Monday, October 29, 1984

The United States should continue to press Cambodia and Vietnam for the release of American prisoners of the war so that they may all come home, a veteran of the Korean War and World War II said yesterday at a downtown ceremony for Arizona troops killed or missing in Vietnam.

“”The result of our efforts since 1975 have sent the remains of 104 military men back,”” said Robert Clarke, POW/MIA chairman of the Department of Arizona Veterans of Foreign Wars.

More than 600 Vietnam causalities and MIAs from Arizona, about 60 of them University of Arizona graduates, were honored yesterday at 4 p.m. in El Presidio Park at the unveiling of a $15,000 granite memorial. About 125 people attended the ceremony.

“”Today we honor and salute those comrades in the United States armed forces,”” Clarke said.

The memorial was conceived by Francisco V. Saenz, a Vietnam veteran and a coordinator for Department of Arizona Veterans of Foreign Wars.

“”I can’t express those words about the comrades not here today,”” Saenz said. “”We made it (the memorial); we made it come true because we care.””

More than 2,449 prisoners taken in Vietnam have not been returned to the United States since the last count in 1983, Clarke said.

“”Our efforts are to continually press these governments to let our people over there and check on reports of missing prisoners,”” he said.

The memorial was dedicated by the veterans of the Department of Arizona Veterans of Foreign Wars, its Ladies Auxiliary and the citizens of Arizona.