SwiftVets.com

NavyChief · Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 7:23 pm Post subject: IT'S A small WORLD...

Joining this website in August and throwing my two cents worth into the discussion surrounding the SBVT controversy, I had no idea what a small world this would be.

I worked on the US/Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIA with various Senators, Congressmen, STATE and DOD officials for 4 years. This is where my first encounter with Senator Kerry came from. His office was aloof in our work on this important issue. They refused to participate in our findings and hard work to account for American POW/MIAS from WWII, Korea, Cold War, and Vietnam -- even though Senator Kerry was appointed the Co-Chairman of the Vietnam War Working Group by President Bush Sr in 1992.

As you can see, my two worlds came together while working with the SBVT and the POW/MIA issue. And now I rejoice in the union of the SBVT and the POWs for Truth. This issue is tying my fate to this cause even more every day.

Strangely, one of the very incidents (13 Mar 69) of which we've been working so deligently on in the past two months, has even more significance than I thought. You see, the USS WASHTENAW COUNTY (LST-1166) was one of the main focus for our attention in nailing down the timeline of what happened that day. Yet, miles away another little known ship, USS SPHINX (ARL-24) was providing its support to the war effort. Many years later, in 1988, the USS SPHINX became my home for a year in Central America. She was very special to me as my first tour on a Navy Ship. Again, the irony of the SPHINX and WASHTENAW COUNTY would cross again, but only known to myself. Our homeport was Rodman Naval Base, Panama City, Panama. Unbeknowst to me at the time, the large LST that sat 100 yards away from our pier was the WASHTENAW COUNTY. She had been sold to a Panamanian company and was sitting right there all along. Of course, she had no markings of the USS at the time. Nor, did she have her previous glorious coloring of "Haze Grey".

I had even reported at one time that the ship was obviously collecting intelligence on the incoming traffic into the Panama Canal. My Commanding Officer was a little surprised by this as we all believed at the time that she was being run by the Panamanians, at a time previous to our invasion of that country. Now I find out that she was being used by our own CIA, which I've worked with in the past. It's a small world.

Very few people know of which I'm about to divulge regarding my time with the POW/MIA office. I have been waiting to tell someone about this, since I've been working with the actions in Vietnam for the past several months.

In 1995, shortly after I returned from a tour at the American Embassy in Moscow, Russia, our office received information that the Polish government had compiled a list of some 12,500 names of Americans MIA from WWII, Korea, Cold War and Vietnam. You should remember that Poland was a Soviet Union satellite country for many years. They were quick to capitalize on their freedom from the Soviet Union and it's downfall in late 1991. The Polish government had been in charge of the IRCR mission, which saw many of our POWs in captivity in Vietnam and had access to them when our own government did not. They claimed to know the disposition of these 12,500 American servicemen and were willing to give us the information if done secretly. During this timeframe, President Clinton wanted Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary to join the NATO alliance to bolster his legacy. In an effort to slow down their joining NATO and use the POW/MIA issue to our advantage and get this list, Senator Robert Smith (NH-R) managed to place a stipulation in the Treaty allowing these countries to join NATO. Senator Smith had been doing most of the work as another Co-Chairman of the Vietnam War Working Group, while Senator Kerry's absense was felt keenly during those years of the Democratic run Executive Branch. Our office found no friends in the Clinton administration to help us in our struggle to account fully for our POW/MIAs and Kerry's influence would have been essential to secure that assistance. It never came. The stipulation placed in the Treaty was intended to allow our office to prepare for a trip to Poland and retrieve this list. We finally came to an agreement with the Polish officials and made our travel arrangements to retrieve the list. Alas, President Clinton took it upon himself to declare that all three countries had been forthcoming in a full accounting of any and all information regarding American POW/MIAs from WWII to the present. Our office was crushed! We had worked so hard and carefully to get that list and with a deft swoop of the pen -- President Clinton had defeated all our efforts.

An immediate protest went up from our office to the President (after all, we were the Presidential Commission tasked with this effort). President Clinton had not consulted with us before his declaration, nor did any of his staff. Everyone within the STATE Department and DOD were baffled when confronted with the knowledge, that our office had not given the President the green light. Once, the President had been confronted by this information, he replied that he had been told that a full accounting was achieved. Not a single person in the government (and certainly not our office), was willing to confess to this outrageous defeat. All eyes had turned to the one Commissioner who had the authority to speak on behalf of POW/MIA issues. The one who was a senior Senator amongst the Democratic Party and had access to the President's ear. The one who never showed up to work on this issue. The one who had already closed the case on the POW/MIA issue from the Vietnam War.

