Bio, Plumadore, Kenneth L.

PLUMADORE, KENNETH L.

Listed as Identified 12/2002 by Dod. See below.

Name: Kenneth L. Plumadore
Rank/Branch: USMC, E3
Unit: F 2/4 3rd Marine Division
Date of Birth: 28 January 49
Home City of Record: Syracuse, NY
Date of Loss: 21 September 67
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 163813N 1064116E
Status (in 1973): Killed In Action, Body not Recovered
Category: 2
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground

Other Personnel In Incident:

Source: Compiled by THE P.O.W. NETWORK 02 February 93 from the
following published sources - POW/MIA's -- Report of the Select Committee
on POW/MIA Affairs United States Senate -- January 13, 1993. "The Senate
Select Committee staff has prepared case summaries for the priority cases
that the Administration is now investigating. These provide the facts about
each case, describe the circumstances under which the individual was lost,
and detail the information learned since the date of loss. Information in
the case summaries is limited to information from casualty files, does not
include any judgments by Committee staff, and attempts to relate essential
facts. The Committee acknowledges that POW/MIAs' primary next-of-kin know
their family members' cases in more comprehensive detail than summarized
here and recognizes the limitations that the report format imposes on these
summaries." 2020

"On September 21, 1967, Lance Corporal Plumadore, a member of the 4th Marine
Division, [NETWORK NOTE: Plumadore was a member of the 4th Marine REGIMENT,
3rd Marine DIVISION] was wounded in action while engaging People's Army of
Vietnam forces during Operation Kingfisher in the area of Dong Ha, Quang Tri
Province. He and fourteen other members of his unit were left behind in the
withdrawal from the battle area. When friendly forces retook the area they
located fourteen dead Marines, two of bodies there were difficult to
identity. Information later surfaced that one survivor was reported
captured and was last seen being escorted North. Corporal Plumadore was
declared dead/body not recovered in September 1967.

In April 1986, Vietnam returned remains of someone captured in the same
engagement as the one during in which Corporal Plumadore became
unaccounted-for. Information provided with the remains was that the remains
belonged to an American serviceman captured at Con Thien who had died on
September 27, 1967 at Vinh Linh, North Vietnam. Corporal Plumadore's
records could not be used in remains identification because they were lost
in an aircraft crash on October 2, 1967.

Subsequent to the return of the remains, U.S. intelligence located archival
intelligence information, usually highly reliable, that indicated for the
first time that someone, probably Plumadore, had been captured and taken
North to Vinh Linh. He was last known alive on September 23rd in the area
of Con Thien. He was the only individual who remained missing in the Con
Thien area."

Please Help: Can you add to information contained in the article below on
Operation Kingfisher, at Con Thein (Sept. 21, 1967,) the subsequent search
and recover operations (Sept. 26th and Oct 9th 1967). Please contact Lynn
O'Shea, National Alliance of Families at 718-846-4350. The Plumadore, Judge
and Berry families are most interested in speaking with you.

Pains of the Vietnam War won't stop
By Paul Salopek - Chicago Tribune
March 31, 1996

Operation Kingfisher would have remained a footnote in the long, tortured
history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam except for a box of yellowed bones in
Hawaii dubbed 0048-86.

Kingfisher-a series of bloody and largely inconclusive battles fought in the
fallow rice paddies of Vietnam's demilitarized zone-captured no territory,
took few prisoners and, for the 2nd Battalion 4th Marines, climaxed on a
hellish September morning in 1967 when 31 Americans were cut down by
artillery and point-blank machine gun fire......

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - A woman who was given the wrong remains to bury
after her son's 1967 death in Vietnam finally laid him to rest Saturday,
five years after the military learned it made a mistake......

