http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/pow/ en-us Fri, 25 Dec 2009 07:51:06 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414861/posts KABUL (AP) - The Taliban released Friday a video purporting to show a U.S. soldier who was captured more than five months ago in eastern Afghanistan. Associated Press / Breitbart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414861/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 07:51:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408160/posts During World War II, the Germans would throw you into a POW camp free of charge. Today, POW Escapes will sell you the experience of spending a week in a newly-constructed Luftwaffe prisoner of war facility for just $3,500. For a short time, you will feel what it was like for airmen captured and held captive by the Lufwaffe during the war. $3,500 buys you a sightseeing tour of the Jewish Ghetto and Nazi installations, a week in the camp, your meals, a POW camp uniform, recreated documents and a “liberation dinner” at the end of your stay where your... POW Escapes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408160/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:22:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2400121/posts Miss. Survivor Of Vietnam's Hanoi Hilton Dies At 82 Pitchford Survived 7 Years In Prison Camp UPDATED: 3:48 pm CST December 3, 2009 JACKSON, Miss. -- Retired Air Force Col. Jack Pitchford, a fighter pilot from Mississippi who survived seven years in the Vietnamese prison camp known as the Hanoi Hilton, has died. He was 82. The Natchez, Miss., native was shot down in 1965 and taken to the Hoa Lo prison, a hellish place where Americans, including famous veterans like U.S. Sen. John McCain, were tortured. Pitchford was released in 1973. His brother said Pitchford died Wednesday after battling... WAPT News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2400121/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:43:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385174/posts 11/12/2009 - SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- With the traditional "I do's" and exchange of wedding bands some 54 years ago on Oct. 1, 1955, James and Phyllis Hivner began their life's journey together which, like many young couples, began with not knowing what the future held. That journey was rocked 10 years later, almost to the day, when then-Capt. James Hivner and his co-pilot, 1st Lt. Thomas Barrett, were shot down Oct. 5, 1965, in their F-4C Phantom fighter-bomber over North Vietnam. About 10 minutes after ejecting from the wounded aircraft, the pair was captured by North... Air Force Link http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385174/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:04:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2360498/posts Frontpage Interview’s guest today is Lynn O’Shea, Director of Research for the National Alliance of Families for the Return of America’s Missing Servicemen. FP: Lynn O’Shea, welcome to Frontpage Interview. Tell us what your Alliance is currently working on. O’Shea: Currently, we are working toward the passage of House Resolution 111, calling for the formation of a Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs in the House of Representatives. It is our hope that the House Committee will pick up where the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs ended in 1993. When the Senate Committee published its final report, it contained several... Frontpagemagazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2360498/posts#comment Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:55:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2350451/posts Thousands of World War II prisoners ended up in mills, farm fields and even dining rooms across the United States In the mid-1940s when Mel Luetchens was a boy on his family’s Murdock, Nebraska, farm where he still lives, he sometimes hung out with his father’s hired hands, “I looked forward to it,” he said. “They played games with us and brought us candy and gum.” The hearty young men who helped his father pick corn or put up hay or build livestock fences were German prisoners of war from a nearby camp. “They were the enemy, of course,” says... Smithsonian Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2350451/posts#comment Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:30:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2349870/posts He was a soldier in one of the most fanatical divisions in Hitler's war machine. As a member of the SS, Heinrich Steinmeyer expected little mercy as he surrendered to British troops towards the end of the Second World War. But instead, he says he was treated with humanity by both the troops who captured him and the guards at the Scottish prison camp where he was kept until the end of the war. Sixty-five years later, Mr Steinmeyer has pledged to leave his home and life savings of £430,000 to elderly residents in the village of Comrie, Perthshire, as... Daily Mail (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2349870/posts#comment Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:43:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2321632/posts CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C., Aug. 21, 2009 – A senior noncommissioned officer assigned here recently returned from a recovery mission to find the remains of an American pilot in Laos. Air Force Master Sgt. Wesley Housel sifts through dirt while conducting a recovery mission in Houaphan province, Laos. Housel was part of a 10-member recovery team on a deployment to recover the remains of Americans lost during the Vietnam War. DoD photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Air Force Master Sgt. Wesley Housel of the 437th Operations Support Squadron spent a 36-day deployment as a digger assigned to... