Operation Just Cause... ...for as long as it takes
By Christopher Rich
Son and Primary Next of Kin to
Cdr. Richard Rich, USN
Secretary of Defense William Cohen Uses Dad's Crash Site as Publicity Stunt
We are extremely grateful for the efforts of the Joint Task Force for Full Accounting for excavating the
crash site associated with my father, Commander Richard Rich, USN, during the much publicized visit of
the US Secretary of Defense William Cohen to Vietnam.
However, we object to the fact that this recovery operation is being used as a publicity stunt to give the
appearance of the Vietnamese governments “full cooperation” on the Prisoner of War and Missing in
Action issue. US Intelligence is well aware of the fact that the Vietnamese could readily account for many
missing servicemen but they refuse to do so. Men known to be Prisoners of War were never returned. The
remains of men the Vietnamese admit died in captivity have yet to be returned.
The US Government should refrain from using recovery efforts to bolster the misconception of
Vietnamese “full cooperation,” when in fact Vietnam holds the answers to the fates of many, many POWs
left behind alive in captivity.
If remains retrieved from this crash site prove to be our dad, we will have our long sought closure. But we
will keep in mind that there are hundreds of American families that the Vietnamese could provide answers
for but have not. Those families deserve to have their long sought closure as well. The US Government
must press the Vietnamese on the men known to be held prisoner of war and not returned, while
continuing efforts to recover remains.
