Rolling Thunder®, Inc - Missing Man

Rolling Thunder®, Inc - Chapter 1 New Mexico

Operation Missing Man

Missing Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, or Coast Guardsmen and their families deserve to be reunited on American soil. DNA is the key to ensuring that families of the missing reach closure.

The goal of "Operation Missing Man" is to assist Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) in obtaining DNA samples from families of service members currently listed as missing in action (MIA). Presently, there are 13 New Mexico and 113 Texas individuals listed as MIA from the Vietnam War, the Korean War and some from previous wars. (all of whom are listed below)

As of 25 June 2008 JPAC Central Identification Laboratory(JPAC CIL) has 21 sets of unidentified remains from New Mexico and 186 from Texas, at its Hickam Air Force Base headquarters in Hawaii. Each one has to be possitively identified by DNA match before they can be returned to their family and be buried with other family, all with the love and honor they deserve. As each day passes, and each of us ages it becomes more and more important to ensure that DNA that may help in future identification efforts of missing servicemen is preserved, because without DNA there is no way to positively identify current or future remains that are recovered.

Rolling Thunder® chapters are working to assist JPAC (Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command) in locating family members who are qualified to provide DNA samples that will assist in the identification of service members.

The information contained on this website is designed to reunite family and friends with the remains of their missing loved ones. The focus of this project is to locate families of missing service members. We can assist others with identifying resources to help them find their missing service members.

Feel free to email Rolling Thunder® NM-1 at infoseeker@rollingthundernm1.org

or contact the lead Rolling Thunder® chapter, North Carolina Chapter 4

at info@operationmissingman-nc.org for additional information.

“Greater love hath no man than this,

that he lay down his life for another”

John 15:13

We can pay no greater respect to those men and women who made that ultimate sacrifice in service to their country than to see that they are found, identified, and returned to American soil.

Rolling Thunder® as a national organization is dedicated to educating the public on all aspects of POW-MIA issues, and to assist wherever possible in the recovery and identification of POW and MIA personnel. Operation Missing Man is an ongoing Rolling Thunder® project particularly important to us. Working to inform and assist where possile all efforts to coordinate all the resources possible to identify remains that have been recovered but cannot yet be possitively identified.

DNA

Most people already know many details about the MIA recovery process. In short, when new remains are found that are believed to belong to MIA personnel, they are sent to the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command Central Identification Laboratory (JPAC-CIL) in Hawaii.

There they use many methods including personal items found at the site (dog tags, etc.), dental records, action reports, and finally DNA to make positive identifications. You can learn more about JPAC at http://www.jpac.pacom.mil.

You might wonder why they can’t instantly identify recovered remains from a DNA sample like forensic scientists do on TV. To do this they would need a pre-existing sample of DNA from all the missing service members to be identified, and DNA samples were not routinely collected from our service men and women until the Gulf War.

This is where you, as a friend or a family member of an MIA, can help. There are currently a number of recovered personnel awaiting identification, and by contributing DNA you might help identify some of them.

While nothing is guaranteed and we do not want to raise false hopes, it is possible that your DNA might either positively identify your own missing relative, or by process of elimination help identify someone else’s relative.

If you are a family member of an individual who is Missing in Action, JPAC CIL may be able to use a sample of your DNA to help them with the identification process.

Am I an eligible donor of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)?

The type of DNA used to identify remains is inherited only from the mother. This means that each person’s mother, as well as brothers, sisters, sister’s children and many other relatives share the same strain of Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).

This is useful because it means that mtDNA from relatives (sometimes quite distant ones) can be directly linked to mtDNA from unidentified remains. The downside is that children of a missing male cannot provide an mtDNA reference sample.

So unfortunately, JPAC cannot use a sample from just any family member – they can only use samples from family members who share the same mtDNA as the missing service member.

The gender of the missing person and the donor are irrelevant. In a family tree linking the donor to the missing person, every intermediate person connecting the donor to the missing person must be a female.

Are you an eligible donor? Only the relatives shown here in blue are suitable donors of mdDNA. Mitochondrial DNA is only passed on through the maternal line.

Maternal Grandmother

| | \

Aunt Mother Uncle

/ \ |

cousin female -- cousin male |

/ \ |

2 Cousin 2 cousin unaccounted for male -- sister -- brother

female male /

niece -- nephew

great niece -- great nephew

We Respect and Assure Your Privacy

The intent of this project is to bring home the service members who have fought so bravely for their country and their families and have made the ultimate sacrifice. These service members deserve to be reunited with their families, and their families deserve closure.

