88,000+

[Krusher]

We were just watching a PBS show about a missing WWII bomber crew.  The USA has over 88 thousand service men that are still MIA dating back as far as WWI.  The US spends 100 million dollars per year to bring them home.

[Eagler]

sounds like some group gets to tour Europe every year living it up on $100,000,000

me thinks those MIA's would want the money spent on something for the living ie VA hosiptal needs

[Gunslinger]

eagler I think it includes vietnam and the pacific as well

100million sounds like alot to me though

[jay1988]

I watched that it was pretty sad

[Krusher]

Originally posted by Gunslinger
eagler I think it includes vietnam and the pacific as well

100million sounds like alot to me though

korea and vietnam included.

100 million dollars to bring them home seems like money well spent to me.

[events]

Originally posted by Krusher
We were just watching a PBS show about a missing WWII bomber crew.

Krusher,

Were you watching "The Last Flight of Bomber 31"?
If so, I thought the program was great.  Covered
quite a bit of history on the bomber raids from
Attu to the Kuril Islands, and showed how hard it
is to find the forensic evidence of the crew.

Too bad about the bears.

Events.

[Captain Virgil Hilts]

Originally posted by Eagler
sounds like some group gets to tour Europe every year living it up on $100,000,000

me thinks those MIA's would want the money spent on something for the living ie VA hosiptal needs

I would not want to tell the family of a soldier who was missing that it was not worth spending money to find him and bring him home to them. Both the soldier and the family have made a sacrifice that is hard to put a price on in mere dollars. My grandmother's house had a blue star for my father, and a gold star for his brother, in World War II. They won't ever be bringing my uncle home to his family he's under a lot of water off an island in the Pacific.

I've met and corresponded with the families of the missing. I've seen their reactions, and heard from them, when their missing soldier is found. I'm not real sure I could put a price on it.

I happen to know a guy who goes on these details to find MIAs. I bet you wouldn't care too much for it. Unless of course you'd enjoy going on what amounts to a hardcore training mission for the Seals. He is a Seal, and thats what he compared some of the trips to. He's going back to Vietnam before he rotates back into his Seal unit.

Suffice to say the search for MIAs is much like a funeral. A funeral is not for the dead, it is for the living.

And there's a lot more money truly wasted on many things that can and should be spent on things like the VA. Believe me, with my father in a VA nursing home, I have strong enough feelings about that as well.

[Blooz]

I saw the show and am wondering how they figure that the crew attacked the target, got damaged and made an emergency landing.

They still had bombs on board. If you were a bomber crew that needed to make a ditch, wouldn't you jettison the bombs?

I think they were in bad weather, were a little off course and hit the mountain.

Just my opinion and doesn't change a thing.

Good show. Sad story.

Glad they could identify and return a couple crewmembers.

[Krusher]

Originally posted by events
Krusher,

Were you watching "The Last Flight of Bomber 31"?

Thats the one.

[JB73]

they sure gave up quick on those supposed "graves" looked like they dug maybe 1-2 feet deep.

if someone was burried there, i'd think the grave digger would have gone down at least 4-5 feet or more.

without sounding rude (sorry but i have to admit this) the guy that came to the crash site looking for his father though all respect to him and his journey, seemed like a whining "give it to me my way" kind of yuppie

his whole speech "give me this and this and this and this, then i'll feel like there was some closure" thing kinda rubbed me the wrong way. here he was demanding things from complete strangers that were only trying to help.

maybe i took it the wrong way, but he seemed like kind of a jerk.

thats all