Chairman's Enlisted Advisor Visits Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command

By Tech. Sgt. Sean P. Houlihan, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service

HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii, Dec. 16, 2005 - The senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff met with Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command enlisted members, thanking and encouraging them to continue their work for the nation, during a visit here Dec. 14.

"I am proud to be a member of your team," said Army Command Sgt. Maj. William "Joe" Gainey. "Anyone who is dedicated to the cause of bringing home our fallen comrades is a true American hero, with all capital letters."

He told the group their work of identifying the recovered remains of missing servicemembers is admirable and not forgotten by those in uniform and family members who still wait for the news their family member has been identified.

A mission briefing during the sergeant major's visit explained the command's five emphasis areas of data analysis, technical negotiations with other countries, investigations of possible recovery sites, recovery of remains and identification of those remains. The briefing also noted the number of servicemembers missing in action from World War I to the only current MIA from the Gulf War, Navy Cmdr. Scott Speicher.

Upon hearing that only one servicemember is considered MIA, Gainey pulled a photo from his wallet of Army Sgt. Matt Mauphin, a reservist whose whereabouts have not been known since 2004. Gainey received the photo from a junior soldier a couple of months after Mauphin went missing in Iraq.

"I carry the photo as part of my military bearing and to remind me that there is one soldier that hasn't came home with his unit," said Gainey, who was the Multinational Corps Iraq command sergeant major when Mauphin went missing. "It is very clear it is my obligation to continue to carry it until he is found."

The sergeant major then asked why Mauphin isn't categorized as MIA.

The briefer, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Brandon Raile, replied that command and Defense Department guidelines consider servicemembers MIA when only after military operations have been declared concluded, as is the case for all operations except Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Once military operations have concluded, Mauphin will be considered MIA unless found before that time, Raile explained.

Gainey expressed surprise and vowed to find out how to change the DoD guidelines to allow Mauphin to be classified as MIA.

(Air Force Tech. Sgt. Sean P. Houlihan is assigned to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Public Affairs Office.)

Biography:

Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, USA [http://www.jcs.mil/bios/bio_gainey.html]

Related Site:

Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command [http://www.jpac.pacom.mil/]

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