Rest assured that if you contact Rolling Thunder® or the government agencies involved, they will respect your privacy. The information that you provide will be used only for the purposes of assisting with remains identification and will not use it for any other purpose.

Rolling Thunder® nor the government agencies involved will not release your information to other government agencies or any other organizations.

But what if I am not a family member?

Anyone can help - even if you are not a family member. Do you know of a casualty or service member who is listed as "missing in action", perhaps someone from your home town or home state? Or a service member who served in the same unit with you, and you know their family, please let us know. With your help, we may be able to research the family's history to determine if there are living relatives from whom we can obtain DNA samples.

All contact information for the agencies involved is listed at the bottom of this page.

Missing Man Table

Honors Ceremony

For a single setting

known as the POW/MIA Ceremony

Moderator:

Those who have served and those currently serving the uniformed services of the United States are ever mindful that the sweetness of enduring peace has always been tainted by the bitterness of personal sacrifice. We are compelled to never forget that while we enjoy our daily pleasures, there are others who have endured and may still be enduring the agonies of pain, deprivation and internment.

Before we begin our activities this evening, we will pause to recognize our POW’s and MIA’s.

We call your attention to this small table, which occupies a place of dignity and honor near the head table. It is set for one, symbolizing the fact that members of our armed forces are missing from our ranks. They are referred to as POW’s and MIA’s.

We call them comrades.

They are unable to be with their loved ones and families tonight, so we join together to pay our humble tribute to them, and bear witness to their continued absence.

This table, set for one, is small, symbolizing the frailty of one prisoner, alone against his or her suppressors.

I would like to ask you to stand for a moment of silent prayer, as we contemplate their commitment and sacrifice, and pray for their return to their families.

Moderator continues:

Please be seated. I would like to explain the meaning of the items on this special table.

The table is round -- to show our everlasting concern for our missing men.

The tablecloth is white -- symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call to duty.

The single red rose, displayed in a vase, signifies the blood they have shed in sacrifice to ensure our freedom and reminds us of the loved ones and friends of these Americans who keep the faith, awaiting answers.

The yellow ribbon on the vase represents the yellow ribbons worn on the lapels of the thousands who demand with unyielding determination a proper accounting of our comrades who are not among us tonight.

A slice of lemon on the bread plate is to remind us of the bitter fate of those captured and missing in a foreign land.

The spilled salt symbolizes the countless fallen tears endured by those missing and their families as they wait.

The Bible represents the strength gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country, founded as one nation under God.

The candle is a symbol of the light of hope which shines in all our hearts to illuminate their way home, away from their captors, to the open arms of their families and of a grateful nation.

The glass is inverted -- to symbolize their inability to share in our gathering.

The chair is empty -- they are missing.

Let us remember and never forget their sacrifices.

May God forever watch over them and protect them and their families.

Let us now raise our water glasses in a toast to honor America's POW/MIAs and to the success of our efforts to account for them.

Play Taps

For a table of 6:

Moderator:

As you entered the dining area, you may have noticed a table at the front. It is raised to call your attention to its purpose -- it is reserved to honor our missing comrades.

Set for six, the empty places represent Americans missing from each of the five services - Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard - and civilians. This Honors Ceremony symbolizes that they are with us here in spirit.

Some here in this room were very young when they were sent into combat; however, all Americans should never forget our brave men and women who answered our nation's call our nation's call to arms and served the cause of freedom in a special way.

I would like to ask you to stand, and remain standing for a moment of silent prayer, as the Honor Guard places the five service covers and a civilian cap on each empty plate.

Honor Guard:

In silence or with dignified, quiet music as background, the Honor Guard moves into position around the table and simultaneously places the covers of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard, and a civilian hat, on the dinner plate at each table setting. The Honor Guard then departs.

Moderator:

Please be seated. I would like to explain the meaning of the items on this special table.

The table is round -- to show our everlasting concern for our missing men.

The tablecloth is white -- symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call to duty.

The vase is tied with a red ribbon, symbol of our continued determination to account for our missing.

A slice of lemon on the bread plate is to remind us of the bitter fate of those captured and missing in a foreign land.

The spilled salt symbolizes the countless fallen tears endured by those missing and their families as they wait.

The Bible represents the strength gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country, founded as one nation under God.

The candle is a symbol of the light of hope which shines in all our hearts to illuminate their way home, away from their captors, to the open arms of their families and of a grateful nation.

The glass is inverted -- to symbolize their inability to share in our gathering.

The chairs are empty -- they are missing.

Let us remember and never forget their sacrifices.

