(Prisoner of War/Missing in Action)

This is my little tribute to all of our POW/MIAs that are still out there. This is a very important subject to me and one that every American should make a personal one. We all enjoy the luxuries of our world but most of us forget the brave and courageous individuals that help to make that possible.

You may not agree with the politics but you should be grateful to our men and women of the Armed Forces for their service to our county. We do not join the military to serve our politicians, we join the military to serve our country. It is our responsibility to make the politicians remember who they serve.

Far too many or our fellow Americans are still either POW or MIA. One is too many. We can not rest until all of them have come home.

YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN!
 

In honor of a good friend of mine, I honor these two particular MIA's as they were family of his. Here is their story:

PARKER, MAXIM CHARLES
Remains Identified 06/2001

Name: Maxim Charles Parker
Branch/Rank: United States Marine Corps/O1
Unit: VMFA 314 MAG 13
Date of Birth: 10 April 1943
Home City of Record: ROLLINGS HILLS CA
Date of Loss: 18 March 1967
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 162336 North  1072357 East
Status (in 1973): Killed In Action/Body Not Recovered
Category: 5
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F4B #15271
Missions:
Other Personnel in Incident: LT. Col. David W. Morrill
Refno: 0625

Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw 
data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA
families, published sources, interviews and CACCF = Combined Action
Combat Casualty File. Updated with information from David Morrill, son of
Lt. Col David Morrill, and nephew of Lt. Col. Merwin L. Morrill.

REMARKS:

CACCF/CRASH/AIRCREW/QUANG TRI/4 YRS UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

Synopsis:   Major Morrill was the pilot of one of two Marine Corps F4B
Phantoms of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron VMFA314, which left Chu Lai,
South Vietnam on a close air support mission of Marine Corps ground troops
in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam.  Major Morrill's aircraft was observed
to pull off target on the fourth pass and then contact was lost.  The pilot
of the lead aircraft observed a ground explosion about one and one half
miles from the target. No parachutes were seen.  Major Morrill and his Radar
Int ercept Officer Lieutenant Maxim C. Parker were listed as missing in
action.

In August of 1967, the wreckage of Major Morrill's aircraft was located by
Marine Corps engineers building a road in the are of Dong Ha village.  The
aircraft was identified by tail and bureau numbers. A search of the crash
found Lt. Parker's dog tags and two sets of human remains, which were later
identified as Marine ground troops killed in the battle.  Major Morrill and
Lieutenant Parker's status was changed to killed in action/body not
recovered. Major Morrill was posthumously promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and
awarded the Air Medal and Purple Heart.

In 1993, the site was excavated by a joint Vietnamese/American task force.
Major Morrill's wedding ring and human remains were recovered at the site.
Major Morrill's wedding ring was subsequently identified and returned to his
family.  No identification of the remains has been made.

Lieutenant Colonel Morrill was a 1952 graduate of Ole Miss.  He attended the
Naval Post Graduate School and obtained a Masters Degree in Aeronautical
Engineering from Princeton University.  He was a test pilot and was selected
from, three thousand initial candidates, as one of the final thirty
candidates for the Apollo Astronaut Program.

Brother: Lt. Col. Merwin L. Morrill, USAF.  San Carlos, CA. (KIA 08-21-67,
NVN)

MORRILL, DAVID WHITTIER
Remains Identified 06/2001

Name: David Whittier Morrill
Branch/Rank: United States Marine Corps/O4
Unit: MABS 13 MAG 13
Date of Birth: 03 November 1930
Home City of Record: SAN CARLOS CA
Date of Loss: 18 March 1967
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 162336 North  1072357 East
Status (in 1973): Killed In Action/Body Not Recovered
Category: 5
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground:F4B
Missions:
Other Personnel in Incident: Maxim C. Parker
Refno:

Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw
data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA
families, published sources, interviews and CACCF = Combined Action
Combat Casualty File. Updated with information provided by David Morrill,
son of LtCol David Whittier Morrill.

