Senior Pentagon Leaders Honor POW/MIA Sacrifices During National Recognition Day

By Shannon Collins DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, September 18, 2015 — Tears streamed down the face of former Army Technician Grade 5 Robert “Bob” T. Davis, a World War II prisoner of war, as the honor guard marched across the Pentagon’s River Parade Field, to post the colors before the defense secretary and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff addressed the solemn crowd.

“In a year of anniversaries – when we mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War’s end, the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the 40th anniversary of the Vietnam War’s end – today we remember that even when war ends, not everyone comes home,” said Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described his own way of honoring Operation Iraqi Freedom missing-in-action service members who served under his command from 2003 to 2004.

'Make It Matter'

“On my desk, less than 100 yards from where we stand, sits a small wooden box. And inside that box, there’s small laminated cards with a picture of every service member lost in Iraq under my command from 2003 to 2004," Dempsey said. "And on that box are inscribed three simple words, ‘Make It Matter.’

"I carry three of those cards in my pocket at all times. That’s all the inspiration I need to try to make my decisions matter, to make their sacrifices matter, to make my life matter," the chairman added. "The lives and the sacrifices of those we honor today matter. They matter to me, and they matter to our nation.”

Dempsey said he’s fond of the Marine Corps’ slogan, “Semper Fidelis’ [always faithful] “because they don’t just say it, they live it. It’s more ethos than slogan. The words ‘We Will Never Forget’ are more than just a slogan. They are a powerful, animating force for those individuals and organizations who dedicate their purpose to fulfilling our nation’s promise -- a promise to unite every prisoner of war and every service member still missing in action with their loved ones.

"'We will never forget' is a constant call to make it matter, to stay the course until the job is done until every family is made whole again,” Dempsey said.

'A Long Way Home'

Davis said it was an honor to meet the Carter, and it will give him bragging rights back home. After landing in France nine days after D-Day, he fought in the battles at Saint-Lo and Mortain before he was captured by German soldiers and spent six months in a POW camp.

“It was a tough battle. Our company was wiped out,” said Davis, a 91-year old Ocean City, New Jersey, resident. “We were in the town of St. Bartholomew in France when we were captured, and then I was in a prison camp close to Trent in Poland. We were starving to death. All we got was a ladle of soup and a slice of bread a day. We just went down to nothing.

"Then the Russians came in, killed all of the Germans, and I walked all the way across Poland to as far as Lublin, and then the Russians picked us up and took us to Odessa [Ukraine]. It was a long way home,” Davis said.

Remembering Those Who Never Came Home

He said he had never seen a ceremony like the event today and it brought tears to his eyes. It was also his first time back at the Pentagon since 1945.

“It was an unbelievable experience,” Davis added. “I can’t believe I shook hands with the Secretary of Defense.”

For Thomas “Tom” Horio, a former Army Specialist 6, attending the event was more about honoring the fallen.

“We were working the Cambodian border and our firebase got overrun,” Horio said, a Vietnam POW. “I was on [listening post] duty, and we were captured by the North Vietnamese," he said. "I spent six months in a Cambodian jungle camp, and then we walked up to Hanoi along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. I spent a little over three years at Hanoi."

Horio said he attends events like this for the fallen who were not recovered during his stay.

“This is not for me, but for the people who are still there, because there were two or three guys who were killed in our jungle camp, and they’ve never recovered the remains," Horio said. "It’s in remembrance for them really that I come."

He said he hopes others will honor and respect the fallen.

“We served our country, and we served it well, and we honored the Code of Conduct,” Horio said. “Remember the fallen. They tried to honor their country and keep the Code of Conduct, and that’s the reason they’re not here.”

The Mission Continues

Carter said there are still 73,515 missing from World War II; 7,841 missing from the Korean War; 126 missing from the Cold War; and 1,626 missing from the Vietnam War.

The Defense Department is harnessing new technology and investing in advances in forensic science to identify previously unidentifiable remains of some of the fallen, Carter said.

“We’re also using new communication channels to keep in touch with families of the missing,” he said.

