DURING WORLD WAR II WE WERE IN THE ARMY AIR CORPS LISTED AS "MISSING IN ACTION" IN THE VERY SAME AREA YOU ARE NOW SERVING. IF WE MAY, WE WOULD LIKE TO RELAY TO YOU A FRANK, SOLDIER-TO-SOLDIER MESSAGE ABOUT OUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WHILE THERE - SOMETHING WHICH ARE POLITICIANS WHO SENT YOU THERE HAVE NOT TOLD YOU AND SOMETHING WHICH YOU HAVE NOT READ OR SEEN IN THE ANTI-SERB MEDIA.

IN 1944 THE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMITTEE WERE FLYING BOMBING MISSIONS OUT OF ITALY OVER SOUTHERN EUROPE. DURING THAT TIME OVER 500 OF US WERE SHOT-DOWN OVER ENEMY-OCCUPIED YUGOSLAVIA AND SAVED FROM CERTAIN DEATH BY THE SERBIAN PEOPLE. OURS WAS THE GREATEST RESCUE OF AMERICAN LIVES FROM BEHIND ENEMY LINES IN HISTORY BUT HAS BEEN KEPT UNDER WRAPS ALL THESE YEARS BECAUSE OF PRESSURE FROM FOREIGN SOURCES.

WHILE WE WERE THERE, THOSE OF US WHO WERE WOUNDED WERE GIVEN WHATEVER MEDICAL SUPPLIES THEY HAD EVEN AT THE DEPRIVATION OF THEIR OWN TROOPS. IF THERE WAS ONE PIECE OF BREAD IN THE HOUSE, OR ONE EGG, IT WENT TO THE AMERICAN AIRMAN WHILE THE SERB WENT HUNGRY. IF THERE WAS ONE BED, OR ONE BLANKET, IT WENT TO US WHILE THE SERB SLEPT ON THE BARE GROUND. NO RISK OR SACRIFICE WAS TOO GREAT TO INSURE OUR SAFETY AND WELL BEING. ONE EXPERIENCE WHICH IS FOREVER SEARED IN MY MEMORY IS THE TIME A VILLAGE WITH 200 WOMEN AND CHILDREN WAS BURNED TO THE GROUND BY THE GERMANS BECAUSE THE SERBS WOULD NOT TELL THEM WHERE THEY WERE HIDING US. TO THIS DAY I CAN SMELL THE TERRIBLE STENCH OF THEIR BURNING FLESH. ONE DOES NOT FORGET SUCH THINGS.

THE MOST INCREDIBLE PART OF OUR RESCUE WAS THAT BEFORE EACH MISSION OUR BOMBER CREWS WERE BRIEFED BY THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE THAT IF SHOT DOWN OVER YUGOSLAVIA WE WERE TO STAY AWAY FROM THE SERBIAN PEOPLE AS THEY WERE COLLABORATING WITH THE GERMANS AND "CUTTING OFF THE EARS OF AMERICAN AIRMEN" BEFORE TURNING THEM OVER. ONLY AFTER WE WERE SHOT DOWN DID WE FIND OUT THE AMAZING THOROUGHNESS WITH WHICH THE TRUTH ABOUT THE SERBS WAS BEING DISTORTED.

FURTHER COMPOUNDING THIS DECEPTION IS THE FACT THAT WHILE THE SERBS WERE OUR ALLIES IN WWII, CROATIANS AND MUSLIMS (WHO WE ARE FAVORING TODAY) WERE ALLIES OF THE NAZIS, SHOOTING AT US AND RESPONSIBLE FOR KILLING MANY OF OUR FELLOW AMERICAN FLIERS. IN VIEW OF THE LIES WE WERE TOLD ABOUT THE SERBS DURING WORLD WAR II, WE COULD NOT HELP BUT WONDER IF OUR FOREIGN POLICY THERE TODAY IS THE SAME ANTI SERB BIAS WE ENCOUNTERED 52 YEARS AGO. COULD OUR CAREER DIPLOMATS SACRIFICE FORMER FRIENDS AND REWARD FORMER ENEMIES IN THE NAME OF POLITICAL EXPEDIENCY???...COULD IT BE BECAUSE TN THE WORLD COMMUNITY THERE ARE OVER ONE BILLION MUSLIMS AND ONLY 9 MILLION SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS WITH THE SAME PROPORTIONATE POWER IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY???...COULD IT BE BECAUSE THE SERBS HAVE NO OIL WELLS AND NO UNLIMITED OIL MONEY???...

COULD IT BE BECAUSE THE CROATIANS AND MUSLIMS OUTSPEND THE SERBS 50 TO ONE ON LOBBYISTS, MEDIA FIRMS AND CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS???... COULD THIS BE WHY "ATROCITIES" ARE MANUFACTURED TO MAKE THE SERBS LOOK BAD WHILE GAINING SYMPATHY FOR THEIR OPPONENTS???...COULD THIS BE WHY THE SERBS ARE BRANDED "AGGRESSORS" IN LAND THEY HAVE LIVED ON FOR OVER 600 YEARS???... COULD OUR POLICY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THERE ARE 540 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, NONE OF WHOM ARE ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS ???... COULD THE SlATE DEPARTMENT'S BITTER BIAS AGAINST GENERAL DRAZA MIHAILOVICH, THE ANTI-COMMUNIST GUERRILLA LEADER WHO SAVED US, BE BASED ON THE FACT HE WAS A SERB???...

