WEBVTT 00:06.120 --> 00:08.850 - Well, I was very surprised, obviously. 00:08.850 --> 00:12.680 I think I compartmentalized everything. 00:12.680 --> 00:14.060 And basically, I had already 00:14.060 --> 00:16.190 assumed that my father was deceased. 00:16.190 --> 00:20.390 And they say missing in action, 00:20.390 --> 00:22.973 but basically he was gone. 00:23.130 --> 00:27.540 And so I was super surprised when the dog tags showed up. 00:27.540 --> 00:32.540 And I don't think I really expected it to turn out that they 00:32.830 --> 00:37.163 would also identify the remains as him, but very surprised. 00:39.860 --> 00:41.870 - Well, it's the first tangible thing 00:41.870 --> 00:44.073 I'd had from my father really in my life. 00:47.200 --> 00:51.810 I as a boy remember seeing a little bit 00:51.850 --> 00:54.160 of his Army things that, my mom had a hat 00:54.160 --> 00:56.240 and a couple of other objects that we played for, 00:56.240 --> 00:58.590 and I don't really know what happened to those. 00:59.080 --> 01:04.080 But directly from my father, really that's the only thing. 01:05.270 --> 01:09.580 And it was something that was remarkable 01:09.580 --> 01:12.253 after all of this time, and certainly unexpected. 01:13.330 --> 01:15.210 And it started to pull up some feelings 01:15.210 --> 01:17.253 I didn't know that I had otherwise. 01:17.710 --> 01:21.603 They were some sense of loss and yearning. 01:24.100 --> 01:25.370 But it was something tangible, 01:25.370 --> 01:27.023 too, and I was thankful for that. 01:29.710 --> 01:33.340 It made a real possibility out of what I thought was really 01:33.340 --> 01:38.040 an impossibility, that perhaps his remains 01:38.040 --> 01:40.253 were also connected with his dog tag. 01:40.590 --> 01:42.020 Because other remains had come back, 01:42.020 --> 01:45.403 and there were certain ones that were in the boxes. 01:46.450 --> 01:51.220 So in that sense, it gave me an anticipation and 01:51.310 --> 01:56.310 a renewed hope that we'd have some more finality to this. 01:57.880 --> 01:59.070 - Two things come out of this. 01:59.070 --> 02:01.590 One is that we recognize the wonderful thing 02:01.590 --> 02:05.320 that our father dedicated his life for 02:05.730 --> 02:08.530 and that he was one of those special people, 02:08.530 --> 02:12.990 but also the thousands and thousands of other people 02:12.990 --> 02:17.870 that had that same DNA, if you will, 02:17.870 --> 02:19.710 about the love of the country 02:19.710 --> 02:22.113 and standing up for what's right. 02:24.670 --> 02:26.593 I hope that's what comes out of it. 02:28.320 --> 02:29.230 - Well, it doesn't answer all 02:29.230 --> 02:32.403 the questions about his actual dying. 02:33.220 --> 02:37.140 But it certainly lets us have some 02:37.140 --> 02:41.243 certitude about that and some gratitude 02:42.470 --> 02:46.167 that there is some answer to that now. 02:46.167 --> 02:48.203 But it's still amazing to look at that. 02:50.130 --> 02:52.570 I was actually, it felt like it's 02:52.570 --> 02:56.263 a gift from God to us, honestly. 02:57.810 --> 03:02.810 And it's not my father, but it's part of who 03:03.610 --> 03:07.913 he was physically, and as physical beings, 03:08.010 --> 03:09.660 it's something we can connect to. 03:14.960 --> 03:18.860 I'm very grateful that I was able 03:18.860 --> 03:22.803 to find something of him, some remains. 03:22.880 --> 03:27.880 And it was also interesting to me, 03:28.070 --> 03:31.000 but enlightening to me to find out 03:31.080 --> 03:33.320 what kind of a process went through 03:33.480 --> 03:36.003 determining that in fact this was my father. 03:36.650 --> 03:38.760 And I was grateful to just find that out, 03:38.760 --> 03:41.740 how much work that is sometimes 03:41.740 --> 03:44.720 and how it's been refined, but how many people really 03:47.693 --> 03:50.300 were engaged in doing that and did it 03:50.300 --> 03:54.463 out of a love of their profession, really. 03:55.920 --> 03:59.663 - It's beyond anything I could've assumed was even possible. 04:00.960 --> 04:03.520 I can't believe the technology has grown 04:03.520 --> 04:05.770 and improved to the point that it has, 04:05.770 --> 04:09.790 that all these years later that they can actually 04:09.790 --> 04:14.160 specifically identify someone as an individual 04:14.660 --> 04:18.280 that was here, and that they've worked so hard 04:18.600 --> 04:21.550 and continue to work hard in proving that technology. 04:21.550 --> 04:24.773 It's phenomenal beyond anything I could've imagined. 