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Like I said previously, I have written written several letters to our politicians asking them what they personally are doing to help bring home our POW/MIA service members. For the 4 men that I adopted, I wrote to each of the Congressmen and Senators from their respective states. I have also written the President and First Lady, the Vice President and his wife. Below is a copy of one of the many emails that were sent out. I hope to be able to fax a copy of each of these letters to their offices as well sometime in the near future. I have included my home address in each of these letters as instructed so that I will recieve a written response, as those responses come in I will post them.
"Dear Mr./Mrs. XXXX,
I am writing to inquire what is being done to determine the fate of Maj. Charles M. Walling of the United States Air Force?
Maj. Charles M. Walling
United States Air Force
Status (in 1973)-Missing in Action
Date of Loss-8 August 1966
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Category: 2
Records show that Maj. Walling was born in 1938, home of record was Phoenix, AZ, and he was married. He flew with the 557th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Cam Ranh AB, South Vietnam, he was 39 years old when his plane was downed in the Dong Nai province of South Vietnam.
1Lt. Aado Kommendant was backseater to flight commander Capt. Walling (Both have since been promoted to rank of Major during the period they were maintained Missing in Action) on an F4C Phantom jet called to provide close air support of friendly forces who were in contact with the enemy northeast of Bien Hoa airbase near Saigon. The two departed Cam Ranh Bay Airbase in South Vietnam and arrived in the target area without incident. They prepared to make bombing runs on a suspected enemy troop concentration, and shortly after the second run, the Forward Air Controller noticed an explosion about two miles southeast of the target. Both he and the flight leader proceeded to the scene as no radio replies were received from Walling's F4C. Rescue helicopters were alerted and arrived within minutes.
No parachutes were seen, nor were there any emergency radio transmissions. The area of the wreckage could not be seen by air because of the dense foliage, nor could ground troops gain access to the area because it was defended by enemy troops. The last known location of the aircraft was near the juncture of Binh Duong, Bien Hoa, Long Khan, and Binh Long provinces in South Vietnam, about 40 miles northeast of Saigon.
Later that day, Foreign Broadcast Information Service in Okinawa monitored two radio releases from Radio Hanoi regarding the shoot-down of an F4 and the killing of two "yankees on board". Because Walling and Kommendant were aboard the only F4 lost that day in that area, it was felt that if the releases were true, they related to Walling and Kommendant. This report was discovered by the family in 1973 and had not been given to them by the Air Force or Defense Department prior to 1973. Neither the body of Maj. Walling nor Maj. Kommendant were recovered.
Please advise me of any action that is being taken by you or any other elected appointed official to determine what indeed happened that day, 8 August 1966?
Why haven't Maj. Wallings remains been returned to American soil so that he can be buried in the country he so proudly served?
(As of 9 January, 2001--remains have still not been returned nor identified)
I want to thank you for your time and help in this matter. I await your timely response to my questions in the hopes that we can finally bring peace to the family of Maj. Walling."
Credits--Thank You ^i^
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©Kimba 1997-2001.