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EX-POW BULLETINthe official voice of the
American Ex-Prisoners of War Volume 66 Number 1www.axpow.org
January 2009
We exist to help those who cannot help themselves
Inside: 2009 Compensation Rates...One POW’s Log BookNews,
Outreach, Events...NSO Success Stories and more
The Cabanatuan Memorial
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The American FormerPrisoners of War Advi-sory Committee
HonorsDr. Jo Harbour, POWCoordinator Nancy
Mullins~ CommanderJim Clark attends meet-ing, receives warm
wel-
come (see left)
Harry Kelley, JackFeliz, Jack Bartz,David Flynn,Howard Brooks,
ValPoss & JimHornfischer (rear) atthe Veteran’s DaySunset
Servicehonoring the USSHouston CA-30 &crew aboard the
USSMissouri, Honolulu,Hawaii November 11,2008
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EX-POW Bulletin (ISSN 0161-7451) is published nine times
annually (Jan. Feb. Mar./Apr. May June July/Aug. Sept. Oct.
Nov/Dec.) by the American Ex-Prisoners of War, 3201 E. Pioneer
Pkway, Arlington, TX 76010. Periodical postage paid at Arlington,
TX and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: sendaddress changes
to EX-POW Bulletin, AXPOW Headquarters, 3201 E. Pioneer Pkwy. Suite
40, Arlington, TX 76010-5396. Founded April 14, 1942,
inAlbuquerque, NM, then known as Bataan Relief Organization,
Washington State non- profit corporation, “American Ex-Prisoners of
War”, October 11, 1949,recorded as Document No. 133762, Roll 1,
Page 386-392. NONPROFIT CORPORATION. Nationally Chartered August
10, 1982. Appearance in this publicationdoes not constitute
endorsement by the American Ex-Prisoners of War of the product or
service advertised. The publisher reserves the right to decline
ordiscontinue any such advertisement.
© 2009 American Ex-Prisoners of War
PublisherPNC Maurice Sharp
9716 54th Street CT WestUniversity Place, WA 98467-1118
(253) [email protected]
EditorCheryl Cerbone
23 Cove View DriveSouth Yarmouth, MA 02664
(508) 394-5250(508) 760-2008 [email protected]
Deadline for the Mar/April 2009issue is Feb 1, 2009
Please send all materials to theeditor at the above address.
officers/directors 4commander/HQ 5on capitol hill
6outreach/Success 7nso 8medsearch 9andersonville 13namPOW 14pow-mia
15civilian 16events, info/news 17stories 21members forum
22volunteer funding 24contributions 25taps 26chaplain 28new members
30Raffle/Ads 31Quartermaster 34
January 2009table of contents
Ex-POW Bulletin
January 2009
3
Cover: The Cabanatuan American Memorial was erected by the
survivorsof the Bataan Death March and the prisoner of war camp at
Cabanatuanin the Philippines during World War II. It is located at
the site of the campand honors those Americans and Filipinos who
died during their intern-ment. The American Battle Monuments
Commission, recognizing the sig-nificance of this memorial,
accepted responsibility for its operation andmaintenance in
1989.
Sun nien fai lok Xin nian yu kuai Godt NytårGelukkig nieuwjaar
Bonne année Aith-
bhliain Fe Nhaise Dhuit Gutes Neues JahrHauoli Makahiki Hou
Shanah tovah NavVarsh Ki Badhaai/ Naya Saal Mubarak HoBuon Capo
d’Anno Akemashite Omedetou
Gozaimasu Maligayang Bagong TaonSzczesliwego Nowego roku Feliz
ano novo S Novym Godom Feliz AñoNuevo Gott Nytt År Yeni Yiliniz
Kutlu Olsun Blwyddyn Newydd Dda
The Board of Directors will meet on March 5-7, 2009 in
Arlington, Texas.Please read the column from National Headquarters
on page 5 if you areinterested in attending.
January Dates:1 1942 – Germany retakes Staritza2 1942 – Axis
forces surrender Bardia5 1925 – PNC Zack Roberts born
1942 – US withdraws to Bataan7 1789 – 1st Presidential Election9
1942 – Japanese attack Bataan
1945 – US invades Luzon11 1942 – US Carrier Saratoga torpedoed
by Japanese14 1943 – Churchill and Roosevelt meet in Casablanca15
1973 – US action in Vietnam suspended16 1944 – Gen. Eisenhower
named Commander in Chief – Europe
1991 – Persian Gulf War begins18 1919 – WWI Peace Congress opens
in Versailles20 1942 – Hitler approves “Final Solution”23 1968- USS
Pueblo seized by North Korean gunboats26 1942 – 1st US troops
arrive in British Isles27 1943 – 1st all American air raid against
Germany
1973 – Vietnam peace accords signed in Paris28 1973 – Vietnam
war cease-fire officially in effect30 1945 – Cabanatuan liberated31
1968 – Tet Offensive begins
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axpow officers & directors 2008-2009National Headquarters -
Clydie J. Morgan, Adjutant
3201 E. Pioneer Pkwy, #40, Arlington, TX 76010(817) 649-2979
(817) 649-0109 fax [email protected]
North East RegionFranklin R. Koehler243 Torrey Pines Dr.Toms
River, NJ 08757(732) 244-4629; (732) 505-8702
[email protected]
Laura McIntyrePO Box 475Hardwick, MA 01037(413) 477-8260 (413)
477-0172 [email protected]
East Central RegionJudy LeePO Box 248Madisonville, TN 37354(423)
442-3223; (423) 442-4702 [email protected]
Paul E. Galanti21 Maxwell RoadRichmond, VA
23226(804)[email protected]
Southeast RegionWm “Bill” Jeffers3522 Millbrook way
CrGreenacres, FL 33463(561) [email protected]
Sid Hecker7730 Laie PlaceDiamondhead, MS 39525(228)
[email protected]
North Central RegionCarroll Bogard726 N. Carolina PlaceMason
City, IA 50401(641) 424-4870
Larry Dwyer814 Woodlawn Ave.Muscatine, IA 52761(563)
263-5249
Senior Director, PNC Warren King, Jr.PNC Warren G King Sr
(Mary)1015 Mitchell RdNashville TN 37206-1113(615) 226-7811 –
Voice(615) 262-3049 – Fax
National CommanderJim Clark214 OakdaleBastrop, LA
71220-2330(318) 281-5505 phone & [email protected]
National Senior Vice CommanderKenny H Hanson9401 Lyndale Ave S
#228Bloomington MN 55420(952) 888-2703 –
[email protected]
National TreasurerSonnie Bill Mottern279 Huckleberry RoadBluff
City, Tenn. 37618(423) 542-1824; (423) 542-3469
[email protected]
National Judge AdvocateDave Drummond1 Crane CourtManalapan, NJ
07726(732) [email protected]
National ChaplainJames H. BeaverPO Box 2103Abingdon, VA
24212(276) [email protected]
Jr. Vice CommandersCharles Susino - Eastern Zone136 Jefferson
StreetMetuchen, NJ 08840(732) 549-5775
Morris Barker - Central Zone710 Chapel ViewWaco, Tx
[email protected](254) 732-5640
PNC James Cooper - Western ZonePO Box 65Douglas, AZ 85608(520)
364-8582; (520) 805-9401 [email protected]
Mid-Central RegionGrover L. Swearingen408 Fair Park AvenueWest
Union, OH 45693(937) 544-2459 phone &
[email protected]
Deanie Schmidt1001 Parkview Blvd. #316Columbus, OH 43219(614)
[email protected]
South Central RegionJames L. Lollar292 VZ CR 3727Wills Point, TX
75169(903) 560-1734; (903) 560-1705 [email protected]
Pam Warner EslingerPO Box 117Hammon, OK 73650(580)
[email protected]
Northwest RegionBonnie Sharp9716 54th Street CT WestUniversity
Place, WA 98467-1118(253) [email protected]
Southwest RegionMilton “Skip” Moore2965 Sierra BermejaSierra
Vista, AZ 85650(520) 459-7295; (520) 533-3757
[email protected]
Lewis “Lew” Sleeper6636 E VillaDoradoTucson, AZ 85715(520)
751-9628 Voice(520) 490-1082 [email protected]
DirectorsOfficers
Committee addresses appearwith their columns
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Ex-POW Bulletin
January 2009
5
National CommanderJim Clark
news from hqHappy New Year from NationalHeadquarters. Hope your
Holidayswere merry and bright!
If you are an annual member, thiswill be your last issue if you
haven’tpaid your 2009 dues. Get them innow.
The National Board of Directors’midyear meeting is scheduled
forMarch 6, 2009 in Arlington, Texas.The room rate is $95 per night
plustax. To make your reservation,please call the hotel at
817-640-3322 and tell the reservations agentthat you are with the
AXPOW Mid-year meeting to get theorganization’s rate.
The Hilton has a free shuttle be-tween the DFW Airport and the
ho-tel. The meeting schedule is:
Thursday, March 5 ArrivalThursday, March 5 Tour of
NationalHeadquartersFriday, March 6 Board meeting 9AM to 5
PMFriday, March 6 DinnerSaturday, March 7 Departure
We are having a dinner on Friday,March 6. The cost is $20 per
per-son. If you wish to attend, pleasesend your check for your
reserva-tion to National Headquarters be-fore March 1.
The Hilton is the same hotel inwhich the 2004 National
Conven-tion was held. It is located north ofI-30 at Lamar Boulevard
and SH-360. You will have a great view ofthe new football
stadium!
Clydie, Sally, Marsha & Donna
AULD LANG SYNEThe song, “Auld Lang Syne,” is sungat the stroke
of midnight in almostevery English-speaking country inthe world to
bring in the new year.At least partly written by RobertBurns in the
1700’s, it was firstpublished in 1796 after Burns’death. Early
variations of the songwere sung prior to 1700 and in-spired Burns
to produce the mod-ern rendition. “Auld Lang Syne” lit-erally means
“old long ago,” or sim-ply, “the good old days.”
For many of us, New Year’s Eve wasspent behind barb wire…far
awayfrom our loved ones. Certainly notthe “good old days”. But also
formany of us, those times have – withthe long passage of time –
becomeless horrific. We were young. Awayfrom home – maybe for the
firsttime in our lives. We felt like if wecould get through this
day, wecould get through anything. Mostimportantly, we met, lived
with,supported and survived with thetruest friends we would ever
meetin our lives. Our family-away-from-home. We’ve kept in touch
with asmany as we could through theyears; it’s one main reason we
at-tend reunions and conventions – toreconnect with those long-ago
feel-ings of friendship and camaraderie.
