Captain John Michael McGrath, USN RET, former Prisoner of
War, VietnamMac's Facts No. 22
---- Challenging a POW Claim.*
From time to time we receive requests to confirm details of a
story told by some person who claims to have been a prisoner of war (POW) during the
conflict in Southeast Asia. False POW stories are not uncommon. Armed with the
following information, most persons should be able to determine whether a POW story is
true or false. (If pressed for time, go directly to the BOTTOM LINE
of this document).
The Defense Prisoner of War and Missing Personnel Office
(DPMO) is the custodian of the official list of Americans who were prisoners of war or
otherwise unaccounted for during the conflict in Southeast Asia. The formal title of
the list is: "U.S. Personnel Missing, Southeast Asia (and Selected Foreign
Nationals)." It (the PMSEA), was last updated in March 1998. The PMSEA contains the names of every American serviceman who was a
prisoner of war in Southeast Asia. As well, it contains the names of all 3 ,755 men
and women who were ever listed as missing...or a POW for even one day.
[POW NETWORK NOTE - THE PMSEA IS ONE OF MANY FILES USED TO
ACCURATELY MAINTAIN THE LIST OF POW/MIAS ON THIS WEBSITE.]
Only 801 of those 3,755 are known to have come out
alive--through escape, early release from enemy control, or through negotiated
repatriation (Feb-Apr 1973) at the end of the Vietnam War. 660 who came out alive were
U.S. military personnel. 141 were civilians or foreign nationals. These
categories for MIA/POWs who came out alive are known as "RR" (returnee) and
"EE" (escapee).
We believe DPMO's official list is a complete and accurate
list of all Americans who were POWs in Southeast Asia. If a person who claims to have been
a POW, but is not listed, believes the DPMO's list is incomplete, you might wish to invite
the claimant to answer the following questions so you can substantiate his claim to having
been a POW and help him gain official recognition of his POW status. Our experience
consistently shows that pretenders will give fuzzy, incomplete and dishonest answers.
Also, not one of the hundreds of claimants have ever proven the DOD records
wrong. Not a single POW was left off the official POW/MIA casualty lists at the end
of the Vietnam War. Do you really believe that your claimant will be the first to do
so? Phony POW claimants will refuse to give details that can be verified. They will
equivocate and feign anger that you don't believe them. All
bona-fide POWs can easily answer the following questions.
Here goes:
Specific date he entered the service.
Specific date he was released or retired from active duty. Military service number.
(The military services used military service numbers prior to October 1968. The services
began using the Social Security Number as a military service number after that
date). The claimant should provide you with his full name and social security number.
You should look at his drivers license or other legal document to verify the
information. You will need this for any request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA).
Military rank and occupational specialty when captured, and
when released or retired from active duty. Date and location/circumstances of capture.
Date, location, circumstances of rescue, escape, or release. Specific unit he was serving
with when he was captured. The full name and rank of at least one member of his unit
at the time he was captured. The "I don't remember. It was a long time
ago," ploy is weak and unacceptable. Most veterans still have copies of Special
Orders--promotions, reassignments, citations for awards, etc. Also, orders issued by
their unit that will contain names of other persons in the unit.
If an aviator, the name and location of the unit and air base
or aircraft carrier from which he flew. If a carrier, date of departure for the cruise.
The specific type of aircraft he was flying when he went down and was captured. Important:
The names of other aviators who were in his unit or wing who were (1) killed and (2)
captured at any time during the war. Name, rank and fate of other crew members of
his aircraft. The names of wingmen/crew members of other aircraft that took part in the
mission. The names and squadron designation of all other squadrons in his airwing.
And for good measure, ask him the type of engine his aircraft had!
Location and circumstances of capture. As a minimum, the
country in which captured (NVN, SVN, Laos or Cambodia). Names and ranks or position of
other Americans who were killed or captured in the same incident. Name of at least one
other American who was held captive with him, and that person's fate (dead, escaped,
released). He should give specific circumstances of his own rescue, escape, or release.
These details are the heart of any true POW story. Name and rank of the officer who
debriefed him after he returned to American control (every returnee was debriefed).
Location where the debriefing took place. Copy of DD Form 214--Discharge Certificate which
list decorations and awards. (You might wish to remember that DD-214s are not accepted as
legal proof of many of the qualifications which are written thereon. There have been so
many DD-214s stolen and forged that they in and of themselves are not considered valid
legal proof for much of anything. Discharged veterans are usually asked to provide corroborating proof if they are using the DD-214 to
attempt to establish a claim of some sort.)
