantry training, but it didn’t approach the intensity of Ranger training – and there’s no way to abbreviate Ranger training. I know Davidson want to slowly immerse the culture into the idea that women are Rangers, even though there aren’t any female Rangers yet.

    I don’t deny that the CSTs trained hard. I know at least one of the women who went through that training – she’s rock hard and she had already been awarded a Purple Heart for her time in combat before she went to the CSTs. But, I’m sure that she wouldn’t claim to have been through “an abbreviated Army Ranger course”.

    Davidson complains that women were sent into combat with ill-fitting equipment designed to be worn by men, and she complains that the women weren’t as well-trained as the men making them a “burden” on the male troops with them.

    It is appalling that the CSTs were asked to conduct such missions without the tactical training that would have prepared them to defend themselves. Inadequate training made them, by design, a “burden,” since they needed to be defended when the team was attacked. Such scenarios artificially reinforce arguments about how women in combat will undermine “unit cohesion.”

    Well, as the Marine Corps’ Infantry Officer Course experiment has demonstrated, women aren’t made that way. Combat training is necessarily demanding physically – it’s how the casualties of the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War have been kept relatively low, compared to past conflicts like Vietnam. The objective of the whole CST program was to get American women face-to-face with Afghan women, it wasn’t to make American women hard body, lean and mean life-takers.

    The men in those units knew their job was to protect the women on CSTs while they did their cultural thing – not to reinforce stereotypes. Just like when politicians go among the masses they are protected by personal security details which allows those politicians to perform their function in relative security. Should we require politicians to go through the same training as their bodyguards? No, it would distract from their particular function, just like requiring CSTs to go through Ranger or Special Forces training would distract from the CSTs function.

    But, Davidson’s main concern in this discussion, of course, is the social engineering aspect. Being a veteran herself, she should know that the mission should transcend the petty arguments among the activists, but, obviously, the money and the politics are more important to her than the obligation that veterans have to the currently engaged force. She called the CSTs “Rangers” for all the wrong reasons.

  • About “Former POW” Claims

    There are very few instances of Stolen Valor that bother me more than a fake claim to POW status. People making such claims are, in my opinion, among the absolute lowest of the low.

    DoD goes to great lengths to account for its personnel. It also goes to great lengths to recover personnel taken captive – or to confirm their death and recover their remains. People sometimes die in those rescue, recovery, and confirmatory efforts.

    And what some former POWs went through . . . well, it can only be described as hell on earth.

    There is a new DoD Agency – the the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) – tasked with the POW/MIA accounting mission. It inherited the mission and assets of the former Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office, or DPMO, which is no more. (If you were familiar with the old DPMO website – well, bad news. The new agency’s website is rather different than its predecessor, and finding things there may take some re-learning.)

    Unfortunately, DoD doesn’t appear to maintain and post official DoD POW lists from all of our nation’s wars. Don’t ask me why. It would seem to me that that data should be readily available in DoD’s archives for every war since at least Korea – if not from World War I or the Spanish-American War forward.

    As you’ve guessed (or already knew), that means we have a problem. There are plenty of low-lifes out there “rockin’ the lie” when it comes to fake POW claims. We feature some of them every so often here at TAH.

    Moreover, Federal law itself IMO contributes to the problem. Federal law allows the VA – not DoD – to determine whether or not an individual is an “official former POW” for the purposes of VA benefits.  We all know just how “oh-so-thoroughly and accurately” the VA verifies each and every claim they get.

    Indeed, current Federal law does not technically even require that a person be held prisoner by our nation’s enemies for the VA to determine them to be an “official former POW” for VA benefits purposes. Here’s the text of 38 USC 101(32), where the term “former prisoner of war” for VA purposes is defined. I’ve added emphasis where I felt it was needed.

    (32) The term “former prisoner of war” means a person who, while serving in the active military, naval or air service, was forcibly detained or interned in line of duty—

    (A) by an enemy government or its agents, or a hostile force, during a period of war; or

    (B) by a foreign government or its agents, or a hostile force, under circumstances which the Secretary finds to have been comparable to the circumstances under which persons have generally been forcibly detained or interned by enemy governments during periods of war.

    The “Secretary” referenced above is the VA Secretary – not the SECDEF. And a liberal interpretation of the law could mean that a GI who got erroneously thrown into a nasty local jail run by one of our ALLIES during a period hostilities might qualify under that criteria. Last time I checked, Middle Eastern and Oriental jails are reputedly pretty damned harsh.