04:28.210 --> 04:31.813 - Don't give up hope and participate as you can. 04:31.890 --> 04:35.073 Provide whatever information you can. 04:35.570 --> 04:39.020 And it may seem very small, but it's amazing sometimes 04:39.020 --> 04:42.970 how that helps to determine that in fact 04:42.970 --> 04:45.743 it was your loved one's remains that have been found. 04:46.830 --> 04:49.753 But don't give up hope. 04:51.110 --> 04:52.690 Continue to participate. 04:52.690 --> 04:57.690 And again, a month ago, I had no idea. 04:59.040 --> 04:59.883 I had no idea. 04:59.920 --> 05:01.713 And now it's been resolved. 05:02.550 --> 05:05.180 That's an unusually quick one, but we had the dog tag, 05:05.180 --> 05:07.893 which helped to lead us to something much quicker. 05:09.509 --> 05:10.930 - [Interviewer] Larry? 05:10.930 --> 05:15.930 - Well, like Charles said, it's amazing how quick it was. 05:18.500 --> 05:21.310 We both have a religious commitment, 05:21.310 --> 05:24.890 and I believe that all of the technology 05:24.890 --> 05:28.780 that we have and so forth, and maybe in some way 05:28.970 --> 05:33.410 God had a hand in it, too, because things just happened 05:33.410 --> 05:38.240 so rapidly and so specifically concerning our father. 05:38.240 --> 05:40.393 And we're just grateful. 05:44.770 --> 05:49.233 - Well, it's a part of what our nation is about. 05:50.400 --> 05:54.410 It's an extension of our nation, that not only 05:55.380 --> 05:59.163 are we committed as soldiers, which I've been at one time, 05:59.870 --> 06:01.370 and being around a lotta soldiers, 06:01.370 --> 06:03.390 and when I say that I mean also airmen 06:03.390 --> 06:08.390 and seamen and so forth, you don't leave anyone behind. 06:12.040 --> 06:13.370 That's the intent. 06:13.370 --> 06:15.283 And obviously sometimes in combat, 06:15.580 --> 06:18.593 it's impossible to take someone with you that's died. 06:18.840 --> 06:21.083 There's something else that has to happen. 06:21.420 --> 06:24.040 But we don't just walk away from that 06:24.040 --> 06:25.653 person if they're left behind. 06:26.000 --> 06:29.883 We continue to do the mission of trying to find them. 06:30.820 --> 06:35.223 68 years for my father, 68 years, 06:36.530 --> 06:40.383 and still we were looking, still we were pursuing. 06:41.030 --> 06:45.483 And that says something about how we honor our dead, 06:46.320 --> 06:48.670 particularly those who have served this nation. 06:49.090 --> 06:53.140 And I think that's what you all do, 06:53.140 --> 06:54.953 and I'm very grateful for that, 06:55.300 --> 06:57.763 that you're behind the scenes. 06:57.830 --> 06:59.260 And Larry's even spoken about, 06:59.260 --> 07:01.850 he wasn't aware that all this was going on. 07:01.850 --> 07:05.303 And I had no idea to the extent that it was going on. 07:06.350 --> 07:08.560 And so I'm very grateful for our 07:08.560 --> 07:11.650 nation and the way we value life. 07:11.650 --> 07:14.700 And very few nations, very few nations, 07:14.700 --> 07:18.323 I don't think any other nation to this degree does this. 07:20.607 --> 07:22.360 - [Interviewer] Do you have anything, Larry? 07:22.360 --> 07:24.890 - Well, it's just, the endurance and the persistence 07:24.890 --> 07:29.033 to me is far beyond anything I could've imagined. 07:30.320 --> 07:34.533 It would be so easy in many, many of the cases, I'm sure, 07:35.300 --> 07:38.100 to just say, ah, well, we don't have enough information. 07:38.100 --> 07:39.543 Move on to the next. 07:39.870 --> 07:43.823 But as I've toured the facility, 07:44.160 --> 07:46.320 that's really not the way the facility works 07:46.320 --> 07:49.460 and not the way our country works. 07:49.460 --> 07:51.340 They're just persistent and they just 07:51.340 --> 07:52.963 keep going and going and going, 07:53.490 --> 07:56.173 which makes me proud to be an American. 07:57.980 --> 08:01.540 - Well, I'm very grateful to all of the DPAA 08:01.540 --> 08:05.940 and related agencies and the military in general 08:06.170 --> 08:09.403 as they've pursued this, and our government, 08:10.130 --> 08:12.300 and for our citizens because they think 08:12.300 --> 08:14.993 it's an important-enough mission to continue. 08:16.110 --> 08:19.370 I just wanna make sure that you understand 08:19.370 --> 08:22.300 my gratitude and my thankfulness. 08:22.300 --> 08:27.023 And, again, it's just not for me or my family, 08:27.720 --> 08:30.100 but it's just for all of those other families 08:30.100 --> 08:32.210 that are still out there, the thousands and thousands 08:32.210 --> 08:34.300 of families that really don't have an answer 08:34.300 --> 08:38.373 or a resolution to this, the loss of their loved one.