Ask him to describe the medical follow up program for former
POWs. (All the POWs, whether Air Force, Navy, Army or Marines have been attending the
same joint services medical follow up program at the Naval Operational Medical Institute
at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, FL. If he claims that he is receiving military
retirement salary, ask him to show you a copy of his most recent W2 Form for that pay, or
bank statements showing a record of the monthly deposits of military retirement
pay. If he is medically retired, then a portion of his retirement check is considered
tax free on his IRS annual filing (Form 1040). He should be able to show you medical
retirement papers, the IRS exclusion statement, Form-1040s, his DD-214, and a ton of other
papers verifying regular or disability retirement.
Persons who falsely claim to be former POWs typically try to
avoid providing specific details about their claimed captivity by hiding behind claims
that they were captured while on a mission that is still
classified. The "I can't compromise classified
information," ploy is phony. There are no classified missions or details. The
war has been over for 26 years. We are free to talk about any mission or experience
that happened. The "fire at St. Louis destroyed my
records," ploy is not valid, either. The fire destroyed records
of many
Korean War veterans and some WW II veterans, but not the records of Vietnam War veterans.
The "I had my records expunged" - or "I had my name
taken off the list" ploy is just as phony.
Another common feature of false POW stories is a claim to have
been freed in a dramatic rescue by US Navy Seals, Special Forces, or other elite unit. US
forces made many, many heroic rescues of downed airmen and other Americans in desperate
situations. They also carried out many operations aimed at rescuing American POWs
from prison camps; however, the only rescue operation that freed an
American POW from captivity was a July 1969 operation by Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces
(RVNAF) troops from a Regional Forces unit, a Provincial Reconnaissance Unit, and the
Reconnaissance Company of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) 5th Regiment. Unfortunately,
the freed American died a short time later from injuries a guard inflicted on him before
rescuers could reach him. US forces carried out several operations that led to the rescue
of the crews and passengers of downed American aircraft who were evading capture.
The movie "BAT 21" is based on one such incident. US forces also took part in
several operations that led to the rescue of RVNAF prisoners from POW camps. For example,
Operation Cranberry Bog in August 1968 led to the rescue of 45 ARVN POWs. In another
example, a US Navy SEAL, Richard G. Couch, led a successful rescue of 19 ARVN
prisoners. Also, there were instances in which American forces accidentally happened
upon Americans who were trying to escape from captivity and rescued them. The most famous
of these incidents was the rescue of US Army 1st Lieutenant James N. Rowe on 31 December
1968 (see book entitled "Five Years to Freedom," by James N. Rowe, Ballantine
Books, paperback edition 1984, available on line from Barnes and Noble). In another
incident, a helicopter crew rescued Army Sgt. Wm. Taylor on May 6, 1968. A force of
armed helicopters attacked a guerrilla camp with machine guns and rockets, unaware that
Sgt Taylor was in the camp. Sgt Taylor, who was still recovering from a compound fracture
to one leg, a shattered knee, and numerous abrasions and burns he suffered in an air crash
on 20 March 1968, received additional wounds from one of the rockets; yet he still managed
to take advantage of the confusion during the air attack to crawl out of the camp and into
a clearing where he signaled the crew of one of the helicopters. While there were
many heroic rescues of downed airmen and other Americans from difficult situations, there
were no other dramatic rescues of Americans from POW camps.
Captain John "Mike" McGrath, USN (Ret) at: e-mail mmcgrath@iex.net Mike is the
Historian for NAM-POWs, Inc.
He was a POW for 5 years 9 months. Almost all of the returned POW are members of the
NAM-POWs organization.
Here, you'll find the Department of Defense lists of all POWs
during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. Anyone who wishes to contact DPMO to confirm that a person is not listed in the PMSEA should contact the
DPMO Personnel Affairs Officer: Mr. Larry Greer
at 703-699-1100 extension 1169
or write to:
OASD International Security Affairs, Defense POW/Missing Personnel Affairs
2400 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-2400.
False claims to having been a POW are not uncommon. Hopefully
the foregoing information will prove useful.
THE BOTTOM LINE: You can skip
all the qualification stuff above and get right to the truth. If a person claims to have
been a VIETNAM POW, and his name is not in the PMSEA, he is a liar and a "Phony
POW." He doesn't warrant your trust or friendship. Dump him!
12/21/99 |
