Search for the missing

My friend and Hillsdale neighbor, Ann Bakkensen, has alerted several of us to a NOVA television program next Tuesday about those, including her father, who went missing in action in the Korean War.

Years ago, I wrote about Ann’s search for her father. Hers is a powerful story of determination and discovery. You can sense that in her letter to us. I hope many of you can find time to watch the program.

Here is what she wrote us.

Dear family and friends,

As many of you know, my father was an F-86 pilot and is MIA from the Korean War. Government information released in 1992 suggested that my father may have been captured by the Soviets when his plane was shot down. I have been researching his case since 1992, and have acted as an advocate for families of Korean War MIAs. I have also served as president of a national MIA organization and have traveled to North Korea as a member of a Defense Department delegation representing the interests of MIA families.

Here is a link is to a preview of the PBS NOVA show which will air this coming Tuesday, December 18. The show — “Missing in MiG Alley” — chronicles the efforts of the US government as well as MIA families, in trying to resolve the fates of missing F-86 pilots from the Korean War.

My father's case is featured in this show, and some of my interview will also appear in the program. The fate of my father is still unknown, and I as well as my family have had to grapple with the unresolved nature of the case. But during the course of my work on the case, I have met some wonderful people who share a very private part of my life. (I know and have worked with most, if not all, of the people featured in this show.) And best of all, I have gotten a sense of who my father was. Many of you have heard me talk about working on my father's case.

If you are able to watch the show, you will be able to understand the situation a little better.

Best wishes,

Ann