23-Year MIA & Relic Recovery Author Responds to Suppressed Report Criticizing Hawaii-Based JPAC POW/MIA Effort
Pearl Harbor, HAWAII (PRWEB) July 09, 2013 -- Missionary Mark Reichman spent 23 years living in Papua New Guinea on the island of New Britain. For family outings the Reichman’s would trek the jungles and scuba dive the seas in search of WWII relics. With PNG locals as their guides, they visited the crash sites of seven Japanese dive-bombers code-named Val and discovered another Val that was in 21 feet of water with the remains of the pilot and crew intact. The Reichmans also discovered a U.S. P-38 named Regina Coeli and visited the crash site of a U.S. B-17 named Texas #6.
On July 7th, 2013, journalist Robert Burns of the Associated Press, revealed the details of an inquiry with a headline "JPAC report: MIA work 'acutely dysfunctional'”, in response Mark Reichman was happy to submit a partial defense based on his first hand experiences:
“In 2011, a man named Rod Pearce of Kokopo, PNG informed me of remains that he had discovered from an Avenger located in a harbor at a depth of 60 feet. I immediately notified JPAC in Hawaii. In turn, JPAC acted promptly on my report which lead to a visit by USNS Salvor to the site in November 2012.” Reichman added, “I am not sure if the remains were actually recovered”.
The Avenger is assumed by amateur historians to be a United States airplane, TBF-1 Avenger Bureau Number 24264, which was piloted by 1st Lieutenant James W. Boyden, or possibly TBF-1 Avenger Bureau Number 25316, which was piloted by 1st Lieutenant Alonzo N. Hathway, Jr. Both of those airplanes along with their three-man crews were lost on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1944, while attempting to drop aerial mines into Simpson Harbor.
Although the public record shows that many are frustrated with JPAC, Reichman said he was “impressed with their timely response in this instance”.
The Reichmans’ 23-Year account of their MIA recover adventures and discoveries is told in the newly published book, "MIA: That the Lost May be Found!" by Mark J. Reichman.
More Information:
Amazon: MIA: That the Lost May be FOUND (Volume 1) {Paperback}
Amazon: MIA: That the Lost May be FOUND {Kindle Edition}
Copies can be ordered directly from http://www.mia-missinginaction.com
About Mark J. Reichman: Born in Joliet, Illinois. He served four years in the US Navy from 1973 - 1977 as an Aviation Mechanic working on jet engines for the EA6B Prowler. He received his B.A. in intercultural ministries with New Tribes Mission. In 1986, along with his wife Joan, and five-month-old baby, Micah, he moved to Papua New Guinea.
Copies of MIA: That the Lost May be FOUND! is in stock at the Pacific Aviation Museum, USS Arizona Memorial gift shop or the USS Bowfin gift shop in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as well as Logos Bookstore in Honolulu. For signed copies, contact the author at: http://www.mia-missinginaction.com
Mark Reichman, MIA-MissingInAction.com, http://MIA-MissingInAction.com, +1(808) 347-2320, [email protected]
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