TERRA Search Promise: Building Bridges, Finding Closure – 2024 Year in Review

TERRA Search Promise Yearly Newsletter and Update

Greetings friends, supporters and veterans of TERRA Search Promise.  We enter our fourth year as a team and already armed with years of recovery experience due to our superb core cadre and assembly of adjunct professionals. Our mission scope and strategic vision remain:  increasing the number of recovery missions and bridging awareness to the greater veteran community and their families for generations to come of the Nation’s promise to never forget!  As we plan for 2025, I wanted to highlight our notable engagement events of 2024.

Sincerely,

Philip J Dermer
Founder & President
TERRA Search Promise 

2024 Highlights:

Vietnam Veterans of America POW-MIA Roundtable Meeting

In January, TERRA Search attended the second Vietnam Veterans of America roundtable discussion focused on the present and future programs pertaining to the fullest possible accounting of our missing and unaccounted from war. Multiple veteran and MIA family focused advocate organization. VVA is the veteran service organization leading the way on this issue, like it has on so many other veteran focused issues over the years. It was great to sit with Sons and Daughters in Touch and Mission POW-MIA as well.

Two pictures of the meeting.

DOD sanctioned MIA recovery mission in Southern Germany

From February through the summer, TERRA Search Promise, functioning in its capacity as a sanctioned partner to the DOD’s Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), planned and conducted a Military Aircrew Recovery Mission (MACR) in Southern Germany. TERRA Search’s team, in line with its vision, consisted of veterans, family members and international supporters. The crew was one of the largest field teams deployed to date and this paid off in terms of surface area surveyed and excavated. DPAA has executive authority for final determination and notification, but we are confident that the team’s efforts were determinative.

The newest TERRA Search Promise team getting acquainted. Note, the shirts are still sparkly white.

At TERRA Search Promise we bring light to darkness, one bucket at a time.

The TERRA Search Promise Team assembled on the final day of the recovery mission to honor our fallen brother. Thank you to all of our Team Members for your hard work and dedication.

Post Field Recovery Mission Engagement Sponsored by the VA Veterans Experience Office in Dayton, Ohio

With a bit of mud still on the boots from Germany, TERRA Search attended the Veterans Administration (VA) Annual VetResources Community Network Convening in July in Dayton, Ohio. It took a couple of years and multiple engagements to get on the radar of the VA at the national level. Intermixing with other great veteran focused organizations and VA officials was humbling and insightful. Many thanks are due to the outgoing Office of Veterans Experience Director, John Boerstler (photo center). John is a former Marine so no surprise he supported us becoming a member of the VA VetResources Community Network.  The networking also provided the opportunity to meet several State VA leaders such as Dennis Wimer (photo right), former Indiana State VA director.

PJ, John and Dennis at the Veterans Administration (VA) Annual VetResources Community Network Convening.

TERRA Search Makes its Olympic Debut – Sort Of

While engaging in Ohio, TERRA Search managed to make its name debut at the Olympics in Paris, France, at the volleyball venue. Hats off to Margie Keith, a next generation archaeologist for taking our outreach and awareness to an international sporting level!

Team Rubicon Shout Out 

In late October, Team Rubicon (TR) took the initiative to publish the attached articleregarding our organization. The brewing cooperation with TR stems from the participation by several TR members joining us in the field in Germany this summer. TERRA Search’s founder is also a TR veteran.  TR’s phenomenal story of growth and development is a model for TERRA Search in its own organizational development. TR members already like the mud, so they are natural fit for recovery missions.

National Museum of the Army Unit Tribute and Plaque Unveiling

For Veteran’s Day, TERRA Search Promise was honored to attend a ceremony at the National Museum of the Army, in honor of TERRA Search’s own legal representative Charlie Siner. Charlie and two colleagues were front and center for a museum foundation sponsored unit tribute and plaque unveiling of his former Vietnam unit, Fox Force Recon, 1st/14th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. Fox Force was better known as the “red scarves” which were given to them as a sign of respect by their Vietnamese counterparts (Charlie’s scarf is in the framed picture). Fox Force did a bit of time in Cambodia in 1970 in the invasion that supposedly did not happen at the time.  Already sacred, this day was an especially proud day for Charlie, John Hensley, and Alan Buckelew, former comrades in arms. Rockie Lynn, a veteran, friend of Fox Force and singing artist, performed for the ceremony.