REMARKS:

CACCF/CRASH/PILOT/14 YRS UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS/QUANG TRI
POSTHUMOUS PROMOTION

Synopsis:
Lieutenant Colonel David Whittier Morrill, USMC. - San Carlos, California

Major Morrill was the pilot of one of two Marine Corps F4B Phantoms of
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron VMFA314, which left Chu Lai, South Vietnam on
a close air support mission of Marine Corps ground troops in Quang Tri
Province, South Vietnam.  Major Morrill's aircraft was observed to pull off
target on the fourth pass and then contact was lost.  The pilot of the lead
aircraft observed a ground explosion about one and one half miles from the
target. No parachutes were seen.  Major Morrill and his Radar Int ercept
Officer Lieutenant Maxim C. Parker were listed as missing in action.

In August of 1967, the wreckage of Major Morrill's aircraft was located by
Marine Corps engineers building a road in the are of Dong Ha village.  The
aircraft was identified by tail and bureau numbers. A search of the crash
found Lt. Parker's dog tags and two sets of human remains, which were later
identified as Marine ground troops killed in the battle.  Major Morrill and
Lieutenant Parker's status was changed to killed in action/body not
recovered. Major Morrill was posthumously promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and
awarded the Air Medal and Purple Heart.

In 1993, the site was excavated by a joint Vietnamese/American task force.
Major Morrill's wedding ring and human remains were recovered at the site.
Major Morrill's wedding ring was subsequently identified and returned to his
family.  No identification of the remains has been made.

Lieutenant Colonel Morrill was a 1952 graduate of Ole Miss.  He attended the
Naval Post Graduate School and obtained a Masters Degree in Aeronautical
Engineering from Princeton University.  He was a test pilot and was selected
from, three thousand initial candidates, as one of the final thirty
candidates for the Apollo Astronaut Program.

Brother: Lt. Col. Merwin L. Morrill, USAF.  San Carlos, CA. (KIA 08-21-67,
NVN)

Wife: Alice Morrill Roehl

Sons: David L. Morrill
      Richard H. Morrill

Daughter: Mary Morrill Lewis

POW/MIA Statistics for all wars
This information was provided from the following site: http://www.aiipowmia.com/

Operation Iraqi Freedom - as of 26 JANUARY 07

CAPTURED - 2
SSG Keith M. Maupin DOI 09 APR 04 (Captured as PFC, Promoted in Absentia 01 MAY 04 to SPC, Promoted in Absentia 01 APR 05 to SGT, Promoted in Absentia 17 SEP 06 to SSG) Baghdad Region

USAR SPC Ahmed K. Altaie
(Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie)
DUSTWUN 23 OCT 2006
Declared MISSING-CAPTURED 11 DEC 2006
Baghdad, Iraq

OFFICIALLY US MISSING in IRAQ - 13
2 Military - Maupin, Speicher (1991 PGW)
11 Civilians

Additionally, 4 Civilian Contractors working for a private security firm were abducted when their convoy was attacked late Fall 2006. They remain missing, their names have not been released.

CAPTURED/Killed in Captivity - 2
PFC Kristian Menchaca DOI 16 JUN 06, Baghdad, Iraq ID Announced 22 JUN 06
Awarded POW Medal
PFC Thomas L. Tucker DOI 16 JUN 06, Baghdad Iraq ID Announced 22 JUN 06

POWs Recovered to Date - 8
Young, Williams, Lynch, Johnson, Hernandez, Hudson, Miller & Riley - an Nasiriyah, Iraq

Hostages Recovered to Date - 1
Thomas Hamill DOI 09 APR 04 Escaped 01 MAY 04 Baghdad Region

KIA and Non-Combat Deaths 3,063 Identified

RETURNED TO MILITARY CONTROL - 1
USMC CPL Wassef Ali Hassoun DOI 20 JUN 04 Returned 09 JUL 04 Fallujah

MISSING - KBR US Civilian Contractor Tim Bell DOI 09 APR 04 Baghdad Region

REMAINS RECOVERED - KBR US Civilian Contractor William Bradley DOI 09 APR 04 Baghdad Region DOId 06 JAN 05

RELEASED - Micah Garen Civilian Photgrapher/Journalist DOI 13 AUG 04 Returned 22 AUG 04 Nasiriyah, Iraq

RESCUED - Roy Hallums Civilian Contractor, Saudi Arabian Trading and Construction Co
DOI 01 NOV 04 Rescued 07 SEP 05, Mansour, Baghdad

