Some are still alive
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tedboss2 — 20 years ago(February 21, 2006 10:47 PM)
do you have nay idea how many mothers ares till grieving over sons that they think are still being held prisoner? -mothers whos sons have been reported KIA/slaughtered beyond the point of recognition by the U.S. army, but by fault of the system still fall into the catagory of POW? people lead them on by believeing they are still alive. let them rest in peace, and i pray to god their mothers find peace as well.
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ragreen259 — 20 years ago(February 26, 2006 11:46 AM)
Not likely. You actually think that people can live in a damp cell with no medical attention for 35 years? And if it was confirmed in 1989, this is certainly the first I've heard of it of course, I'm sure you won't mind supplying s cite for that "fact," if you ever come back here after all this time.
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robin-lange — 20 years ago(March 12, 2006 11:51 PM)
Hi, just wanted you guys know that, while there may not have been any actual confirmation on them being alive in 1989, there certainly were indications that men were held after the war in Laos and Vietnam. Years later, there were still reports about them from refugees and relief aid workers working around the confused boarder regions of Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. Some reports were taken very seriously by the Regan adnminstration, serious enough to prepare an airborne invasion to free those men from a prison camp in Nommorath (sp?). This was in the early '80s. The plans were not carried out because someone warned Reagan about the consequences to his presidency should the rescue attempt fail like it did (then recently) with Carter's attempt to resuce the Iranian hostages.
Also, do check out a documentary done by the British, "We Can Keep You Forever", and books like "Kiss The Boys Goodbye" by Monica Jensen Stevenson.
What a tragedy. -
RugGuy — 16 years ago(December 05, 2009 10:32 AM)
This may be what the poster was referring to about being POWs still in Viet Nam was confirmed in 1989. He/she wasn't exactly correct, but close.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/trenches/mia.html -
willasmith38 — 19 years ago(October 09, 2006 03:40 PM)
I remember all through out the 1980
s and possibly beyond the Vietnamese government would release remains of US Service men, at regular intervals. They would be bones, meticulously cleaned and scraped of any matter. The U S Navy had- maybe still has a facility in Hawaii that had the task of Identifying the remains. The popular belief was that the remains were sent from Vietnam to the U.S whenever the unofficial POW- offically MIA died in prison. Why didnt our government do anything about itits politics.politics isnt about the truth or doing the right thing kids! Vietnam did it to the French too. North Korea also kept POWs from that war forevertill their death and beyond. Thats another dark secret. During the 1980s there were several attempts by a few different groups that actually entered Vietnam to try and find/rescue POW`s. One, who I think has been criticized as being a headline grabber is ex Green Beret Col Bo Gritz. I think he made two trys at it, ended up in a Vietnam jail on one trip.
With all this in mind, this movie had one hell of a powerful message when it was released in theaters.
Just my 2 cents from memorymaybe there is some info on the web too. -
OttoGaddin — 19 years ago(October 10, 2006 06:13 PM)
Yes and the Korean War which was only 3 years has the most MIA's/(POW's?) than any other War the U.S.has had in the 20th century (Poor Souls).From what I've read in the past, Vietnam released the French POW's only after certain repreations("behind doors") were made.As for those search and rescue missions in Vietnam for "possible"MIA/POW's it was rumored on at least on one of those missions some financial aid was provided from a well known actor at that time. Even though it was denied by that person/actor of any type participation in such a venture? does anybody else recall this rumor?(no names pls)..ButIMO in this matter since both sides are starting open the doors to dialogue and possible trade in the future Vietnam should give the U.S. and Especially THOSE families that have been effected by this Political SNAFU (mia/pow's) some type of closure of thier loved ones.They answered to the call wether they liked it or not. It's the least the U.S. and we as a whole could do to honor their Sacrafice as well as to their memory
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robin-lange — 19 years ago(October 19, 2006 10:30 PM)
Hi guys. Okay, there is a rumour going around that some men were returned to the US during the mid-80s and possibly into the '90s. These men were under what some call "secret returnee program", and, judging by what I have read, they were taken out/released from Vietnam and Laos as part of a secret arrangement and held in a secure Asian facilty. More likely this was started under the Reagan Administration. A third country was involved to signal to Vietnam that the US was ready and willing to bargain, something that they had never done before. The POWs (those left alive then) were airflown to this secret location: many were in bad shape, some died, some recovered and returned to Vietnam, most remain in hospitals to this day, and nearly all cannot speak a full English sentence.
In return for these POWs, the US agreed on trade priveleges and such, and maybe even agreed to normalise relationships with their former enemy. But whatever the case may be, if you keenly follow the Vietnam-US relationship from the war right up to the present, you will see a sudden jump in the "friendship" between the two nations (circa mid-90s), like as if something in the shadows took place and helped heal the wounds of war. I'll put my money on the fact that they did get at least some of their men back, and there were real efforts (not the PR stunts of digging up crash sites to appease the public nonsense) to find out the fate of those known to be alive in enemy hands at the end of the war, primarily in Laos.