I AM REQUESTING ANYONE WHO POSSIBLY CAN TO SEND SOME FORM OF COMMUNICATION TO AMBASSADOR BURGHARDT TO SHOW THERE IS SOME SORT OF BACKING FOR THIS EFFORT. At present, I have only the address and FAX number which you can use to contact him. I will post an email address for the Embassy if I am ever able to come by one to make things a bit easier. In the meantime, ANY SUPPORT IN THIS EFFORT WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.
What follows is a TEXT VERSION of my telefax to Ambassador Burghardt:
John Paul Rossie
6454 South Datura Street
Littleton, CO 80120
303-762-9540 - Voice
303-798-5468 - Fax
jrossie@rossie.com
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January 17, 2002
Mr. Raymond F. Burghardt
United States Ambassador
United States Embassy Hanoi
7 Lang Ha Street, Ba Dinh,
Hanoi, Vietnam
FAX: 844-772-1510
Dear Ambassador Burghardt:
I am writing to you in regards to a situation that you may be able to
address and assist with as Ambassador to Vietnam.
It involves a Vietnam War Memorial Plaque honoring American soldiers
killed in action in 1968 during the Vietnam War. This Plaque went missing
from the American Embassy following the American departure from Saigon
on April 30, 1975. The Plaque came to my attention on May 13, 1999, as it
was found to be on display at the Vietnamese Revolutionary Museum in Saigon.
I have made numerous attempts since the Spring of 1999 to gain information
regarding American re-possession of this War Memorial with your
predecessors in State Department Services, including: former Ambassador
to Vietnam Douglas "Pete" Peterson; former Consulate General Charles A.
Ray; and Defense AttachÚ, LTC Frank Miller, still on staff.
A complete history with details and photographs regarding this missing
American War Memorial and my efforts to repatriate it can be found on the
Internet at any of the following URLs:
http://vietvet.org/plaquepage.htm OR
http://vietvet.infopsyc.com/plaquepage.htm OR
http://vets.appliedphysics.swri.org/plaquepage.htm
The identical information is found at each site, but I am providing all three
Internet locations to make it easier for you to successfully access this site to
obtain details on this matter, including a photograph of the Plaque itself. If you
have any difficulty retrieving this information directly from the Internet, I would
be happy to send you hard copy of these pages upon your request.
I have these two specific questions to ask you regarding this situation:
1) Can the original Plaque be retrieved from the Vietnamese and be relocated
in our American Embassy in Vietnam or in some similar place of honor to the
men it is dedicated to?
2) Can some sort of replacement for this Plaque be constructed and be placed in
our American Embassy in Vietnam or in some similar place of honor to the men
it is dedicated to?
I would very much appreciate hearing your thoughts on this matter. I would also
like you to know that all public correspondence regarding this matter will be posted
to the above Internet URLs so that all Veterans of the Vietnam War, and other
interested parties, can be kept appraised of my efforts in this matter and of their
consequences.
I can be contacted by any of the means noted in this Letterhead. Direct email
correspondence would be the most cost efficient and expedient manner of
communicating, but please feel free to use whatever method is most convenient
to you. I have begun my initial contact with you via telefax because I do not have
a reliable email address for you.
I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest opportunity. I also wish to
extend my wishes for a successful and enjoyable tenure as Ambassador, and to
welcome you into the New Year with a fond Chuc Mung Nam Moi!
Sincerely,
John Paul Rossie
Vietnam Veterans Home Page,
Visits To Vietnam Section
716th MP Bn Homepage
Email for Lieutenant Colonel Brice A. Gyurisko, Sr., Commander, 716th Military Police Battalion
Email for MAJ Kenneth J. Kroupa Executive Officer, 716th MP BN
Marine Embassy Guard Association (MEGA) Homepage
Robert Kienietz Founder and Director of MEGA
James K. Riekena President and Director of MEGA