POW/MIA
This page is dedicated to the saddest element of the Vietnam war. Those who have yet to come home.
There are many men whose story is not over. In December of 2005 I decided to look into the circumstances surrounding the loss of William Roland Prewitt. Roland was reported as KIA/ BNR (body not recovered) on the 1st of August 1967 on Dong Top mountain. Here is a picture of Roland at Phu Bai during happier days.
There is much more to this tale. And much more that is still missing.
As of today, April 20 2007, Roland's remains have not been recovered. But he is not forgotten.
Depending upon whom you talk to, there are 1,800 or more Americans unaccounted for from the war in Vietnam
. Sadly, there are many people in this country whom neither know of them nor care about them. Veterans who do care about them are sometimes chastised for mentioning them. They are told “That was 35 years ago. Get over it.” That is not likely to happen. We care and we will not forget.I spent quite a bit of time researching the loss of William Roland Prewitt. Roland is listed as KIA/BNR (killed in action/ body not recovered) as of 8-1-1967. As of 10 April 2007 his remains have not been recovered.
Official US Government and USMC records state that he died of wounds on Dong Top Mountain near the village of Phu Loc. Due to enemy action his body was not recovered at the time. Future searches did not recover his body.
Other USMC reports from the same area, mention that Roland was seen as a prisoner of the enemy several days later. Patrols were not able to find him.
Marines who served with Roland in CAC H-6 tell of his being seen and the executed by the enemy. I have found no official reports of this. But the story has been repeated by many Marines that knew Roland.
There is enemy officer testimony concerning this incident as well. The Library of Congress has copies of JTF hearings dating back to 1991. There are many reports of a wounded Marine being captured in this area at the time of Roland‘s loss. The circumstances surrounding this action strongly suggest that the Marine was Roland. This Marine was badly wounded and died shortly thereafter according to testimony. In at least one report, the name of the enemy soldier who buried Roland is mentioned. Unfortunately this man passed away several years ago.
The JTF has not given up on Roland. There have been at least seven searches for his remains. I was informed that another is scheduled for the fall of 2008.
This is only part of one story concerning the Americans we left behind. Each of them has an untold story. They are all important. We should not forget any of them. There are a number of web sites dedicated to them. A quick search of POW/MIA in Yahoo or Google will show them to you.
But it will not give you all the information. I spent a year researching Roland and mostly just came up with more questions. My paper file is several inches thick and I do not know what happened. There are at least three fairly different possibilities. I have my theories.
I hope some day that Roland can be brought home to his mother. And I wish the same for the rest. As long as they are still over there, I don’t think we will be able to “Get over it.”
PLEASE
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