An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

DPAA In The News

News 2 | Oct. 4, 2023

Waiting for Uncle Frank

By Jan Risher

The giant black and white photographs of smiling young men flashed on the screens. Name, rank and branch of military service are listed below their smiles.

PFC Willie Valdez Galven, U.S. Army

Sgt Walter Henry Tolbin Jr., U.S. Army

Cpl Isabel Arredondo Ortiz, U.S. Army

PFC Ray Palmer Fairchild, U.S. Marines

The names kept coming. No repeats.

Just one smiling face after another that often vanished before I could even register the full name — including my uncle's.

The fleeting images and names were a fitting metaphor for the occasion as 546 people gathered in mid-August for the 2023 Korean/Cold War Annual Government Briefings hosted by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

 

To read the full article, please click the link: Uncle Frank