More remains of U.S. servicemen missing in action handed over

Signing the minutes of handover of the remains

The event saw the attendance of the Board of Directors of the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP), representatives from the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security.

Also at the event were U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper, representatives from the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam, U.S. MIA Office in Hanoi, some U.S. veterans, and U.S.’s MIA experts participating in the 158th joint field activity, which was conducted in March and April this year.

The 169th remains handover ceremony is held in Da Nang city.

The finding of these remains was the results of the latest joint field activity between Vietnamese and U.S. search teams in Hue city, Quang Tri and Kon Tum provinces.

These remains were examined by Vietnamese and U.S. forensic experts who concluded that they might be associated with U.S. servicemen missing during the war in Vietnam. They will be sent to a forensic lab in Hawaii for further analysis and identification.

Delegates in a group photo

Vietnam and the U.S. have cooperated in searching for and repatriating remains of U.S. servicemen missing in action since the Paris Peace Accords was signed on January 27, 1973. Up to date, remains of 735 out of 1,973 U.S.’s MIA servicemen were recovered and handed over to their families. This outcome was significant to both the U.S people and U.S. government, contributing to strengthening the two countries’ cooperation in war legacy settlement, including the U.S. side’s efforts to locate Vietnamese servicemen missing in the war, clear post-war unexploded ordnance, detoxify dioxin-contaminated land and support war-affected people with disabilities.

Chung Anh