I have been taking this time, as oneyear ends and another begins
(andbefore starting to criss-cross thecountry attending state
meetings),to focus on the future of AXPOW.It has been exciting to
read bits and
pieces from our Strategic PlanningCommittee as they begin to
formu-late plans for this year and theyears to come. There is
excitementfor the first time in quite a while aspeople come
together with the com-mon goal of our continuation.
TheNovember/December issue of theEX-POW Bulletin has the
committeemembers listed. Contact any of theStrategic Planning
Committee withYOUR ideas.
We have a new Congress and a newPresident as we begin 2009 as
well.Our long-time friend, Rep. BobFilner from California, is
againheading up the House Veterans Af-fairs Committee. He has an
excel-lent wrap-up of the 110th Congress’accomplishments in the
area ofVeterans Affairs on the next page.Even with reports of a
“divided Con-gress”, a lot was done. Osteoporo-sis became our
latest presumptiveunder this Congress, thanks to a lotof hard work
by a lot of people.
As a long-time businessman, I havealso been looking at AXPOW’s
fi-nances. We’ve cut as far as possiblewithout losing programs, so
weneed now to be looking at moreways of raising money. Again,
theStrategic Planning Committee hasideas – from membership drives
fornext-of-kin to continuation of JVCMorris Barker’s excellent
VoluntaryFunding Program. We need to ex-plore ALL avenues to ensure
we liveup to our motto: “We Exist to HelpThose Who Cannot Help
Them-selves”.
New Year’s Eve has always been atime for looking back to the
past,and more importantly, forward tothe coming year. It’s a time
to re-flect on the changes we want (orneed) to make and resolve to
fol-low through on those changes.What about you? What changes doYOU
want to see? What changes doyou want from your friends, yourfamily,
your organization this year?
Yours in fellowship.
Jim
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Les Jackson,
Executive Director, DC Office1722 Eye Street, NW
#204
Washington, D.C. 20421
(202) 530-9220;
(202) 223-8818 fax
e-mail: [email protected]
Legislative CommitteeNC James Clark, Chairman
Committee Member
Mary Rolen
7450 Spring Village Dr. CC510
Springfield, VA 22150
(703) 923-9444
on capitol hill
Ex-POW BulletinJanuary 2009
6
Filner Re-electedChair of House Vets Committee
On Nov. 20, 2008, the DemocraticCaucus voted to re-elect
Congress-man Bob Filner as Chair of theHouse Committee on Veterans’
Af-fairs. Filner will serve his secondterm as Chairman in the
upcoming111th Congress, which begins onJanuary 6, 2009.
Filner commented: “I am grateful tomy Democratic colleagues for
sup-porting me as Chair of the Veter-ans’ Affairs Committee. It is
trulyan honor and a privilege to serveour nation’s veterans and I
appre-ciate the support of the Caucus. “We made significant
progress incaring for our veterans over thepast two years, but much
remainsto be done.
“A new basis of stable funding mustbe developed. The claims
backlogmust be attacked in a new way. And the mental health of our
vet-erans – both old and new – mustremain a high priority.
“I am looking forward to workingwith a dynamic new Secretary
ofVeterans Affairs in the Obama Ad-ministration to achieve these
aims.”
Keeping the Promise:
Accomplishments for OurNation’s Veterans in the
110thCongress
When I became Chairman of theCommittee on Veterans’ Affairs,
the VA was strained to its breakingpoint by years of
chronicunderfunding and a “business asusual” attitude.
The Committee set out an aggres-sive agenda to identify the
needsof our veterans and to ensure thatthe promises we made to them
werekept. The Committee held 107 hear-ings, 50 percent more than
the pre-vious Congress, and we followedthrough and passed 75
quality vet-erans’ bills - more than the previ-ous two Congresses
combined.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistanhave created hundreds of
thou-sands of veterans. It is simply ourduty as a Nation, when we
put ourmen and women in harm’s way, tocare for them when they
return.
Although this Democratic Congresshas focused on the issues
affectingour returning service members, Ivowed, when I became
Chairman,to never forget the service and sac-rifice of our veterans
from previ-ous conflicts - and we have lived upto that promise.
Thanks to our ef-forts, the VA is in a better positiontoday to care
for all of our veter-ans.
Our aggressive agenda culminatedin the passage of
comprehensivelegislation to improve health careand benefits for our
veterans. I haveattached a list of accomplishmentsthat this
Democratic Congress hasbeen able to achieve.
We were not able to do all that wewanted to, but we did a lot,
and nextCongress, working together, weplan on building upon our
suc-cesses and making sure that wehonor our warriors by taking
careof them when they return. We will
keep. our promise to our Nation’sheroes of the past, present and
fu-ture:
Sincerely,
BOB
CHAIRMAN
House Committee on
Veterans’ Affairs
1. A G.I. Bill for the 21st Century
2. Address the Housing Needs ofVeterans
3. A Budget Worthy of Our Veterans
4. Addressing Health CareTreatment & Access
5. Increasing Benefits for Veterans
6. Cleaning up the Benefits Backlog
7. Oversight of the Department ofVeterans Affairs
8. New Cooperative Approaches -Seamless Transition and
Continuum of Care
“It has never been more importantthan during this time of war to
keepthe promises that have been madeto our veterans. This… Congress
willcontinue our aggressive approachas we work together to provide
ourveterans with the benefits that theyhave earned and
deserve.”
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Ex-POW Bulletin
January 2009
7
VA Outreach
S*O*O*N
Before it’s too late
NSO Fred Campbell, Chairman 3312 Chatterton Dr.San Angelo, TX
76904325-944-4002; [email protected]
Outreach at Work
Pluses & Minuses
Outreach: We must keep trying.
St. Louis suburb, former POW inKorea, is murdered in robbery
ofhome. Internet news article sharedby NSO Betty Harlan in
Sudan,Texas, has comments by deceasedgood friend and fellow worker.
I callthe POW Coordinator, BarbaraBundy in St. Louis VARO, who
goesthe second mile to see if formerPOW John has a VA file. He
doesnot. I call his friend mentioned inthe article. He says so far
as heknows, John has never been to theirlocal VA clinic. The sad
result isJohn’s widow has no chance to geta VA widow’s benefit or
free Medi-care supplement. Be alert! Whatformer POW or widow do you
knowwho may not have gone to the VAfor their benefits? Don’t just
as-sume. Ask, to be sure.
Dallas, Texas: Recently we were inthe area for grandson’s
weddingand my wife reads the Dallas Morn-ing News obituary section.
Andthere is “a B-17 Flying Fortress pi-lot during WWII…shot down
andtaken prisoner…Stalag Luft I, liber-ated by Russians.” Mr. C had
died
of complications of a stroke, whichmost likely would qualify his
widowfor the VA widow’s benefit. Beingnot sure of how to approach
the sonmentioned in the obituary, I calledAXPOW member Don
Housemanwho lives in the same Dallas area.Don made the contact to
alert thefamily of this possible VA benefit.Thanks to Don for
extending theAXPOW Outreach to those who maybe unaware of VA
benefits avail-able.
Gulf Coast Mississippi: Call fromwidow of former POW who died
in2001, cause of death “MyocardialInfarction, Chronic
Hypertension”.Put in a call to Nancy Mullins, POWCoordinator in
Jackson, MS VARO.She makes the contact and onemonth later calls to
say this widownow has her DIC, the VA widow’sbenefit. Thanks to
Nancy, a caringPOW Coordinator.
10-23-08: Call from concerned rela-tive of former POW’s widow,
think-ing she might be eligible for VAwidow’s benefit. Death
certificateshowed cause of death to be pneu-monia, not a
presumptive. Family’svillage of Buckshot was in a veryisolated part
of New Mexico, andthis former POW had never been tothe VA for
anything, as it was atleast three hundred miles away. Hehad had
heart problems, and I couldonly suggest asking doctor toamend death
certificate.
MY MESSAGE TO YOU WHO AREREADING THIS:Let us know about former
POWsand their widows who live in espe-cially rural areas far from
knowl-edge of VA facilities and benefits.
Call to POW Coordinator MaryPearson in Houston VARO, to seewhy
L.D. in Lufkin wasn’t gettingAid & Attendance. Answer:
Doctor’sstatement needed more detail onL.D.’s limitations. BUT,
Mary thenasks for NSO help to get formerPOW to complete and return
claimpapers that will raise his ratingfrom 70% to 100%, due to
unem-
ployability. I call and with his wifehelping, we filled out the
form onthe phone; then I faxed it to Maryat VA, with just four days
to sparefor claim continuity. Thanks to VA’sMary Pearson for her
caring andnetworking.
AND MORE GOOD NEWS, from Ala-bama. Call from daughter of aformer
POW who died in 1992: “Afriend of my mother gave her a copyof the
recent EX-POW Bulletin andshe read your article about
widow’sbenefits. We wonder if she mightbe eligible for that VA
widow’s ben-efit.” Question is, what did deathcertificate show as
cause of death?According to coroner it read “ap-parent heart
attack.” Mr. W. haddied suddenly at his home, and fi-nally his
widow should be receiv-ing her VA widow’s benefit – DIC.And she
will then be eligible forChampVA for Life, the free Medi-care
supplement that pays every-thing after Medicare pays;
that’sdoctors, hospitals, medicine, etc.,and you use your own local
people,not the VA facilities. It does includefree prescription Meds
by Mail, 90-day supply at a time, from the VA.Hard to beat.
If you know of any former POWwho has Lou Gehrig’s Disease, ora
widow of one who died of ALS,please let us know.
Repeat from October Bulletin: “Sep-tember 18, 2008: Mrs B in
Portland,OR has claim in to Portland VARO.Husband died with primary
causeAmytrophic Lateral Sclerosis, withmild heart trouble a
contributingcause. But it was not enough to gether the VA’s DIC.
Sad. “Sept. 23,2008: As above article says, on thisdate, ALS (Lou
Gehrig’s disease) ismade a presumptive for veterans.Now the
Portland VARO is review-ing her claim to see if this new
pre-sumptive will make her eligible forDIC. Prayer is
permitted.”
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nso
Doris Jenks
National Service Director1120 Daleside Lane
New Port Richey, Fl. 34655
(727) 372-7238 - Home
(727) 319-5914 - Office
[email protected]
Ex-POW BulletinJanuary 2009
8
We still have many Former Prison-ers of War and/or their widows
andwives who believe they are in re-ceipt of VA Pension. This is
incor-rect. Former Prisoners of War arein receipt of
service-connected dis-ability COMPENSATION. This is important to
rememberwhen a widow is completing form21-534 and applying for
Depen-dency Indemnity COMPENSATION. A widow called our office
wonder-ing why there was a delay in pro-cessing her widow’s
benefits. Itturned out she indicated she wasapplying for pension
and her filewas sent to Philadelphia for pro-cessing of pension.
