yourviews
MILITARY
Remember POWs/MIAs
Thank you so much for your
OFFICER
“JPAC is
doing a
outstanding article “Lost in the
SEPTEMBER 2009 $4.75 THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF MOAA | ONE POWERFUL VOICE® WWW.MOAA.ORG
wonderful
Himalayas.” My family and I are
Coming Home
highly impressed with the quality of
job recover- the article.
Please accept our heartfelt grati-
While officials work to ensure POWs and those MIA return
ing missing
to U.S. soil, those at home keep their memories alive 94
aircrews and
tude for this article. Military Offi cer
other Ameri-
and MOAA deserve the highest
thanks from everyone in the commu-
can forces.”
nity of World War II MIA families
—Lt. Col. Larry Bellarts,
for bringing to the attention of your
USAF-Ret.
readers the vital importance of mak-
ing the recovery of World War II
MIAs a high priority.
—Gary Zaetz
than 20 years after their Cary, N.C.
crash. A B-29 piloted by
a treasured friend, Eddy On the cover of the September 2009
SENATE ON DEFENSE A VERY COLD WAR? PLUS: Our retirement
SBP, troops, pay — but Many nations want guide offers endless
Glass, was not recovered issue was a POW/MIA bracelet that
where’s concurrent a piece of the Arctic options 55
receipt? 33 pie 100 until more than 20 years reads, “In memory of all who have
had passed. The remains sacrificed in the nation’s wars.”
Sep_Cover.indd 1 8/5/09 12:32 PM
Missing Aircraft of this crew were buried in a com- Any idea where I might be able to
In the article “Lost in the Hima- mon grave at Jefferson Barracks, Mo. purchase one of these? If unable, I’m
layas” in the September [2009] —Capt. W.A. Rooney, USAF-Ret. interested in a POW/MIA bracelet
issue, there was no mention of the Schaumburg, Ill. of an HH-3E Jolly Green Giant
B-29s that flew the Hump. Planes helicopter pilot. It’s because of
of the 20th Bomber Command fl ew The article “Lost in the Himalayas” these pilots that I became a U.S. Air
the Hump from April 1944 until and the information on [the Joint Force search-and-rescue helicopter
December 1945. Moreover, planes POW/MIA Accounting Command pilot and logged approximately
of the 20th fl ew combat missions to (JPAC)] were very interesting to 1,500 hours in the Jolly (plus
Japan and Manchuria after having this old World War II, Korean War, approximately 1,800 in the Huey).
fl own the Hump. and Vietnam War pilot. Many thanks for your help.
Additionally, they had to fl y as I admired the beautiful photo of —Maj. Scott B. Sines, USAF-Ret.
many as fi ve trips back and forth a C-46 on the fi rst page — but there via e-mail
across the Hump carrying bombs was no mention of the C-46 in the
and gasoline to China before fl ying article! From what I have heard, the Editor’s note: The bracelet you
a combat mission. Distances from C-46 was the heavy hauler in the refer to was created specifi cally for
the B-29 bases in India to their Hump operation. I fl ew 355 combat the September cover of Military Of-
bases in China [were] a considerably fl ying hours in the C-46 in the Ko- fi cer, at our request, by Memorial
longer fl ight than fl own by the Air rean War and know it well — terribly
Bracelets.com. Contact them directly
Transport Command planes. The diffi cult to handle in crosswind land- for more information.
B-29 bases in India were in the ings, fl ew like a Mack truck.
Calcutta area with China bases JPAC is doing a wonderful job re- Retirement Planning
in [Sichuan] Province. covering missing aircrew and other September’s issue … was loaded
A tragic number of B-29s were American forces. with retirement articles. I think it is
lost on Hump flights. Many of those —Lt. Col. Larry Bellarts, USAF-Ret. interesting that they appeared as the
recovered were not found for more Damascus, Ore. summer winds down. As military
16 MILITARY OFFICER NOVEMBER 2009
NNov_views.indd 16ov_views.indd 16 110/5/09 5:01 PM0/5/09 5:01 PM
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