One of the improvements the department has made is the creation of the new Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which combined the activities and resources of three different organizations and more than 600 staff members. Amid the reorganization, Carter said they identified 67 missing service members this year.

“We are the defense organization that is responsible for doing the research, investigation, field recoveries and identifications of those who have never returned from all of our past wars,” said Michael Linnington, DPAA director. “We’re expanding our operations through strategic partnerships, and we’re going to try and significantly increase the number of folks we identify and provide answers to family members in the years to come.”

Linnington, who retired from the Army after 35 years of service, said he was inspired to talk to the six POWs in attendance.

“Today is one day, but this commitment to recovering our missing from previous wars is an all-year enduring effort," Linnington said. "So I appreciate the commitment of our families, our family groups, everybody in DoD, and all of our partners to continuing this as we go forward. There are 365 days like today for our organization, and we appreciate all of the collaboration we can get.”

Carter said he was committed to bringing all service members home.

 “Every soldier, sailor, airman, Marine and Coast Guardsman should know that we will --I will -- do everything we can to bring them back to their families,” he said.

Fairchild, Spokane first responders participate in joint exercise

by Airman 1st Class Taylor Bourgeous
92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

9/18/2015 - SPOKANE, Wash. -- Fairchild Air Force Base Airmen worked together with Spokane County emergency response agencies during a

Major Accident Response Exercise that involved a simulated crash of a KC-135 Stratotanker Sept. 15, at Riverside State Park in Spokane, Washington.

The exercise kicked off Tuesday morning when the FAFB air traffic control tower received a mock distress call from the incoming aircraft stating it lost power to all four engines due to multiple bird strikes and was going down. Shortly after the fake distress call, the tower lost all radio contact with the aircraft.

More than 25 first responders from Fairchild and Spokane County arrived at the simulated crash site, including the Spokane County Sheriff's Department, Spokane Fire Department and Fairchild's Fire Department, Security Forces, Medical, Safety, Public Affairs, and Bioenvironmental teams. The "accident scene" consisted of actual aircraft parts, medical dummies and other real and simulated debris that would likely be encountered at an aircraft crash site.

Once on scene, on and off base agencies worked together to ensure they were communicating and integrating effectively and were in compliance with all inspection checklists.

"There are just a lot of things, training-wise, that we're doing together," said Kimo Kuheana, 92nd Civil Engineer Squadron fire chief.  "It's just huge overall for Spokane County. We have better responders now."

In a real-world aircraft crash scenario, the incident commanders would have to work together to contain any fires, cordon off the crash site and keep all civilians and media out of the immediate area. In addition to controlling all of these factors they would have to make sure not to disturb any of the aircraft debris and protect any human remains.

A mutual aid agreement exists between the base and local community that allows Air Force resources to be used to assist with off-base incidents when local response capabilities are either overwhelmed or don't exist, such as the recent HAZMAT response at Pacific Steel in Spokane.

"They've got resources we simply just don't have," said Brian Schaeffer, District 9 Assistant Fire Chief. "Within the last couple of years, especially with the leadership that is out at Fairchild now, the willingness to go off base and be a part of the community with emergency resources is unsurpassed."

For the past two years, Fairchild has been working with local emergency responders during monthly training as part of the mutual aid agreement. Having these agencies working side by side allows for quicker response and higher probability of saving lives and protecting property.

"All agencies worked well together," said Master Sgt. Joel Jones, 92nd Air Refueling Wing flight safety superintendent. "It is always a great experience when we can pull all of the base and local emergency services together for a joint exercise."

MWD, handler certify in detection

by Senior Airman Christine Halan
100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

9/17/2015 - RAF MILDENHALL, England  -- Military Working Dog handlers are responsible for the training and care of their feisty companions. These teams provide RAF Mildenhall the protection and deterrence night and day - and they are certified in their trade.

Staff Sgt. Roy Carter, 100th Security Forces Squadron, and MWD Luc have been a dynamic duo since July 2015. They recently took their initial detection certification to ensure they're fit to fight.

This certification is initially done within a few months of the team working together, verifying the team is succeeding in their overall mission - explosive or drug detection.

