Ann Landers' headline on 6/4/01 was "DNA links can help identify MIA".
J. Alan Liotta, Deputy Assistant Secretary of
Defense (POW/Missing Personnel Affairs) wrote in to inform the public about the latest forensic identification
tools - mtDNA. He wrote, "Many family members have told us they want to leave this legacy behind in the
event their loved one's remains are recovered years in the future. Our work all over the world brings back
the remains of service personnel almost every week".
Numbers to call:
Army: 1-800-892-2490
Navy: 1-800-443-9298
Air Force: 1-800-531-5501
Marines: 1-800-847-1597
I encourage any of you with fathers who are MIA to ask family members to contribute a blood sample. It's
just a prick of the finger. Kits are available. Some of our members availed themselves of this at our
November conference in San Diego when the Central Identification Laboratory brought kits and explained their use.
(AWON is cutting edge!)
Development in once remote regions of the world, advances in technology and legislation mandating stepped up
efforts to find MIA's in New Guinea for instance, are excelerating the discovery of the missing.
And miracles do happen.
Calling the numbers above may be something of a challenge, too. As another possibility, you
might visit the Central Identification Lab's website, which is http://www.cilhi.army.mil.
To go there, just Click Here.
Patricia Gaffney-Ansel
Many thanks to Patricia for compiling and submitting this information. On behalf of AWON,
we dedicate this page to the memory of:
2LT George P. Gaffney, Jr.
MIA 11 March 1944; Found 26 June 1998
