A family's sacred duty
Citizens' coalition helps families find, identify those missing in military action
Robin Piacine wants to enlist more people in a campaign to bring closure to the families of American soldiers, sailors and Marines lost in service to their country.
She is president of the Coalition of Families of Korean and Cold War POW/MIAs, a national advocacy group which just launched the Pennsylvania Project.
Designed as a model for the nation, the project seeks to assist federal agencies in locating families and identifying the remains of missing servicemen from the Korean, Vietnam and Cold War eras.
The publicity campaign is designed to encourage families to contact the appropriate causality office of the serviceman who had gone missing, Piacine said. She explained that there are many cases of families falling through the cracks or not following up on leads.
When family members call the office, they will be asked to donate what is called a “family reference sample” of mitochondrial DNA taken from the maternal side only of the missing serviceman's family.
“There is no charge for it. It is free,” Piacine said, adding the sample can then be used to help identify remains already being held in Hawaii at the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command as well as any remains returned to the U.S. in the future.
Piacine said more than 340 samples are needed from Pennsylvania families of those still missing from the wars. The Central Identification Laboratory of JPAC also has remains listed as “urgent” that include all unaccounted-for casualties from all conflicts, including World War II, where they lack a DNA sample but have a specific need for one in relation to active casework.
That list can be viewed through logging on to www.jpac.pacom.mil and selecting CIL.
“The Coalition of Families realizes it is a daunting task to attempt to locate all the families of missing loved ones,” Piacine said. “We want to assist in this effort so more families can have their loved ones returned to them for a proper burial, which will allow families to begin the closure process.”
She explained how providing a sample may not only help the military identify a missing member of a family but also the remains of other servicemen identified through the process of elimination.
“You could bring somebody back to their family,” Piacine said.
Recently, the Pennsylvania Project gained support of the Pennsylvania State Senate. Last November, the state House of Representatives passed Resolution 924 recognizing the initiative as a model program for the collection of DNA samples.
State Rep. Jerry Nailor, R-88, served in the U.S. Army in Europe during the Vietnam era and now sits on the House Veterans Affairs Committee. He calls Piacine a very dedicated individual and excellent organizer.
“Everyone is looking for closure,” Nailor said. “They wore the uniform of this country. They certainly deserve a decent burial and recognition of their service.”
According to the House resolution, 589 of the 8,100 servicemen still missing from the Korean War hail from Pennsylvania. The figure for the Vietnam War is 97 of the 1,802 missing.
About 165 U.S. Air Force servicemen remain missing form the Cold War, 16 being from Pennsylvania. Piacine said. So far, there are five missing service personnel in the War in Terror.
She said the coalition got involved after being advised by the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office that the agency did not have the money or staff to launch its own publicity campaign.