Therefore, whencompleting Form 21-534, pages 5and 6 are not
required to be com-pleted. To be eligible for DIC, the follow-ing
must apply:
1) Veteran died from a service re-lated disability (including
any of theFormer Prisoner of War presump-tives).
2) A Former Prisoner of War diedafter Sept. 30, 1999 and was
con-tinuously rated totally disabled fora service-connected
condition (in-cluding individual unemployability)for at least One
Year.
3) Veteran died On or Before Sept.30, 1999 and was
continuouslyrated totally disabled for a service-connected
condition (including in-dividual unemployability) for atleast 10
years preceding death. Some Important phone numbers toremember:
Arlington National Cemetery - (703)607-8000
CHAMPVA - 1-800 733-8387
Direct Deposit VA National Center- 1 -877- 838-2778
Social Security - 1-800-772-1213
Retired Pay Reporting Death - 1-800-321-1080
VA Insurance Center - 1-800-669-8477
TRICARE - 1-800-444-5445
Military Records National Archives- 1-866-272-6272
National Personnel Records (CopyDischarge or DD214) (314)
801-0800
VA Help Line (To report death also)1-800-827-1000
Headstones and Marker - 1-800-697-6947
Health Care Overseas - 1-877-345-8179
Health Care Eligibility - 1-800-929-8387
DEERS - 1-800-538-9552
Doris Jenks
PS. The new VA Disability Compen-sation Tables are at left. Make
sureyou are receiving all the benefits towhich you are
entitled.
A Happy Sequel: November 14,2008. Comes call from Portland,
VAPOW Coordinator’s rating special-ist. “I just want you to know
that Iam rating Mrs. B for her DIC, basedon ALS, Lou Gehrig’s
Disease, ascause of husband’s death on Aug.1, 1993.” After only 15
years!
TAPS Column, Oct. EX-POW Bulle-tin. New widows listed are
beingcontacted by these NSOs: DorisJenks, FL; Kay Arnold, MA;
MelanieBussel, CT; Doc Unger, OH; MauriceSharp, WA; Beth Brooks
& GeorgeCoker, VA; Betty Harlan & WT Jones,TX; Fred
Campbell, CA/KS/OK/MO/ME; Charles Heffron, TN; BudHinckley, ID; Les
Jackson, MD;Karnig Thomasian, NJ
outreach continued...
NEW DISABILITY COMPENSATION
RATES EFFECTIVE 12/1/08
5.8% COLA This will be paid in yourJanuary, 2009 check.
Veteran Veteran w/spouse10% $123 -20% $243 -30% $376 $42140%
$541 $60150% $770 $84560% $974 $,106470% $1,228 $1,33380% $1,427
$1,54790% $1,604 $1,739100% $2,673 $2,823
Dependents and Indemnity Compen-sation: $1,154.
Add $246 if veteran was rated dis-abled 8 continuous years prior
todeath and surviving spouse was mar-ried to veteran those same 8
years.
If surviving spouse is entitled toAid and Attendance, Add
$286.
If surviving spouse is entitled toHousebound, Add $135.
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pow medsearchMarsha Coke, Chairman
e-mail: [email protected]
3201 E. Pioneer Pkway, Suite 40
Arlington, TX 76010
(817) 649-2979
Ex-POW BulletinJanuary 2009
9
Packet #5 (What Every POW’s Wife Should Know Before She is Your
Widow) has been updated again, with much time and effort onthe part
of Marlene Agnes, to include the most recent laws and benefits
published. The packet may be purchased from NationalHeadquarters.
Cost of the updated packet is $15.00~includes S/H.
What Is an Aneurysm?An aneurysmis an abnormal bulge
or“ballooning” in the wall of an artery.Arteries are blood vessels
that carryoxygen-rich blood from the heart toother parts of the
body. An aneurysmthat grows and becomes largeenough can burst,
causing danger-ous, often fatal, bleeding inside thebody.
Most aneurysms occur in the aorta.The aorta is the main artery
that car-ries blood from the heart to the restof the body. The
aorta comes outfrom the left ventricle of the heartand travels
through the chest andabdomen. An aneurysm that occursin the aorta
in the chest is called athoracic aortic aneurysm. An aneu-rysm that
occurs in the aorta in theabdomen is called an abdominal aor-tic
aneurysm.
Aneurysms also can occur in arter-ies in the brain, heart,
intestine, neck,spleen, back of the knees and thighs,and in other
parts of the body. If ananeurysm in the brain bursts, itcauses a
stroke.
About 15,000 Americans die eachyear from ruptured aortic
aneu-rysms. Ruptured aortic aneurysm isthe 10th leading cause of
death inmen over age 50 in the United States.
Many cases of ruptured aneurysmcan be prevented with early
diagno-sis and medical treatment. Becauseaneurysms can develop and
becomelarge before causing any symptoms,it is important to look for
them inpeople who are at the highest risk.Experts recommend that
men whoare 65 to 75 years old and have eversmoked (at least 100
cigarettes intheir lifetime) should be checked forabdominal aortic
aneurysms.
When found in time, aneurysms canusually be treated successfully
withmedicines or surgery. If an aorticaneurysm is found, the doctor
mayprescribe medicine to reduce theheart rate and blood pressure.
Thiscan reduce the risk of rupture.
Large aortic aneurysms, if found intime, can often be repaired
with sur-gery to replace the diseased portionof the aorta. The
outlook is usuallyexcellent.
Types of AneurysmTypes of aneurysm include aorticaneurysms,
cerebral aneurysms, andperipheral aneurysms.
Aortic AneurysmMost aneurysms occur in the aorta.The aorta is
the main artery that car-ries blood from the heart to the restof
the body. The aorta comes outfrom the left ventricle of the
heartand travels through the chest andabdomen. The two types of
aorticaneurysm are thoracic aortic aneu-rysm (TAA) and abdominal
aortic an-eurysm (AAA).
Thoracic Aortic AneurysmAn aortic aneurysm that occurs in
thepart of the aorta running through thethorax is a thoracic aortic
aneurysm.One in four aortic aneurysms is aTAA.
Most TAAs do not produce symp-toms, even when they are large.
Onlyhalf of all people with TAAs noticeany symptoms. TAAs are
identifiedmore often now than in the past be-cause of chest
computed tomogra-phy (CT) scans performed for othermedical
problems.In a common type of TAA, the wallsof the aorta become weak
and a sec-tion nearest to the heart enlarges.Then the valve between
the heart and
the aorta cannot close properly andblood leaks backward into the
heart.Less commonly, a TAA can developin the upper back away from
theheart. A TAA in this location can re-sult from and injury to the
chest suchas from an auto crash.
Abdominal Aortic AneurysmAn aortic aneurysm that occurs in
thepart of the aorta running through theabdomen is an abdominal
aortic an-eurysm. Three in four aortic aneu-rysms are AAAs.
An AAA can grow very large withoutproducing symptoms. About 1 in
5AAAs rupture.
Cerebral AneurysmAneurysms that occur in an artery inthe brain
are called cerebral aneu-rysms. They are sometimes calledberry
aneurysms because they areoften the size of a small berry.
Mostcerebral aneurysms produce nosymptoms until they become
large,begin to leak blood, or rupture..A ruptured cerebral aneurysm
causesa stroke. Signs and symptoms caninclude a sudden, extremely
severeheadache, nausea, vomiting, stiffneck, sudden weakness in an
area ofthe body, sudden difficulty speaking,and even loss of
consciousness,coma, or death. The danger of a ce-rebral aneurysm
depends on its sizeand location in the brain, whether itleaks or
ruptures, and the person’sage and overall health.
Peripheral AneurysmAneurysms that occur in arteriesother than
the aorta (and not in thebrain) are called peripheral aneu-
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Ex-POW BulletinJanuary 2009
10
medsearch continued...rysms. Common locations for periph-eral
aneurysms include the arterythat runs down the back of the
thighbehind the knee (popliteal artery), themain artery in the
groin (femoral ar-tery), and the main artery in the neck(carotid
artery).
Peripheral aneurysms are not aslikely to rupture as aortic
aneurysms,but blood clots can form in periph-eral aneurysms. If a
blood clot breaksaway from the aneurysm, it can blockblood flow
through the artery. If aperipheral aneurysm is large, it canpress
on a nearby nerve or vein andcause pain, numbness, or swelling.
What Causes an Aneurysm?
An aneurysm can result from athero-sclerosis (hardening and
narrowingof the inside of arteries). As athero-sclerosis develops,
the artery wallsbecome thick and damaged and losetheir normal inner
lining. This dam-aged area of artery can stretch or“balloon” from
the pressure of bloodflow inside the artery, resulting in
ananeurysm.
An aneurysm also can develop fromconstant high blood pressure
insidean artery.
A thoracic aortic aneurysm can re-sult from an injury to the
chest. Cer-tain medical conditions, that weakenthe body’s
connective tissues, alsocan cause aneurysms.
In rare cases, infections can causeaortic aneurysms. Aortic
aneurysmsalso can occur as a result of diseasesthat cause
inflammation of bloodvessels, such as vasculitis.
Who Is At Risk for anAneurysm?
Populations AffectedMen are 5 to 10 times more likelythan women
to have an abdominal
aortic aneurysm (AAA)-the mostcommon type of aneurysm.
The risk of AAA increases as you getolder, and it is more likely
to occurin people between the ages of 60 to80. A peripheral
aneurysm also ismore likely to affect people ages 60to 80. Cerebral
(brain) aneurysms,though rare, are more likely to occurin people
ages 35 to 60.
Risk FactorsFactors that increase your risk foraneurysm
include:·Atherosclerosis, a buildup of fattydeposits in the
arteries.·Smoking. You are eight times morelikely to develop an
aneurysm if yousmoke.·Overweight or obesity.·A family history of
aortic aneurysm,heart disease, or other diseases of
thearteries.·Certain diseases that can weakenthe wall of the aorta,
such as:
Marfan syndrome (an inheriteddisease in which tissues
don’tdevelop normally)Untreated syphilis (a very rarecause
today)Tuberculosis (also a very rarecause today)
·Trauma such as a blow to the chestin a car accident.·Severe and
persistent high bloodpressure between the ages of 35 and60. This
increases the risk for a cere-bral aneurysm.·Use of stimulant drugs
such as co-caine.
What Are the Signs andSymptoms of an Aneurysm?
The signs and symptoms of an aneu-rysm depend on its type,
location,and whether it has ruptured or is in-terfering with other
structures in thebody. Aneurysms can develop andgrow for years
without causing anysigns or symptoms. It is often notuntil an
aneurysm ruptures or growslarge enough to press on nearby partsof
the body or block blood flow thatit produces any signs or
symptoms.
