The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

United States Army Sgt. Charles P. Whitler will be buried Sept. 2 in his hometown of Cloverport, Ky.

Local news reporting: whas11.com

In early November 1950, Whitler was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, occupying a defensive position near the town of Unsan by the Kuryong River known as the “Camel’s Head.” Two enemy elements attacked the U.S. forces, collapsing their perimeter and forcing a withdrawal. Whitler’s unit was involved in fighting which devolved into hand-to-hand combat around the 3rd Battalion’s command post. Almost 400 men were reported missing or killed in action following the battle.

In late November 1950, a U.S. soldier captured during the battle of Unsan reported during his debriefing that he and nine American soldiers were moved to a house near the battlefield. The POWs were taken to an adjacent field and shot. Three of the 10 Americans survived, though one later died. The surviving solider provided detailed information on the incident location.

Analysts from DPMO developed case leads with information spanning more than 58 years. Through interviews with eyewitnesses, experts evaluated circumstances surrounding Whitler’s captivity and death and researched wartime documentation of his loss.

In May 2004, a joint U.S.-North Korean team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, excavated a mass grave near the “Camel’s Head.” An elderly North Korean man reported he had witnessed the death of seven or eight U.S. soldiers near that location and provided the team with a general description of the burial site.

The excavation team recovered human remains and other personal artifacts, ultimately leading to the identification of seven soldiers from that site, one of whom was Whitler.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used dental comparisons and mitochondrial DNA – which matched that of Whitler’s sister and niece – in the identification.

More than 2,000 servicemen died as prisoners of war during the Korean War. With this accounting, 8,022 service members still remain missing from the conflict.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call 703-699-1420.

(Left to right) U.S. Army 1st Lt. Matthew Machacek, from the Texas Agribusiness Development Team, Michéle Flournoy, U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and U.S. Army Maj. William Davis, also from the Texas ADT, pose for a photo while holding the Texas A&M University flag, Aug. 8, at Forward Operating Base Ghazni.

WASHINGTON – The Defense Department is as committed as ever to bringing home thousands of U.S. service members who remain missing from the Korean War and Cold War conflicts, the Pentagon’s undersecretary of defense for policy said, Aug. 26.

“This issue has the full and unequivocal support of this secretary and this nation,” Michele Flournoy said at the Korean War/Cold War Annual Government Briefing on the accounting of missing and imprisoned servicemembers held in Arlington, Va. Ensuring resources are available “to have the fullest possible accounting” is a top priority of the department, she said.

As many as 5,400 Americans may still be in North Korea, and another 900 may be in the demilitarized zone that has divided North and South Korea since an armistice in 1953 halted three years of fighting there, Flournoy said. Because there has never been a peace treaty to officially end the war, those areas remain inaccessible to the department’s search and recovery teams, she said.

American search teams were allowed into North Korea under tight control between 1996 and 2005, and recovered the remains of 225 U.S. servicemembers, 81 of whom have been identified, Flournoy said. Rising international tensions with North Korea over its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons and the sinking of a South Korean navy ship this year have ended those operations, the undersecretary said.

Further complicating efforts, Flournoy said, are ongoing reports that “tiny” numbers of veterans may have defected to the north, raising concerns that they are being held as prisoners of war. Department officials have spent years trying to determine if the reports are true, she said.

“We have no evidence that U.S. servicemembers are being held against their will in North Korea,” she said. “But we cannot tell you in many cases the fate of our missing service members.”

Despite the challenges, she said, “We will get through this difficult period and do everything in our power to resume recovery operations and bring our service members home.”

Flournoy called the issue of missing or imprisoned servicemembers “surely the most painful legacy of war,” and said the department is committed to keeping its search and recovery staff fully resourced. Congress, also, has shown its willingness to provide for the recovery of POWs/MIAs by including in the current budget a directive that 200 new staff members be added to the effort each year until 2015.

Meanwhile, the United States has had increasing collaboration with Russia and China to recover missing service members, and currently is evaluating remains found from a plane crash in the China Sea reported by Chinese officials, Flournoy said.

The department usually recovers the remains of between 80 and 85 missing servicemembers each year, she said.

Flournoy told the audience that their work gives hope to the 200,000 military members currently deployed in war zones. POW/MIA work “is not an artifact of the distant past,” she said. “These issues remain urgent, and our commitment to leaving no one behind is as vital and real as it has ever been.”

Search and recovery techniques have vastly improved in recent years, and the department’s teams are the best in the world, Flournoy said. “No one is more dedicated to the mission,” she added.

“Your loved ones gave their lives for this country,” she said. “We honor their sacrifices, and we are committed to their recovery.”

USFallen.org and CTS band with Jeff Senour, are proud participants of the Patriot Guard Riders, National Gathering of the Guard 2010.

Sponsor A Wounded Warrior to the “Freedom Rocks” Concert!

