Family Separation and Reunion: Families of Prisoners of War and Servicemen Missing in Action.

This book is an outgrowth of two major projects. The first is a research investigation being conducted by the Center for Prisoner of War Studies, and the second is the extension of services to families. The volume encompasses three major periods: the waiting period (early 1960's to February 1973); the repatriation period (February 1973 to April 1973); and the readjustment and reintegration period (April 1973 to the present). Chapters are organized and presented in the context of these periods. Introductory chapters provide a historical perspective of the Prisoner of War (PW) and Missing in Action (MIA) situation in Southeast Asia, as well as a demographic profile of the men and their families. In the second section, the casualty and waiting period, the complexity of family adjustment to father absence is emphasized. The third section is devoted to repatriation and the returned prisoner of war. The fourth section, which covers the readjustment and reintegration period, describes major dilemmas and factors involved in adjustment, such as adjustment of families of returned prisoners of war, and adjustment of relatives of servicemen missing or killed in action. The final section examines underlying assumptions, theories and concepts characterizing the military outreach and follow-up program for returned PW's, their families, and families of MIA servicemen. (Author/JLL)