National Alliance Of Families
For The Return Of America's Missing Servicemen
World War II - Korea - Cold War - Vietnam
Dolores Alfond ----- 425-881-1499
Lynn O'Shea ----------- 718-846-4350
Email ----------lynnpowmia@prodigy.net
Website -- http://www.nationalalliance.org

Plumadore/Judge/Berry/???/??? Update - mt-DNA tests were conducted on
remains identified in 1967, as PFC Mark Judge. According to the Armed
Forces DNA Identification Lab, test results conclude that the remains are
actually William Berry. Regular readers of "Bits 'N Pieces" know the
inaccuracies of mt-DNA testing. Regular readers also know how mt-DNA
testing was manipulated to conclude that remains returned by the Vietnamese,
in 1986, were Mark Judge. (For more on this subject visit our website at
http://www.nationalalliance.org/kenny.htm)

On Saturday November 20th, family and friends will gather at Concorde
Gardens Cemetery, in Fort Wayne Indiana to bury remains CIL-HI 0048-86,
designated by the United States Government as Marine PFC Mark Warren Judge.

Long time readers of "Bits 'N' Pieces," know the story of misidentification,
and exhumations and of the battles fought over the last 5 years, by Mary
Judge Jellison, Mark's Mother, and Patricia Plumadore, sister of POW/MIA
L/Cpl. Kenneth Plumadore. (For readers wishing to catch up on the
Plumadore/Judge/Berry/?????/????? case, you can visit our website at http:
//www.nationalalliance.org/liarswin.htm)

In the last two years, Mrs. Jellison has been continually harassed by the
Marine Corp, and threatened with lawsuits. No lawyer would take her case.
The so called "independent" DNA labs refused to conduct tests involving this
case, citing "conflict of interests." The media, after initial interest in
the first exhumation, refused to become involved in this case. The only
exposure this case received was through periodic reports in "Bits 'N' Pieces
." Sadly, our efforts to generate public support for the Judge-Jellison
and Plumadore families were unsuccessful. Mrs. Jellison was able to get one
scientist to conduct a photo super-imposition, on the remains she belevies
are her son's. While the results would not stand up in court, the doctors
conclusion that the skull was "more Mark than Berry."

With all options exhausted, Mrs. Jellison allowed mt-DNA testing on the
remains she believe to be her son. The government, however, never met any
of the three requests made by Mrs. Jellison. Her request were simple. She
wanted all records on CIL-HI 0048-86 generated from the time of their return
in 1986. Records provided by the government start in 1989. She also
requested independent mt-DNA testing on both CIL-HI 0048-86 and the remains
she believes are her son's.

When this battle started Mary said, that if a time came when all avenues had
been exhausted and there was no alternative, she would, in her words "give
the CIL-HI remains a home." It should be remembered that CIL-HI 0048-86,
whoever he is, died as a Prisoner of War, unacknowledged by the United
States government

So, on Saturday November 20th, 1999, CIL-HI 0048-86, a still unidentified
American Serviceman, with a 1 in 64 chance of actually being Mark Judge,
gets a home and a Mom. The government has offered no conclusive evidence to
prove CIL-HI 0048-86 is Mark Judge. No forensic evidence exists to support
the identification.

We spoke, at length with Mary Jellison in the evening of November 17th. She
told us, "I'd like to believe the CIL-HI remains are Mark's, but in my heart
I don't. I still think I had Mark all along and I gave him up. This will
never be over for me because I'll never know."

There will be a full Military funeral, complete with Marine Corp. Band, and
dignitaries from Washington De Ceit. Mary agreed to this, because in her
words; " this poor boy never had a funeral. He deserves the honor."

She ended by saying; "There is no closure for me... The Marine Corp has
closure but I don't."

We are sure that CIL-HI, AFDIL and Marine Corp. Command, representatives are
congratulating themselves on their "victory." Quite simply, they beat a
sick, elderly woman into submission. It must be a real proud day for them.

It should be noted that remains, originally identified as Mark Judge in 1967
, now rest in a California grave as William Berry. In the casket, is a
single rose and an American flag, from the woman who believes in her heart
that she is his mother.

In mid - 1992, Pat Plumadore posed a series of questions to the Marine Corp.
one of those questions regarded the possible wartime mis-identification of
remains. The response came in the form of memo the from Central
Identification Laboratory - Hawaii. The memo stated "Nothing was detected
during the examination of the available files to suggest a mistake was made
in the identification process. When additional records are received we will
carefully review them from this aspect." This memo was dated 29 October
1992 and signed by Johnie "why does this man still have a job" Webb.