By: Jeff Senour

Now you can sponsor a Real Hero to come to the concert. Together we can all make a difference. To sponsor a Fort Hood Soldier or Wounded Warrior to the “Freedom Rocks Experience”, just log in HERE and select one of the three (3) categories of sponsorship to sponsor your real American Hero to this amazing concert. We all can make a difference together. Let’s honor these heroes together and bring them all to the concert.
(URL is http://gotg2010.eventbrite.com/ ; for those who have trouble with the above link)

CTS to headline Gathering Of The Guard Saturday night Sept 11, 2010. It’s official, the local Harker Heights High School Orchestra is now slated to perform with CTS during the “Freedom Rock Experience” concert.

Pictured (L/R): Dave, Jeff,  Eric and Joe  / CTS

CTS Band with Jeff Senour

It will be an honor to have this fabulous group of young musicians along with Urban Quartet performing together to honor our Real American Heroes. Military, Police, Firefighters, Teachers and yes the Patriot Guard Riders will be honored in this rock concert. Please check out the link below for more on the “Freedom Rock Experience”. We are honored to work with the local community near Fort Hood to bring rocking music to the National Gathering Of The Guard 2010. This show is sure to spark even more patriotism to your heart and renew your sense of how proud we all are to be and American.

Can’t wait to see you there!

For more info visit our National GOTG 2010 page.

A Hero Among Heroes
Col. Robert “Bob” Howard Sr.’s Story

We are pleased to announce the availability of A Hero Among Heroes – Col. Robert L Howard Sr.’s Story. This is a mini-bio of the life and times of the late Col. Robert “Bob” Howard Sr.

He is considered to be the most decorated American soldier of the Vietnam War, having been nominated 3-times for the Medal of Honor, and recipient of 8-puple hearts for wounds received during his 5-tours in SE Asia.
USFallen.org was honored to be asked to produce this video, to be shown at a memorial service at Ft. Sam Houston, in San Antonio, TX. on Feb. 22, 2010.  We were provided some footage of an interview conducted a few years ago with the Col. He was interviewed by one of his best friends and fishing buddies, Sgt. Maj. (Ret) Benito Guerrero.  Soon we began to compile other media and developing a story line. Veteran groups began submitting footage, photos, and suggested music from the era. There was a specific request to use the Col.’s two favorite songs; The Green Leaves of Summer and The Ballad of the Green Berets.

This version is the memorial tribute given to the Howard Family. It includes photos and video footage of the Medal of Honor interment ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery. Also, Sgt. Robert L. Howard Jr., presenting the American flag to his oldest sister.

Part II:

The producer’s background in developing training presentations, and a spiritual influence from the Colonel, the final product is designed to assist any instructor, on the topics of:
• Vietnam War battlefield experience
• How to survive in the battlefield
• Leadership
• Soldier’s moral obligations’
• Advice about joining the military

Dec. 11 & 12, 2009 Dallas, TX.
Snowball Express (SBE) part 3 of 3. On Thursday morning the SBE visited city hall for a brief greeting from the mayor. Afterward the group made their way to the convention center for a full day filled with activities for the children and families.
Friday began with a brunch and then police escorted the bus convoy to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, led by the PGR. Upon arriving there were volunteers to greet them and show them around. The stadium was decorated to entice all children into a wonder land.
Professional football player signed autographs and posed for pictures. The famous Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders were on hand and posed for pictures. There were games and activities for everyone including performances by the Carter Twins.
Carter Twins is an American country music duo consisting of twin brothers, Joshua Scott Carter and Zachary Edward Carter. The Carter Twins released their debut single, “Heart Like Memphis”, on March 16, 2009, which earned them a CMT Music Awards for Duo Video of the Year.
At the beginning of the third hour the PGR made a grand entrance into the stadium with over 200 motorcycles many with American flags and holiday decorations. The spectacular was an intro to Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band.
Gary Alan Sinise, is an American actor and film director. During his career, Sinise was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1994 for his role as Lieutenant Dan Taylor in Forrest Gump. He won a Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries for his role in Truman. In 1996, he played a corrupt police officer in the Ron Howard dramatic hit Ransom. In 1998, Sinise was awarded an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a movie for the television film George Wallace, a portrayal of the late Gov. George Wallace, Jr., of Alabama. His involvement in supporting our US military and their families is impressive and appreciated.
Thank You:

Gold Star Families
SnowballExpress.org
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)
TXPGR.org
Volunteers, Donors, & Sponsors
City of Dallas & Convention Center
Dallas Cowboys & Cheerleaders
Carter Twins
Gary Sinise & Lt. Dan Band
Corporate Sponsors

Video Production-

Photos:
SnowballExpress/FaceBook
TAPS/FaceBook
TxPGR.org – Gary Hill & Lisa Wallace

Music:
Little Drummer Boy
John Berry

USFallen.org
Jerry Castillo
Producer