    Sound like a huge loophole? You betcha. The VA can – and often does – declare people to be “former POWs” who were never held prisoner by our nation’s enemies.

    The VA very obviously does not bother to consult DoD lists of persons held by the enemy to verify claims of former-POW status. As Jonn has documented here: in 2009 only approximately 570 individuals actually taken captive by our enemies during Vietnam and the Gulf War were still living; the VA at the time was granting benefits as “former POWs” of those two conflicts to over 1,200 people. That means that in 2009 well over half of the VA’s “offical former POWs” were never actually held prisoner by our nation’s enemies.

    Or, in simpler terms: that means that using the commonly-understood definition of POW, over half of them weren’t really POWs at all as the term is commonly understood. They managed to get declared POWs due to another reason – one that the VA bought.

    Because of the above, the fact that an individual has been granted a “former POW status” by the VA doesn’t really mean squat regarding the validity of a claim of being a POW as the term is commonly understood. Further, most if not all states accept a letter from the VA declaring an individual to be a “former POW” as “proof” that the individual is indeed a “former POW”. Convince the VA you qualify as a “official former POW” and you can get “Former POW” license plates for your car in most states with just a piece of paper from the VA. So those “former POW” license plates don’t necessarily prove squat, either.

    Why do people      lie through their teeth       do stuff like this? Hey, car tags are damned expensive in some states. So is medical care – which former POWs receive from the VA with most or all co-payments waived (they’re in Priority Group 3).  There’s also  a list of presumptive conditions for former POWs that are automatically held to be “service connected” – many of which are also conditions routinely associated with normal aging.  When those conditions appear or worsen with age, poof!  Instant disability rating – and compensation.

    You do the math.

    Unfortunately, there aren’t any good, comprehensive, published DoD lists of POWs from World War II or Korea.  Figuring out if a “former POW” claim for vets of those wars is legit can be problematic.

    However, for the war in Southeast Asia (AKA the “Vietnam War”) the situation is different. DPAA does have and post a list of former SEA POWs – as well as a list of those who are and are not formally accounted for. Specifically, it maintains four lists.

    • The first list contains the names of those POWs who returned alive at the end of the Vietnam War. That list may be found here.

    • The second list contains the names of those POWs who escaped enemy captivity in Southeast Asia. That list may be found here.

    • The third list contains the names of those who have been formally accounted for. This list includes the names on the previous two lists, plus the names of those whose remains have been recovered and positively identified. That list may be found here.

    • The fourth list contains the names of personnel who have not yet been formally accounted for. These are individuals’ whose remains have never been recovered. That list may be found here.

    DPAA also maintains other lists sorted by home state at their website. But the four lists above – which are sorted alphabetically – are generally IMO the most useful.

    Verifying Vietnam War POW claims is thus actually fairly easy.  All you need to do is check the first two lists above.  If someone isn’t on the first two lists above, according to DoD they were never held as a POW by enemy forces in Southeast Asia. I personally wouldn’t buy anyone’s claim of being a “former ‘Nam POW” if they’re not on one of those first two lists.

    A future update – or perhaps a second article – will discuss US POWs taken captive in the Gulf War and later conflicts.  Short version:  there aren’t many.

     

    Author’s Note: For ease of future reference, this article is linked to the Site Banner’s “Military Records” article.

  • Oh, For the Love of . . .

    . . . doesn’t the 5-sided asylum have any real work to do?  Really?

    Pentagon Deploys ‘May I Kiss You?’ Training

    At least this “only” costs taxpayers around $325k a year.

    GMAFB.

  • South Dakota redefines “veteran”

    South Dakota redefines “veteran”

    SD-Gov

    According to our friends at Weaselzippers, in a link sent by MustangCryppie, the State of South Dakota has redefined the term “veteran” to include reservists and National Guardsmen.

    Overwhelmingly supported in the Legislature during the recently concluded 2015 session, House Bill 1179, signed into law by the Republican governor on March 13, changed the status of the title “veteran” to include military reserve or National Guard members, which means those individuals can qualify for additional benefits.

    Of course, there’s opposition among veterans;

    A number of combat veterans in the state have spoken out against the bill, arguing that the measure means war veterans will get less of the benefit pie and that it waters down the meaning of the title.