Abdominal Aortic AneurysmMost abdominal aortic aneurysms(AAAs)
develop slowly over years andhave no signs or symptoms until
(or
if) they rupture. Sometimes, a doc-tor can feel a pulsating mass
whileexamining a patient’s abdomen.When symptoms are present,
theycan include:·Deep penetrating pain in your backor the side of
your abdomen·Steady gnawing pain in your abdo-men that lasts for
hours or days at atime·Coldness, numbness, or tingling inyour feet
due to blocked blood flowin your legs
If an AAA ruptures, symptoms caninclude sudden, severe pain in
yourlower abdomen and back; nausea andvomiting; clammy, sweaty
skin;lightheadedness; and a rapid heartrate when standing up.
Internalbleeding from a ruptured AAA cansend you into shock. Shock
is a life-threatening condition in which theorgans of the body do
not get enoughblood flow.
Thoracic Aortic AneurysmA thoracic (chest) aortic aneurysmmay
have no symptoms until theaneurysm begins to leak or grow.Signs or
symptoms may include:·Pain in your jaw, neck, upper back(or other
part of your back), or chest·Coughing, hoarseness, or
troublebreathing
Cerebral AneurysmIf a cerebral (brain) aneurysm presseson nerves
in your brain, it can causesigns and symptoms. These can
in-clude:·A droopy eyelid·Double vision or other changes
invision·Pain above or behind the eye·A dilated pupil·Numbness or
weakness on one sideof the face or body
If a cerebral aneurysm ruptures,symptoms can include a sudden,
se-vere headache, nausea and vomiting,stiff neck, loss of
consciousness, andsigns of a stroke. Signs of a strokeare similar
to those listed above forcerebral aneurysm, but they usuallycome on
suddenly and are more se-vere. Any of these symptoms
requireimmediate medical attention.
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medsearchcontinued...
Ex-POW BulletinJanuary 2009
11
Peripheral AneurysmSigns and symptoms of peripheralaneurysm may
include:·A pulsating lump that can be felt inyour neck, arm, or
leg·Leg or arm pain, or cramping withexercise·Painful sores on toes
or fingers·Gangrene (tissue death) from se-verely blocked blood
flow in yourlimbs
An aneurysm in the popliteal artery(behind the knee) can
compressnerves and cause pain, weakness, andnumbness in your knee
and leg.
Blood clots can form in peripheral an-eurysms. If a clot breaks
loose andtravels through the bloodstream, itcan lodge in your arm,
leg, or brainand block the artery. An aneurysmin your neck can
block the artery tothe brain and cause a stroke.
How Is an AneurysmDiagnosed?
An aneurysm may be found bychance during a routine physicalexam.
More often, an aneurysm isfound by chance during an x ray,
ul-trasound, or computed tomography(CT) scan performed for another
rea-son, such as chest or abdominal pain.If you have an abdominal
aortic an-eurysm (AAA), the doctor may feel apulsating mass in your
abdomen. Arapidly growing aneurysm about torupture can be tender
and very pain-ful when pressed. If you are over-weight or obese, it
may be difficultfor your doctor to feel even a largeabdominal
aneurysm.
If you have an AAA, your doctor mayhear rushing blood flow
instead ofthe normal whooshing sound whenlistening to your abdomen
with astethoscope.
Specialists InvolvedYou may be referred to acardiothoracic
surgeon, vascular sur-geon, or neurosurgeon for diagnosisand
treatment of an aneurysm.
A cardiothoracic surgeon performssurgery on the heart, lungs,
and otherorgans and structures in the chest,including the aorta.A
vascular surgeon performs surgeryon the abdominal aorta and on
theperipheral arteries.A neurosurgeon performs surgery onthe brain,
including the arteries inthe head, and on the spine andnerves.
Diagnostic Tests and ProceduresTo diagnose and evaluate an
aneu-rysm, one or more of the followingtests or procedures may be
per-formed:·Chest x ray. A chest x ray providesa picture of the
organs and structuresinside the chest, including the heart,lungs,
and blood vessels.
·Ultrasound. This simple and pain-less test uses sound waves to
createa picture of the inside of the body. Itshows the size of an
aneurysm, if oneis detected. The ultrasound scan maybe repeated
every few months to seehow quickly an aneurysm is growing.
·CT scan. A CT scan provides com-puter-generated, x-ray images
of theinternal organs. A CT scan may beperformed if the doctor
suspects aTAA or AAA. A liquid dye that canbe seen on an x ray is
injected intoan arm vein to outline the aorta orartery on the CT
scan. The CT scanimages can be used to determine thesize and shape
of an abdominal an-eurysm more accurately than an ul-trasound.
·MRI. MRI uses magnets and radiowaves to create images of the
insideof the body. It is very accurate indetecting aneurysms and
determin-ing their size and exact location.·Angiography.
Angiography alsouses a special dye injected into theblood stream to
make the insides ofarteries show up on x-ray pictures.An angiogram
shows the amount ofdamage and blockage in blood ves-sels.
·Aortogram. An aortogram is an an-giogram of the aorta. It may
show thelocation and size of an aortic aneu-rysm, and the arteries
of the aortathat are involved.
How Is anAneurysm Treated?
Goals of TreatmentSome aneurysms, mainly small onesthat are not
causing pain, can betreated with “watchful waiting.” Oth-ers need
to be treated to preventgrowth and complications. The goalsof
treatment are to prevent the an-eurysm from growing, prevent or
re-verse damage to other body struc-tures, prevent or treat a
rupture, andto allow you to continue to partici-pate in normal
daily activities.
Treatment OptionsMedicine and surgery are the twotypes of
treatment for an aneurysm.Medicines may be prescribed beforesurgery
or instead of surgery. Medi-cines are used to reduce pressure,relax
blood vessels, and reduce therisk of rupture. Beta blockers and
cal-cium channel blockers are the medi-cines most commonly
used.
Surgery may be recommended if ananeurysm is large and likely to
rup-ture.
How Can an AneurysmBe Prevented?
The best way to prevent an aneurysmis to avoid the risk factors
that in-crease the changes of developingone. To do this, you
can:·Quit smoking.· Eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol dietto reduce
the buildup of plaque inthe arteries. Plaque is a fatty buildupthat
narrows the arteries.·Control high blood pressure(eating a low-salt
diet helps).·Control high cholesterol.·Get regular physical
activity.
National Heart Lung Blood InstituteP.O. Box 30105
Bethesda, MD 20824-0105
-
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Packet 2~Stresses of Incarceration & After Effects Extreme
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alcoholism,visual, ulcers, varicose veins, impotency, brain damage,
etc $8.00
Packet 4~After Effects of Imprisonment Part 1 - covers the
heart, arteriesand veins; Part 2 covers cancer $8.00
Packet 5~What Every Wife Should Know Before She Is Your Widow
-Social Security, insurance, burial procedures, allowances, etc.
including what pathologistshould look for in an autopsy (includes
shipping and handling charge) $15.00
Packet 6~Micro-Film Index: Asiatic Theater - Japanese Possible
help inlocating POW records $3.00
Packet 7~Micro-Film Index: European Theater - Germany $3.00
Packet 8~The European Story, History of POWs in Germany,
andafter-effects $8.00
Packet 9~The Korea Story, History of POWs in Korea, and
after-effects $8.00
Packet 10~The Japanese Story History of POWs in Japan, and
after-effects $10.00
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Presentation Set~(Packets 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10) $60.00
The Modern Day Tragedy~medical & claims evidence in support
ofPL 97-37 $4.00
POW: The American Experience~overview on POW experience; reviews
vitamin deficiencies,infectious diseases and service-connected
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Map of German POW Camps~shows location of 76 camps $3.00
Map of Japanese POW Camps~21" x 32" with camps featured in red
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Check packets you wish to order and send, with payment, to:
MEDSEARCH
3201 East Pioneer Parkway #40, Arlington, TX 76010
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AddressCity, State, Zip
Amount enclosed $ ______ (includes shipping/handling*)
MasterCard and Visa accepted (circle one) ($5.00 mini-mum charge)
Card Number: Expiration Date:
Ex-POW Bulletin
January 2009
12
*Shipping / Handling fees: In U.S.A.; 1-3 packets, add $6.00; 4
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$22.00, 7 or more packets, add $30.00
-
andersonville
Andersonville NHS496 Cemetery RoadAndersonville, GA 31711(229)
924-0343Fred Boyles, [email protected]
Ex-POW BulletinJanuary 2009
13
2008 Best Year Ever forAndersonville Trust
With all the economic woes that arebesetting financial markets,
it ishard to believe that any endowmentthat is dependent on
investmentscan be doing well.
But – that is the news at the end ofwhat has been a turbulent
year.That is not to say that some of theinvestments made by the
Trusteeshave outpaced a market that hasnot done well in the last
quarter ofthis year. Combinations of majordonations, a shift in
investments
and record grants to the park havemade this the best year ever
for theAndersonville Trust.
The Andersonville Trust is an en-dowment fund administered by
theFriends of Andersonville to providefinancial support to the park
forprojects that the government can-not support.
The Trust is administered by sevenTrustees who are former
POWs,supporters of the Historic Site andleaders in the local
community. TheTrustees carefully invest the corpusof the fund and
make grants yearlyto the park based on the earningsof the monies
invested.
In 2008 the Trustees made the larg-est grants ever to the park
in oneyear. At their Spring meeting,twelve grants were made for
eventsupport, marketing, interpretivesupport and for the Traveling
Ex-hibit project totaling $82,000.
Since its inception in 1996, theAndersonville Trust has given
over$269,000 to the park. These num-bers would make 2008 the
bestyear ever – but there is more.
Early in 2008, the Trust receivedthe second installment in its
larg-est single gift from a donor.
The estate of Ruby Lanich of Colo-rado gave $284,000 to the
Ander-sonville Trust. Combined with thebequest the year before,
Mrs.Lanich gave over $500,000 toAndersonville. Mrs. Lanich’s
willnoted that her gift was given inmemory of her late husband
Ed-ward Lanich who was a career AirForce veteran and former POW
inWorld War II - Europe. Although,she left gifts to other
charities,their largest donation was to theAndersonville Trust.
Other major gifts were received aswell. Lieutenant Colonel
AbrahamHankin left a portion of his estateto the Andersonville
Trust as well.LTC Hankin lived in California andwas a Bataan Death
March survivor.His bequest of $73,000 was re-ceived to the
Andersonville Trustthis summer.
And yet another major gift was alsoreceived this year in a
donationfrom the Engstrand estate of$35,000. Ray Engstrand lived
inNaples, Florida and had been a POWin Stalag III-B in World War
II. Theselarge grants are on top of thesmaller modest gifts that
are re-ceived throughout the year.
