Idaho Falls to hold first POW/MIA ceremony in more than a decade
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IDAHO FALLS – The American Legion’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Idaho Falls post 2146 is hosting a POW/MIA ceremony on Sept. 18.
It will be held at the veterans memorial along the Idaho Falls Riverwalk greenbelt. Mike Spencer, the chairman of the committee putting it together, tells EastIdahoNews.com the purpose of the ceremony is to honor Americans of any conflict who were prisoners of war, or remain missing or unaccounted for.
The free event is open to everyone. It will begin with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer. Spencer, a Navy veteran, is one of two people who will give some remarks. A rifle team will perform a three-volley salute, followed by a performance of “Taps.”
The ceremony will start at 5:15 p.m. and is expected to last up to 30 minutes.
National POW/MIA Recognition Day was first established by President Jimmy Cater in 1979, according to historical records. Congress designated the third Friday in September for its observance in 1986. It didn’t become an annual tradition until 1995, when Congress discontinued its establishment through legislation and presidents began issuing proclamations.
Spencer says this is the first recognition day ceremony to be held in Idaho Falls in more than a decade. He and the rest of the committee are hoping for a good turnout.
A list Spencer provided to EastIdahoNews.com shows there are four Vietnam veterans from Idaho whose bodies were never returned and are presumed dead. There is also a list of 11 Korean War veterans, bringing the total to 15.
Among the Korean War vets is U.S. Army Sgt. Leonard K. Chinn, of Idaho Falls.
‘We wondered if they’d ever find him’
EastIdahoNews.com reported in 2018 that Chinn’s remains were identified 67 years after his passing. They were among a group of remains belonging to U.S. servicemen that North Korea turned over to the United States in December 1993. North Korean documents among the 33 boxes indicated some of the remains were recovered from the vicinity where POWs from Chinn’s unit were believed to have died.
Sgt. Chinn left Idaho Falls in 1950 to serve overseas. The 34-year-old soldier was assigned to Company D, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. On Dec. 1, 1950, he was captured by enemy forces as his unit fought through a heavily defended Chinese roadblock while retreating from Kunu-ri, North Korea.
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Chinn was marched to the Pukchin-Tarigol Valley Main Camp Cluster with a large group of prisoners and then moved to POW Camp 5 at Pyoktong, where he died of malnutrition on April 30, 1951.
He was buried near the camp, but his remains were never identified – until his son, Rodney Chinn, received a phone call in 2018.
“We finally have closure after all these years,” Chinn’s son, Rodney, told us at the time. “We’ve wondered for years if they’d ever find him. I wasn’t sure. I was hoping they would but didn’t know if they would or not.”
His remains were cremated and buried with his wife’s at a cemetery in Silver Creek, Nebraska, where Rodney lives.
Seven other Korean War veterans were included on Spencer’s list. Chinn is one of eight Army veterans. There are also two Air Force veterans and one Navy veteran.
The names of the other Army veterans are Max Bailey from Jerome County, Charles Crofts and Richard Cushman from Bingham County, and James Goodin from Bonneville County. The other three — David Graham, Wallace Hall, and Jay Gano — were from Boundary County, Canyon County and Latah County, respectively.
The Air Force veterans are Richard Bartley, of Bonner County, and Lloyd Bowman, of Bear Lake County. The lone Navy veteran is Ralph Cross from Soda Springs.
The Vietnam veterans include two U.S. Air Force members and two from the Army. The Air Force veterans are Colonel Gerald William Alley and Chief Master Sergeant Larry Thornton. The names of the Army veterans are Chief Warrant Officer Jesse Donald Phelps and Specialist Four John Lynn Powers. Their hometowns were not listed in military records.
Spencer’s military service
Spencer served in the Nuclear Navy from 1968 to 1974, which included a six month stint in Idaho Falls learning how to operate a nuclear power plant.
After two years as an instructor at the Nuclear Power Training Unit — now part of the Naval Reactors Facility at Idaho National Lab — he was sent elsewhere.
He returned to Idaho Falls after the Navy, retiring from a 30-year career at INL in 2012.
Military service has become somewhat of a tradition in Spencer’s family. His uncle was killed while serving aboard the U.S.S. Nevada during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Spencer says his son is a veteran of the Iraq War. He retired from the Navy in 2015 after 10 years.
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Through the years, Spencer has been actively involved in the Idaho Falls chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America, a national organization that provides support for Vietnam vets.
Every year on Memorial Day, he and his associates work with the Idaho Falls VFW post to host a public reading of the veteran’s names listed on the downtown memorial. He’s now tasked with revitalizing the POW/MIA ceremony and invites the public to attend.