Museum foundation personnel did a great job of setting things in motion with Charlie. After the ceremony there was discussion of something along the same line for TERRA Search in the future. But I have me sights set on something much bigger that I discovered while exploring the museum. The National Museum of the Army does not have an exhibit, display, storyboard or archive of any kind regarding the POW/MIA issue. The iconic flag is flown at the entrance, but that’s it. I was more than surprised at this discovery. Given it was not the time and place to delve further into the issue, I left museum interlocutors with the thought that the term “missing” is an active tense, not past. The offer of a plaque can wait. Getting just recognition for our nations’ POW/MIAs takes precedent, Army or otherwise.

Much more to follow on this, much more. Congrats Charlie! Congrats honored brethren of FOX FORCE!

Congratualtions Charles!

Charles Siner, John Hedley and Alan Buckelew

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Foundation Ceremony 

Following Charlie’s ceremony, TERRA Search Promise attended the Veteran’s Day ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

Battle of Mogadishu Painting Dedication in the Halls of Congress

Honored to be in the audience for the dedication of the painting, “Never Leave a Fallen Comrade Behind”. The painting highlights a key moment in the Battle for Mogadishu on October 3, 1993. The 160th SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment) Night Stalker brethren both played a central role in the battle and several gave their lives. This is the first time a painting such as the one displayed will hang in the House Armed Services Committee/Congress. Incredible effort by USA (Ret) Dan Wagner (former Night Stalker) and the Night Stalker Association to make this happen. The artist is Sam McIntire of Prairie Fire Art Company. There are currently two Night Stalkers in Congress. Representative Mark Dr. Mark Green, Tennessee and a former flight surgeon, is one. He is in the middle on the right. Representative Mike Rogers, Alabama, presided over the short ceremony in the chambers of the Senate Armed Services Committee. TERRA Search Promise is clearly aligned with the picture’s title.

Considerations for Search, Recovery and Identification

A June 2024 Journal of Forensic Sciences article has provided new definitions and process summaries for the associated contexts of disaster, mass graves and war dead investigations. Dr Ian Hanson (Bournemouth University, and TERRA Search Promise Advisor) and James Fenn MA MSc (TERRA Search Promise Operations Manager) were asked to contribute the paper ‘A Review of the Contributions of Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology to the Process of Disaster Victim Identification’ for a JFS special publication on DVI, based on their extensive field experience.

James Fenn and Ian Hanson near Ramadi, Iraq, 2011

Building the Next Generation of Recovery Specialists

A key tenet of TERRA Search Promise’s vision besides energizing community awareness of the POW/MIA issue and conducting recovery missions, is building a bridge to future generations. 2024 was a great start in that direction.

Acknowledgements

A big shout out to Jamie and Nadine Bryant, our behind the scenes power couple, for their support and tireless efforts on all things IT and social media. We couldn’t do this without you. And we appreciate everything you do for TERRA Search Promise.

Throughout the year, interest continued to grow in joining our efforts. Check out a few of the unsolicited and heartfelt messages from our growing cadre of future volunteers:

a. “…James explained to me the work of TERRA Search Promise, and I think the objective is wonderful – building the capacity of veterans to support recovery efforts of those missing. Sustainable capacity development is something quite close to my heart, as is supporting veterans…”

b. “…The reason I want to be a part of TERRA Search Promise’s MIA mission is that I want to help people find closure…”

c. “…My grandfather, a decorated WWII pilot was lucky enough to come home. One of his crew was not, after having to ditch in the Adriatic Sea. Thinking of this situation is what originally began my interest in MIA work…”

“TERRA Search promise’s mission and purpose aligns with how I would like to give back to the service members and their families that have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country”

–  TERRA Search Promise Volunteer

In closing, while we wait patiently for DPAA to announce its partner slate for 2025, our engagement priorities are to continue our outreach to legacy veteran service organizations, major veteran focused organizations (MOAA, USAA), and MIA connected family member groups. Join us in spreading awareness and our vision for the POW/MIA issue. Reach out to your local veteran organizations. Ask to speak about your interest and participation to date.

Stay posted to our social media and website for information. Feel free to reach out to us for additional information or if you are interested in registering in our personnel database.

Thank you all for your continued support.

Philip J Dermer
Founder & President
TERRA Search Promise