Bring home this WWII hero!

Our Uncle Alan sent me this and I think it's a great cause. If it was my family, I'd want him home too.

"As Memorial Day approaches, I will be returning to CONUS from an OCONUS TDY just in time to remember my father, LTC Clifford Hopewell, a genuine hero of "The Great Escape" of World War II from Stalag Luft III. Two years ago to this day, I returned from Iraq, accompanying the body of a hero of Operation Iraqi Freedom, a young officer killed after only three weeks in country, and who left a young wife.

I now want to use this Memorial Day to bring to your attention the efforts to repatriate the last American Officer buried at Stalag Luft III in Germany, Distinguished Service Cross winner 1LT Ewart Sconiers. This repatriation has special significance for me since 1LT Sconiers was a fellow POW with my father, and his erroneous death certificate has now been corrected by a psychological autopsy conducted by Dr. Tamara Haygood and myself, with the help of his niece and Stalag Luft III archival researcher Marilyn Walton, herself the daughter of one of my father's roommates. It is anticipated that 1LT Sconiers will be exhumed from his military grave just outside Stalag Luft III and repatriated to Hawaii for forensics, then buried at his home.


The recovery is scheduled for June 20-26. They want the film crew folks there ready to go June 19, anticipating this may go more quickly than most. The Airmen Magazine will send a journalist/photographer to capture it...since active duty airmen will be part of the recovery team, since it's the 100th anniversary of the Air Force, and since one of their own is being recovered---very timely.

Ewart will be a feature story in the Columbus Dispatch (OH) on Memorial Day! We are hoping it will be fed to all the major news services.

The Northwest Florida Daily News will feature a "daily log" of the recovery, with our own Stephen Marks serving as guest journalist!

The big thing we are facing is financing for theses efforts. I am attaching the official flyer for this recovery. I ask for you to be generous in your contributions. The POC for contributions is Pamela Whitelock, as listed on the flyer."

This message is not an official DOD or Army communication, is unclassified, and is only for the benefit of the "Keeping the Promise" organization.

--
V/R
C. Alan Hopewell, Ph.D., MP, ABPP
American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology
Fellow, American Psychological Association
MAJ, MS, USA; "One Oak Leaf Cluster!"
Operation Iraqi Freedom; Surge Campaign Star


http://www.bringsconiershome.com/