WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS: P.O.W./M.I.A. ID program comes to Jackson

P.O.W./M.I.A. ID program comes to Jackson

By Cheryl Lasseter - bio | email

JACKSON, MS (WLBT) - Joe Partridge of Clinton and his wife Joyce are hoping the remains of Joe's brother, a pilot in the Korean War, will be found overseas.

"His name is Frederick Ray Partridge.  He went down August 10, 1952," Partridge says.  "He's just inside the North Korean lines."

Judy Kirkpatrick of Jackson wants to know exactly what happened to her brother, missing in action in Southeast Asia ever since May 18th, 1971.

"Captain Daniel D. Entrican, Kirkpatrick says.  "He was supposed to come home the day he was reported missing, but had already volunteered to go back. He really believed in what he was doing.  My mom always thought he'd drive in the driveway. You never give up."

They're just two of about 130 people gathered in Jackson for a Missing In Action Update Meeting. 

Each month, the P.O.W./M.I.A. Office of the Department of the Defense is visiting a different U.S. city.  In some cases, they're taking on-the-spot DNA samples of survivors in hopes of matching uncovered remains from wars dating as far back as WWII to their loved ones.

"They've come from all states, Louisiana,Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi," says Larry Greer, Director of Public Affairs for the Office.  "We use a technique called mitochondrial DNA  that's only passed down through the maternal bloodline."

Greer says the DNA matching program began back in 1995. It's credited for the identification in 1998 of the Vietnam War's Unknown Soldier, Michael Blassie, killed in action in 1972.

Family members gathered at the Marriott in Jackson Saturday are hoping for similar resolution.

"They're very appreciative of the closure, shocked the government is continuing this procedure six decades later," Greer says.

The remains of about 100 service men and women have been identified each year since the program began.