Along with other U.S. veterans, two of our Hanoi-based military personnel attended a Veterans Day ceremony with President Trump in Danang. Our team was privileged to share with the President DPAA’s field activities in Vietnam and dedication to provide answers to families of our missing heroes.”
… no longer any restrictions on the number of U.S. personnel who could work in-country simultaneously, affirming flexibility in field operations and that there are no longer any areas restricted to U.S. access … including previously sensitive areas along the northern coastal provinces.”
That unprecedented development occurred Oct. 15 when Mills-Griffiths met with Vietnam’s Vice Minister of National Defense Senior LTG Nguyen Chi Vinh prior to the Oct. 17 bilateral Defense Dialogue session in Washington. The vice minister repeated those promises later in the session. It’s a major step forward. Since 2009, Vietnamese officials have increased their efforts to cooperate more with U.S. officials. Some observers have noted that previous DPAA administrations failed to appreciate Vietnamese officials positive steps towards in that direction.
Last, but certainly not least, in a National League of POW/MIA Families report dated Dec. 7, Mills-Griffiths pointed out two other significant advances and improvements offered by Vietnam:
- Vietnam gave formal approval for a Defense Intelligence Agency Stony Beach specialist to be permanently assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi. Mills-Griffiths said, “The Stony Beach Team is comprised of highly trained specialists, language capable and culturally familiar investigators, able to augment DPAA Investigation Teams, as they have done effectively for years despite having to rotate on a temporary basis in and out of Vietnam. This decision by Vietnam’s leadership is most welcome and deeply appreciated…”
- Vietnam has committed its navy, coast guard and maritime services to work with DPAA officials in coastal areas searching for downed aviators remains in SEA.
Trump’s high visibility on this issue was reinforced two months ago when Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr., commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, thanked city officials from Ho Chi Minh City, in their assistance searching for the remains of U.S. servicemen missing in action during the Vietnam War.
In an Oct. 27 meeting in Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyễn Thành Phong, Harris reiterated the U.S. commitment to press forward with humanitarian aid and the settlement of dioxin consequences in Vietnam. In November, Trump reaffirmed those commitments.
Prior to President Trump’s remarks in Vietnam, the Joint Special Operations Association/Special Forces Association POW/MIA Committee had been working in parallel with the National League of POW/MIA Families to impress upon the Trump Administration how important mention of the accounting mission could be to sustaining efforts toward the fullest possible accounting of our missing and unaccounted-for brothers-in-arms.We were gratified to hear these important remarks and hope to hear more of the same from other senior officials.”
Editor’s note: if you would like to read more from John Stryker Meyer, check out his book “SOG Chronicles: Volume One” here on Amazon — there he sheds light on the untold stories of Green Berets behind enemy lines in Vietnam, conducting harrowing missions with little to no support.
Featured image: President Donald Trump, center, and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, center right, arrive for the bilateral meeting at the Presidential Palace, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2017, in Hanoi, Vietnam. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
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