From: Dave Murray <xdave43@injersey.com> Save Address - Block Sender
Reply-To: xdave43@injersey.com
To: Dave Murray <xdave43@injersey.com> Save Address
Subject: POW
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2000 22:34:41 -0500
Press Release from the Family of Commander Richard Rich, USN
Secretary of Defense William Cohen Uses Dad’s Crash Site as
Publicity
Stunt.
By Christopher Rich, (706) 731-XXXX
Son and Primary Next of Kin to Cdr. Richard Rich, USN
We are extremely grateful for the efforts of the Joint Task
Force for
Full Accounting for excavating the
crash site associated with my father, Commander Richard Rich,
USN,
during the much publicized visit of
the US Secretary of Defense William Cohen to Vietnam.
However, we object to the fact that this recovery operation is
being
used as a publicity stunt to give the
appearance of the Vietnamese governments “full cooperation” on
the
Prisoner of War and Missing in
Action issue. US Intelligence is well aware of the fact that the
Vietnamese could readily account for many
missing servicemen but they refuse to do so. Men known to be
Prisoners
of War were never returned.
The remains of men the Vietnamese admit died in captivity have
yet to be
returned.
The US Government should refrain from using recovery efforts to
bolster
the misconception of
Vietnamese “full cooperation,” when in fact Vietnam holds the
answers to
the fates of many, many
POWs left behind alive in captivity.
If remains retrieved from this crash site prove to be our dad,
we will
have our long sought closure. But
we will keep in mind that there are hundreds of American
families that
the Vietnamese could provide
answers for but have not. Those families deserve to have their
long
sought closure as well. The US
Government must press the Vietnamese on the men known to be held
prisoner of war and not returned,
while continuing efforts to recover remains.
-30-
|
