VFW WASHINGTON WEEKLY
March 28, 2008

In This Issue:

1. IRS to Hold Super Saturday/ Stimulus Package Outreach
2. WWII MIA Identified
3. Korean War MIA Identified
4. Reserve Component Mobilization

1. IRS to Hold Super Saturday/Stimulus Package Outreach:

The IRS has deemed Saturday, March 29 as "Super Saturday" in an effort to reach out to individuals who are eligible for an economic stimulus payment but do not normally file tax returns - like veterans and some retirees. To be eligible for a rebate under the recently signed Economic Stimulus package you must file a 2007 tax return by April 15. The stimulus package allows disabled veterans - whose primary income consists of VA compensation - to qualify for rebates. IRS offices will be open this Saturday to prepare the 1040A form for people who are filing a return solely to receive their stimulus payment.

This links below provide information on how to file to receive your rebate. http://www1.va.gov/opa/vafeature/stimulus.asp http://www.irs.gov/

2. WWII MIA Identified:

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is 2LT Arthur F. Eastman, U.S. Army Air Forces, of East Orange, NJ. On Aug. 18, 1944, Eastman departed the airdrome at Finschhafen, New Guinea, on a test flight of his F-5E-2 aircraft, but never returned. Subsequent searches failed to locate Eastman or his aircraft. In 2003, Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) found documents in the Australian National Archives about an earlier site visit believed to be associated with an F-5E crash. According to the archives, an Australian official had visited the crash site in 1950 in Morobe province near Koilil Village, but there was no subsequent recovery. In 2004, a team from JPAC investigated the crash site in the mountains of Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. The team found aircraft wreckage and recommended the site be excavated. From February to March 2007, a JPAC team excavated the crash site and recovered human remains, pilot-related items and other personal effects, including Eastman's military identification tag.

3. Korean War MIA Identified:

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is U.S. Army Sgt. Harry J. Laurence of Cleveland, OH. Laurence was a member of L Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, then making up the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), 7th Infantry Division. The team was engaged against the Chinese People's Volunteer Forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea, from Nov. 27 - Dec. 11, 1950. The unit was forced to retreat to the south due to intense enemy fire. Laurence was among many soldiers reported missing in action. In 2001, joint U.S. and Democratic People's Republic of Korea teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), conducted two excavations of a mass grave near the Chosin Reservoir. The site correlates closely with defensive positions held by the 31st RCT at the time of the Chinese attacks. The teams recovered remains believed to be those of 11 U.S. servicemen. Analysis of the remains subsequently led to the identifications of three individuals, including Laurence.

4. Reserve Component Mobilization:

The total number currently on active duty in support of the partial mobilization for the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 76,309; Navy Reserve, 5,495; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 7,614; Marine Corps Reserve, 8,638; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 344. This brings the total number of mobilized Guard and Reserve personnel to 98,400, an increase of 2,443 from last week.