THE WALL OF FACES

The Department of Defense conducted ceremonies at the Pentagon and at Hickam AFB on Friday, 18 September 2020 in commemoration of POW/MIA Recognition Day. Deputy Defense Secretary David L. Nordquist remembered the 1,586 MIAs from the Vietnam War as well as all those still unaccounted for from WWII, the Korean War, the Cold War and other conflicts. Director (Maj. Gen, USAFR, ret) Kelly McKeague of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) also recorded a separate video message to Gold Star MIA families. Additionally, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) produced a “virtual” event on 18 Sep. Since the 2019 Ceremony, DPAA has positively identified 1 Vietnam War MIA.
MIA Lieutenant Commander John Eugene Bartocci, USNA Class of 1957, is one of those 1,586 MIAs unaccounted for in Southeast Asia from the Vietnam War. He is one of 3 * graduates from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis class of 1957 who is still MIA. The other USNA 1957 graduates who remain MIA are: (1) CDR John Peace and (2) Maj. David Wright, USAF. As of the date of this ceremony, there are 55 USNA graduates still MIA in Southeast Asia (SEA) from the Vietnam War. They account for 32% of the 169 men from Annapolis who made the ultimate sacrifice in SEA during the Vietnam War.

This is the link to the DoD/DVIDS video for the Pentagon ceremony:
https://www.dvidshub.net/video/766486/defense-officials-recognize-prisoners-war-missing-service-members-ceremony

This is the link to the DoD/DVIDS video for the Hickam AFB ceremony:
https://www.dvidshub.net/video/766491/admiral-commemorates-prisoners-war-and-missing-service-members-ceremony

This is the link to DPAA Director McKeague’s video statement:
https://vimeo.com/454474340

This is the link to the VVMF virtual remembrance: https://www.vvmf.org/POWMIA-2020/

* This number of 3 USNA 1957 MIAs is an increase of 1 MIA indicated in the entry for the 2019 ceremony. My error.

The Department of Defense conducted a ceremony at the Pentagon on Friday, 20 September 2019 in recognition of POW/MIA Recognition Day. Deputy Defense Secretary David L. Nordquist remembered the 1,587 MIAs from the Vietnam War as well as all those still unaccounted for from WWII, the Korean War, the Cold War and other conflicts. Since the 2018 Ceremony, DPAA has positively identified 7 Vietnam War MIAs. Lieutenant Commander John Eugene Bartocci, USNA Class of 1957, is one of those 1,587 MIAs unaccounted for in Southeast Asia from the Vietnam War. He is one of 2 graduates from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis class of 1957 who is still MIA. The other USNA 1957 graduate who remains MIA is Maj. David Wright, USAF.

This is the link to the DoD story about the ceremony:

https://www.defense.gov/explore/story/Article/1967474/prisoners-of-war-missing-in-action-remembered-at-pentagon-ceremony/

This is the link to the C-Span video of the ceremony:

https://www.c-span.org/video/?464524-1/pentagon-hosts-national-powmia-recognition-day-ceremony

On August 31, 1968, LCDR John E. Bartocci was the pilot of a U.S. Navy Vought F-8H Crusader (#147897) from Fighter Squadron 24 (VF-24) making a night landing on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hancock (CVA-19). The approach to the ramp appeared normal until arriving close in when the pilot unexpectedly and for unknown reasons made an extreme correction by simultaneously lowering the nose and reducing power. The aircraft broke up on contact with the flight deck. No ejection was witnessed, and the pilot was not recovered from the debris on the carrier. The wing and aft section with its engine still intact had to be push overboard to ready the deck for aircraft still waiting to land. The destroyer USS Brinkley Bass (DD-887) conducted search and rescue efforts and recovered the pilot’s kneeboard, navigation bag, and a badly damage helmet. Bartocci’s remains were not found. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org]

I lived on Kobe Dr in San Diego, down the street from the Bartocci's and across from Boo Iott.The day the Bartocci's moved in, all us kids rode our bikes around to check out the new family. Mr Bartocci called us over and introduced us to his kids, Bart and Allison. My bike was always throwing the chain, and Mr Bartocci found his tools, packed away in a box,and fixed it for me. What a great guy. Bart was a couple years younger than I but we became good friends, running the neighborhood with all the kids. So sad when we heard his father was lost at sea. I was 13-14 years old then, but remember it well, the kindness Ltcd Bartocci showed me.

DEAR LIEUTENANT COMMANDER BARTOCCI,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AS A PILOT - UNRESTRICTED LINE OFFICER FROM THE U. S. S. HANCOCK. I WAS BORN IN NEW YORK CITY TOO. YOU ARE STILL MIA. PLEASE COME HOME. WE MISS YOU. WATCH OVER THE U.S.A., IT STILL NEEDS YOUR COURAGE. ADVENT IS HERE, AND CHRISTMAS IS APPROACHING. WE ARE THANKFUL FOR YOU. THE NEW YEAR IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER, WHICH MAKES IT FAR TOO LONG FOR YOU TO HAVE BEEN GONE. GOD BLESS YOU. MAY THE SAINTS AND ANGELS BE AT YOUR SIDE.