Bring 'em Home!!
-- and I'll Pay Your Airfare

Introduction

General

From time to time I learn of groups of folks who have traveled to SEAsia to conduct a rescue operation.  Rescue who?  Why, US POWs, of course.  Someone somewhere hears that there is good information about US POWs being held -- right now -- someplace where a dedicated team can go get them out.  So, a gang of heroes put up some money   -- tens of thousands of dollars -- and trek off, usually to Thailand.  There they met an American living in Thailand -- often Mark Smith, Major, US Army (retired) who fills their heads with marvelous tales and even introduces them to his "sources" -- who more often than not are Laotian, Cambodian, or Thai scam artists.  The rescue team spends several days sneaking around from "safe house" to "safe house" while the guy who put this together makes his "last minute arrangements."  At the end, something happens -- a secret source does not show up, weapons do not materialize, whatever -- and the whole thing comes apart.  No problem.  Everyone just heads for the nearest Thai whorehouse and has a good time.

Specific

I was stationed in Japan from July 1990 to July 1993.  As part of my job, I traveled to and from the States several times a year.  Most people travelling to the States from Japan flew a late afternoon-early evening flight from Tokyo's Narita International Airport.  Flights from all over Asia would converge on Narita, passengers from those flights would get on their connecting flights, and everyone would fly off to wherever.

On one occasion -- I believe it was in late 1992 -- I was seated in front of three Americans, two men and a woman.  I had spotted them in the terminal; they came from a flight that had landed from Bangkok.  They were decked out in POW T-shirts and bracelets, cammie trousers, replicas of Vietnam era boonie hats, all the regalia.   After we departed for the States and had our first round of drinks, they started talking.  It was clear from their conversation that they were returning from a rescue operation in Thailand and they were not happy.  As the flight continued, I talked with them at some length.  One of the guys was not talkative, the lady slept most of the time, but the second guy unloaded.

It seems that he had for years known of Mark Smith and he was a "POW-MIA activist" who firmly believed the US POWs were still held in SEAsia.  He owned his own business and had been quite successful -- he had a lot of money.  Let me keep this story short.  He had heard that Smith had some hot info about where US POWs were and how they could be rescued.  This guy put up a lot of money -- sent some to Smith to help buy weapons and information -- recruited some others, and headed for Thailand.   He described what happened when they arrived.  They finally located Smith, gave him some more money, then spent a week meeting with "characters" (his word), each of whom had long stories about how they had seen US POWs in prison camps just last week.  Meanwhile, they were being hauled around from one "safe house" to another, with occasional stops at whorehouses and bars.

Bottom line was that nothing ever materialized -- no weapons had been purchased, no operation had been planned -- and the entire group soon realized that this was nonsense.   They left -- minus more money than he wanted to talk about.

And that, folks, is par for the course.  During the tours I served in POW-MIA offices in DIA and DoD, we learned of all sorts of rescue operations.  Everyone of them fit the same pattern. 

NAM 2005 -- This Time We're Bringing Them Home

Now -- April 2000 -- some loon is at it again.  Check out this URL:  http://hometown.aol.com/patriotx2005x/NAM2005.html

(NOTE:  As of 17 March 2002, the NAM 2005 site is down with no indication of where they went or when/if they will return.)

Here are some of the claims from the site (complete with misspelled words and bad grammar):

QUOTE

END QUOTE

Damn!! I can hardly wait!!!  But, why wait until 2005?  Could it be that they need an extra five years of fund raising?

My Offer

Okay, gang, here is my offer to the folks of NAM 2005 or any other "rescuers."  You bring them home and I'll pay your round-trip airfare.  Here are the details of my offer.

Summary

I will pay round-trip airfare from your home in the States for any and all members of a group who rescues an American, servicemember or civilian, who was captured during the Vietnam War, and whom you free from a Vietnamese, Laotian, or Cambodian prison.

Before you go

Before you go, you must submit to me the following:

During the operation

While the operation is going on, you will need to submit periodic reports to me.  I will provide you with report formats.

Upon your return

When you return with the freed US POW in your possession, you will deliver him to the Department of Defense for verification that he was indeed a POW.   I am not paying for deserters or AWOLs to come home.

If you meet all the above criteria, I'll stroke off the check for your airfare.

Why will I not advance you the airfare? 

Because:

If you wish to apply, e-mail me and ask for the application package.