2005 Programs and Events

JPAC Commander Visits Laos (June 10, 2005)

Brig. Gen. Michael Flowers

Brigadier General Michael Flowers, commander of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) based in Honolulu, Hawaii, visited Laos June 9-10 to meet with Embassy and Lao government officials involved in efforts to recover the remains of American servicemen lost in Laos during the Vietnam War. During his two-day visit, BG Flowers called on Deputy Foreign Minister Phongsavath Boupha and Deputy Minister of Defense Ai Souliyasaeng to discuss the POW/MIA recovery effort and to thank the Lao government for its close cooperation on this issue. BG Flowers also met with members of the U.S. military's JPAC Detachment 3, based in the Embassy, and with other members of the Embassy. Prior to his departure from Vientiane, BG Flowers attended a change-of-command ceremony marking the departure of outgoing JPAC Detachment 3 commander LTC Daniel Enoch and the assumption of command of LTC Richard Wheeler.

The repatriation of American service personnel lost in past conflicts is a highest national priority of the U.S. Government. Since U.S. recovery efforts began in Laos in 1985, 195 Americans have been recovered and their remains identified, out of the original 569 lost in Laos.