May God forever watch over them and protect them and their families.

Let us now raise our water glasses in a toast to honor America's POW/MIAs and to the success of our efforts to account for them.

Play Taps

Those still missing:

According to the latest listings from DPMO's

Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office

(updated 6-1-09)

New Mexico 13

USAF Shipp, Thomas G Carlsbad

USMC Corfield, Stan Leroy Gallup

USA Davis, Ricardo Gonzales Carlsbad

USA Herrera, Frederick D Albuquerque

USAF Lane, Mitchell S Albuquerque

USA Maxwell, Calvin Walter Eddy

USAF McIntire, Scott Winston Albuquerque

USAF Morrissey, Robert D Albuquerque

USAF Neeld,Bobby Albuquerque

USMC Oldham John Sanders Tinnie

USA Simpson, Max Coleman Carlsbad

USA Trujillo, Robert S Santa Fe

USA Wiseman, Bain Wendell Jr T or C

Texas 113

USAF Neighbors, Lacie C Abilene

USAF Bonura, Leon Frank Beaumont

USAF Villarea, Ricardo M Laredo

USAF Lackey, Lester L Lubbock

USN Curtis, Jack Albert Moses

USAF Pillsbury, Danny H Orange

USN Byars, Clifford R Pollock

USA Aldrich, Lawrence Lee Ft Worth

USA Alford, Terry Lanier Pasadena

USA Almendariz, Samuel Mc Allen

USAF Armstrong, John William Dallas

USMC Bacik, Vladimir Henry Houston

USAF Barnett, Robert Russell Gladwater

USA Becker, James Christof Palestine

USMC Bradshaw III, Robert Samuel Lufkin

USA Brasher, Jimmy Mac Canyon

USMC Brown, James William Maud

USA Burns, Michael Paul El Paso

Civilian Bytheway, Frank L -------TX

USAF Calfee, James Henry New Gulf

USAF Campbell, Clyde William Longview

USAF Campbell, William Edward Mc Allen

USA Carr, Donald Gene San Antonio

USN Cayce, John David San Antonio

USA Champion, James Albert Houston

USAF Clay, Eugene Lunsford Arlington

USA Cochran, Isom Carter Jr Houston

USN Conner, Edwin Ray Hillsboro

USAF Cornelius, Samuel Blackmar Lubbock

USA Corona, Joel Pharr

USA Deere, Donald Thorpe Snyder

USA Dexter, Ronald James Abilene

USAF Duggan, William Young Leander

USA Dyer, Irby III Midland

USAF Earll, David John Dallas

USN Egan, William Patrick Ft Worth

USN Ellerd, Carl J Odessa

USMC Escobedo, Julian JR San Antonio

USAF Fieszel, Clifford W Lubbock

USMC Forrester, Ronald W Odessa

USAF Fuller, William O Houston

USA Garcia, Ricardo Martinez Driscoll

USA George, James E Jr Ft Worth

USA Gonzalez, Jesus Armando El Paso

USMC Gonzalez, Jose Jesus El Paso

USN Goodwin, Charles B Haskell

USN Green, Frank Clifford JR Waskom

USAF Green, Robert Bailey Lampasas

USA Grosse, Christopher A Jr Harlingen

USMC Guajardo, Hilario H San Antonio

USA Gunn, Alan W San Antonio

USN Hardie, Charles David Houston

USA Harwood, James Arthur Dallas

USAF Hawkins, Edgar L La Mesa

USA Hilbrich, Barry W Corpus Christi

USN Hill, Rayford J Houston

USAF Hill, Robert Dale Houston

USA Hodgson, Cecil J Greenville

USAF Holley, Tilden S Cameron

USA Huddleston, Lynn R Ralls

USA Hummel, John F Barstow

USMC Hurst, John Clark Lufkin

USA Jimenez, Juan Macias San Antonio

USN Johnson, August David Houston

USN Johnson, Robert Dennison Dallas

USA JONES, John Robert El Paso

USA Jurecko, Daniel Edward Corpus Christi

USMC Kent, Robert D Dallas

USA Kerns, Arthur William El Paso

USAF Knight, Roy A Jr Millsap

USAF Koonce, Terry T San Antonio

USA Lane, Glen O Odessa

USAF Levis, Charles Alan Ft Worth

USA Little, Danny Leonard Abilene

USA Lull, Howard B Jr Dallas

USAF Manske, Charles Jerome El Campo

USA Marker, Michael Wayne Wichita Falls

USAF Martin, Sammy Arthur Bryan

USA McDonell, R D Sweetwater

USA McDonnell, John Terrence Ft Worth

USAF McElhanon, Michael Owens Ft Worth

USN McKay, Homer E Shallowater

USAF Miller, Curtis D Palacios

USMC Mills, James Dale Commerce

USA Montez, Anastacio Presidio

USN Moore, Scott Ferris Jr Mesquite

USAF Mundt, Henry G II Abilene

USA Newton, Charles V Canadian

USN Niedecken, William Clinton Corpus Christi

USMC Padilla, David Esequiel Borger

USA Parks, Joe Cedar Lane

USA Puentes, Manuel Rameriz El Paso

USAF Rackley, Inzar William Jr Big Springs

USA Ravenna, Harry M III San Antonio

USA Ray, Ronald E Port Arthur

