April 24, 1998 Dear Mr. President, I pray for you regularly, for I can only imagine the responsibilities that truly reside on your shoulders. A personal experience comes to mind when I think about what tasks lie in front of you as you sit in your office: many years ago, I had a friend that was facing a very difficult personal situation. He said to me that it was a terribly large mountain for him to have to climb. My reply to him was, "Yes, but look at the man that is climbing it." I feel the same way about you. I truly believe that you have given us one of the greatest examples of presidency in many years. In my heart, I feel that you honestly have the desire to achieve many great things for our country. With this sincere feeling in my heart and my mind, I want to ask you to give me some possibly difficult answers to some difficult questions. Please do not send me a form letter with a pat response, as I know you are capable of so much more than that, and I would like specific answers. Mr. President, I honestly believe, that if any one person can change the current results of the dark part of our country's history, the war in Viet Nam, and its resulting POW/MIA status, it is you. You are the one man on this earth that has the power to change this enormous injustice to our brothers of the war in Viet Nam. Recently, I have adopted a brother, Pfc Thomas Michael Hanratty, Serial Number: 2217895, of Beulah, Colorado. Born June 19, 1946, he is one month older than I am, as well as close to you, in age, and he still has not returned home from Viet Nam. I have been trying to do some research into his background and the circumstances of his disappearance in Viet Nam, but with very few results. Would you please tell me, Mr. President, what is being done to determine the fate of Pfc Thomas Michael Hanratty-USMC, and the rest of the seven-man Marine Force Recon team he was with, who were last seen flying in a helicopter in an area Northwest of Dong Ha, South Vietnam -- right on the DMZ, on 11 June 1967? No remains were ever found although there was a search of the area later on. Please advise me of any action that is being taken by you or any other elected appointed official to determine his fate. Adding to the torment of nearly 10,000 reports relating to Americans missing in Southeast Asia is the certain knowledge that some Americans who were known to be prisoners of war were not released at the end of the war. Others were suspected to be prisoners, and still others were in radio contact with would-be rescuers when last seen alive. Many were known to have survived their loss incidents, only to disappear without a trace. In the event there is nothing being done, please explain why not, and tell me how you personally plan to correct this and prevent it from ever happening again. As I said before, along with the enormous responsibilities that are placed upon your shoulders, comes the ultimate power of your position to actually do something about this situation. I implore you, please, be the one man that finally does the right thing by these missing American soldiers and their families. I will continue to pray for you, but in my prayers, I am going to ask God to direct you to honor the lives of our brothers that are still in Southeast Asia by making the choice to finally bring them home. You have the power; all is left is for you to make that choice. I will respectfully await your answers to my most specific questions regarding Pfc Thomas Michael Hanratty, U.S.M.C. serial number 2217895, of Beulah, Colorado, and a response as to what your plans are for bringing home the American soldiers that are still in Southeast Asia. Sincerely, Rebecca Hamric Federal Heights, Colorado bexboomer@yahoo.com This letter was sent via electronic mail to President Bill Clinton on 24 April 1998 I am awaiting a response to my questions. |