JUDGE, MARK WARREN
Name: Mark Warren Judge Branch/Rank: United States Marine Corps/PFC, E2 Unit: Date of Birth: 28 Jun 47 Home City of Record: Torrance, CA Date of Loss: 21 Sept 67 Country of Loss: South Vietnam Loss Coordinates: Quang Tri Province Status (in 1973): Hostile Killed, Body Recovered [see below] Category: Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground Missions: Other Personnel in Incident: see below Refno:
Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews and CACCF = Combined Action Combat Casualty File. Information from the National Alliance of Families.
REMARKS: NOT ON ANY OFFICIAL LIST AS A PRISONER OF WAR
"...... IN 1994, THE MARINES CONTACTED MRS. MARY JELLISON, MOTHER OF MARK JUDGE. MRS. JELLISON WAS INFORMED THAT HER SON MARK DIED AS AN UNACKNOWLEDGED PRISONER OF WAR. THE GRAVE SHE TENDED FOR THESE 28 YEAR CONTAINED, ACCORDING TO THE GOVERNMENT THE REMAINS OF ANOTHER MARINE KILLED IN THE CON THIEN BATTLE ON SEPT. 21, 1967, WILLIAM BERRY...."
The investigation continues......
============================ NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF FAMILIES FOR THE RETURN OF AMERICA'S MISSING SERVICEMEN. WORLD WAR II - KOREA - COLD WAR - VIETNAM
APRIL 9, 1996 PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FAMILY EXHUMES GRAVE OF SERVICEMAN THOUGHT KILLED IN VIETNAM, IN EFFORT TO ASSURE PROPER IDENTIFICATION.
DUE TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENTS ONGOING EFFORT TO WITHHOLD INFORMATION VITAL TO PROVING OR DISPROVING THE IDENTIFICATION OF REMAINS HELD AT THE CENTRAL IDENTIFICATION LABORATORY IN HAWAII (CIL-HI,) WE ARE FORCED TO TAKE THIS ACTION.
ON TUESDAY APRIL 9TH, 1996 THE FAMILIES OF MARK JUDGE, WILLIAM BERRY AND KENNETH PLUMADORE GATHERED AT A SMALL CEMETERY IN FORT WAYNE INDIANA TO WITNESS THE EXHUMATION OF A 28 YEAR OLD GRAVE. ACCORDING TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT THE INDIANA GRAVE HOLD THE REMAINS OF WILLIAM BERRY. IT IS SAID KENNETH PLUMADORE IS BURIED IN WILLIAM BERRY'S CALIFORNIA GRAVE. THE REMAINS OF MARK JUDGE, ACCORDING TO THE GOVERNMENT, ARE THE REMAINS HELD AT CIL-HI.
THE HISTORY OF THIS REMAINS MIS-IDENTIFICATION IS LONG AND COMPLICATED. THIS CASE REPRESENTS 28 YEARS OF LIES TO THE PLUMADORE FAMILY. ORIGINALLY, KENNETH PLUMADORE WAS THE ONLY MAN UNACCOUNTED FOR AFTER A BLOODY BATTLE AT CON THIEN, QUANG TRI PROVINCE ON SEPTEMBER 21, 1967. ON THAT DAY, 15 MARINES WERE LEFT ON THE FIELD. THE FAMILIES WERE TOLD ALL 15 WERE DEAD. INTELLIGENCE REPORTS PROVING THE CAPTURE OF ONE MAN THAT DAY WERE WITHHELD FROM THE FAMILIES. SUBSEQUENT SEARCH EFFORT RECOVERED 14 BODIES. THE PLUMADORE FAMILY WAS TOLD THAT KENNY'S BODY HAD BEEN "CONSUMED BY MORTAR AND ARTILLERY FIRE," AND UNRECOVERABLE.
IN 1986, THE VIETNAMESE RETURNED THE REMAINS OF A MARINE, THEY SAID WAS CAPTURED AT CON THIEN, ON SEPT. 21, 1967. BOTH THE VIETNAMESE AND U.S. GOVERNMENT NOW ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AT LEAST ONE MAN WAS CAPTURED THAT DAY. AFTER AN EXAMINATION OF THOSE REMAINS, IT WAS DETERMINED THEY WERE NOT THE REMAINS OF THE ONLY MAN ACKNOWLEDGED AS MISSING FROM THAT BATTLE, KENNETH PLUMADORE. THE PLUMADORE FAMILY PURSUED THIS CASE VIGOROUSLY. IN 1992, PATRICIA PLUMADORE INQUIRED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF A MIS-IDENTIFICATIO N OF REMAINS IN 1967. SHE WAS ASSURED VERBALLY AND IN WRITING THAT THAT POSSIBILITY WAS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED.
THEN IN 1994, THE MARINES CONTACTED MRS. MARY JELLISON, MOTHER OF MARK JUDGE. MRS. JELLISON WAS INFORMED THAT HER SON MARK DIED AS AN UNACKNOWLEDGED PRISONER OF WAR. THE GRAVE SHE TENDED FOR THESE 28 YEAR CONTAINED, ACCORDING TO THE GOVERNMENT THE REMAINS OF ANOTHER MARINE KILLED IN THE CON THIEN BATTLE ON SEPT. 21, 1967, WILLIAM BERRY.
THERE IS NO FORENSIC EVIDENCE TO VERIFY THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE CIL-HI REMAINS AS THOSE OF MARK JUDGE. INDEPENDENT EXAMINATION STATED THAT THE REMAINS COULD BE MONGOLOID FEMALE. ADDITIONALLY, FULL RESULTS OF DNA TESTING HAS BEEN WITHHELD FROM THE JUDGE FAMILY. ON APRIL 19TH, THE ARMED FORCES IDENTIFICATION REVIEW BOARD HEARING (AFIRB) WILL EXAMINE THIS CASE. WE EXPECT THE AFIRB WILL "RUBBER STAMP" THE CILHI IDENTIFICATION OF REMAINS AS THOSE OF MARK JUDGE, IN SPITE OF CONFLICTING EVIDENCE. IN ORDER T O PROTECT OUR ACCESS TO ACCURATE INFORMATION, WE FELT ACTION MUST BE TAKEN.
IN THE PRESENCE OF A BOARD CERTIFIED FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGISTS, AND ODONTOLOGIST, THE GRAVE THOUGHT TO CONTAIN THE REMAINS OF MARK JUDGE WAS EXHUMED. EXPERTS CHOSEN BY THE JUDGE, PLUMADORE AND BERRY FAMILIES WILL EXAMINE THESE REMAINS UNDER STRICT RULES OF EVIDENCE. THIS ACTION IS TAKEN TO ASSURE THAT THE FAMILIES INVOLVED WILL HAVE FULL AND ACCURATE INFORMATION AS TO WHAT IS CONTAINED IN THE INDIANA GRAVE. EXPERTS WILL REPORT THEIR CONCLUSIONS DIRECTLY TO THE FAMILIES. IT IS THE FAMILIES HOPE THAT THE GOVERNMENT WILL ALLOW THEM TO CONDUCT THEIR INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION, WITHOUT INTERFERENCE.
MARY JUDGE JELLISON MOTHER OF MARK JUDGE
PATRICIA PLUMADORE SISTER OF KENNETH PLUMADORE
FRED BERRY BROTHER OF WILLIAM BERRY
===================================== 05/14/96 The Associated Press.
By SHARON COHEN Associated Press Writer
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) -- For three decades, Mary Jellison visited her Marine son's grave -- to mourn and cry, to place American flags and his favorite yellow tea roses next to his black marble headstone.....