In Sept. 1994, the families were summoned to Washington De Ceit and told of
a possible wartime mis-identification. This conclusion was based on the
exact same records, used to reassure Pat Plumadore, in 1992, that "Nothing
was detected during the examination of the available files to suggest a
mistake was made in the identification process."

To the CIL-HI, AFDIL and Marine Corp. representative involved in the webb of
lies, our wish to you is that when you leave this world, to meet your maker,
you find St. Peter waiting for you at the Pearly Gates. And, if they are
dead as you say, may you find Kenny Plumadore at St. Pete's left and Mark
Judge at his right. It is our most sincere wish that St. Peter allows Kenny
and Mark to tell you where to go.

In conversation with Pat Plumadore, she stated "I am disgusted with the
Marine Corp and how they treated Mary and her family. I have come to love
them, as I love my own family. The hardest part is knowing after all the
pain and heartache Mary went through, she still does not have the resolution
and closure that we were praying she would reach. She will always wonder
about her son, as I wonder about my brother. Nothing has changed. I still
don't know where my brother is and Mary doesn't know where Mark is."

Here are a few of the reasons Why we can't be sure CIL-HI 0048-86 is Mark
Judge.

14 September 1992 - "Dental Summary: CIL-HI 0048-86 Forensic Odontology
Section U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii - "...The dental
record of LCpl. Plumadore was compared to the remains and could be excluded.
The mortuary files and available antemortem dental records of the remaining
fourteen other Marines involved in this incident (listed killed, body
recovered) were examined and compared to the remains of CILHI 0048-86. No
records of any of the Marines in this incident matched the dental remains of
CILHI 0048-86."

8 September 1994 - Forensic Odontology Report: CILHI 0048-86 U.S. Army
Central Identification Laboratory - signed by LTC William K Mayher "...In my
opinion, the dental remains designated CILHI 0048-86 are those of: Judge,
Mark Warren."

The Teeth - did they match or didn't they - "In War The First Casualty Is
Truth"

13 July 1994 - Memo from Patricia P Hickerson Brigadier General, U.S. Army,
Adjutant General "Due to unique circumstances, it is requested that CIL-HI
be granted a one-time exception to the use of mtDNA analysis as the primary
means of identification in the case of CILHI 0048-86."

7 August 1998 - Letter from Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
POW/Missing Personnel Affairs, Robert L. Jones - "Scientists count on the
power of mtDNA typing to provide the necessary supporting evidence to make
an identification in conjunction with many other factors. MtDNA is not used
as the primary or sole means of identification."

Mt-DNA testing the primary or sole means of identification for CIL-HI 0048-
86 - Yes.. No... "In War The First Casualty Is Truth"

17 October 1994 - Department of Defense Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
- "The mtDNA sequence information obtained from AFDIL Specimens 01A (Skull,)
02A (R. Ulna,) 03A (R. Humerus) and 04A (R. Femur) and AFDIL Reference
Specimens 05A (Mrs. Jellison) and 06A (Mrs. Jellison's daughter) is
identical in the overlapping regions...."

"Mitochondrial DNA sequence information obtained from AFDIL Specimens 03A
and 04A is identical to AfDIL Reference Specimens 05A (Mrs. Jellison) and
06A (daughter) in the overlapping regions. This information supports the
identification of the questioned remains as maternal relating to Mary R.
Jellsion..."

21 March 1997 - Department of Defense Armed Forces Institute of Pathology,
Office of Legal Counsel - "...In addition, given the position of 16354 in
the sequence for sample 01A (Skull) should be designated an "N", a new
database search was performed, and 64 of 741 sequences matched. Thus, this
significantly decrease the weight of the match between 01A and the Jellison
family references..."

The unique sequences of mother and son in 1994 became, in 1997, a match to
64 other individuals in the database. In AFDIL's own words "this
significantly decreases the weight of the match between 01A (Skull) and the
Jellison family references." Yet, CIL-HI and the Marine Corp continued to
maintain that the identification of CIL-HI 0048-86 as Mark Judge was a
positive identification. The database used by AFDIL was made up of
reference samples from POW/MIA families and from the FBI's criminal
database.