USA Robertson, John Will Malakoff

USA Roe, Jerry L Houston

USAF Rucker, Emmett Jr Wichita Falls

USAF Russell, Richard Lee Snyder

USN Schmittou, Eureka Lavern Ringgold

USN Seagraves, Melvin D Lubbock

USMC Shea, Michael John El Paso

USAF Smith, Warren Parker Jr Pasadena

USN Stoddard, Clarence E W Jr Corpus Christi

USA Stride, James Daniel Jr Denison

USN Templin, Erwin Bernard Jr Houston

USAF Thompson, William J Houston

USA Tubbs, Glenn E Amarillo

USAF Van Cleave, Walter Shelby Dallas

Civilian Vietti, Eleanor A -------TX

USAF Wall, Jerry Mack Nacogdoches

USAF Ward, Neal C College Station

USAF Washburn, Larry Eugene San Antonio

USA Watson, Ronald Leonard El Paso

USAF Wester, Albert Dwayne Terrell

USA Widner, Danny L Graham

USMC Wilkins, Calvin Wayne Waco

USA Williams, Roy C Woodville

USMC Wilson, Harry Truman Grand Prairie

USAF Wortham, Murray L Augustine

"No, freedom isn't free."

I watched the flag pass by one day,

It fluttered in the breeze.

A young Marine saluted it,

And then he stood at ease..

I looked at him in uniform

So young, so tall, so proud,

With hair cut square and eyes alert

He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him

Had fallen through the years.

How many died on foreign soil

How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?

How many died at sea

How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?

No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,

When everything was still,

I listened to the bugler play

And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times

That Taps had meant "Amen,"

When a flag! had draped a coffin.

Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,

Of the mothers and the wives,

Of fathers, sons and husbands

With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard

At the bottom of the sea

Of unmarked graves in Arlington.

No, freedom isn't free.

Missing Man Contact information

Service Casualty Offices serve family members. Each Military Department maintains their own service casualty office, and the Department of State does the same for civilians. The officials in these offices serve as the primary liaison for families concerning personnel recovery and accounting. The full-time civilians who have worked with this issue for many years are experienced and knowledgeable. All the people who staff these offices will be glad to answer your questions. Military officials also assist and help explain the methods used to account for missing loved ones.

You can search the JPAC CIL database and you can also contact the appropriate Service Casualty Office directly. Simply tell them you wish to contribute to the Family Reference Samples (FRS) project.

Each office dedicates for family use the following addresses and telephone numbers:

Department of the Army

US Army Human Resources Command - (800) 892-2490

Attn: AHRC-PED-F, 200 Stovall Street, Alexandria, VA 22332-0482

U.S. Marine Corps - (800) 847-1597

Manpower and Reserve Affairs (MRA) Personal and Family Readiness Division 3280 Russell Road, Quantico, VA 22134-5103

Department of the Navy - (800) 443-9298

Navy Personnel Command Casualty Assistance and Retired Activities Branch POW/MIA Section (PERS-P665)

5720 Integrity Drive, Millington, TN 38055-6210

Department of the Air Force - (800) 531-5803

HQ, Air Force Mortuary Affairs

10-100 Reunion Place, Suite 260, San Antonio, TX 78108-4138

Department of State - (202) 647-6769

Office of American Citizens Services and Crisis Management CA/OCS/ACS/EAP

2201 C Street, Northwest, Room 4811, Washington, DC 20520-4818

You can find listings of Vietnam era DNA samples that are needed for identification or for a listing of DNA samples that are needed from service member families from wars prior to the Vietnam war.

You can search the JPAC database for a list of Family Reference Samples (FRS) required by JPAC.

http://www.jpac.pacom.mil/

http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/

http://www.virtualwall.org

If you have any questions or need assistance, send us an e-mail.

Together we can work to bring every man home.