To really know the truth why President Clinton had done this to the families and friends of 12,500 American servicemen, will probably never come to light. We shall never know for sure if our candidate to whom President Clinton stated in his DNC speech said, "Send Me" for the POW issue, was responsible for the statement that a full accounting had been achieved. We shall never know this for sure and it can only be called speculation by those on the outside. But a few of us who worked this issue to the core of our beings -- we will know. We will bear the knowledge that our political system is ugly. We will know when we look at the families of those who have not found closure.

I will know that this is indeed a small world.

- Chief
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Working with Senator Kerry four years in the POW/MIA Office left me thinking -- when did the man ever do any work?

hanna · Rear Admiral Joined: 07 Aug 2004 Posts: 701

That makes me absolutely sick:((( Is there any way now, to get that list?

NavyChief · Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 7:40 pm Post subject:

hanna · Rear Admiral Joined: 07 Aug 2004 Posts: 701

Lord forgive me, I HATE Kerry so much;((

dmackto · Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 7:51 pm Post subject:

Chief, If it's ok with you I would like to publish that story word for word on my website.
_________________
Deborah
The FROZEN CHICKEN Journal

This is no time for ease and comfort. It is the time to dare and endure.
- Winston Churchill

NavyChief · Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 7:52 pm Post subject:

dmackto · Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 8:10 pm Post subject:

It's a very powerful and upsetting story. Thank you for sharing it and for all you have done for the cause. Congrats on your retirement as well.
_________________
Deborah
The FROZEN CHICKEN Journal

This is no time for ease and comfort. It is the time to dare and endure.
- Winston Churchill

WebTalk · Lt.Jg. Joined: 21 Aug 2004 Posts: 147

Navy Chief
This is really hard to digest.
Why wouldn't those 12,500 families as a group demand that this story be told and force the issue to be heard and obtain their closure.
Is it so different from those 9/11 wives?

What authority level in this Joint Commission did Kerry hold?
_________________
America voted for solid LEADERSHIP and gave "W" a mandate to carry on.
God Blessed America! Again!

azpatriot · Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 8:41 pm Post subject:

NavyChief · Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 8:50 pm Post subject:

1991932 · Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 9:37 pm Post subject: ...small world

Fascinating post, Chief. You highlight the political realities in our world.

Was this the same Commission that resulted in Colliers International getting that huge real estate deal from the Vietnamese government back in 1992? Colliers, of course, is run by John Kerry's cousin Stewie. That happened after the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA's shut down. It sounds like they are two different commissions, however. Anyway, it's very seedy stuff.

Did Donald P. Bellisario use your account as the basis for a couple of episodes on JAG a few years ago? They often take stuff from the real world for their story lines. This particular one dealt with an F-4 pilot who was shot down over North Viet Nam and ended up in the hands of the Soviets. He eventually died there. I know I just confessed to watching CBS, but JAG is a great and patriotic show.

This was my first time (posting). Do you mind if I smoke?
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Former "War Criminal"

dmackto · Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 9:40 pm Post subject:

I posted the story and along with it some research links including those regarding his destroying of documents and the Forbes Vietnam Real Estate contract.

It's on the first page of the blog and or go directly to it by clicking here.

(edited to make the link work)
_________________
Deborah
The FROZEN CHICKEN Journal

This is no time for ease and comfort. It is the time to dare and endure.
- Winston Churchill

Becky · Seaman Joined: 24 Aug 2004 Posts: 179 Location: Georgia

CTW · Rear Admiral Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 691

NavyChief: Wow! I must reread all you shared and try to fully digest it. Frankly, I am in tears at the moment. Please tell all you can about this. I have so many questions..not well formed at the moment. What was McCain's role in this, if any? Wasn't he on a or the committe? Any other vets or POW's involved in this? Have you ever met with Lt. Col Patterson? He writes about the $10,000 cash he delivered to Viet Nam reps for the remains of some POW's. Any contact with him? He was military aide during Clinton's admin. I am reading his books now (Want to get really upset everybody? read his books!) What happened to your office and those assigned to work on this effort? Well, I need to go reread and think. Thank you NavyChief..It's an honor. CTW

Never Ever Kerry

Becky · Seaman Joined: 24 Aug 2004 Posts: 179 Location: Georgia