Introduction

There are thousands of American families in the same boat right now. They are families that have received dreadful news about a member of their family who left for an overseas assignment as a U.S. serviceman, only to "disappear"—often without a trace. When that news arrives, it is life altering. Which way do you turn? How do you find answers? Who will support you as you try to live a normal, daily life, not knowing what happened to your loved one, and ever-yearning for answers?

The government established a Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMPO) to help with recovery efforts to find and bring home our POWs/Missing in Action, but anyone who has ever dealt with the U.S. government knows that there is much waiting and much red tape involved in trying to get a straight answer from our government. Those who are "new" at the quest for answers might not realize that there are volumes of government held documents that might help you learn more about the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of your family member. There are debriefings of former POWs that might give insight into what happened to a fellow POW. There are Individual Deceased Personnel Files that provide information about the last sighting of an American serviceman, including any battle action that might have taken place just prior to his disappearance, who saw him last, and what they saw. There are POW camp photographs that picture captured American servicemen. There are letters and other documents. But again, who will help you obtain a copy of them?

According to a recent DPMO publication, "Networking with other family members whose loved ones were lost in the same incident or area is a valuable way of locating additional information that may not be in the official case files." There is no better network available to the families of our missing servicemen than the Korea-Cold War Families of the Missing, Inc, headed by Irene Mandra. Irene's brother Philip is a U.S. Marine who has been missing in action since the Korean War. The group is a family advocacy group based in the State of New York. The Korean War Educator highly recommends this organization to family members trying to obtain information about their missing loved one. United, you can find the answers!

About the Korea-Cold War Families of the Missing

This is a group of individuals and families who help each other get answers. Looking for your own answers? There is no point in "reinventing the wheel," as the cliché goes. Group members have already spent years gathering government documents—many of which were declassified and the hardest "easy to find" government documents available—to find the same kind of answers that you are now just beginning to seek. "The Family", which has an informative website, is not affiliated with, endorsed by, funded by, or in any way connected with any Government agency.

According to their website, the group consists of family members of the men who went to war, have yet to return, or be accounted for.  They represent those who served in Korea and during the Cold War era.  The members are united as one in a search for answers, truth, acknowledgment, and closure.

Website

The Korea-Cold War Families of the Missing has its own interactive website at http://www.koreacoldwar.org/. This is a website that family members of Korean War and Cold War MIAs should not miss. The site provides the names of missing men, studies and articles, news about government efforts to recover our MIAs, meeting notices, and more.  It has reports and lists such as the Johnnie Johnson list that reveals the names of 496 POWs who died in the POW camp while Johnnie was held there. It documents sightings of American POW/MIAs in not just North Korea, but in other communist nations as well.

The Korea-Cold War Families of the Missing has a quality site that is "interactive" because of the fact that so many members have taken an active role in providing information to add to the site. It is definitely a starting point to help your family begin the long process of trying to find answers. Much heartbreak is often associated with this process, but you will find that Irene Mandra and others on the board and in the organization are there to help you and to encourage you to never give up hope. Founder of the group, Irene firmly believes in holding the United States government accountable for their efforts to bring home America’s war and cold war missing. And, because the organization's members are going through or have gone through the same kind of personal anguish as you are experiencing in trying to find answers, they understand your need to know. There is a reason they call themselves a "family". These loving people do become your extended family. Families help each other cope.

Board of Directors and Staff

Always remember that there is no need for you to "go it alone" in your search for answers about your missing loved one. These officers are here to help you and guide you in the right direction:

• National Chair - Irene Mandra, Family Member
   
• Vice-Chair - Joe McNulty, Family Member
   
• Treasurer - Gail Stallone, Family Member
  Clinical Psychotherapist; Mother; Wife; Korean War MIA Niece.
   
• Secretary - Emma Skuybida, Family Advocate
  Assistant to the President of Steel Trading Company; Former Secretary & Treasurer of Long Island POW-MIA Coalition of Veterans and Concerned Citizens.
   
• Membership Chair - LuAnn Nelson, Family Member
  Nurse Practitioner; Korean War MIA Niece.
   
• Research - Daniel J. Pitts, Family Advocate
  Life member of the DAV-American Legion-VFW-Vietnam Veterans of America; Korean War Veterans of Lycoming County, Pa.; US Army 1964-1967; Korea 1965-1966 as a Combat Engineer; POW/MIA Chairman for Post 807 and Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Patriots POW/MIA.
   
• Cold War Advocate - Charlotte Mitnik, Family Member
  Former Board Member Coalition of Families of Korean & Cold War POW/MIAs; Lost brother in WW II and has a Cold War MIA Brother.
   
• Korean War Historian - Irwin Braun, Korean War Veteran
  Korean War Veterans; Jewish War Veterans; Chairman Tell America Committee KWV Nassau, NY #1.
   
• Newsletter Editor - Ki Ceniglio, news@koreacoldwar.org
  Student; Former Managing Editor & Technical Advisor High School Newspaper; Senior Delegate Model U.N.; 1st Place Delegation of Distinction, National High School Model U.N. Conference, United Nations, NYC, NY 2004; Chess Club; Quantum Physics Major- Political Science Minor; Lifelong POW-MIA and Veterans' Advocate.

Website Questions, Problems and Links: webmaster@koreacoldwar.org

To participate in the annual meeting of the DPMO in Washington, DC, contact the Service Casualty Office listed below that is associated with your missing loved one's branch of service.

USAF Missing Persons Branch
Barney Frampton
550 C Street West, Suite 15
Randolph AFB, TX 78150-4716
800-531-5501

Navy – POW/MIA Section (PERS 624)
Jeffrey P. Martin
5720 Integrity Drive
Millington, TN 38055-6210
800-443-9298

Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command
Attn: Public Affairs Office
310 Worchester Ave., Bldg 45
Hickam AFB, HI 96853-5530
808-448-1939

U.S. Army – AHRC-PER
Linda Baublitz
200 Stovall St.
Alexandria, VA 22332-0482
800-892-2490

HQ – U.S. Marine Corps – MRC
Patti Johnson
3280 Russell Road
Quantico, VA 22134-5103
800-847-1597

National Archives II (NARA)
Richard Boylan
8601 Adelphi Rd
College Park, MD 20740-6001
301-837-3510

DPMO – Korean War Missing
Ava Webb-Sharpless
1745 Jefferson Davis Hwy Ste 800
Arlington, VA 22202-3429
703-602-2102

National Personnel Records Center
Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
314-801-0800

If you are overwhelmed and don’t know where to start in trying to find answers – contact the Korea-Cold War Families and ask for guidance. The group can be reached at: Korea-Cold War Families of the Missing, Inc., PO Box 454, Farmingdale, New York 11735 USA. Irene Mandra's telephone number is 516 694-0989.

THE KOREA-COLD WAR FAMILIES OF THE MISSING CAN HELP YOU!