This year’s grants have taken thecorpus of the Andersonville
Trustto $1.6 million. Market losses havetaken their toll on the
value of thecorpus with a loss of approximately
12%. However, it is anticipated thatas the economy improves the
valueof the fund will come back evenstronger.
Four years ago the Trustees hadchanged the investment strategy
toprovide more income that can begranted to the park for project
sup-port. Through a competitive pro-cess, A. G. Edwards was
selected asthe firm to mange the funds accord-ing to the investment
strategyadopted by the Trustees. In 2008Edwards was acquired by
Wachoviaand then closed the office inAmericus. The Trustees asked
fourinvestment firms located inAmericus to submit proposals forthe
management of the fund.
At the Trustees fall 2008 meeting,presentations were made and
theDGR Group was selected to managethe fund. Despite the
problemswith the stock market the Ander-sonville Trust is carefully
balancedbetween securities, bonds and cer-tificates of deposit.
Thanks to this conservative ap-proach, the Trustees are
optimisticthat the grant level enjoyed by thepark in the last three
years can becontinued. How the stock marketwill treat the Trust’s
investments isanyone’s guess.
The Andersonville Trust has be-come a great legacy fund that
willcontinue support for the park andthe National POW Museum long
intothe future. Just as 2008 was a goodyear for the Andersonville
Trust thefuture looks even brighter.
Anyone who would like to contrib-ute to the Andersonville Trust
cando so by sending their tax deduct-ible gift to P. O. Box 186,
Anderson-ville, GA 31711.
-
namPOW news
Paul E. GalantiNational Director, East Central804.389.1668
(cell)[email protected]
Ex-POW Bulletin
January 2009
14
Rip – R.I.P.
He wasn’t a POW. But, had he notperformed what has been called
themost heroic act in the history of ourAmerican Armed Forces, the
VietnamPOWs could easily still be incarcer-ated in North Vietnam –
35 years af-ter our release.
The war in Vietnam was windingdown. Peace talks had been going
onin Paris for nearly four years withlittle to show for the effort.
The Com-munists had used the breaks in thefighting and the
withdrawing ofAmerican troops to replenish theirSoviet and
China-supplied ammuni-tion and weapons.
On Easter Sunday, April 2, 1972 threereinforced divisions of the
People’sArmy of North Vietnam were massednorth of the demilitarized
zone thatdivided North and South Vietnam.20,000 troops and 200
tanks werepoised to strike quickly across theonly bridge strong
enough to supportthe tanks and rush to Saigon, capitalof he
Republic of Vietnam where theyshould be able to quickly crush
thetoken resistance and vanquish theSouth Vietnamese government.
Theywould accomplish their goal withlittle sacrifice and while
retaining the600+ POWs held, basically, as hos-tages over the
U.S.
Most American and allied combatforces had departed South
Vietnam.
The “peace” talks droned on whileAmerican POWs – many of whom
hadbeen held longer than six years –languished in cells in Hanoi,
NorthVietnam’s capital.
Capt. John W, Ripley, Force Recon-naissance Marine adviser to a
Viet-namese Marine Battalion, realizedsomething dramatic had to be
donewhen he received orders to hold thebridge at Dong Ha at all
costs. Theactual language said “Hold the bridgeat Dong Ha or die.”
A VietnameseMarine made “the luckiest shot of theVietnam War” when,
with his veryfirst shot of a Light Anti-Tank As-sault Weapon
(LAAW), shot all theway across the river and stopped thefirst tank
on the far approach to thebridge. Ripley realized the bridge hadto
be destroyed to keep the enemyfrom crossing.
Capt. Ripley and U.S. Army Major JimSmock, whose South
Vietnamese Ar-mor Battalion had fled south, formu-lated a plan to
take down the DongHa bridge. But there was one prob-lem. The
bridge, built by NavySeabees, was designed not to beblown up and
had been constructedwith very high-strength I-beams.Ripley
estimated that it would take500 lbs. of explosives to blow it upand
twist the I-beams so it couldn’tbe easily repaired.
Ripley and Smock found a stash ofC-4 explosive, divided it into
50 lb.packets and attached straps to thepackets. For the next three
hours,under fierce fire from the tanks andthree divisions’ worth of
infantryweapons, Ripley swung hand-over-hand under the bridge ten
times toget the explo-sives in place.He carefullywired the
ex-plosives andset a backupfuse in casethe electricalde tonat
iondidn’t work.The bridgewas de-stroyed in
anearth-shakingblast.
Ripley was wounded and nearly wentdown with the bridge but he
got awayand received the Navy Cross for hisaction. His heroism is
on display in adiorama at the Naval Academy’s Me-morial Hall and he
has been an in-spiration to generations of U.S. Ma-rines. A
building at the Naval Acad-emy Prep School in Rhode Island wasnamed
Ripley Hall after him. A Ma-rine march, Uncommon Valor, hon-oring
John Ripley was written at theMarine Barracks in Washington,
D.C.,the first since John Phillip Sousa inthe early 20th
Century.
Of more than passing interest to thePOWs was the fact that
NorthVietnam’s army didn’t get to Saigonin 1972 and the Communists,
in late1972 were forced by very heavybombing and the mining of its
har-bors to agree to release the POWs andto uphold the peace
thereafter.
John Ripley died in Annapolis at hishome on November 1, 2008.
TheMarine Corps legend who had somuch shrapnel in his body
hecouldn’t get through an airport metaldetector had died in his
sleep. TheCommandant of the Marine Corpseulogized him in a packed
NavalAcademy Chapel. His cortege to theburial at the Naval Academy
cem-etery was led by the Marine Band, thehonor guard from the
Marine Bar-racks in Washington and many Ma-rines, midshipmen who
wanted to beMarines and thousands of friends.The honorary
pallbearers includedseveral Marine generals who’d servedwith
Ripley, his Vietnam RTO andplatoon sergeant, the retired
Com-mandant of the Royal Marines andthe Vietnamese battalion
com-mander who supported Ripley at thebridge. And one lone sailor,
yourhumble scribe, who considers beingasked one of the biggest
honors ofhis life.
A flight of four Marine Harrier jetsmade a perfect flyover,
unusual atthe funeral of an infantry officer. TheMarine honor guard
fired the threeshot volley and a bugler from theMarine band played,
“Taps.” As thelast note faded, some very tough menwiped their
eyes.
A warrior had gone home.
-
pow-mia
PNC John Edwards
Chairman889 Randall Road
Niskayuna, NY 12309-4815
(518) 393-3907 phone & fax
Ex-POW Bulletin
January 2009
15
POW/MIA car-window decals areavailable at a cost of $20 per 100
bysending a check to the League officeat 1005 North Glebe Road,
Suite 170,Arlington, VA 22201. POW/MIAlapel pins are also available
at $3each or 2/$5. For added informationplease contact the League’s
web siteat www.pow-miafamilies.org or callthe national office at
703-465-7432.If no one is available to take yourcall, please leave
a message.
AMERICANS ACCOUNTED FORThere are still 1,746 US personnellisted
by the Defense POW/MIAOffice (DPMO) as missing and un-accounted for
from the Vietnam
War. DPMO recently released anannouncement naming four Ma-rines
whose remains were eitherindividually identified, or includedin the
group identification. Thefour Marines are LCPL Kurt E.LaPlant of
KS, LCPL Luis F. Palaciosof CA, LCPL Ralph L. Harper of INand PFC
Jose R. Sanchez of NY. Allwere lost on June 6, 1968, in a CH-46A
Sea Knight helicopter incidentin South Vietnam in which 12 of the23
personnel on board were killed.All but these four were
subse-quently recovered and identified.coveries. This brings to 837
thenumber of US personnel accountedfor since the end of the
VietnamWar in 1975. 90+% of the 1,746
still missing from the Vietnam Warwere lost in Vietnam itself or
in ar-eas of Laos and Cambodia underVietnam’s wartime control.
Soldier Missing in Action from Ko-rean War is IdentifiedThe
Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office an-nounced that
the remains of a U.S.serviceman, missing in action fromthe Korean
War, have been identi-fied and will be returned to his fam-ily for
burial with full military hon-ors. He is Cpl. Librado Luna,
U.S.Army, of Taylor, Texas.
In late November 1950, Luna wasassigned to the 8th Army
RangerCompany, 25th Infantry Division,then attached to B Company,
89thMedium Tank Battalion as part ofTask Force Dolvin. On
November25, the Chinese Army struck inforce in what would become
knownas the Battle of the Ch’ongch’onRiver. Task Force Dolvin,
includingthe 8th Army Ranger Company, wasforced to withdraw to the
south. Ofthe 91 men from B Company, 89thMedium Tank Battalion and
the 8thArmy Ranger Company, only 22made it to safety. Ten men,
includ-ing Luna, went missing on Novem-ber 26 near Hill 205.
Pilot Missing In Action From TheVietnam War Is IdentifiedThe
Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO)announced
today that the remainsof a U.S. serviceman, missing in ac-tion from
the Vietnam War, havebeen identified and were returnedto his family
for burial with full mili-tary honors. He is Col. David H.Zook,
Jr., U.S. Air Force, of West Lib-erty, Ohio.
On Oct. 4, 1967, Zook was on a psy-chological warfare operation
overSong Be Province, South Vietnam,when his U-10B Super Courier
air-craft collided in mid-air with a C-7A Caribou. The C-7 pilot
said hesaw the other aircraft hit theground and explode. Several
searchand rescue attempts failed to locateZook’s remains.
20-Year Assessment of US-SRVTalks Held Ambassador Charles Ray,
DeputyAssistant Secretary of Defense forPOW/MIA Affairs, hosted
Vietnam-ese officials in Hawaii on Septem-ber 17th for a one-day
assessmentof the last 20 years of POW/MIAaccounting cooperation.
Chief ofthe Vietnam Office for SeekingMissing Persons (VNOSMP)
Ambas-sador Nguyen Van Dao led the nine-member Vietnamese
delegation,comprised of several long involvedofficials from the
Ministries of For-eign Affairs, Defense and PublicSecurity. US
participants includedJPAC Commander RADM DonnaCrisp, USN,
Detachment Command-ers from Vietnam, Laos and Cam-bodia, and senior
members of theJPAC staff, plus Principle Directorof the Defense
POW/MIA Office(DPMO) Col David Ellis, USAF, andsenior DPMO
staff.
