In another case, the recovery teams had to excavate a fishpond. To prevent the collapse of the adjoining rice paddies into the pond as it was drained, the team had to dam up the edges with woven-bamboo matting held in place by stakes. For six weeks the team sifted and washed the mud and muck from the pond, eventually recovering bone fragments, teeth with restorations, and two gold wedding bands. These vignettes illustrate not only the hard work of our dedicated Americans, but also the level of cooperation we receive from the Vietnamese. Vietnamese government officials at the national, provincial and local level have permitted us access to all parts of their country in our search for missing personnel.
Vietnamese laborers assist our field teams in their excavations.
All of these men and women, American and Vietnamese, deserve our thanks for their dedication and hard work. Also deserving of the nation's thanks is General John Vessey who has worked tirelessly to resolve the issue of missing Americans. His efforts have benefitted many families and our nation as a whole. This Administration has been and remains committed to achieving the fullest possible accounting for our prisoners of war and missing in action in Southeast Asia. This nation has pursued the most elaborate, extensive efforts to account for our missing in action from any war.