PRESS RELEASE

April 17, 2006

JPAC, VNOSMP to hold Repatriation Ceremony on April 18, 2006 in Da Nang

Detachment Two, Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), in conjunction with the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP), will hold a Repatriation Ceremony on Tuesday, 18 April 2006, at 11:00 AM at Da Nang International Airport, Socialist Republic of Vietnam.    During this ceremony, the VNOSMP will transfer custody of one set of remains believed to be that of an American missing in action (MIA) from the war in Southeast Asia.  A U.S. military honor guard will place the remains onto a United States Air Force aircraft for repatriation to the United States.  Joint U.S.-Vietnamese teams recovered the remains and material evidence from a site in the western highlands of Vietnam during the 84th Joint Field Activity in February and March 2006.

The first stop in the United States will be the JPAC, Central Identification Laboratory, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. The JPAC, Central Identification Laboratory is the executive agent of the United States Department of Defense for identifying the remains of all servicemen and servicewomen.

There are currently more than 1,380 Americans unaccounted-for in Vietnam.  Seeking the fullest possible accounting of Americans unaccounted-for as a result of the war in Southeast Asia is a matter of high national priority for the United States.  The U.S. welcomes and appreciates the cooperation and assistance of the Vietnamese government in this and future field operations.

Members of the news media interested in attending the April 18 event in Da Nang should obtain permission from their usual contacts within the Government of Vietnam to cover this event.  Members of the news media with questions about this event may contact the Detachment Two Deputy Commander, Major Jay Rutter, at telephone number (04) 734-3967. 

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