21 January 1998 - From the POW/MIA Weekly Update, - "The Department of
Defense is reviewing information relating to the interment of remains of a
Vietnam War unknown at the Tomb of the Unknown at Arlington National
Cemetery."

"The review will determine if there is sufficient credible evidence to make
a recommendation on two key questions: 1) does current science enable us,
with confidence to take steps that could help identify the remains in the
Tomb; and 2) do the circumstances surrounding the loss incident of the
individual possibly believed to be interred in the Tomb of the Unknowns
warrant mitochondrial DNA testing? DPMO officials have stated that this
review will be done in a measured, methodical manner, to ensure the
decisions carefully weigh the competing interests of our commitment to the
families of the missing, and the sanctity of the Tomb as hallowed ground,
and the ability of DNA testing to identify remains once considered
unidentifiable."

With that statement DPMO called into question the ability of mt-DNa testing
to make a positive identification. Over the last several years, we would
estimate 80% to 90% of the identifications made were based on mt-DNA testing
. Many of those identifications were on remains previously considered
unidentifiable. Yet, the ability to identify the "Unknown" was questioned."

CIL-HI 0048-86 - Unique mt-DNA match to Mary Judge Jellison... Matches 64
samples in the database.... "In War The First Casualty Is Truth"

What Happened To The Remains Exhumed From The California Grave Originally
Identified As William Berry - To our knowledge, they remain at CIL-HI as
unidentified. Are they the remains of another of the Marines from
"Operation Kingfisher?" Or, are they, as Pat Plumadore suspects, the remain
of one of the 25 + servicemen lost in two airplane incidents, on Oct. 3rd
and Oct. 8th, 1967. evidence exists to support this theory.

The identification of CIL-HI 0048-86 as Mark Judge is highly questionable.
We've given you the truth. We supported that truth with documentation.
CIL-HI, the Marine Corp., and AFDIL presented one misrepresentation after
another, along with several outright lies.

National Alliance of Families
For The Return of America's Missing Servicemen
World War II - Korea - Cold War - Vietnam - Gulf War

Dolores Alfond - 425-881-1499
Lynn O'Shea --- 718-846-4350
Web Site http://www.nationalalliance.org
email -- lynn@nationalalliance.org

We're Beyond Angry - Just when you think they can't be any more
disrespectful of the POW/MIA issue or our POW/MIA family members, they sink
to a new low. The "they" we refer to is the Alphabet Soup Gang of DPMO,
JTF-FA, CIL-HI, and the Casualty Offices, specifically the Marine Casualty
Office.

For starters let's clear something up. If anyone believes that the policy
makers and those charged with the truthful accounting of our Prisoners and
Missing really care about our missing and their families its time for a
reality check.

No change of Administrations, no new heads of offices and no new front men,
glad handing with veterans and members of private organizations, are going
to change a thing. To those who feel softening their POW/MIA position,
will get them a seat at the table and put them in a better bargaining
position, look what that seat is buying . . .

No one inside the beltway is interested in LIVE POWs. From Dumas to
Speicher and all in between, with the exception of a small band of family
members and volunteers the Alphabet Soup gang disparagingly refers to as
"activists," those guys are on their own. God help anyone captured in
the next Gulf War.

As for those identified by the creative accounting process of Johnnie Webb,
the practice of burying men without remains and the voodoo science of Tadeo
Furue.... only God knows if those men are really dead or not.

Why Are We So Angry - It because of "Those Bastards" as Patricia Plumadore,
sister of L/CPL Kenneth L. Plumadore called them and we agree. This all
started on Saturday afternoon, November 30th, when Lynn O'Shea of the
National Alliance of Families found herself in the difficult position of
informing a dear friend that the U.S. Government had identified her
brothers remains, over one month ago and NEVER bothered to tell the family.

