\n SAN DIEGO, Ca.\u00a0\u00a0\u2013\u00a0\u00a0
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The Defense POW\/MIA Accounting Agency hosted a Family Member Update on March 28, providing Gold Star families with the latest information on their loved ones\u2019 cases.<\/p>\n
More than 400 family members attended the event with approximately 283 attending for the first time.
Also in attendance were two former prisoners of war whose experiences underscored the importance of DPAA\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n
Lewis Meyer, one of the few civilians held captive during the Vietnam War, spent five years as a prisoner at the Hanoi Hilton. Joining him was retired U.S. Army Maj. Mark Smith, who was held prisoner for 10 months in Cambodia during the conflict.<\/p>\n
Their presence served as a powerful reminder of the enduring impact of war and the importance of continued efforts to account for those who never returned. For many families, seeing former prisoners of war in attendance reinforced both the reality of survival and the hope that answers are still possible.<\/p>\n
U.S. Air Force Col. Derek Rankin, DPAA chief of staff, hosted the event and welcomed attendees, expressing and his gratitude for their attendance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s because new people come to share in the power of connection at these family member updates, sharing stories and honoring memories, that we can continue moving forward,\u201d said Rankin. \u201cIt is my honor and privilege to be here with you, to offer a few remarks, and to listen to your stories.\u201d
During his remarks, Rankin emphasized DPAA\u2019s commitment to the nation\u2019s sacred duty of providing the fullest possible accounting for missing U.S. personnel.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt DPAA, we live the warrior ethos every day: to never leave a fallen comrade,\u201d he said. \u201cOur team of more than 700 military and civilian professionals embodies that ethos in everything they do.\u201d<\/p>\n
DPAA\u2019s mission is to account for the nearly 81,000 Americans still missing from past conflicts, including World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War. Family Member Updates serve as a vital link between families and the ongoing efforts to identify and bring their loved ones home.<\/p>\n
The event gave families from across the region the opportunity to connect, share stories, and receive updates on those who remain unaccounted for after their service and sacrifice.<\/p>\n
Attendees participated in formal presentations, question-and-answer sessions, and case summary reviews with DPAA representatives, providing a more personalized understanding of individual cases.<\/p>\n
A remembrance ceremony allowed family members to reflect and share personal stories. Among them was Dottie Pendleton, niece of U.S. Marine Cpl. John Edwinson, who spoke about her family\u2019s long journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cMemorial Day weekend in 2017, I found the DPAA website, and within days our journey had begun,\u201d Pendleton said. \u201cOn Jan. 20, 2018, we attended our first Family Member Update here in Mission Valley, so this is a full-circle moment for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
She shared that her uncle was identified on Sept. 11, 2024, more than 80 years after he was buried alongside four other Marines in Guadalcanal.<\/p>\n
\u201cEleven months ago, we were able to lay him to rest with my grandparents in Massachusetts with full military honors,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m here today to thank the scientists, anthropologists, and everyone at DPAA who works tirelessly to bring our loved ones home and to offer hope to other families.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pendleton described the challenges her family faced and the unexpected discovery that ultimately led to her uncle\u2019s identification.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust when we had nearly given up hope, a homeowner in the Solomon Islands discovered human remains while gardening,\u201d she said. \u201cAlong the way, we met incredible families at these updates. One of the Marines buried next to my uncle was also from Massachusetts, and his family\u2019s journey paralleled ours in ways we never could have imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adding another layer of support to the event, members of Love on a Leash attended with certified therapy dogs, offering comfort to family members throughout the day.<\/p>\n
Sue Subkow, San Diego Central Chapter leader, highlighted the unique role therapy dogs play in emotionally charged environments like the DPAA Family Member Update.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherapy dogs have a uniquely powerful impact on veterans and their families during events like this,\u201d Subkow said. \u201cThese gatherings can be deeply emotional, as families often carry years, sometimes decades, of uncertainty, grief, and hope. In that space, therapy dogs provide a quiet, steady source of comfort that doesn\u2019t require words.\u201d<\/p>\n
Subkow explained that even brief interactions can create noticeable changes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen individuals visibly relax as they pet a dog, shoulders drop, breathing slows, and expressions soften,\u201d she said. \u201cFor some, it creates a momentary sense of peace in an otherwise heavy day. Therapy dogs also act as gentle social bridges, helping people connect, share stories, and feel less alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her involvement in the program is deeply personal, rooted in her own family\u2019s experience.
\u201cMy father was a Navy and Air Force veteran, and I saw firsthand the comfort a well-behaved therapy dog brought him during long hospital stays,\u201d Subkow said. \u201cSupporting veterans and their families in this way feels both personal and purposeful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the event, Subkow noted the meaningful connections formed between the dogs and attendees.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could see an immediate shift when someone engaged with a dog, people who seemed tense would soften, smile, and take a moment to just be present,\u201d she said. \u201cThe dogs created natural, heartfelt interactions and helped foster a sense of connection, not just between handlers and attendees, but among the families themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added that all eleven Love on a Leash handlers who participated were honored to support the event, providing moments of calm, comfort, and emotional relief throughout the day.<\/p>\n
DPAA\u2019s mission is supported by numerous partners, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, the American Battle Monuments Commission, and non-governmental organizations such as the Best Defense Foundation, the Special Operations Association, who also attended the update.<\/p>\n
For the families in attendance, the mission is more than numbers or timelines, it is deeply personal. From scientific work in the laboratory to moments of quiet comfort shared with therapy dogs, each part of the effort reflects a commitment not only to accountability, but to the families who continue to carry these stories forward.<\/p>\n
With every update, every connection, and every step forward, the promise to bring their loved ones home moves closer to being fulfilled.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SAN DIEGO, Ca.\u00a0\u00a0\u2013\u00a0\u00a0 The Defense POW\/MIA Accounting Agency hosted a Family Member Update on March 28, providing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":257279,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[113697,100,113698,74,76,75,47182,16548],"class_list":["post-257278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-defense-pow-mia-accounting-agency","tag-news","tag-pow-mia","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-stories","tag-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=257278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257278\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/257279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=257278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=257278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=257278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}