Dear Ms. Klein,

     




  	Thank you for your recent inquiry to President Clinton concerning Army Major Gary Scull 


  who is unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. As the Deparment of Defense (DoD) agency


  responsible for accounting for American personnel missing from our Nation's wars, we are


  pleased to provide the following information.







  	On March 12, 1970, Major Scull was serving as the assistant battalion advisor to an Army


  of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) battalion that was guarding a bridge in Quang Tri province of


  South Vietnam. Enemy forces initiated a mortar attack on the ARVN unit during the early morning


  hours. Major Scull's bunker sustained a direct hit and caught fire. After the attack began,


  no one saw him again. At approximately 7:00AM, a Vietnamese company with U.S. advisors retook


  the compound and initiated a search for survivors and remains. U.S. searchers completely


  dug out Major Scull's ruined bunker, but he could not be located.







  	DoD has conducted four investigations into this loss since 1990. Despite our


  investigative efforts Major Scull remains unaccounted for, and we continue to investigate his


  loss. In accordance with 50 USC Sec. 435 Note (Public Law 102-190, commonly referred to as the


  McCain Bill) we are unable to provide you with more information regarding Major Scull because


  his family has not consented to the release of information regarding his loss.







  	President Clinton, like Presidents Reagan and Bush, has affirmed the POW/MIA issue


  to be a matter of highest national priority. At present, the DoD has more than 500 people in


  Washington, Hawaii, Southest Asia, and Russia who work full time to determine the fates of our


  unaccounted for Americans. DoD is diligently pursuing accounting for our missing personnel in


  Southeast Asia. Since 1988, American teams have completed more than 2,000 investigations in


  Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia in an attempt to account for Americans lost during the war. These


  efforts have resulted in the recovery, identification, and return of 569 Americans for


  interment with full military honors. At this writing, 2,014 remain unaccounted for from the


  war in Southeast Asia.







  	To stay abreast of our efforts to account for our more than 88,000 unaccounted for


  Americans list from World War II through the Vietnam War, you may wish to contact our Internet


  site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo. This site contains a wealth of information including weekly


  updates and other reports detailing our current operations worldwide.







  	Thank you for remembering Major Scull all these years and thank you for your interest


  and concern for this important humanitarian issue. I assure you, we have neither forgotten


  nor abandoned this American serviceman. I hope this information is helpful.





  							Sincerely,



  							Charles W. Henley

  							Legislative and External Affairs

  							Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office





  

*Note: I know this is a form letter but it's a much better form letter than what I expected to get.
I'm still thinking on a response to it. I have some homework to do first.
As of August 8, 2000 this is the only response I've received.
I guess that's what I get for writing about a subject that isn't a major campaign issue
during an election year.



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