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Briefly....early February 2010
Major General Stephen Tom assumed command of JPAC from Rear Admiral Donna Crisp on Friday.
The ceremony was hosted by PACOM Commander, Admiral Robert Willard. DASD Bob Newberry and Principal
Director Ed Frothingham represented DPMO at the ceremony.
DASD Newberry formed a new WWII division comprised of three branches and 22 personnel
within DPMO’s Research and Analysis directorate. The new division will integrate and increase
DPMO’s WWII accounting efforts and develop a sustainable approach to that mission.
The DPMO-hosted Family Update in Orlando saw 142 MIA family members in attendance.
Of that number, 76 were first time attendees. Since 1995, the Family Update programs have
reached more than 14,000 people in these face-to-face sessions with DoD POW/MIA specialists.
DPMO information technology specialists visited JPAC late January to discuss how to
implement an information sharing mechanism to increase access to information by the staff at DPMO,
JPAC, AFDIL, and the service SCO’s.
DPMO is researching the possible loss of an Australian POW from the Korean War,
whose remains may be comingled within the 208 boxes of remains turned over by the DPRK 1990-94.
Analysts estimate that as many as 400 missing personnel may be represented within those boxes,
including United Nations personnel.
*HIGHLIGHTS*
Newberry Appointed New DASD:
Mr. Bob Newberry has been appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/Missing Personnel Affairs and Director of the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office. He had served previously in DPMO as acting DASD. During his Air Force career, he served three combat tours in Southeast Asia flying the F-4 Phantom, and three tours in Europe flying the Air Force’s A-10 Warthog, as well as a two-year assignment flying with the U.S. Marine Corps. He comes to DPMO from leadership positions in Asia-Pacific matters, counternarcotics, counterterrorism, special operations and many other significant mission areas in the Department of Defense.
2009 POW/MIA Recognition Day And Poster:
This year's POW/MIA Recognition Day was commemorated on September 18, the third Friday of the month. This is the traditional day of the month for that observance each year. Ceremonies were held across the country in large and small cities, in major and minor league baseball parks, in veterans' posts and chapters, on U.S. military bases and elsewhere. At the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates hosted a ceremony, with presentations by Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General James E. Cartwright, with keynote remarks delivered by former POW Admiral (and Senator) Jeremiah Denton. Video and photos of the Pentagon ceremony are available for viewing.
In response to overwhelming demand, we ordered additional commemorative posters which are now available. We do not have an unlimited supply, so please place your order online quickly or they will no longer be available. You may also order the posters by phone at 703-699-1131, or by regular mail at: DPMO, Attn: Posters, 241 18th Street South, Suite 800, Arlington, VA 22202. Whether ordering by phone or by letter, please specify your name, number of posters, mailing address and telephone number.
POW/MIA Bracelet Inquiries:
Members of the public often contact DPMO requesting information on serviceman for whom they wore a Vietnam War POW/MIA bracelet. They usually wish to contact the person or his family so they can send them the bracelet that they wore. Since we cannot provide the public with private addresses we have on file, we recommend forwarding a postage-affixed letter to the respective serviceman's casualty office (see links below) with a cover letter explaining the request. If the service casualty office has a current address, they will forward the letter to the serviceman or his family. At that point, the serviceman or family member may choose to contact the concerned citizen and provide them with an address to send the bracelet. There is no guarantee that this process will work. Many of the former POWs are no longer in contact with their service casualty office and this also applies to the families.
2008 China Archives Arrangement:
U.S. and Chinese officials signed a document February 29, 2008, in Shanghai, China to formalize research in Chinese archives on Korean War POW/MIA matters. Ambassador Charles A. Ray, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/Missing Personnel Affairs, signed the arrangement with Major General Qian Li Hua of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense. The arrangement outlines expected cooperation between the U.S. and China in researching the archives, which may shed light on Americans who were missing in action or held as prisoners of war in camps managed by the Chinese. CLICK HERE to read the English and Chinese versions of the document. CLICK HERE to read the follow-up arrangement that was signed on April 24, 2008, which described in more specific detail the types of Korean War documents to be examined, as well as general timelines and actions to be carried out by both sides.
Links To Military Services:
If you would like to visit the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps POW/MIA websites, click on the icons below.
ARMY
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NAVY
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AIR FORCE
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MARINE CORPS |
CLICK HERE for detailed information on Service Casualty Offices Points of Contact
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VIDEO:
KEEPING THE PROMISE
DPMO MISSION BRIEFING
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