Clinton Aide Sees Deserters Among MIAs
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HONOLULU — Deputy White House Chief of Staff Roy Neel said Monday if any missing U.S. servicemen are still alive in Vietnam, they probably deserted and have chosen not to return to the United States.
Neel, a U.S. Navy veteran who served in Vietnam, attended a detailed briefing Sunday at Pacific Command headquarters on efforts to find out what happened to more than 2,000 Americans still unaccounted for in the war.
Neel said he does not believe that any of the MIAs are still alive. But he did say that it was possible some Americans who deserted during the war may still be living in Vietnam because they want to. “There were deserters. When I was there, there were deserters all the time who went native,” said Neel, who served in Vietnam during the 1970s.
“This is me speaking. It’s not the President. It’s not official,” Neel said. “This is personal observation.”
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