Lynn last spoke with Pat Plumadore several weeks ago. Her first call was
prompted by a statement contained in the League of Families weekly update
for November 10, 2002. The statement read: "The name of the most recent
American accounted for has not yet been released, but the Marine was listed
as KIA/BNR in South Vietnam in September 1967. His remains were jointly
recovered in June 1996." We now know why that name was never release. The
family was never told!

Lynn thought this Marine might be Kenny Plumadore. Very few Marines are
listed as unaccounted for in September 1967 and the recovery date of June
1996 coincides with the June 20, 1996, exhumation of a Yreaka, California
grave. Obviously, the Yreaka exhumation was not a joint recovery
operation. Lynn called Pat to ask if she had accepted the small piece of
jawbone found in the Yreaka grave. Her answer was NO! She had not and would
not, as there was no way that jawbone could be Kenny.

Pat never knew, nor did we, that on October 23, 2002, Kenny Plumadore was
added to the list of U.S. servicemen whose remains had been recovered and
identified. She found that out today, in a phone call from Lynn O'Shea.

Earlier today, Lynn received an email from Kevin Kister, of New York,
stating Kenny Plumadore's name had been added to the official list of
servicemen accounted for.   A quick check of the DPMO web site revealed the
recovery date of the remains to be June 20th, 1996, the day of the Yreaka
exhumation.   Lynn immediately called Pat Plumadore.   Had Pat chosen to
accept the remains?   Perhaps she had chosen to accept them but not to
discuss the acceptance?

After exchanging pleasantries Lynn asked Pat if there was anything new, and
had she heard anything from the government?   Pat responded no to both
questions.   With a sinking feeling, and a physical dread, Lynn realized
that Pat Plumadore had no idea that remains for her brother were now
considered identified, by the U.S. government.    After breaking the news,
Pat's first response was "those bastards."

Pat was never contacted by Marine Corp. Casualty, or Mortuary Affairs. No
identification package was ever submitted for review. The family was not
given the choice of accepting or rejecting the remains said to be Kenneth
Plumadore. By violating all rules for procedure the government stripped Pat
Plumadore of her rights to appeal the identification.

Since Pat was never notified of the identification, or given the opportunity
to review evidence on which the identification was based, we can only assume
that a small piece of jawbone with wisdom teeth, found in the Yreaka grave,
is the remains named Kenneth Plumadore.

This is probably the most complicated case we have ever seen. For those
wishing to catch up or refresh you memories visit the following link on our
web site: http://www.nationalalliance.org/plumadore/summary.htm

Our longtime readers are well acquainted with the
Plumadore/Judge/Berry/McGarvey/??????????? case.

Our readers know of the mis-identification of remains recovered in October
1967, as those of Major James McGarvey.

Our readers know how AFDIL misrepresented an mt-DNA match between Mary Judge
Jellison and remains of a servicemen held captive by the North Vietnamese as
unique, when in fact the samples matched 64 others in the mt-DNA database.

Our readers know of graves exhumed in both Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Yreaka,
California. They know that an almost complete set of remains was exhumed
from the Yreaka grave and that those remains did not belong to Mark Judge,
William Berry, or Kenneth Plumadore.

Our readers know that the only un-associated remains found in the Yreaka
grave was a small piece of jawbone, containing wisdom teeth.

Our readers also know that according to Pat Plumadore, her brother had all
his wisdom teeth removed before he entered the service.

How was the identification of Kenneth Plumadore made? How does CIL-HI
explain the re-growth of wisdom teeth? Why wasn't Pat Plumadore notified
of the intent to identify remains and afforded the same rights given to
other POW/MIA family members, to accept, reject and appeal an
identification?

The lies regarding the loss and recovery of the men of "Operation
Kingfisher" go clear back to the date of battle, September 21, 1967. From
that day forward the Marine Corps Casualty, CIL-HI, AFDIL and everyone
associated with this case have lied and misrepresented findings.

From day one, all the men of "Operation Kingfisher"were reported dead. This
in spite of the FACT that it was known that at least one man was captured
from the battlefield.   They've lied about Mark Judge.   They've lied about
William Berry.    They refuse to say what happened to the "McGarvey"
remains.   If the remains from the Yreaka grave have been identified, we
haven't heard about it.

