A Letter From the Creator of this Site

My name is Steve McDonald and I live near Chester, West Virginia. I am a Deputy Sheriff, 43 years of age, and a widower with three young children. You may ask, "Why would he want to adopt and build a web site for a POW MIA that he has never met?" In answer, there are several reasons.

The first is guilt: I entered the U.S. Army in 1973, as the war in Southeast Asia was winding down. I was assigned to a Military Intelligence unit and was offered the opportunity for voluntary assignment to our detachment in Saigon. I declined, based on my being a newlywed and not wanting to be separated from my wife for a year. During the next two years, I watched the war, through daily intelligence summaries and reports, from the safety of Fort Carson, Colorado. In 1975, during the fall of Saigon, we were swamped with situation reports from our Saigon detachment. Our troops were busy with destroying classified materials that couldn't be allowed to fall into enemy hands. The communication equipment was destroyed, and we lost contact as they made their final escape by helicopter from the roof of the facility. I sweated every second with them as I realized that one of them was there in my place. Over the years, I have arrived at the realization that ALL of the troops in Southeast Asia (and in all the conflicts before and after) were there to win and preserve the freedoms that I enjoy. I wish I had it all to do over again....I would be honored to accept the assignment.

The second, a sense of brotherhood: As a military veteran, I feel I am part of the military brotherhood. As a veteran law enforcement officer, I still feel a special kinship in that we are performing the same job. They protect from the enemy without and we protect from the enemy within. In both cases, seeing the horror of what human beings are capable of doing to each other, gives us a special insight, and changes our lives forever.

The third, an understanding of the pain of their families: In February 1998, I lost my wife of 25 years to cancer. The frustration of receiving conflicting reports on her diagnosis and condition can be, in some way, compared to the conflicting reports and lack of information that these families have received. Of course, I was and am devastated by her loss, BUT.....I was with her and held her in my arms as she died. I was able to provide a nice funeral and burial for her, with all the rituals that help us in dealing with our grief in the loss of a loved one. I know what anguish I suffered during the period of one month of not knowing what the outcome of her illness would be. This gives me some small idea of what these families have been dealing with, BUT..... I can't imagine what it must be like to be in that state for three decades. I can't imagine children growing up and not knowing the fate of their father. I can't imagine not knowing if you are a wife or a widow. I can't imagine not being able to point to a gravestone and say "that's where he is buried", AND.....I can't imagine the most powerful nation on earth settling for anything less than a full accounting and return of it's sons and daughters.

When I received the information on SFC Hunt, my first thought was of his age at the time of loss. I must admit that I felt his survival for this long was doubtful. I requested a photograph of Robert and, when I received it, I immediately changed my mind. When the photograph appeared on my computer screen, my very first thought was that Robert Hunt is a warrior and not someone who would give up easily. If Robert is alive, I owe him every effort to gain his release. If not, I owe him a proper warrior's burial on U.S. soil. After all, he was there in my place....and yours.

You are not forgotten.....    
Steve    
smcdonal@weir.net

Visit My Other Sites:
Loieta McDonald Memorial,
Steve McDonald's Home on the Web, and the
Hancock County Sheriff's Department

The Wall with Flag Army POW MIA Emblem
If you feel as I do, the following links will allow you to send e-mail to our elected officials urging demanding the return of or a full acounting for these brave men and women. If you don't feel as I do....LEAVE NOW!

The President & Vice President 
Members of The U.S. House of Representatives 
Members of The United States Senate 


Front Page . . . About Robert Hunt . . . Synopsis of Loss

 
 

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