The 20-year Assessment followedthe twice yearly US-SRV
TechnicalTalks, hosted on September 16th byRADM Crisp to review the
recentlyconcluded 92nd Joint Field Activ-ity (JFA) and plans for
the 93rd and94th JFAs. The latter is scheduledto include the first
ever use of a USNavy hydrographic survey vessel inaccounting
efforts, a step agreed toby the Vietnamese Government inOctober
2006, but still not imple-mented due to bureaucratic inertia,now
possibly complicated by pro-posed new requirements for
imple-mentation that Vietnam is propos-ing. Though not required for
shal-low water surveys/investigationsthat can be conducted using
otherplatforms, the US Navy’s ship canhelp expedite the process of
iden-tifying possible shallow-water exca-vation sites and should be
accept-able for use on the humanitarianaccounting effort, as it was
last yearto provide humanitarian medicalassistance to the
Vietnamesepeople.
-
Ex-POW BulletinJanuary 2009
16
civilians
Walter H. Riley, Chairman
14521 Cyprus Point Drive
Dallas, TX 75234
(972)247-6069
[email protected]
The Happiest Day -Memories of LiberationBy Angus Lorenzen,author
of A Lovely Little Warand Commander of
BACEPOWChapterwww.alovelylittlewar.com [email protected]
February 3, 1945 dawned as just an-other dreary day, my 1,125th
as aprisoner in the Santo Tomas Intern-ment Camp. I dragged myself
fromthe wooden pallet that was my bed,and pulled on my ragged
shorts with-out shoes or shirt. Pulling back themosquito net that
provided the onlyprivacy in the dormitory, I steppedinto the
crowded aisle and headedfor the hallway, scratching at thewelts
caused by the ubiquitous bedbugs that had been gnawing at myflesh
during the night.
My only thought was to put somefood into my rumbling and
complain-ing stomach as I waited in the foodline patiently as a 9
year-old boycould. The serving almost filled mycup, but it was
mostly water with afew grains of swollen rice. Eatingslowly seemed
to allay the pangs ofhunger, though it was an illusionbecause as
soon as finished, I washungry again.
Later in the morning I heard an air-craft approaching, coming
from thenorth at treetop level flying low andslow. The Marine Corps
dive-bomber
flew by so close that I could see thepilot and gunner clearly
throughtheir open canopies, and I wavedfrantically, though I would
have beenseverely punished had a Japaneseguard seen me. The pilot
grinnedand waved back, then flew over theMain Building and
disappeared.
In only minutes, word spreadthrough the camp that he haddropped
a note saying, “Roll out thebarrel”. We mentally finished theline,
“For the gang’s all here”. Weknew that American forces wereclose,
but had no idea when theywould arrive to rescue us. Now wesaw a
gleam of hope and smiles ap-peared on many faces that had beenglum
for too long.
Finally the time for our other mealof the day arrived and my
motherand sister joined me in the line forour scoops of the weak
concoctionwe called stew. It consisted of a fewleaves of greens
floating on top of awatery broth with a few beans at thebottom. We
slowly spooned up thegreens and broth until only the beansremained,
then ate each one indi-vidually. That afternoon, I had 8beans.
After roll call, I went outside to en-joy the balmy evening
before curfew.The sun had set, but a rosy glow re-mained in the
sky, silhouetting col-umns of smoke in several places out-side the
camp. From time-to-timethere was an explosion and gunfire,but we
were now so accustomed tothe constant air attacks that we paidscant
attention.
As the sky grew darker it was inter-mittently lighted by a
strange fluc-tuating glow. A very low frequencyrumble also became
discernible. Itwas not so much heard as felt in thechest. Perhaps
this was another por-tent, as was the message this morn-ing, of
imminent rescue.
At curfew, I returned to mydormitory and joined my mother
andsister, sitting at a card table in thehallway. My mother brought
out theprecious tin box in which she keptthe survival biscuits she
had madewith the corned beef from our RedCross package for
Christmas of 1943
and from black market soy meal. Sheopened the box, and took out
one ofthe two remaining biscuits that wereall that stood between
survival andstarvation, carefully breaking it intothree pieces. We
sat, sucking on thesmall pieces, savoring every momentas they
slowly dissolved and trickleddown our throats. Finally
everythingwas gone, and that hollow feelingreturned to our
stomachs.
Then my mother did something to-tally uncharacteristic. She
openedthe box again and took out the lastbiscuit. As she shared it,
she said,“What the heck, this will all be oververy soon anyway”.
Whatever hap-pened in the next day or two, whetherwe were rescued
or massacred, wewouldn’t need the survival biscuitsany longer.
Indistinctive in the distance, weheard the rumble of voices
scream-ing. Excitement was clear, but nowords were recognizable.
The soundswelled and became clearer as itflowed up the stairways
and alongthe hallways like a flood as succes-sive groups picked up
the scream.The message relayed from person toperson, repeated over
and over againwas, “They’re here. They’re here!”
I jumped to my feet and startedscreaming myself as I raced along
thehallway towards the main staircase.Reaching it, I almost tumbled
in myhaste to get to the lobby. But blockedwhen I reached the
mezzanine by thecrowd backed up the stairs. I stoodlooking down
into the main lobbyand what I saw gave my heart anotherjolt. I was
already running on adrena-line, my breath panting, and the
sightalmost overwhelmed me.
The large double doors from thelobby to the plaza were pushed
open,and the front of a tank stuck through,its main gun pointed in
my direction.Around it, jumping and screaming,were fellow
prisoners, throwing theirarms around a group of soldiers andkissing
them, while the GIs stoodaround with big silly grins on theirfaces.
For us, it was the happiest dayof our lives, though we had a
fewmore days of ordeal as the fightingraged around us, and many of
ourfellows were killed or wounded.
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Ex-POW BulletinJanuary 2009
17
lookingforCharles Patterson, Stalag XIB. Myhusband, Eugene
Shabatura, wasshot down in a B24 over Hollandon the 18th of Sept.
1944 and be-came a POW. He was taken to En-glish Camps instead of
AmericanAAF camps. Somewhere, he and Sgt.Patterson met. For some
reason (Idon’t remember why) they ex-changed Orange ID cards. I
will beglad to send C Patterson’s card tohim or to a relative.
Please contact:Lois Shabatura, 2833 S Lake Ave,Duluth, MN 55802;
218-727-4839.
I am seeking information about aFrench doctor who was a
fellowprisoner of my father-in-law, then2nd Lt. Ralph Norsworthy.
Ralphwas a P-38 pilot held atObermassfeld Hospital during theyear
Jan. 1944-Jan. 1945, when hewas exchanged. This doctor,
alwayscalled Dr. Pilót by my father-in-law,operated on Ralph’s
shattered legwith an instrument made from acan and was credited by
Ralph anda fellow prisoner with savingRalph’s life. Ralph
Norsworthy diedthis past weekend, Nov. 22, 2008in Dallas, Texas at
the age of 88.When he spoke of Dr. Pilót, Ralphalways said that he
was in theFrench Foreign Legion. Could thishave been an assumed
name? Hasanyone else heard of Dr. Pilót?Thank you for your help.
BeckyNorsworthy, 1386 BenningtonDrive, Anchorage, AK
99508;[email protected].
I’m looking for any information per-taining to Capt. Edward L.
Sensor,who was a POW at Luft Stalag III.He was with the 739th BS,
454th BGstationed at San Giovanna AFB lo-cated near Cerignola,
Italy. He hastwo ( 2 ) MACRs. Numbers 3288 &4617. Capt. Sensor
passed away onDec. 21, 2001. His widow would liketo know any and
all information.Before he died, they had new car-
pet installed in their bedroom. Alsoin the closet was Capt
Sensor’s im-portant papers stored in a metalbox. Like his flying
hours, medals,old orders etc. They noticed the boxmissing soon
after the carpet wasinstalled. Mrs. Mary Lou Sensor1309 Revere
Ridge Rockford, IL61108. ( 815 ) 397 - 1102 If youhave any info on
the above subject,please send me a copy, if possible.Thank you for
your time. Eugene F.Westerman, 895 Mill St., SouthElgin, IL.
60177-1774;[email protected].
My father was S/S Carl Potter 306th
BG 369th S Fightin’ Bitin’ duringWWII. In March, 1944 in
Thurleigh,England he became part of the crewfor 2nd Lt David B.
Ramsey in a B-17#42-30730 named “Dearly Beloved”as one of two waist
gunners, thearmorer and the unofficial medicproviding first aid on
flights. Theywere shot down 24/04/44 on a mis-sion to
Oberpfaffenhofen, Germanyto bomb the Dornier aircraft fac-tory. All
survived the jump & werecaptured becoming POWs. All
repa-triated at the end of the war. Ac-cording to the MACR the crew
mem-bers were:
David B. Ramsey, 2nd Lt, PilotEdwin W. Miller, 2nd Lt.,
Co-PilotRobert I. Krohn, 2nd Lt., NavigatorSterling T. Strange,
Jr., 2nd Lt.,Bombardier - Nose GunnerJames R. Ryan, Staff
Sergeant,Aer. Eng. – Top Turret GunnerJohn Gray, Staff Sergeant,
RadioOperatorPaul D. Callahan, Sergeant, Aer.Eng. – Ball Turret
GunnerDonald W. Miller, Sergeant, Aer.Eng. – Right Waist GunnerCarl
L. Potter, Sergeant, Armorer –Gun. – Left Waist GunnerPaul Walshin
Sergeant, Aer. Eng. –Tail Gunner
My father ended up in Stalag XVIIB, Barracks 29 and went by
thename Root, or spelled Route. Ifanyone is alive who was in his
crewor who knew him in Stalag XVII B,I’d love to hear from
[email protected]
NewsBriefs
VA Increases TravelReimbursementSecretary of Veterans Affairs
Dr.James B. Peake announced the De-partment of Veterans Affairs
travelreimbursement has increased from$.28 cents per mile to
$.41cents.While increasing the payment, thecurrent deductible
amounts ap-plied to certain mileage reimburse-ments will remain
frozen at $7.77for a one way trip, $15.54 for around trip, and
capped at a maxi-mum of $46.62 per calendarmonth. On January 9,
2009, thesedeductibles will decrease to $3 fora one way trip, $6
for a round trip,with a maximum of $18 per calen-dar month.
New Law AuthorizesVeterans’ Salutes during
National AnthemVeterans and active-duty militarynot in uniform
can now render themilitary-style hand salute duringthe playing of
the national anthem,thanks to changes in federal lawthat took
effect in October, 2008.
“The military salute is a unique ges-ture of respect that marks
thosewho have served in our nation’sarmed forces,” said Secretary
ofVeterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake.“This provision allows the
applica-tion of that honor in all events in-volving our nation’s
flag.”
The new provision improves upona little known change in federal
lawlast year that authorized veteransto render the military-style
hand
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Ex-POW BulletinJanuary 2009
18
salute during the raising, loweringor passing of the flag, but
it did notaddress salutes during the nationalanthem. Last year’s
provision alsoapplied to members of the armedforces while not in
uniform.