By commission and omission they have once again lied to Pat Plumadore, by
failing to follow procedures to notify her of a formal identification.
They have demonstrated their total disregard for POW/MIA family members by
denying her the right of appeal. Pat has no idea why she was not
contacted by Marine Casualty or Mortuary Affairs, to review the
identification package.

In her words: "I'm not hard to find. I received the mailing about the
family meeting in New York. I am listed in the phone book. They could
have always called the Alliance, you have my number"

The simple fact is, everyone in the Alphabet Soup gang wants the
identification of Kenny Plumadore to be a done deal. They knew Pat could
shoot holes in any story presented. Unlike those at CIL-HI, she knows,
just as our readers do, wisdom teeth don't grow back.

Pat wants it made clear, as Primary Next of Kin, she HAS NOT accepted what
we are assuming to be the small piece of jawbone as the remains of her
brother Kenneth Plumadore. She has no idea where the jawbone is or if it
has been buried.

She did say, the Marines better not have buried that bone under a headstone
bearing her brother's name.

We hope you are as angry as we are. We also hope you realize that the
clock it ticking on the POW/MIA issue. Remember 2004 begins with the
Federal fiscal year, in October 2003. If we don't start protesting, those
who so ineptly handle the POW/MIA issue, we are going to find this issue
dead and buried.

For starters - we are asking everyone to call or fax a letter to both White
House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card and Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld. The people responsible to the handling of the
Plumadore/Judge/Berry/McGarvey/????? case don't deserve to have their jobs.
Just as the Marine Casualty officer caught removing a document from the file
of Major Francis Visconti, in an attempt to hide that document from the
Visconti family, should not have her job.

If you are as appalled by the handling of the Plumadore case, as we are,
contact:

Mr. Andrew H. Card, Jr.                  Honorable Donald Rumsfeld
White House Chief of Staff               Secretary of Defense
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.              The Pentagon
Washington, DC 20500                     Washington, DC 20301

1) Ask them why remains of Kenneth Plumadore were identified on October 23,
2002, and his family was never notified of the identification?

2) Ask why this family was not presented with the identification package,
and given an opportunity to accept or reject the remains?

3) Ask why every procedure in the identification process was violated in
this case?

It's time to get angry and stay angry..... no more excuses and
in the word of a group of ladies we very much admire.... No More Lies.....
No More Lies....

In Accounting for our Prisoners of War and Missing In Action The First
Casualty Is Also Truth.

National Alliance of Families
For The Return of America's Missing Servicemen
World War II - Korea - Cold War - Vietnam - Gulf War

Dolores Alfond - 425-881-1499
Lynn O'Shea --- 718-846-4350
Web Site http://www.nationalalliance.org
email -- lynn@nationalalliance.org

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then
you win"
Gahandi

18 Shopping Days Till Christmas - We're making our lists and checking them
twice and we already know whose naughty and nice.

Plumadore Update - On Monday afternoon, December 2nd, Pat Plumadore
contacted Marine Casualty to find out when they planned on telling her.
They had identified remains as her brother as L/Cpl. Kenneth L. Plumadore.

In summary, on October 23 of this year remains of Kenneth Plumadore were
identified by the U.S. Government.

By November 10th, enough information on that remains identification was
supplied to another POW/MIA family organization to allow them to including
the following, in their weekly update: "The name of the most recent American
accounted for has not yet been released, but the Marine was listed as
KIA/BNR in South Vietnam in September 1967. His remains were jointly
recovered in June 1996."

On November 29th the listing of Servicemen Accounted for was updated on the
DPMO web site. Among those listed was L/Cpl. Kenneth Plumadore. As Primary
Next of Kin, Patricia Plumadore was never notified of the identification.

So, when she contacted Marine Casualty, on Monday morning, she was
understandable upset. She was told that the "United States Marine Corps had
nothing to do with this." However, by some strange turn of events she was
told that the identification packet, which should have been presented to her
prior to any announcements, had just arrived at Marine Casualty.