    “It makes things more difficult for legit combat veterans,” said Ted Fowler, a Vietnam War veteran from Aberdeen who served in the U.S. Army. “If this were high school, what they’d be doing is passing out letterman jackets to junior varsity players who have never seen any varsity action. Those folks haven’t earned the title.”

    As the author of the article at WZ, Dapandico, notes, in the picture at the link, there are at least two guardsmen with combat patches and there are career active duty soldiers walking around today who haven’t deployed, some who actively avoided deployments to the war on terror. While I understand Mr Fowler’s concerns, things have changed since Vietnam. The reserve side of the house has been pulling their weight over the last twenty years or so.

    TSO was a guardsman, yet he has deployments to the Balkans and to Afghanistan. The Guard and Reserve isn’t the weekend keg party that it was in the past. In fact, the Pentagon plans to use the reserves to cover deployments as they draw down the active force.

    I’d remind Mister Fowler, the Vietnam veteran quoted above that there are ninety-nine Guardsman who are named on the Vietnam Memorial.

  • Just “Out for a Walk”, Eh?

    It looks like Bergdahl’s little Afghan “walkabout” may not have been such a spur of the moment thing after all.

    After his departure in 2009, NCIS apparently was asked to do a forensic exam of Bergdahl’s computer. What they reportedly found is quite interesting.

    Bergdahl’s computer reportedly showed evidence that he was planning to head north – to Uzbekistan. It also reportedly showed he’d made contact with both local Afghans (apparently hoping to gain assistance/safe passage while traveling) and with one or more Russians (in hopes of contacting Russian organized crime).

    Don’t know about you, but to me these reported actions do not sound like someone who got fed up after a bad day and walked away because they “needed a break”. IMO these sound more like the calculated acts of someone planning a one-way trip with no intention of return. IMO it also explains the charges of “misbehavior before the enemy”, at least in part.

    Last time I checked, there weren’t too many US generals stationed in Uzbekistan in 2009, either. So the info reportedly found on his computer also rather appears to undercut Berghdal’s recent “I left to go and report my concerns to a General” claim.

    Berghdal’s lawyer, Eugene Fidel, was reportedly contacted about the matter. He declined comment.

    Gee, I wonder why?

  • AP Poll: Special Operations troops don’t think women can do the job

    AP Poll: Special Operations troops don’t think women can do the job

    Chief Tango and Andy11M send links to the Associated Press article about a poll that was supposedly taken among special operations soldiers in regards to their expectations of the performance of women if they are allowed into the elite corps. The poll reflects many of the opinions here over the past few years since the Department of Defense made the decision to allow women into the special forces community;

    Studies that surveyed personnel found “major misconceptions” within special operations about whether women should be brought into the male-only jobs. They also revealed concerns that department leaders would “capitulate to political pressure, allowing erosion of training standards,” according to one document.

    Some of those concerns were not limited to men, researchers found, but also were found among women in special operations jobs.

    […]

    The main survey went to about 18,000 people who are in positions closed to women, and the response was about 50 percent.

    Yeah, “major misconceptions” like the DoD going out of it’s way to plan changes to training standards in order to accommodate women. No one has explained to me how allowing women into the class of occupations of fighting our nation’s wars will improve the force. Changing time-tested standards just for a social experiment doesn’t sound like the Department of Defense has the country’s best interests in their hearts.

    The AP article careens off into the social impacts of integrating women into the war-fighting force;

    One survey, by RAND Corp., reflected doubts that women could meet the overall job demands, found concerns that sexual harassment or assault could increase, and cited worries about “unequal treatment” of special operations candidates and personnel. Some worried that if women were let in to some jobs, they might be treated more harshly.

    Well, we’ve all seen that documentary “GI Jane”, right? We know how women will be discriminated against by the ape-like men. But, truthfully, that’s not one of my concerns. We have mothers, sisters and daughters – we know how to treat women. The few times that I’ve had dealings with special forces soldiers, they seem to respect the soldier for what he or she accomplishes, not what they are. They have a lot of confidence in the selection process to weed out non-performers. I’m sure that lowering the standards will erode that confidence.

    I’m more concerned that lowering training standards will fill body bags. The Department of Defense should show a bit of concern in that regard, too, and tell their political masters that should concern them as well. Instead of pinning the results of this poll on inherent biases, they should rebuild the soldiers’ confidence in the selection system.