In the January issue of the Retired Officer Magazine, an article appeared authored by Dale Andrade titled "PAYING OUR DUES". Mr. Andrade writes an excellent article about the plight of more than 50 teams of South Vietnamese Commandoes sent into North Vietnam by the U.S. Military Command (MAC) in Vietnam. "Every single member was either captured, killed, or disappeared. By the war's end in 1975, more than 300 commandos languished in North Vietnam."

The article goes on to say barrier's were erected, not by Hanoi, but by Washington, which established guidelines making it almost impossible for "them" to come to the United States. Senator Arlen Spector, Senator John Kerry and Senator Bob Kerrey make eloquent statements about the bravery of these men and the "criminal" conduct exposed by leaving these men behind.

I was extremely proud of the USG for finally recognizing the plight of these brave men and their attempts to ease many years of suffering. But the more I studied the article, the more I thought it resembled the plight of the American POWs that were abandoned at the conclusion of US hostilities in Vietnam.

Mr. Andrade concludes his article by saying, "For now the issue is settled, though many questions remain. For the defense and intelligence communities, the most important concern may be how to deal with the covert and clandestine operations in the future so this problem will not come up again." I think the question needs to be asked, and strongly asked, What about the American POW in future wars? Will he/she be protected by a strong Missing Service Personal Act as envisioned and scuttled during the 104th Congress? Because of my concern, I wrote the editor of The Retired Officer Magazine the following: