Comments on: Help!

By: Gary Zaetz

Gary Zaetz — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 07:23:02 +0000

Tragically, 2010 was a year which witnessed the Manmohan Singh government:

1. timidly yielding to Chinese pressure over the Arunachal issue by canceling a purely humanitarian US mission to recover the bodies of the crew of the “Hot as Hell”, lost in the Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh on January 25, 1944.

2. imposing draconian restrictions on the scale of US MIA recovery operations anywhere in India, restrictions which represent a violation of both the spirit and letter of the MIA recovery agreement reached by the Indian Government and the Bush Administration at the joint US-India Defense Policy Group meeting in Washington in 2008.

3. putting India in the position of violating provisions of international humanitarian law, as embodied in the Geneva Conventions and India’s own Geneva Conventions Act, governing the return of war dead, especially in view of the Singh government’s refusal to send its own recovery teams to known locations of American MIA remains. ?

The UPA coalition government is not solely to blame here. The Chinese leadership and the Obama Administration share in the blame – the Chinese for pressuring both India and the US to cancel the recovery operation in Arunachal, and the Obama Administration, for bowing to this pressure.

I am very grateful to citizens of the US and India who have expressed their outrage over these actions of their governments.

Gary Zaetz
Nephew of USAAF MIA 1st Lt. Irwin Zaetz, navigator of the “Hot as Hell”

By: AG

AG — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 05:47:00 +0000

@anonymous,
Not to be rude, but I am quite taken aback by the heartless attitude shown by you. As put by wiian, it’s all about family ties and human emotions and all AD is trying to do is help Gary and family members of those gone missing some 6 decades ago, find the mortal remains of their dear ones so that they could give them a proper resting place. And that’s a humanitarian gesture from AD nothing more nothing less and I’d be very glad if this post on AD was of help to those family members to help them locate the mortal remains.

By: wiian

wiian — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:47:00 +0000

Anonymous said...

It's not about the plane, dear anonymous. It's about family ties, the humane intent even after 60 years since the plane crashed. I can feel for the white man trying everything he possibly could, posting his messages across every channel where he sees might lead him to further information about his deceased uncle.

I wish I was of help in some way. Having said that, knowing that a person is helping himself, I would always help a stranger than a friend or a relative with no intent or purpose in life whatsoever.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 15:01:00 +0000

While we’re all thanking Gary for his nice letters, I wonder what’s so special about those fallen planes. Just some good old wreckage, right? Noting to go crazy about. He’s not gonna find the lieutenant in there.
Or is all the ceremony in aid of a white man?

By: AG

AG — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 06:42:00 +0000

@techi takang,
Thanks for the nice words…hope Arunachal Diary is able to fulfill the aspirations of the readers like you and let you be in touch with the state, no matter wherever you are. And at Arunachal Diary it would be our endeavour to bridge this gap between you and the state. So do keep visiting.

By: Techi Takang

Techi Takang — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 06:19:00 +0000

I am being a son of great and beautiful land called Arunachal Pradesh,however residing at outside arunachal pradesh,I am always wish to know more and more about Arunachal Pradesh but I can't meet whatever I want.Right from now,I hope that,only Arunachal Diary can bring me all these.so that, I can know about all around the Arunachal Pradesh.Further I hope,The Arunachal Diary will also help me to know me the panchayat political scenerio of the state.
With lots of regards to the member "Arunachal Diary"

Techi Takang

From:Arunachal Pradesh,now in Mumbai(Maharastra)

By: AG

AG — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 05:39:00 +0000

Indeed glad to hear that Gary. With the agreement-hope the mortal remains of your uncle and those of the crew members are recovered soon.

By: EmoreL

EmoreL — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 07:52:00 +0000

Glad to hear that.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 13:21:00 +0000

I was recently notified by Air Commodore Rakesh K. Jolly, the Indian Air Attache in Washington, that the joint Indo-US Defense Policy Group concluded during its meeting in Washington last week an historic agreement allowing joint US-Indian MIA recovery operations in India’s Northeast. He reports major progress toward the recovery of the remains of the crew of the American aircraft “Hot as Hell”, which my uncle served and died on during the Second World War, from its crash site in Arunachal Pradesh. The families of the “Hot as Hell” crew are profoundly grateful to all involved in this decision, especially US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Ambassador Eric Edelman, Indian Defence Secretary Vijay Singh, JPAC Commander RADM Donna Crisp, the Director for POW/Missing Personnel Affairs, Amb. Charles Ray, former Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh, Arunachal Pradesh MP Tapir Gao, US Sen. Bernie Sanders, as well as the US Embassy and Consular Staffs in India, and the Indian Embassy in Washington.
Gary Zaetz, Nephew of 1st Lt. Irwin G. Zaetz, navigator of the “Hot as Hell”

By: AG

AG — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 06:16:00 +0000

@Gary,
I’m really shocked by the apathy shown by JPAC to the families in carrying out recovery mission citing the area of crash site to be disturbed. But nevertheless I’m happy for the families that finally the US Embassy in New Delhi has informed the Indian Government about the crash site even though it was bit late. Hope that the Indian Government would extend all possible help to recover the mortal remains.

As far as safety and stability of Arunachal is concerned, Buru has rightly put it, except for Tirap and Changlang Districts rest of the Arunachal Pradesh is as peaceful and safe as any part of US.