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2321632/posts#comment Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:15:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2300437/posts The Crowley County veterans affairs officer is disputing claims by military historians that he lied about being a prisoner of war. In a telephone interview Wednesday, Ronald Crumley said he is a former POW and that he will prove it at a meeting next week. "All of the allegations will be answered by two people. One is a four-star Marine general and the other is a former assistant U.S. attorney general," Crumley said. "I see how this has happened to other people and I want to take care of it now," Crumley said. Military historian Doug Sterner of Pueblo and... PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2300437/posts#comment Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:33:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2299647/posts WASHINGTON, July 23, 2009 – Nearing the end of his 42-year career in the Navy, Adm. Timothy J. Keating today reflected on those who served alongside him, giving special emphasis to troops whose fates remain unknown. Keating, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command, addressed the National League of POW/MIA Families, a group that strives to account for the more than 1,750 veterans of Vietnam and other wars still missing. “We’re going to do whatever it takes, with appropriate support, to have you reach some sort of conclusion in your minds and in your hearts as to where your loved one... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2299647/posts#comment Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:46:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2298206/posts U.S. Army Private First Class Bowe Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho, is no longer a combatant in the Afghanistan war. Instead, he is now playing a part in an increasingly desperate information war being waged by the Taliban. Pfc. Bergdahl was recently identified in a video distributed by his captors, the Afghan Taliban, a religious-based insurgent group now fighting American, NATO and Afghan government forces under the command of Mullah Omar. Despite the nature of the conflict, Bergdahl is not a prisoner of war - he is a terrorist hostage. The difference is important. The United States government classifies persons held... http://www.nydailynews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2298206/posts#comment Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:58:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2297442/posts Here is a video report on a massive search underway in Afghanistan to try and find captured U.S. Solder Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl. He was captured on June 30, and a videotape released by the Taliban showed him eating and speaking on Sunday. The Pentagon is pouring over the tape for any clues it might give as to his whereabouts. . . . . (Watch Video) Freedom's Lighthouse http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2297442/posts#comment Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:19:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2297341/posts #5 Jim Thompson POW and Legendary Badass Who was he? Jim was just a store clerk, until he decided he could probably impress more girls by telling them he was a Green Beret, which he became. How He Stared Down Death: During the Vietnam War, Jim was captured and held as a prisoner of war, at which time he was beaten and tortured. The time we're speaking of by the way was a period of nine years, giving him a pretty bittersweet record for being held as a POW. cracked.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2297341/posts#comment Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:24:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2297157/posts I'm trying to find a source that lists the amounts of people freed by the US military in its various wars and conflicts for a speech; if anyone can point me to one I'd appreciate it, Thank You. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2297157/posts#comment Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:49:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2297033/posts WASHINGTON, July 20, 2009 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said American commanders are “sparing no effort” to locate a U.S. soldier who went missing early this month in Afghanistan. Speaking to reporters today during a Pentagon news conference, Gates also expressed his disgust at the exploitation of Army Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, who the Defense Department identified as the missing soldier and who is featured in a video apparently released yesterday on the Internet by his captors. “Our commanders are sparing no effort to find this young soldier, and I also would say that my personal reaction was one... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2297033/posts#comment Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:46:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2296246/posts Here is a video report on the Pentagon's announcement confirming the identity of the U.S. Soldier captured and being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan who appeared in a video released last night. The soldier is identified as Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl of Ketchum, Idaho. He was captured on June 30 this report says, after wandering away from his base without his weapon or his body armor. In the tape released, Bergdahl says he is scared he won't be able to return home, and after being prompted by a captor off camera, he appeals to Americans to bring all the troops... Freedom's Lighthouse http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2296246/posts#comment Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:09:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2293938/posts A Taliban commander in southeastern Afghanistan today said that a captured U.S. soldier was being held unharmed by insurgents, but warned he would be killed if efforts were made to find him. The soldier has been missing in Paktika province since late June, just before thousands of U.S. Marines began a major new offensive. The U.S. military has said he was presumed captured. Taliban commander Mawlavi Sangin said the group's leadership would decide the soldier's fate, but accused U.S. soldiers of harassing and arresting Afghans in Paktika and neighbouring Ghazni province. 