Brotherhood
support our servicemen
My adopted"MIA"
BIO=#P398
Name: George Ray Posey
Rank/Branch: E3/US Navy
Unit: U.S. Navy Support Activity, Da Nang
Date of Birth: 27 July 1948 (Fairfield IL)
Home City of Record: Anderson IN
Date of Loss: 05 September 1968
Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water
Loss Coordinates: 161026N 1081427E (BT050900)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 5
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: YTB 779
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 30 June 1990 from one or more of
the
following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with
POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.
REMARKS: WASHED OVERBOARD
SYNOPSIS: Engineman/Fireman George R. Posey was assigned to U.S. Naval
Activity
at Da Nang, South Vietnam. On September 6, 1968 he was a crewmember of Yard
Tugboat #779, sent to assist a Philippine tugboat which was in distress in
the
South China Sea.
As Tugboat 779 was returning to the entrance of Da Nang Harbor, Engineman
Posey
was washed overboard by a large wave. The nearest land at the time was three
miles away. The tugboat commenced an immediate search and sighted Posey in
his
life jacket alive and riding high in the water.
Due to heavy seas, winds and limited visibility caused by heavy rains, the
crew
was unsuccessful in their attempts to recover Posey. The search continued
for
two hours, but because of the increasing intensity of the typhoon and the
imminent possibility of more crewmembers being washed overboard, the search
was
terminated. The search was again commenced during the early evening of
September
6th and continued until the 9th without ever finding Posey again.
George R. Posey was initially classified Missing in Action, but his status
was
later changed to Determined Dead/Body Not Recovered on October 15, 1968.
Witnesses believe that George Posey drowned. Others who are missing do not
have
such clear-cut cases. Some were known captives; some were photographed as
they
were led by their guards. Some were in radio contact with search teams,
while
others simply disappeared.
Since the war ended, over 250,000 interviews have been conducted with those
who
claim to know about Americans still alive in Southeast Asia, and several
million
documents have been studied. U.S. Government experts cannot seem to agree
whether Americans are there alive or not. Detractors say it would be far too
politically difficult to bring the men they believe to be alive home, and
the
U.S. is content to negotiate for remains.
Well over 1000 first-hand, eye-witness reports of American prisoners still
alive
in Southeast Asia have been received by 1990. Most of them are still
classified.
If, as the U.S. seems to believe, the men are all dead, why the secrecy
after so
many years? If the men are alive, why are they not home?
"All Biographical and loss information on POWs provided by Operation
Just Cause have been supplied by Chuck and Mary Schantag of POWNET.
Please check with POWNET regularly for updates."
While surfing through some of thMIA/POW webfpages, I came upon this poem at Gecko Country. As I read its contents, it hit home, and felt a need to ask the author (Joan Dickerson) if I also could put it on my page. Her reply to me was "I wrote it for you and all the others like you. Please post it so that others can share in a moment of rememberance". Thank you Joan, and thank you AZ, for something that means something to me, and hope it has the same for those who read it.
I pray for every soul not at rest, who paid a price which I repay with my
most humble thanks and sincere promise to never forget
I pray for every soul still feeling the pain: for family and friends and
especially for those eyes filled with sadness, those minds crying for peace
and those hearts that broke and scattered across a country so far away in
miles but not time
I ask for understanding from those who judged without walking through the
nightmare and wish that they will know the sacrifice, regardless of the
politics, that sent these men and women so far away
I cry when thinking that love and life given was spat upon by angry crowds
shouting from the safety of American shores where the flag can protect a
person's rights but cannot prevent a bullet from causing destruction
And I am proud to stand in silent awe of those men and women who feel that
my life and the quality of my life is worth fighting for
God Bless the souls of each Vietnam Vet and make welcome my prayers on
their behalf
-- jdickers@maryville.edu (Joan C. Dickerson)
Some graphics by Ron Fleischer
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