US Hostages Executed to Date - Nicholas Berg, Iraq • Paul Johnson, Saudi Arabia • Eugene "Jack" Armstrong, Iraq • Jack Hensley, Iraq • Tom Fox, Baghdad, Iraq

Operation Enduring Freedom - as of 26 JAN 07

MIA/DUSTWUN - 0
KIA and Non-Combat Deaths 353 Identified

Persian Gulf War 1991: 3 Officially Unaccounted-For,
12 Unofficially Unaccounted-For

Other personnel also remain unaccounted-for in Iraq, 9 of 14 crewmembers of the Spirit '03 loss incident. As well as the A-6 loss with Barry Cook and Robert Dwyer who was lost with his F/A 18. At the conclusion of the Persian Gulf War 1991, all were classified as KIA/BNR. Michael Scott Speicher's status was later upgraded twice... to MIA in 2001 and to Missing/Captured in 2002.

President Bush has even stated that more than just Speicher remain unaccounted-for from the first war with Iraq. His remarks last National POW-MIA Recognition Day - "Nearly 60 years after the end of World War II, the fate of more than 78,000 Americans who fought in that conflict remains unknown. More than 8,100 from the Korean War are missing, more than 120 from the Cold War, more than 1,900 from the Vietnam War, and three from the Gulf War. These Americans, who dedicated their lives to preserving and protecting our freedoms, will never be forgotten."

COLOMBIA: 3 Hostages/POWs
Thomas Howes
Marc Gonsalves
Keith Stansell
DOI : 12-13 February, 2003

DoD on SEA: Current as of: 2007/01/08
SUBJECT: VIETNAM-ERA UNACCOUNTED FOR STATISTICAL REPORT

Cases: VN - 485 • VS - 882 • LA - 361 • CB - 54 • CH - 7 = 1789
Pursuit Status: Further Pursuit - 1035 • Deferred - 103 • No further Pursuit - 651 = 1789
VN = VIETNAM NORTH • VS = VIETNAM SOUTH • CB = CAMBODIA • CH = CHINA • LA = LAOS
* INCLUDES 453 AT SEA/OVER WATER LOSSES

AMERICANS ACCOUNTED FOR POST-1973 - REPATRIATED BY:
VIETNAM 614 *
CHINA 3 **
LAOS 211
CAMBODIA 29
TOTAL 857 ***

U.S. GOVERNMENT EFFORTS: Since the fall of Saigon in 1975, the U.S. Government has acquired 22,869 reports possibly pertaining to Americans in Southeast Asia:

SUMMARY OF REPORTS FIRSTHAND LIVE SIGHTINGS - 1989
HEARSAY SIGHTINGS REPORTS - 5288
CRASH/GRAVE SITES - 5797
DOGTAGS - 9795
TOTAL - 22869
a. Of the 1989 firsthand reports received since 1975, 1942 (97.64%) reports are resolved.

• 1341 (67.42%) reports were equated to Americans who are accounted for (i.e., PW returnees, missionaries, civilians jailed at various times for violation of Vietnamese codes).

• 45 (2.26%) reports were correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sighting of civilians who remain unaccounted for.

• 556 (27.95%) reports were determined to be fabrications.

b. The remaining 47 (2.36%) unresolved firsthand reports represent the focus of the U.S. Government analytical and collection efforts:

• 43 (2.16%) pertain to Americans reported in a captive environment. • 4 (0.20%) reported sightings of Americans in a non-captive environment (i.e. working as truck drivers; married with Vietnamese family).

c. Since mid-1982, 9795 Òdog tagÓ reports have been received on over 10,000 names.

• Generally speaking 93% of those names reported are individuals who returned to the U.S. alive

• 5% correspond to U.S. remains that have been recovered/identified and buried in the U.S.

• and 2% relate to individuals who remain unaccounted for.

d. In all instances, dog tag reports receive thorough investigative attention, to include informing the military services of those reports with valid names so next of kin can be advised as appropriate.

