UPDATE
Received the following letter today. I don't intend to beat a dead horse, but I though some might be interested in the letter I received today.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
U.S. TOTAL ARMY PERSONNEL COMMAND
ALEXANDRIA VA 22331-0482
January 7, 2000
Mortuary Affairs and Casualty Support Division
Dear Mr. Fuller:
Thank you for your recent electronic mail to President Clinton, regarding United Nations (UN) flags on remains being repatriated from North Korea.
Unfortunately, President Clinton is unable to personally respond to every communication her receives; therefore, I have been asked to assist you.
The practice of placing a UN flag on the caskets of remains received from the North Koreans drives from the historical antecedents of our commitment to the Republic of Korea. The United Nations Security Council authorized the authority of the United Nations Command (UNC) on July 7, 1950, under which the American forces fought in the Korean War under the UNC. The resolution designated the President of the United States, then President Truman, as the executive agent for the council in carrying out the council’s desire to resist aggression in Korea. The UNC was formally activated on July 24, 1950, under the command of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. As Commander in Chief of the United Nations Command, General MacArthur directed a 16-nation coalition that successfully resisted North Korean aggression on the Korean peninsula.
While it is not a formal peace treaty, the 1952 Armistice Agreement effectively terminated active hostilities in Korea and remains an important document forty-six years later. Although the Armistice does not require that caskets being returned be draped in a UN flag, the UNC established ad continues this practice as a matter of policy in order to support its role and mission and reinforce the continued legitimacy of the Armistice Agreement. It is also possible that the remains being returned at (sic) not American, but rather the remains of a soldier from one of the other nations that fought as part of the UNC. For example, in 1996, the remains of a British soldier were returned in a UN ceremony identical to those for suspected US remains. In all cases, the UNC subsequently transfers the remains to their respective nations. In the case of US remains, they are returned to Hawaii where an appropriate ceremony with US flags is conducted.
Until 1999, ceremonies involving the return of remains from North Korea were conducted at the truce village of Panmumjon. In October 1999, the United States and North Korea agreed that North Korean authorities would transfer custody of the remains to US officials in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. The remains would then be flown out of Pyongyang on a US military aircraft. In order to continue to support the role and mission of the UNC, the US agreed to conduct of a UNC ceremony with UN flags on the caskets at the first port of entry following the departure of the aircraft from North Korean airspace. In this case, it was Yokata Airbase in Japan.
Until a formal peace treaty or other international agreement replaces the Armistice Agreement, it is in our interest to do call we can to support the maintenance of the formal UN structure. The use of U flags at repatriation ceremonies is an important element in reinforcing the legitimacy of both the UNC and the Armistice.
We hope this information is helpful.
Sincerely,
(s) Robert B. Steward
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army
Chief, Mortuary Affairs and Casualty Support Division
(tediously transcribed by deanf)[/quote]
He makes some good points, but I still don't like it.
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Keep yer stick on the ice.
[This message has been edited by deanf (edited January 17, 2000).]