'They have put pressure on the people in these... DailyMail UK http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2293938/posts#comment Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:45:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2291483/posts ACCRA, Ghana, July 12 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama said he has ordered a probe of the U.S. response to mass killings of Taliban prisoners of war by forces of an American-backed warlord. In an interview with CNN, Obama said the investigation would focus on reports the Bush administration resisted calls for a probe into the deaths of as many as 2,000 Taliban POWs in 2001, during the early days of the war in Afghanistan. "The indications that this had not been properly investigated just recently was brought to my attention," Obama said during his visit to Ghana. "So what... UPI http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2291483/posts#comment Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:18:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286649/posts MOSCOW: The United States and Russia on Monday agreed to revive a joint commission that investigates the fate of prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action, the White House said. In an exchange of diplomatic notes, Washington and Moscow agreed a framework for the US-Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs, the White House said in a statement as President Barack Obama arrived for a summit in Moscow. "This exchange restores in full the important work of the Joint Commission and demonstrates the unwavering commitment both our countries have toward our servicemen and women," it said. It was not immediately clear... AFP via Times of India http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286649/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 18:28:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286025/posts SEGUIN — For some of us, Independence Day is more important than for others. But back in 1942, it all nearly came to naught for the forward observer with the first Texas military unit to ever see combat on foreign soil. One of the very first to see action in World War II and the most decorated military unit in the history of the Lone Star state, Buzzo’s unit, the second battalion of the 131st Field Artillery, was surrendered and captured at Java on March 8, 1942. Of some 900 men taken prisoner at Java, about 670 were shipped to... The Gazette-Enterprise http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286025/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 18:10:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275540/posts WHEN Kim Beazley slipped his feet under the desk as Australia's defence minister in 1984, he took charge of a vast department with a multibillion-dollar budget and gained access to the nation's most valuable military secrets. But even from his position at the apex of Australia's military machine he was unable to find a definitive answer to one of his family's most enduring mysteries: what happened to Uncle Syd. Now, a quarter of a century on, Beazley has put his influence behind a campaign to demand answers to questions surrounding one of the nation's most tragic wartime episodes, the sinking... The Weekend Australian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275540/posts#comment Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:01:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2271075/posts Captivity In Print “Tears In The Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath,” by Michael and Elizabeth Norman, is the story of GI/POW artist Ben Steele, a survivor now 91 years old and a professor of art emeritus, illustrated with his recreated sketches from Japanese prison camps, the originals having been lost in the war. Extensively reviewed at the Moderate Voice. An author “op-art” at The New York Times, Memorial of the Mind. Washington Times editorial, Remembering Bataan, Americans Who Know What Torture Really Is. More of the art here. An interview with Steele and more... Jules Crittenden Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2271075/posts#comment Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:13:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271071/posts Oh. Before we begin today's "Bashing Barack," remember that on Wednesday I invited you to create your own Catchy Caption to the photo of Michelle Obama and France's First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. I am sad to report that an overwhelming number had the "B" word involved and, therefore, cannot be repeated here. The best usable caption was: "I'm just glad she's not looking at me." On to the really amusing stuff: An article in the Weekly Standard maintains that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is being given a broader role in interrogating prisoners taken during raids on terrorist dens in... cnsnews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271071/posts#comment Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:52:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2256052/posts Rolling Thunder not expecting Obama greeting By Jennifer Harper Friday, May 22, 2009 The last time Rolling Thunder roared into Washington, the president welcomed the riders in the White House driveway with a smile on his face and heartfelt personal greeting. This year, maybe not. "We initially got a call this year saying the president wasn't going to greet us," said Artie Muller, founder of the group that is marking its 22nd annual patriotic motorcycle ride through Washington to draw attention to policy issues influencing veterans, active-duty military, prisoners of war and those still missing in action. But a second... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2256052/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2009 03:31:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2252846/posts COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Newt Heisley, the designer of the POW/MIA flag adopted by Congress in 1990 as a symbol of the nation's concern for those missing during military actions in Southeast Asia, died. He was 88. [snip] Fox News/AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2252846/posts#comment Sun, 17 May 2009 21:39:45 GMT