The following timeline presents an overview of unresolved firsthand sightings by the year of the sighting:

TIMELINE: UNRESOLVED LIVE SIGHTING REPORTS

CAPTIVE
Pre-1976 : 35
1976-1980 : 3
1981-1985 : 0
1986-1990 : 1
1991-1995 : 0
1996-2000 : 4
2001-2005 : 4
Total : 47

NON-CAPTIVE
Pre-1976 : 1
1976-1980 : 1
1981-1985 : 0
1986-1990 : 0
1991-1995 : 0
1996-2000 : 1
2001-2005 : 0
Total : 4

Here is the Price Americans Have Paid the Last 228 Years

WAR OF THE REVOLUTION 19 Aril 1775 - 20 September 1783
Participants: 250,000 :: POWs: 18,152 :: MIAs: 1,426 :: Deaths In Service: 6,824

WAR OF 1812 18 June 1812 - 24 December 1814
Participants: 286,730 :: POWs: 20,000 :: MIAs: 695 :: Deaths In Service: 2,260

MEXICAN WAR 24 April 1846 - 2 February 1848
Participants: 78,718 :: POWs: 20,000 : : MIAs: 695 :: Deaths In Service: 2,260

INDIAN WARS US Date 1815 - December1890
Participants: 106,000 :: POWs: Many, few survived :: MIAs: Many :: Deaths In Service: 1,000
Aboriginal American Date 1540 - 2004
Participants: Unknown, in the millions :: POWs-MIAs: Unknown - Aboriginal Americans are the longest held documented POWs, serving into the 20th Century in excess of 28 years :: Deaths In Service: Millions

CIVIL WAR 12 April 1861 - 26 May 1865
Union Participants: 2,213,365 :: Union POWs: 194,743 :: Union Deaths In Service: 364,511
Confederate Participants: 1,082,119 :: Confederate POWs: 214,865 :: Confederate Deaths In Service: 134,563

SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR 21 April 1898 - 12 August 1898
Participants: 260,000 :: POWs: 8 :: MIAs: 72 Deaths In Service: 2,446

WORLD WAR I 6 April 1917 - 11 November 1918
Participants: 4,743,826 :: POWs: 7,470 :: MIAs: 116,708 :: Deaths In Service: 116,708

WORLD WAR II 7 December 1941 - 2 September 1945
Participants: 16,353,659 :: POWs: 124,079 :: MIAs: 30,314
Deaths in Service: Disputed Numbers - All References Provided
Military:
• Keegan: 292,000
• Harper Collins: 292,100
• Britannica: 292,131 (not incl. 115,187 non-battle)
• Compton's: 293,986
• Urlanis: 300,000
• Info. Please: 291,557 KIA + 113,842 other causes = 405,399
• DoD: 291,557 KIA + 113,842 other = 405,399
• Ellis: 405,400
• Encarta: 292,131 KIA + 115,187 other causes = 407,318
• Wallechinsky: 292,131 KIA + 115,187 other = 407,318
• Eckhardt: 408,000
• Small & Singer: 408,300

Civilian:
• Britannica: 6,000

U.S. Merchant Marine: 8,300 mariners killed at sea, at least 1,100 died from wounds. Total killed estimated 9,300. [http://www.usmm.org/ww2.html]

• All (undifferentiated):
• Messenger: 300,000

COLD WAR 2 September 1945 - 21 August 1991
Participants: Classified :: POWs: Classified :: MIAs: 343 :: Deaths In Service: Classified :: Deaths In Service: 407,316 ERA

KOREAN WAR 25 June 1950 - 27 July 1953
Participants: 5,764,143 :: POWs: 7,140 :: MIAs: 8,177 :: Deaths In Service: 36,940

SECOND INDOCHINA WAR 08 July 1959 - 27 January 1973
Active Duty: 9,087,000 :: In-Country: 2,594,000 :: POWs: 2,583 :: MIAs: 3000-6000 :: Deaths In Service: 58,486

USS PUEBLO 23 January 1968 - 23 December 1968
Incident Personnel: 82 :: POWs: 82 :: POW Deaths In Incident: 1

GRENADA 25 October 1983 - 2 November 1983
Participants: 2,700 :: POWs: Unknown :: MIAs: 4 :: Deaths In Service: 20

USS STARK 17 May 1987
Participants: Unknown :: MIAs: 1 :: Deaths In Service: 36

PERSIAN GULF WAR 16 January 1991 - 27 February 1991
Participants: 650,000 :: POWs - MIAs: 52 :: Deaths In Service: 255

SOMALIA 02 December 1992 - 15 September 1994
Participants: Classified :: POWs: 6 :: MIAs: 2 :: Deaths In Service: 44