Welcome to my
POW / MIA Adoption Page

One day recently I was surfing the web, can't remember for what, but I happened upon the Operation Just Cause webpage at www.ojc.org.  What I read blew me away.  Did you know that from the VietNam War, we still have over 2,000 unaccounted for? Families still await their return--to bury if their remains return or to hug if that soldier is still alive.

VietNam always fascinated me.  I was born during it, so I don't remember the war.  My older brother Larry served in the war, but would never talk about it.   Not that war is something you talk about to a young child.

As I got into junior high and high school, I read as much as I could about the war.  And was drawn to songs like Paul Hardcastle's Nineteen and Charlie Daniels Still in Saigon.  (Charlie Daniels has since written a song about the MIAs, click here to read the lyrics or hear the song. Use your browser's back key to return here.)  I remember coming across my brother's camoflauge jacket--not sure how it came to be at our house when Larry lived so far away, but I'd put it on and I remember feeling so proud of him.

Then came college, and a job, then family.  There wasn't much time to think about it, though sometimes I'd hear or read something that caught my attention.  And, a couple years ago, I visited The Wall in Washington.  What a haunting place.

When I quit my job to be a stay-at-home mom, I got into genealogy.  Addicted to it.  In researching, I found ancestors who fought in every war and men and women who served during peace time as well.  Quite a family of patriots.  Even my husband served, as did his father.  My dad was a WWII veteran. (I shudder to think about the numbers I read who are still MIA/POW from that war!  But there is no database available, listing all those men.)

I'm proud of my family and ancestors for serving and for fighting for what we have today.  I'll never understand why America didn't have the same respect for the ones who fought in VietNam.  But I don't want to get into an argument about VietNam, I want to honor those who didn't return.  No soldier who fought for his country should lay in foreign soil.  They should be home.

And so, I decided I'd adopt a POW/MIA through the OJC site.  The "requirements" are so little:  remember the person, build a webpage in his/her honor if you can, and write your congressmen about bringing them home.  I can do that.  And this page is the beginning......
 

I will not forget....

          1st Lt. Mark A. Peterson of Canton, Ohio

LT Leonard John Schoeppner of Canton, Ohio (page not yet up)
 

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Will you help bring them home, too?
Click on the graphic below.

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~ Dedications ~