In 1995 the Department of Defense (DoD) certified the use of Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) technology as a reliable forensic tool. As now improved and refined, it permits accurate identification of the unidentified remains of our Nation's "Missing in Action" service personnel.

In 1998, the Department identified the "Vietnam Unknown" as U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie, using mtDNA from the remains and matched sequences with those from his family. He was killed in Vietnam in 1972, classified as an unknown, and interred in the Tomb in 1984.

The cemetery with the greatest number of gravesites containing unknown remains is the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, commonly called the Punchbowl. This cemetery contains 864 remains of unidentified soldiers from the Korean War.

Most of these remains were received by the United States at the ceasefire in 1953. Another 204 were turned over by the North Koreans between 1991 and 1994 and are currently in the possession of the Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CILHI).

The records associated with each of the unknown remains in the Punchbowl cemetery will undergo rigorous evaluation before a decision is made to disinter. CILHI will first determine if there is strong circumstantial evidence associating a serviceman's name with a set of remains. Since mtDNA is expected to be used to identify most of these remains, a comparison blood sample must be obtained from a family member from the serviceman's maternal bloodline. Scientists believe approximately 70 cases may be candidates for disinterment.

The CILHI will direct the disinterment and will seek to identify each of the remains through forensic identification processes, including DNA. This laboratory identified the remains of Blassie in 1998. For the past five years CILHI has applied the science of mtDNA to approximately 45 per cent of its cases.

VA HOMELESS ASSISTANCE GRANTS

"Currently more than 2,000 veterans sleep each night in beds already funded under VA's 'Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem' Program, (HPGPD) and more than 1,500 more beds are in the pipeline" said Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Hershel Gober.

While there is no true measure of the number of homeless veterans, the closest educated estimate is that more than 200,000 veterans may be homeless on any given night.

Obviously, the VA cannot get these veterans off the streets, address their health care needs, and return them back to gainful employment without the assistance of public and private non-profit agencies. That's where the HPGPD Program comes into play.

It allows those agencies that qualify to establish and operate new housing and service centers for homeless veterans. This year sixty five public and private non-profit groups will receive $11.5 million in grants under the program.

The grants range from $12,000 to $1,000 and will provide up to 65% of the cost of acquiring or renovating facilities for housing, service centers, and acquisition of vans to transport veterans to needed services.

If you're interested and need further information on the program check the internet at http://www.va.gov/health/homeless/index.htm. Also check out the VA NY/NJ Veterans Healthcare Network's Homeless Veterans Programs.