Traditionally, members of thenation’s veterans service
organiza-tions have rendered the hand-sa-lute during the national
anthemand at events involving the nationalflag while wearing
theirorganization’s official head-gear.
The most recent change, authoriz-ing hand-salutes during the
na-tional anthem by veterans and out-of-uniform military personnel,
wassponsored by Sen. Jim Inhofe ofOklahoma, an Army veteran. It
wasincluded in the Defense Authoriza-tion Act of 2009, which
PresidentBush signed on Oct. 14.
The earlier provision authorizinghand-salutes for veterans and
out-of-uniform military personnel dur-ing the raising, lowering or
passingof the flag, was contained in theNational Defense
Authorization Actof 2008, which took effect Jan. 28,2008.
CA State University,Long Beach’s New
Veterans University
Program Proves a Success
During its First Semester
in Operation
Campus to Add ‘Troops to Engi-neering’ Component to
VeteransUniversity’s Curriculum
With California’s economy in de-cline and jobs becoming
scarce,many local veterans are choosing
to take advantage of CaliforniaState University, Long
Beach’s(CSULB) Veterans University (VU), anew program designed to
increasetransitional rehabilitation servicesfor returning
veterans.
Earlier this year, CSULB joinedforces with CSU Dominguez
Hillsand the Veterans AdministrationHealthcare System, Long
Beach(CSULB’s neighboring hospital) tocreate VU. The program
provides a“one-stop shopping” approach onthe CSULB campus for
veterans re-turning from war looking for edu-cational programs,
career training,individual and family counseling,clinical services
and employmentopportunities.
”The youth of our country have al-ways been willing to march
into hellfor a heavenly cause. They are will-ing to sacrifice
themselves for thesafety of a nation, a way of life andtheir
families,” said Ron Vogel, deanof the College of Health and
HumanServices at CSULB. “When theseyoung soldiers return from the
fray,society has a moral obligation toensure they are reintegrated
backinto society. As such, educationalinstitutions must open their
doorsand provide its services to theseyoung men and women. This is
nothappening fast enough and whenlives are cast adrift, it is a
moralimperative that we must address.”
Besides special services, the VU alsoprovides veterans with a
virtualclassroom setting. Utilizing state-of-the-art distance
learning technol-ogy, programs may be delivered offcampus,
regionally, nationally andinternationally.
”The genesis of this project camefrom the minds of Ron Norby,
di-rector of the VA Healthcare System,Long Beach and the College
ofHealth and Human Services DeanRon Vogel, both Vietnam
veterans,”said Patrick O’Rourke, director ofVeterans University.
“As militaryveterans they shared many com-mon experiences, and as
adminis-
trators of health care programsthey recognized a collaborative
ap-proach had to be employed to en-gage government and
non-govern-ment resources to maximize ourtransitional service
capabilities forveterans.”
The need for Veterans Universityhas never been stronger,
accordingto O’Rourke. In March 2007, theDepartment of Defense
reportedthat more than 25,000 US troopshad been wounded in action
whileserving in Iraq and Afghanistan.When “non-combat wounded”
areincluded, the number soars to be-tween 50,000 and 75,000,
depend-ing on the source. The influx of somany veterans, including
thosewith behavioral health problems,O’Rourke believes, has
challengedthe Veterans Administration HealthCare System.
Though they can come from otherregions, many veterans and
activemilitary personnel who would beeligible to use VU’s services
comefrom local units. These include theNational Guard’s 40th
Infantry Di-vision based in Los Alamitos andthe 63rd Regional
Readiness Com-mand, the major Army presence inSouthern
California.
”Service members assigned to thesegroups live in our community
andare enrolled at CSULB or Long BeachCity College,” said
O’Rourke.“These are the same people whocarry the brunt of our war
on ter-rorism. It is up to us as a commu-nity to reach out to these
veterans,the actively serving members, andtheir families.”
Troops to Engineering
CSULB is currently developing an-other program to be added to
VUcalled Troops to Engineering. Theprogram will help veterans
findpart-time jobs, internships and ap-prenticeships with
partnering engi-neering companies so that studentscan gain
real-world experience
news continued...
-
Ex-POW BulletinJanuary 2009
19
news, continued...while enrolled in engineeringcourses at
CSULB.
The ultimate goal of Troops to En-gineering is to usher each and
ev-ery veteran toward completion of afour year engineering degree.
How-ever, a variety of situations maymake that impossible,
according toForouzan Golshani, dean ofCSULB’s College of
Engineering. Working with local partners, CSULBhas proposed three
degree modelsto be offered through the Troopsto Engineering
program. They in-clude a two-year degree leading toan associate
degree in technologyor engineering, a two+two-year de-gree where
they receive an associ-ate degree on their way to attain-ing a
baccalaureate degree, and aregular four-year degree leading toB.S.
or B.A. in engineering.
”The success of this model is trulydependent on the all partners
work-ing together toward the commongoal. The key idea is to enable
vet-erans to become knowledgeable ontheir disciplines of interest,
so thatthey can be engaged by the spon-soring company for part-time
workas early as possible,” said Golshani.
“A successful apprenticeship pro-gram will necessitate return of
in-vestment to the sponsoring com-pany. They will provide
partialsupport to the veteran early on, andin return our company
partners willreceive a highly disciplined, knowl-edgeable intern
who can hit theground running.”
Paul BrowningAssistant Director, Media Rela-tionsCalifornia
State University, Long Beach1250 Bellflower Blvd.,BH-300Long Beach,
Ca. 90840-0116Office: (562) 985-2703, Mobile:(562) 233-6923
Bataan Death MarchSurvivor Bar Mitzvahed88-year-old is Commander
of theAmerican Defenders of Bataanand Corregidor
On November 8, 2008, Dr. LesterTenney, 88, Commander of
theAmerican Defenders of Bataan andCorregidor, was called to the
Torahas a bar mitzvah at Ohev SholomSynagogue, 1600 Jonquil
Street,NW, (202) 882-7225 (http://www.ostt.org/). He is a survivor
ofthe infamous Bataan Death Marchand 31/2 years as a prisoner of
theJapanese.
A Chicago native who enlisted inthe Illinois National Guard at
20, henever had an opportunity to be-come a bar mitzvah.
On November 11, Dr. Tenney wasthe last representative of
theAmerican Defenders of Bataan andCorregidor (ADBC) to attend
theannual Veterans Day ceremonies atArlington Cemetery. The ADBC
willdisband for lack of members andwith it will end its 62-year
quest forjustice from both the United Statesand Japan.
The ADBC represents the fallen andthe survivors of the battles
of thefirst months of the war with Japan.All ADBC members were held
inbrutal captivity, and provided slavelabor for at least 50 private
Japa-nese companies, including Mitsui,Mitsubishi, Kawasaki, Nippon
Steel,and Hitachi. Dr. Tenney worked 12-hour days in a Mitsui coal
mine.
Neither the Japanese governmentnor the companies that used
POWslave labor have ever compensatedor apologized to these men.
Repub-lican and Democratic administra-tions alike have worked to
defeatADBC attempts to find justice inthe U.S. Congress or
courts.
Dr. Tenney is Professor Emeritus ofFinance and Insurance in the
Col-
lege of Business Administration atArizona State University,
Tempe,Arizona. He earned his doctoratefrom the University of
SouthernCalifornia in 1972. He served as aradio operator and later
as a tankcommander in Company “B” of the192nd Tank Battalion in the
Philip-pines. His many awards include theBronze Star, with an oak
leaf clus-ter, Purple Heart with oak leaf clus-ter, the Combat
Infantryman’sBadge, three Presidential Unit Cita-tions, and the
Prisoner of WarMedal. His first-person account ofthe Bataan Death
March, My HitchIn Hell, was published by PotomacBooks in 1995.
Tarawa Atoll Marines –Excavation of Mass
Burial after 65 years?
A Florida man’s quest to find hun-dreds of U.S. Marines buried
anony-mously after one of World War II’sbloodiest battles could
lead to thelargest identification of Americanwar dead in
history.
Researchers used ground-penetrat-ing radar, tediously reviewed
thou-sands of military documents andinterviewed hundreds of others
tofind 139 graves. There, they say, liethe remains of men who died
65years ago out in the Pacific Oceanon Tarawa Atoll.
Mark Noah of Marathon, Fla., raisedmoney for the expedition
throughhis nonprofit, History Flight, by sell-ing vintage military
aircraft rides atair shows. He hopes the govern-ment will
investigate further afterresearch is given to the U.S.
DefenseDepartment in January and hehopes the remains are
identifiedand eventually returned to themen’s families.
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Ex-POW BulletinJanuary 2009
20
news continued...“There will have to be convincingevidence
before we mount an exca-vation of any spot that could
yieldremains,” said Larry Greer, spokes-man for the Pentagon’s
Prisoner ofWar and Missing in Action Office.U.S. government
archaeologistswould likely excavate a small testsite first, he
said.
The names of many fallen soldierswere lost as U.S. Navy crews
rushedto build desperately needed land-ing strips on the tiny atoll
after theNov. 20, 1943, invasion. Many ofthe graves were
relocated.
The military didn’t focus on identi-fying the soldiers who died
atTarawa until 1945, when an Armyofficer was tasked with
unravelingthe hasty reburials.
3 rd Infantry DivisionLegacy/Scho l a r sh ip
ProgramThe Society of the 3rd Infantry Di-vision Scholarship
Foundation, Inc.announces its “Legacy Program,”through which donors
receive an-nual recognition, and its plans for2009 scholarship
grant awards. Eli-gible for scholarship grants are Sol-diers of the
3rd Infantry Divisionand their offspring. The deadline
for scholarship grant applicationsto the Foundation is May 1,
2009.“Application and Instruction”forms are available on the
Societywebsite at http://www.3rdiv.organd on the Foundation website
athttp://3idscholarshipfoundation.org,
as well as from the FoundationChairman Lynn Ball, 2010
Worces-ter Lane, Garland, TX 75040; 972-495-1704.
Through the Foundation’s “LegacyProgram,” donors
contributing$10,000 or more to the Scholarship
Foundation shall be recognized,into perpetuity, when
scholarshipgrants are awarded in their names,annually. The Legacy
Program alsohonors individuals with a photoand approved profile
displayed per-manently on the ScholarshipFoundation’s website.
In 2009, the Foundation willpresent seven scholarship
grants,including the prestigious “ThomasW. Mason, Old China Hand”
Legacyaward, presented to a top scholarannually.
