Dean's Statement on his brother, Charlie

[deutsey]

MANCHESTER--The following is a transcript of Democratic presidential candidate Governor Howard Dean's comments today on behalf of his family regarding recent developments in the 1974 disappearance of his brother, Charles Dean, in Laos:

"Our family has learned from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) that what they believe to be the remains of our brother, Charlie, and his traveling companion, Neil Sharman, have been located in Laos in the area that I visited in 2002. While positive identification will take some time, the personal effects found at the site make us reasonably confident that we have finally located Charlie's remains.

"This has been a long and emotional journey for my mother, Jim, Bill and me. We greet this news with mixed emotions but are gratified that we may now be approaching closure to this painful episode in our lives. We ask that you respect our privacy as we arrange for the transfer, identification and ultimate burial of what we believe are Charlie Dean's remains.

"I want to particularly thank the United States military. The men and women I visited with and stayed with at base camp last year in Laos are extraordinary human beings. This whole operation is an extraordinary credit to the government and the U.S. military. My family and I are deeply appreciative.

"This is an extraordinary thing they've done: I've been on the site of five POW/MIA where they believe people are buried. It's very, very difficult. It's very rare to recover the type of remains that we recovered, which are very significant and are very likely to be positively identified.

"At every turn have been accommodating and respectful of our family's needs, and we're grateful for their service to our family and to every other family who has experienced a similar loss.

"This is painful not just for us, but for the families of every POW/MIA in America. Based on my spending time in Southeast Asia last year I can tell you and all those families that similar efforts are being made for every family and every missing American from these Southeast Asian wars. This is an extraordinary step our government has gone to .

"We will likely travel to Hawaii for a repatriation ceremony on the 26th. When we have more information from the Pentagon, we will share that which is not private or personal."

www.deanforamerica.com

[Melinda]

1. Sympathy... empathy...

and many, many tears. :cry:

[KaraokeKarlton]

2. Finally some closure for the Dean family...

Howard Dean carried around a folder on his brother's case the entire time he served in Vermont politics. This has been a personal journey for him, and he's worked so hard for his brother to bring him home. I'm so glad it's finally paid off for him.

[phillybri]

3. My best to the Dean family...

:dem:

[criticalmass]

4. A bio on Charlie

Charles Dean

It's good to hear they were finally able to bring him home.

[Hep]

5. Incredible

Charlie Dean went to my alma mater. A lot of folks involved with the campaign here were close friends with Charlie. I know this news has brought it all back up to the forefront for them. I hope it all works out.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

6. mad props to ALL POW/MIA

id like to give my shoutouts to all those who've fought and died, or were lost. May your souls find the halls of your forefathers.

[Myra]

7. Is this news for real or bogus?

Other threads here in DU say it was not
his brother.

Did Gov Dean's brother die????

[SahaleArm]

8. POW/MIA - Laos 1974.

Click the link above.

[Hep]

9. No, he decided to stay in Laos

since things were going so wonderfully there in 1973.

WTF is up with you?

[slinkerwink]

10. of course he did....hence the POW/MIA status.....

:eyes: :nuke: god.....some people....:wtf:

[KaraokeKarlton]

11. Yes his brother died, he was executed

Dean understands how the family members of those kids sent to other countries at war time feel when their children don't come home. He's lived it almost all of his adult life. Dean still wears Charlie's old clunky oversized belt buckle. They were very close.

[KaraokeKarlton]

12. Myra...the article on LBN just listed the wrong father

Charlie Dean was Howard Dean's younger brother, but "John Dean" wasn't their father. The journalist who wrote the article apparently didn't do enough research. Their father's name was Howard Brush Dean II. Hope this clears up any confusion you may have had.