COULD THESE BE THE REASONS THE STATE DEPARTMENT HAS COVERED UP THE TRUTH OF OUR RESCUE ALL THESE YEARS AND OPPOSED OUR PETITION TO EXPRESS GRATITUDE FOR SAVING OVER 500 AMERICAN LIVES (A PETITION WHICH IS SUPPORTED BY THE 8 MILLION VETERANS OF THE AMERICAN LEGION, THE VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS AND THE AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION AND WHICH HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE UNITED STATES SENATE. ???. . .COULD IT BE THESE ARE THE REASONS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE HAS ALSO DENIED OUR PETITION BY SAYING TO US THERE ARE "ETHNIC GROUPS IN YUGOSLAVIA" WHO OPPOSE IT???...

ARE WE MAD???...YOU CAN BET YOUR NEXT MONTH'S PAYCHECK THAT WE ARE MAD! WE DID NOT LEAVE OUR FAMILIES, RISK OUR LIVES AND WATCH OUR BUDDIES GET THEIR ARMS, LEGS AND HEADS BLOWN OFF SO THAT "ETHNIC GROUPS IN YUGOSLAVIA" COULD TELL US WHAT WE COULD OR COULD NOT DO IN OUR OWN COUNTRY.

NOW THAT THE SPRING THAW HAS SET IN, TEMPERATURES AND TEMPERS WILL START TO RISE IN THE VOLATILE AREA YOU NOW FIND YOURSELVES. ALL WE ASK IS THAT IN YOUR DEALINGS WITH THE LOCAL PEOPLE YOU BE MADE AWARE OF THE EYE-WITNESS EXPERIENCE OF YOUR FELLOW COMRADES-IN-ARMS. BY SPEAKING OUT NOW WE HAVE NOTHING TO GAIN EXCEPT A BURNING MORAL PASSION TO TELL THE TRUTH, A SWORN DUTY TO PROTECT OUR NATIONAL HONOR AND A PATRIOTIC DESIRE TO EXPRESS HEARTFELT GRATITUDE TO THOSE ON FOREIGN SOIL WHO SAVE AMERICAN LIVES WHILE THEY ARE FIGHTING IN DEFENSE OF OUR GLORIOUS COUNTRY. NOW THAT YOU HAVE BEEN SENT TO FOREIGN SOIL AND ASKED TO RISK YOUR LIVES WE FEEL YOU SHOULD KNOW THE TRUTH AND NOT BE "SUCKERED IN" BY THE RHETORIC OF HIGHLY PAID PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRMS, FOREIGN LOBBYISTS AND SELF-SERVING POLITICIANS WHO KNOW ABSOLUTELY NOTHING OF THE REGION'S HISTORY.

WE MIGHT ALSO ADD THAT HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE SERBIAN PEOPLE, AIR FORCE MAJOR GENERAL DONALD J. SMITH, OUR CHAIRMAN AND ONE OF OUR RESCUED AIRMEN, WOULD NOT HAVE SURVIVED THE WAR AND BEEN ABLE TO DEDICATE 40 YEARS OF HONORABLE SERVICE TO HIS COUNT.

HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE SERBIAN PEOPLE TECHNICAL SGT. CURTIS "BUD" DILES, ANOTHER OF OUR AIRMEN, WOULD NOT BE ALIVE TODAY IN DAYTON, OHIO, ENJOYING RETIREMENT WITH HIS 4 CHILDREN AND 12 GRANDCHILDREN...THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF US WITH STORIES JUST LIKE THOSE.

SOME OF THE GREATEST TESTIMONY TO THE MANY SACRIFICES MADE ON OUR BEHALF IS THE MANY THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN CHILDREN WHO ARE ALIVE TODAY SOLELY BECAUSE THE SERBIAN PEOPLE SAVED OVER 500 OF THEIR GRANDFATHERS DURING WORLD WAR II. SOME OF THEM COULD VERY WELL BE SERVING WITH YOU TODAY IN BOSNIA.

(I WAS ONE OF 3 RESCUED AMERICAN AIRMEN WHO RETURNED LAST YEAR TO THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA TO COMMEMORATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF VICTORY IN EUROPE WITH THE PEOPLE WHO SAVED US AND TO VISIT THE COW PASTURE THAT SERVED AS A LANDING STRIP FROM WHICH WE WERE RESCUED. THE MOST MOVING EXPERIENCE OF OUR SENTIMENTAL TRIP WAS BEING CHEERED BY OVER 50,000 SERBS WHO GATHERED AT A MOUNTAIN TOP TO WELCOME US AND WHO KEPT CHANTING "U.S.A., U.S.A.").

AS AMERICAN MILITARY MEN WE HAVE A PROUD TRADITION OF "DUTY, HONOR AND COUNTRY" TO UPHOLD AND A FIERCE SENSE OF LOYALTY TO THOSE WITH WHOM WE FOUGHT SIDE BY SIDE IN COMBAT. WE NEVER FORGET THEIR KINDNESSES NOR DO WE RETURN THEIR BATTLEFIELD SACRIFICES FOR US BY BOMBING THEIR WOMEN AND CHILDREN OR BY SUPPLYING THEIR ENEMIES WITH THE ARMS TO TURN AGAINST THEM.

THE SERBIAN PEOPLE HELPED US WHEN WE WERE DESPERATE AND IN TROUBLE. NOW THAT THE SITUATION IS REVERSED WE CAN DO NO LESS.

PLEASE KEEP THESE UNTARNISHED TRUTHS IN MIND AS YOU NOW SERVE OUR COUNTRY AND ALL IT STANDS FOR. AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL AS WE PRAY FOR YOUR SAFE RETURN.

RICHARD L. FELMAN
MAJOR USAF (RET)
PRESIDENT

END