[Vision2020] Idaho's Part-Time Patriots

[Tom Hansen]

To the editors of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Lewiston Tribune, and
Spokesman Review -

On January 8, 2007, as a citizen of Idaho and a retired veteran, I submitted
requests, via email, to various elected officials of the state of Idaho
seeking to discover what has been done in locating nine unaccounted for
POWs/MIAs who call Idaho home.  Information concerning these forgotten
veterans is available respectively at:

Major Jon Keith Bodahl, US Air Force (Boise, Idaho)
http://www.IdahoCares.net/Bodahl.htm

Captain Gregg Neyman Hollinger, US Army (Paul, Idaho)
http://www.IdahoCares.net/Hollinger.htm

Ensign Hal "T" Hollingsworth, US Navy (Grace, Idaho)
http://www.IdahoCares.net/Hollingsworth.htm

Staff Sergeant William Balt Hunt, US Army (Sandpoint, Idaho)
http://www.IdahoCares.net/Hunt.htm

First Lieutenant William Ellsworth Lemmons, US Army (Pocatello, Idaho)
http://www.IdahoCares.net/Lemmons.htm

Commander Roderick Lewis Mayer, US Navy (Lewiston, Idaho)
http://www.IdahoCares.net/Mayer.htm

Chief Warrant Officer Jesse Donald Phelps, US Army (Boise, Idaho)
http://www.IdahoCares.net/Phelps.htm

Chief Warrant Officer Jon Michael Sparks, US Army (Carey, Idaho)
http://www.IdahoCares.net/Sparks.htm

Chief Master Sergeant Larry C. Thornton, US Air Force (Idaho Falls, Idaho)
http://www.IdahoCares.net/Thornton.htm

As of today (January 22, 2007) I have not yet received a single response
from Governor Butch Otter, who apparently considers hunting gray wolves
significantly more important than accounting for Idaho's lost and forgotten
veterans.  This apathy on the part of Governor Otter could not have been
exposed at a worse time, considering the mounting loss of American lives in
Iraq.

Senator Larry Craig, Senator Mike Crapo, and Representative Mike Simpson
have simply not responded to my inquiries.  This is absolutely inexcusable
and should not be tolerated from elected officials from whom we place our
trust and confidence.

I attempted to contact Representative Bill Sali on December 14th.  His
office replied that I should contact him after he is sworn into office on
January 4th.  Representative Sali remains inaccessible to his constituents
from his website at http://sali.house.gov.

Accountability to the citizens of Idaho, especially in matters concerning
forgotten veterans, must be demanded from these part-time patriots.

You may rest assured this will not be my last contact with them, nor with
you, until I receive satisfactory responses concerning each of the nine
veterans above to the question "Where are they now?"

Yours most sincerely,

Thomas P. Hansen
SFC, US Army (Retired)
201 Taylor Avenue
Moscow, Idaho

PS - I would seriously appreciate having the above letter published.  If you
require any additional information, please contact me by return email at
thansen at moscow.com 

"Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil
and steady dedication of a lifetime." 

--Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.