Both dog and handler underwent inspection Sept. 8, 2015, while being observed by Team Mildenhall leadership.

The team's goal during the initial certification is to find 10 different training aids which are placed randomly within an open area, vehicles and buildings. The training aids, which resemble items that they would find in a real-world mission, must be found within a certain time limit that can vary depending on the situation they are put in.

"We have to show we're maintaining that standard. Not everybody is perfect, so there's a little bit of room [for error]," said Carter.

Held to high standards, bomb detector teams have to be 95 percent reliable. Drug dogs must also display their keen sense of smell by hitting the odors 90 percent of the time.

Carter and MWD Luc, they made the job look easy. Within a mere 40 minutes, the duo was able to locate all 10 aids, making them 100 percent successful.

Unfortunately, not all teams are as effective. If a team is unable to complete the task, they are then given 30-day of remedial training which incorporates MWD, handler and kennel master, in vigorous drills.

"Staff Sgt. Joseph Serrano, 100th Security Forces Squadron MWD kennel master and trainer, does a lot of work with us. He loves going out there to train," said Carter. "He pushes us by making it as tough as possible, leading up to certification, which makes the certification not quite as tough."

Although Carter and Luc make the job look easy, their accomplishment isn't possible without the extensive and continuous training.

"Everything they do leading up to it is a lot more difficult," Carter explained. "Pushing you to think outside of the box and to push your dog to different limits, it's challenging, but worth it."

Although demanding, the certification is only one step in the many mission requirements for a dog and their handler to stay fit to fight.

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Searches for the Missing

By Air Force Staff Sgt. Brian Kimball DoD News Features, Defense Media Activity

SEMBACH, Germany, September 18, 2015 — September 1 marked the 76th anniversary of the German invasion of Poland, which led Britain and France to declare war against Germany, setting off World War II.

During the period from 1939 to 1945, approximately 400,000 U.S. service members lost their lives. Many of those troops were brought home to be buried in the United States, but more than 73,000 Americans missing from the war still remain unaccounted for and are considered missing in action.

Streamlining Recovery Efforts

After the war ended in 1945, the U.S. government began an effort to recover those MIA’s and developed an initiative known as, “The Return of World War II Dead Program,” which focused its efforts on finding the locations of aircraft crash sites, disinterment of temporary military gravesites and researching records on former battlefields in order to locate those left behind.

Over the years, the recovery efforts continued under a variety of defense agencies, most recently the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. The agency was established in January to strengthen and consolidate DoD’s global investigation and recovery efforts for American service members while increasing their overall capabilities as an organization. The agency consolidated three organizations: the Defense Prisoner of War Missing Personnel Office, the Joint Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Command and the Life Sciences Equipment Laboratory.

“[Our] priority, as we work through our reorganization, is to maintain the mission and our ongoing operations," said DPAA Director Michael Linnington, a retired U.S. Army three-star general. "It’s a difficult task, but it is one that we are proud to be a part of, and we are going to continue as we move forward.”

And that is exactly what is currently taking place. The day that marked the beginning of Britain’s and France’s involvement in World War II 76 years ago is the same day this year that three DPAA teams performed recovery missions in Europe to help find Americans missing in action from World War II.

5 Missing Airmen

One team near the area of Richelsdorf, Germany, is searching for five missing airmen who went down with their B-24 Liberator in September 1944. The team has successfully recovered bone matter along with personal effects and life support equipment from the wreckage, but much more work is still to be done. The recovered items must be analyzed, cataloged and correctly identified with 100 percent accuracy. Much of that work will be completed at the DPAA Forensic Identification Lab located at Joint-Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii.

Robert Ingraham, a forensic archeologist and recovery leader with DPAA, led the recovery team in Germany.

“Our specialist will look at all lines of evidence to [determine] a legally sound identification for the individuals we are recovering,” he said.

In the future, the organization is making it a priority to increase and streamline communication efforts with the family members of those who still have missing loved ones abroad, as well as increase public-private partnerships that enhance global recovery efforts.

While some families of the missing have not yet received the closure that they so long hoped for, the people of DPAA have made a commitment to continue the search, keeping with their motto, “Until they are home.”