VA Health CareFundingPresident-elect Barack Obamapromised days
before the nationalelection that his administrationwould support
the idea of approv-ing veterans’ funding one year inadvance in an
effort to avoid dis-ruptions in critical programs. Hispledge, made
in a letter dated Oct.28, 2008 to the American Federa-tion of
Government Employees,puts him on record as supportingwhat a
coalition of veterans orga-nizations sees as the answer to
aperennial problem: funding for vet-erans programs that comes in
fitsand starts — and, in the process,diminishing the quality of
healthcare.“First and foremost, the wayour nation provides funding
for VA
health care must be reformed,”Obama says in the letter. “My
ad-ministration will recommend pas-sage of advance appropriation
leg-islation for the [fiscal] 2010 appro-priations cycle, instead
of yearlycontinuing resolutions that lead todelays in hiring and
facility con-struction. I will also work to fullyfund veterans
care.” Nine veterans’groups, united in what they call
thePartnership for Veterans HealthCare Budget Reform, have been
call-ing for reform because only twicein the last 14 years — and
onlythree times in the last 20 — has theVeterans Affairs Department
bud-get been approved by the start ofthe fiscal year on Oct. 1.
This hasbeen one of the years when the bud-
get passed on time.The nine groups proposed thatCongress pass a
budget for veter-ans programs a full year ahead oftime, which would
mean that in2009 lawmakers would need topass both a fiscal 2010
budget anda fiscal 2011 budget. Obama’s let-ter indicates support
for that idea.The day after his election, Obamapledged as president
to fully fundVA and establish a “world-class VAplanning division”
so that futurebudgets were more accurate, ac-cording to a
transition agenda thatwas briefly placed on the president-elect’s
transition Web site. The tran-sition agenda has since been
re-moved.
Tomb of the UnknownsA proposal to replace the crackedand
weathered white marble monu-ment that crowns the Tomb of
theUnknowns at Arlington NationalCemetery has stirred up a
years-long controversy. The always-guarded tomb to the nation’s
wardead is a potent symbol of sacri-fice and patriotism and the
above-ground monument, which hascracks running 48 feet around it,
isthe most visible part of it. Congressauthorized the tomb in 1921
as amemorial to honor the unknowndead of World War I, which
hadended three years earlier. On Nov11 that year — then known as
Ar-mistice Day and now Veterans Day— an unidentified American
soldierfrom the war was interred in an un-derground vault. For
years, Armyofficials have studied the idea ofbuilding a replica
because of con-cerns that the damage, which isgetting worse despite
repairs, is dis-tracting from the monument’s sol-emn appearance.
Moreover, offi-cials say, replacement marble isbecoming scarce and
should be se-cured now. An August report saidthe Army would again
repair themonument while a final decision isbeing made. The repairs
would costabout $65,000, and a replica monu-ment would cost about
$2.2 million.
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Ex-POW Bulletin
January 2009
21
StoriesYour
The CanadianYMCA Log Book
Shown are sample pages from myLog Book. I can’t describe what
Iwent through to keep it from Ger-man censors. I saw many of
thesebooks thrown away in the snowduring the forced march
toMoosburg. Keeping mine was anobsession. I strapped it on my
body.Even after I was shot and woundedtrying to escape, I managed
to keepit hidden after I was recaptured.
By PCC Vincent Lisanti330 Clinton Ave.Dobbs Ferry, NY
[email protected]
Prologue: A limited number ofthese Log Books were
distributedamong the Allied captives held inthe German prison
compound, Sta-lag Luft III. The International RedCross con-vinced
theG e r m a n sthat the LogB o o k swould be avisible me-dium
toprove thatprisoners ofwar weretreated ac-
cording to the rules of the GenevaConventions.
The Log Book proved to justify theGeneva regulations. It also
provedto be a prime factor of the mostclandestine activities. Each
ownerof a log book was screened for ar-tistic ability and if
talented, wasgiven assignments to draw convinc-ing counterfeits of
official docu-ments to be used for escape pur-poses.
I was evaluated by Emmet Cook af-ter he drew the Donald Duck
car-toon. Having taken mechanicaldrawing in high school may
havehelped. Without question, Emmetbrought out skills I never knew
Ihad. I was assigned to draw secretescape maps. Brushes were
fabri-cated from human hair. Coloring
material wassecretly pro-cured. Mymost usefultool was aquill
penpoint.
Hearing andseeing theME262 whenit buzzed thecompoundwas an
astonishing experience. Thesketch was made on a separatesheet and
giving to the secret “X”committee. I managed to make a
tracing on a sheet of tissue paperfor myself. All of the
aircraft draw-ings were from memory. Most ofthe cartoons are
copies. The car-toon on page 115 is an original. Theartist formerly
drew for a newspa-per. The German guards, called Fer-rets, grew
suspicious and cut outpages from book that were not hid-den.
This presentation is what was leftafter my book was found
andpages cut out by the Ferrets.
-
Members’forum
Ex-POW BulletinJanuary 2009
22
Dear Cheryl:
Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Islandinformed me that
President-electBarack Obama introduced S1084(The Homes for Heroes
Act) onApril 10, 2007, which is presentlyremaining dormant in the
Banking,Housing, & Urban Affairs Commit-tee. Among other
things, this billwould exclude any compensationbenefits, including
service-con-nected disabilities from means test-ing. Many AXPOW
members likemyself as well as many other com-bat veterans live in
subsidizedhousing and are service-connecteddisabled. If this bill
passed, it wouldbe a great financial help to the ser-vice-connected
disabled veterans. Iam certain that all members wouldbe grateful,
if you would give thismatter some attention.
An old life memberWilfrid E. Hebert1 Flat St., #108Cumberland,
RI 02864
From PNC Zack Roberts:Dear Cheryl,
I have a friend of over 55 years whohad a stroke about 12 years
ago andwas left physically impaired, losingthe use of his right arm
and leg. His
mind is intact and he is very intelli-gent. In those 12 years, I
have neverheard Frank complain. Here is acopy of a letter he sent
to the maga-zine SC Stroke Connection. I knowmany of our members
and theirfamilies have suffered strokes, andI thought this letter
would be ofinterest and comfort to them.
“Your Letters to the Editor are verydepressing. My stroke was a
part ofliving, not part of dying. Here’s whathaving a stroke in May
1998 hasmeant to me:
Finding new avenues of learning –computers, time to read
interestingarticles.
Helping others – giving helpful ad-vice to others who have had
strokes.
Keeping mentally busy – I’m so busy,I don’t know when I had time
tomyself.
Thinking of others and not myself –doing for others whenever you
can.
Reading about others who haveovercome stroke – in the
10/31/07issue of the Wall Street Journal, Iread about a Japanese
concert pia-nist who had a stroke affecting hisright side, sol he
learned pieces hecould play with his left hand andhas returned to
the concert hall.
Never being self-conscious abouthaving a stroke – it could
happento anyone at any age!
And last but not least, where thereis a will, there is a
way.
Frank Mangano, Ventnor City, NJ”
Dear Editor,
I am writing to share with you andall members of the American
Ex-Prisoners of War. On Nov. 10, 2008,Commander Kenneth G. Castor
ofthe Dayton Area Chapter wasawarded the Meritorious ServiceAward.
This special award was pre-sented by Friendship Chapter #245,Royal
Arch Masons of Ohio.
This award is for his 27 years ofdedicated service to those
captiveswho served in our armed forces andtheir families. I can
vouch for Com-mander Caster, as I am the son of aWWII POW whose
life was madebetter by the efforts of CommanderCastor and the
Dayton Area Chap-ter.
Best wishes to you, your organiza-tion and the many
chapters.
Stephen Ford, High PriestFriend Chapter #245, Royal ArchMasons
of Ohio
Dear Commander Clark:
Thanks for the new 2009 calendar.In looking through it, I know
thatthe POW (June) in Moosburg, Ger-many is my husband. We’ve
beenmarried 62 years and I know thatbody! What a pleasant
surprise!James A Glasson, Jr., 85 years oldis in a nursing home in
CorpusChristi. I showed him the pictureyesterday. He just cried. He
enjoyedthe rest of the pictures also.Thanks.
Maxine Glasson, Taft, TX.
To Whom it may concern:Subject: HR23/S961
Merchant Seamen and Congress-men worked long and hard for
pas-sage of HR23 and S961, a smallpension for Merchant Seamen
ofWWII…only misinformation andunjustified opposition killed ourlast
chance.
Most of the US Congress agreedwith us that the seamen paid
theprice of war and the remaining Mer-chant Marines – average age
82 –deserve a pension and HR23/S961would have covered that
compel-ling obligation. It would have hadlittle or no effect on any
other VAprograms, VSOs or their member-ship.
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Ex-POW BulletinJanuary 2009
23
members forum continued...
Our government needed civilianvolunteers to sail those
merchantships all over the world carryingurgently needed supplies
for ourmilitary…even when we knew thatthe seamen had a high
casualtyrate…later shown to be as a groupthe highest in the war!
With one intwenty-six KIA…733 shipssunk…240 Mariners were killed
be-fore Pearl Harbor, 604 becamePOWs. Others died as 54
merchantships struck mines. The seamenhave no
battlefields…notombstones…and no bodies to burywith a bugler
sounding TAPS.
It appears to me that ongoing pres-sure from some VSOs
leadershiplobbying Congressional legislatorswas successful…S961 was
effec-tively stopped. That fits with theVSOs 60 year effort to stop
anyhonorarium or compensation forthe WWII Merchant Seamen.
Well, it’s eight bells and our watchis over…time has run out for
the8000 ancient mariners remainingfrom WWII. These American sea-men
with their valiant gun crewsand all the Merchant Marines world-wide
who sailed the supplyships…challenging the ruthlessstorm-ripped
seas the world overand for years suffered the life anddeath
struggle from the mercilessterror of war at sea…all have a
cou-rageous heroes’ history that will lifeforever!
Paul W McIntyrePO Box 410224San Francisco, CA 94141(Editor’s
note: The above letterwas cut for length.)
Dear Cheryl,
This may be of interest to ourreaders:
Sixty-four years ago, my husband’sB-24 bomber was shot down
overAustria. The pilot, Al Henning, wastrying to urge the crippled
aircraft
to a landing in Maribor, Yugoslavia.The partisans were always
watch-ing for downed airmen in order tohelp them back to their own
lines.Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be. Bail-out was called and the
men prettymuch landed near each other inStyria, Austria. Two men
went downwith the plane. All the others gotout.
My husband, Tom, often told me ofthe episode. He came down in
abeautiful field on the side of amountain. Having been seen by
thetownspeople, he knew he would betheir captive. Afte the gang
werestopped from beating him anymore, he was taken to a local
jail.There he found his othercrewmates – his pilot, turret gun-ner,
Jimmy Smith and ball turretgunner, Warren Smith.
From there they were turned
