Photo By Staff Sgt. David Owsianka | Personnel assigned to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) pose for a...... read more read more
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U.S. service members with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) took to the field to play a soccer game against local residents in Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Feb. 6, 2023.
The DPAA personnel are currently conducting a recovery mission to find a service member who is missing from the Vietnam War. After completing their daily duties and tasks, some of the U.S. members took part in a five-on-five match where the Lao team won 6-5.
“It’s important for U.S. service members to foster relationships with people in foreign countries,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Freddy Parra, DPAA independent provider augment. “We were able to create and build friendships through showing how amicable and joyful we can be regardless of the adversity of the world we live in. We were grateful for the opportunity to step on the field and play alongside the Lao players.”
The DPAA team took an early 3-0 lead in the initial moments of the game, but the Lao players were able to claw their way back through the soccer game to win in the end.
“The game went very well, and I was surprised that we were able to keep up with the Lao team,” Parra said. “Playing soccer with them was invigorating in a sense that we were fostering and continue to build relationships by participating in the game through sportsmanship.”
The focus of the game wasn’t about who won or lost, it was to build camaraderie, strengthen multi-national ties and provide each player with the ability to learn more about the opposing teams’ culture.
“It was very good playing alongside the Americans for the first time,” said Kone Kham, a Lao soccer player. “We enjoyed interacting with the opposing team’s players throughout the game as it helped me improve my English-speaking abilities. I really hope that we will continue to play with each other.”
Playing soccer with Lao citizens enabled Parra to reflect on the significance of the team’s mission. Each recovery mission can involve up to 65 U.S. personnel plus Lao counterparts. Both countries work together on investigations and excavations throughout the country for between 30 – 45 days for each mission. Since 1985, the United States and Lao governments have worked closely together to find and recover unaccounted-for American service members. There are still 286 missing Americans in Laos from the Vietnam War.
“Partaking in this game was important because it allowed us to reflect on the why we are here, our mission,” he said. “To be near and work on the holy grounds where people before us paid the ultimate sacrifice, I am truly grateful that we are working toward keeping our nation’s promise to bringing our service members home and providing closure to their families.”
Both teams plan to continue to play soccer together and strengthen their ties as the recovery mission continues.
“It was memorable to see the camaraderie that came between us as players, how well we communicated with each other and our ability to compete with our skillful counterparts,” Parra said. “We are very happy to have played with them as they welcome us into their country through their hospitality. It had a great impact, not only to me, but the rest of the team.”
| Date Taken: | 02.06.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 02.10.2023 13:44 |
| Story ID: | 438142 |
| Location: | LA |
| Web Views: | 105 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, DPAA, Lao Citizens Build Relationships Through Soccer, by SSgt David Owsianka, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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