Stories from Vietnam: Into the assassin's den

by Karen Petitt
375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

9/12/2015 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Illinois -- Editor's Note:  This is a first in a series on Scott's Vietnam Veterans, and is part of the DoD's 50th Anniversary Commemoration of the Vietnam War.

Low on fuel, a radio call came over the net directing a search for a downed American pilot. Capt. Keith Sawyer was returning from directing an air strike in the mountains north of Saigon, the capital city of Vietnam in 1963, and instantly headed to the new coordinates.

As a Forward Air Controller, his job was to fly low to the ground in his L-19 (O-1A) "Bird Dog" aircraft to mark targets with smoke grenades or white phosphorus rockets called "Willie-Petes," signaling enemy positions for fighter aircraft to come in behind and destroy. On this mission he would have helped signal a rescue mission.

He searched for the pilot when red and yellow tracer rounds shot past him, and he suddenly realized it was a trap. The Viet Cong had infiltrated the radio signals, and finding himself sandwiched between a narrow pass in the valley and unable to turn, he braced himself to fly right through it.

Unable to perform defensive maneuvers, he prayed that he and his back seat South Vietnamese observer would make it back to base alive. He stayed fixated on his near-empty fuel tank until he arrived back at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, a major operating air field during the Vietnam War from 1959 through the Fall of Saigon in 1975.

"After we landed, everyone came out to inspect our aircraft to count the number of bullet holes, but there weren't any," said Sawyer, now a retired colonel who served in the Air Force for 30 years. "That alone was incredible, but we also checked our fuel because my gauges showed empty for most of the flight home. They got out a measuring stick. It came out dry. They went to the lowest point in the fuel tank and came out with one cup of fuel. From then on, everyone wanted to fly with me because of my 'invisible shield,' although I know it was divine intervention."

That divine intervention would last throughout his year-long service in Vietnam from April 24, 1963 to April 24, 1964 as he accumulated 600 flying hours that included 386 combat missions. This 26-year-old would become so good at finding, targeting and thus destroying important enemy targets that he would earn the prestigious Distinguished Flying Cross as well as the Air Medal with 16 oak leaf clusters--awarded to aviators who distinguished themselves in flight. He also became a target for enemy assassins.

Once, he landed on a road by a small village and walked in to coordinate air cover with the local Vietnamese army commander. The mission was delayed so he explored the two streets that made up the village. The mission was subsequently called off due to lack of enemy contact so Sawyer started walking back to his plane when a U.S. Army advisor came out of a house and told him an assassination squad had been seen in town that was after him. The price on his head was $500.

"That was a very small village that I had been walking around in that day," he said. "And the Viet Cong assassins only made $6 a month, so you can imagine the incentive that kind of money could give them. How we didn't see them or they see us as we walked around was unbelievable."

Another time he was in a Chinese restaurant near the hotel where he stayed in Saigon. Always on the lookout for the enemy, he selected a table near an exit and mapped out an escape plan--just in case. Before he finished his meal, two assassins burst through the front door with grenades in their hands. They pursued him on foot as Sawyer ran back toward his hotel, shooting at them with a pistol he always carried. Near his hotel, guards caught and killed one of assassins while the other one escaped.

This became the new normal for him, but it didn't deter him from his efforts in performing his missions. He cared about his safety because he had a young wife and 2½ year-old-daughter at home who were counting on him to return, but he said he also had the reassurance from his ecclesiastical leaders before he left that "evil would be banished from his footsteps."

"I was protected every day I was there, and I saw that protection in dramatic ways ... and sometimes in not so dramatic ways. Sometimes I was protected merely by the choices I made," he said.

For instance, he had made a vow to keep Sunday a day that was holy by going to church and refraining from entertainment. Once he declined a Sunday evening event at a movie theater and that very night it was attacked and 20 people were killed--right where he normally sat.