Pat asked when she might be getting the identification packet and was told,
that it had to be reviewed by the Marine Casualty to see if they concurred
with the identification.

FLASH - it doesn't matter if Marine Casualty or any Casualty office concurs
with an identification. They have no say in the matter. CIL-HI
recommends an identification and the Armed Forces Identification Review
Board (AFIRB) rubber stamps it. Done Deal!!!

National Alliance of Families
For The Return of America's Missing Servicemen
World War II - Korea - Cold War - Vietnam - Gulf War

Dolores Alfond -- 425-881-1499
Lynn O'Shea -----718-846-4350
Web Site http://www.nationalalliance.org
email lynn@nationalalliance.org

57 Days - Today marks the 57th day of captivity for PFC Keith Maupin. Our
prayers are with his family for his safe return. Also, please remember the
civilians, American and Allied, missing in Iraq. May they all return
safely to their families.

"It's As Settled As It's Ever Going To Be." - With those words, one of the
longest remains identification disputes ends.

Patricia Plumadore, sister of L/Cpl. Kenneth L. Plumadore has accepted the
remains designated by the government as those of her brother. Regular
readers of Bits N Pieces know of our deep involvement with this case. Over
the last year and a half, we've had many conversations with Pat about this
decision. The decision to accept the remains was not an easy one and was
based on many factors.

Quoted in a recent Newsday article Pat Plumadore stated: "I want to get this
all over with... I'm hoping that I have my brother and praying that I do.
But if I don't, then we have another solider who will have a good home... I
have questions... But it's as settled as it's ever going to be."

With the acceptance of the remains designated Kenny Plumadore, his family
joins the growing list of POW/MIA families worn down by time, age, and
government subterfuge, who decided to give remains known to be American a
home.

Remains designated L/Cpl Kenneth L. Plumadore were laid to rest, with full
military honors, in Syracuse New York, at 10:00AM this morning.

As we stated above, many factors entered into Pat's decision to accept the
remains. At a future date, we will detail the many elements that
contributed to this decision. Today, we will tell you the overriding
factor was Pat's failing health and desire not to leave the resolution of
Kenny's status to her children.

While preparing for today's remains burial, Pat took a turn for the worse.
She never made it to the service for the remains designated by the
government as her brother. Pat Plumadore passed away at approximately 11:00
AM this morning.

The National Alliance of Families mourns the passing of our dear friend Pat
Plumadore. To her family, her longtime companion Teddy, and her children
Kayla, Andy, Kenny, Kelly and Summer we offer our deepest sympathy. Cards
and Letters may be sent to the Plumadore Family C/O Kelly Flack - 116 Barker
Road, Central Square NY 13036

Editors Note From Lynn O'Shea: Pat and I worked together on Kenny's case
for almost 12 years and became good friends. What we know about mt-DNA
and its misuse in the identification of remains is a direct result of Pat's
efforts. Despite her best efforts, her failing health forced her to make a
decision she did not believe in. Pat never believed the remains were
Kenny's. That she passed today and was never able to attend the burial has
to be one of the great cosmic ironies of all time.

This past April, I visited Pat in her Syracuse home. We knew she didn't
have long and family and friends gathered for what Pat referred to as her
"Irish Wake." It was a weekend full of laughs and bittersweet smiles.

One of Pat's request for that day was that the bagpipers come and play
"Danny Boy," one of her favorites. So, the pipers came and they played.
Near the end of their performance one of the pipers stepped forward and in a
clear voice of an Irish tenor, he sang "Danny Boy" to Pat.

Driving back to the house that night, we discussed the wonderful day just
passed and I ask Pat if she knew the origin of the song "Danny Boy." She
said she didn't and I explained that "Danny Boy" was an Irish lament of a
mother whose son had gone off to war and had not returned. Never giving up
hope the mother says:

"...But, when ye come and all the flow'rs are dying, if I am dead and dead I
well may be, Ye'll come and find the place where I am lying, and kneel and
say an 'Ave' there for me..."

"and I shall hear, tho soft you tread above me, and on my grave will warmer
sweeter be, for you will bend and tell me that you love me and I shall sleep
in peace until you come to me."