This announcement is in from the National Alliance of Families
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- American and Laotian experts are excavating
eight sites where the remains of U.S. servicemen missing in action
during the Vietnam War are believed to be buried, the U.S. Embassy said
today.
The operation, which began Oct. 1, marks the 40th time American and
Laotian teams have scoured for clues to the fate of the MIAs, according
to a press statement.
The search will last until the end of the month and involves the
cases of 24 missing servicemen in three southern Laotian provinces --
Savannakhet, Saravan and Xekong.
There are 2,081 Americans still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, of
which 444 are in Laos. Most were airmen bombing the Ho Chi Minh Trail to
stop North Vietnam from moving troops and supplies through Laos.
Although not officially at war in Laos, the United States backed the
government against Vietnamese-backed communists.