"I am not sure all the reasons why I was protected while so many others died. I knew men who lost their lives or who were shot down and became prisoners. I wrestled with this and like many, I felt guilty for surviving. Towards the end of my tour, I was assigned one mission that a visiting U.S. Air Force pilot asked to take. He was killed on that mission and that is hard to live with. I did my duty, but when I was just a week from coming home, I did not want to put myself in unnecessary risk just to achieve a 'milestone' such as my 400th combat mission. I saw others try to do that, only to lose their lives. I just decided that what was important was focusing on going home. So, during that week I flew 'safer' missions."

Going home could have been a challenge, but the faith and moxie of his wife, Amy Jo, made that adjustment not only bearable, but healing as well.

It was during this time that America was just beginning to see the impact of the growing military action. Ho Chi Minh had declared Independence after World War II and began a revolution to unify North and South Vietnam under his communist rule. What followed was a lengthy build up to war that by 1975 had killed nearly three million Vietnamese and claimed 58,000 American lives.

It was in 1963 that a Buddhist monk would soak himself in gas and set fire to himself at a main intersection in Saigon as part of a political protest. Back home, President John F. Kennedy would be assassinated and the South erupt with Civil Rights demonstrations in Birmingham, Ala.

Adding to the turmoil were images that brought the vicious fighting of Vietnam into everyone's living rooms showing how Americans were becoming more entrenched in the region. These images documented the bloody casualties on the ground and air strikes that left the jungles ablaze, leaving Amy Jo haunted with every news report of a downed aircraft near Saigon. She'd have to wait for days--even weeks--to find out if her husband was yet alive.

"Can you imagine not knowing?" she said. "I would read the newspapers and then just wait. I knew of Keith's blessing of protection, but he didn't tell me all that was going on with him. In fact, there are stories that he'll tell now that I'm still learning about. I know he worked hard to protect me from the dangers he faced. I just did a lot of praying and tried to live each day as normally as I could. It's not like today's families who are able to Skype to where they're serving. No, we didn't have anything like that. Today's families are blessed to have such instant communication."

Amy Jo proved wise as she kept a picture of him next to her daughter's bed and told her stories every night. That, he said, made all the difference when he came home a year later.

"Instead of being afraid of me, she ran into my arms and recognized me as her daddy," he said. "I consider that one of the greatest gifts my wife gave to me while I was gone. It meant everything to me to have my daughter know me and it speaks well of the efforts Amy Jo went to keep our home a safe and happy place while I was gone."

They had married when just 19 years old. He was a farmer near Gilbert, Ariz., and during the age of the cotton cash crops, he managed quite well for himself. She was a musically gifted and cultured "city girl" from Mesa. They had known each other since age 16, and once married they attended college where he joined the ROTC program and eventually committed to serving in the Air Force before being drafted into another branch of service.

During this time, his brother, Darrell, who had always dreamt of being a pilot, not only acquired his pilot's license but became the flight instructor who taught Keith how to fly. Those flying lessons came in handy during his service in Vietnam where he flew so low that he could see the enemy submerged in the river breathing through bamboo reeds.

Sawyer's many missions were dangerous and harrowing. He took lives. He saved lives. And he, like many veterans, suffered symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, including nightmares and hyper sensitivity. Unlike veterans of today, there were no support groups and no PTSD therapy for Vietnam veterans. But, gradually, his nightmares disappeared, he said, as he continued to freely share his experiences with friends and family.

"There are many who still don't talk about their experiences even today," he explained. "I've always been able to talk about mine, so I think that has been its own type of therapy in a way."

After his tour in Vietnam, the farming industry was at a low point for Arizona, due to drought, so Sawyer decided to stay in the Air Force where he often returned to Vietnam between 1965 through 1974. This time he flew C-124 and C-141 cargo aircraft that brought in supplies to the troops throughout the country and he often airlifted the wounded back to the U.S. He continued a career in cargo aircraft settling into the C-141s becoming a squadron commander and a mission planner for several highly visible operations, including bringing the first round of POWs home from Hanoi.

Now, at age 78, with four children, 11 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild, he continues to serve in the community, at church and with his wife in her music activities. He said he plans to keep on sharing his memories as long as he's able and as long as there are people willing to hear the war stories from this Vietnam veteran.