Operation Homecoming: REMC Commemorates 50'th Anniversary of Bringing our POWs Home

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Russell Lindsey | CAPT. Tracy Issac, executive officer Navy Medicine Operational Training Command (NMOTC), CAPT Kimberly Toone, commanding officer NMOTC (second left), CDR Everette Alvarez, USN (ret.)(third left), CDR Margolius (third right), Dr. John Albano, REMC Program Director (second right), CAPT Georgia Stoker, NAMI officer in charge (right), pose for a photo at the Operation Homecoming memorial at the National Naval Aviation Museum, Mar. 01, 2023. The Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI), a detachment of NMOTC, specializes in the training of aerospace medical providers and the specialized care needed by those in the aviation community and houses the Robert E. Mitchell Center and RPOW program for all branches the armed forces and has been an active program for 50 years as of 2023 making it the longest continuously operated program in the U.S. Navy Medicine Operational Training Command (NMOTC) is the Navy’s leader in operational medical training in the fields of aviation, aviation survival, surface and undersea warfare, expeditionary and special operations medicine. (U.S. Navy Photo Illustration by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Russell Lindsey)  

PENSACOLA, FL, UNITED STATES

03.01.2023

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Russell Lindsey 

Navy Medicine Operational Training Command

PENSACOLA, Fl. – On Mar. 1, the Robert E. Mitchell Center for Prisoner of War (REMC) studies celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Operation Homecoming with an audience of aerospace medical professionals at Naval Air Station Pensacola Corry Station located in Pensacola, Florida.

Between February 12, 1973, and April 4, 1973, Operation Homecoming saw the successful return of nearly 600 American service members captured and held as prisoners of war (POW) in Vietnam with some POWs held in captivity for the better part of a decade. Initiated by a ceasefire agreement between the United States and North Vietnam, on February 12, 1973, three C-141s were dispatched to Hanoi, Vietnam, to repatriate the first of the POWs. Released by date of capture, 40 American POWs left Hanoi that day for the first time in nearly 8 ½ years. This recovery cadence continued with 54 total retrieval flights until all remaining POWs were brought home. April 4, 1973 marked the last of these flights, and the completion of this endeavor marked not only the return of 325 airmen, 138 sailors, 77 soldiers, 26 Marines, and 25 government civilians, but also stands as an eternal reminder that this nation will not forget its warfighters and their sacrifice.

To honor and recognize this major event and milestone, REMC invited guest speakers Cmdr. Everett Alvarez, USN (ret.), a Naval aviator shot down during the Vietnam War and the second longest held POW in U.S. history, and Cmdr. Michael Margolius, operation chief for the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency (JPRA), to speak to the recovery of isolated personnel and the experience of those being recovered.

During the speech, Alvarez recounted some of his most harrowing experiences as a POW, provided rare insight into the transition out of captivity, and described his journey of reintegration, which began on the tarmac of Gia Lam Airport in Hanoi. Alvarez depicted each leg of his journey, traveling from Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines to now decommissioned Oakland Naval Hospital in Oakland, California. At each stop and in each phase of his reintegration process, Alvarez reiterated how “well-organized and well-planned” everything was, from transportation to communication and medical attention. Alvarez, who actively engages and advises the POW community and the personnel who oversee recovering them, also went on to talk about how much we have learned in the years following Operation Homecoming and what processes we have improved through our lessons learned.

The continuous improvement of the post-isolation process is something Cmdr. Michael Margolius is very familiar with. He leads and advises on present day recovery operations from his post at the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency (JPRA). During his speech, Margolius acknowledged the importance of remembering the events of Operation Homecoming and its well-executed and thorough approach. He also provided deep insights into what a well-done reintegration process looks like, and touted the importance and success of Operation Homecoming saying, they “got it right”. He emphasized how imperative it is that the recovery and reintegration system continues to sharpen its practice by including relevant stakeholders, specifically medical professionals who need to be familiar with the process and best practices for the future.

The completion of Operation Homecoming is deeply tied to the REMC mission. Inspiring five decades of service, the REMC RPOW program is a Department of Defense designated special program. Its primary mission is to provide American POWs annual physical and psychological evaluations while conducting research on the long-term effects of captivity. The efforts of its staff have had substantial, tangible impact to recovered personnel. Through its research, REMC has identified the effects of acute long-term malnutrition in adults, found evidence that optimism is a robust predictor of resilient outcomes after stressful events, and determined that post-captivity cortisol levels affect bone mineral density – a finding the Veteran’s Affairs Administration cites as a presumptive diagnosis, entitling POWs to additional healthcare benefits.

While still upholding their mission and dedication to American POWs, the 50th Anniversary of Operation Homecoming in many ways ushers in a new era of REMC. An era that is focused on operationalizing the evidence and wisdom gathered over the previous five decades of service to support today’s warfighters and beyond. This sentiment was made clear by REMC Director, Dr. John Albano, Col., U.S. Army (ret.).

“Navy medical professionals can now apply what they learned as they turn their support to line and fleet forces as they address the great power struggle concerns that loom on the horizon,” said Albano.

Lt. Jacob Westerberg, PhD, research psychologist at REMC further drove home this point by saying, “today’s event was not simply a history lesson, but a glimpse into what our operational responsibilities are and will be as a medical force in future conflicts.”

With the intent of preparing service members for the future, the staff at REMC and leadership of Navy Medicine Operational Training Command (NMOTC), continue to leverage the expertise and unique resources to train our warfighters and medical professionals to fight, win, and come home safely in any environment.



NOTE: LT. Jacob Westerberg and Dr. John Albano contributed to this article.
For more news from NMOTC, visit http://www.dvidshub.net/unit/NMOTC

• Date Taken: 03.01.2023
• Date Posted: 03.21.2023 12:11
• Story ID: 440848
• Location: PENSACOLA, FL, US