MIA/POW advocacy

BARBARA BIRCHIM

The quest for answers to what happened to Chapter 75 member Barbara Birchim's MIA husband, CPT James Birchim, in 1968, led her to research centers & archives, as well as network with veterans & other families who had missing loved ones. She also traveled to Vietnam on 3 occasions prior to the trade embargo being lifted . Additionally, she went to Thailand several times & worked the border searching for information.

Each year Barbara has attended the government briefings & helped push for funding to improve CILHI (Central Identification Lab, HI) & relations with the Vietnamese government. As other tools came to light, she pushed for the use of LIDAR (Light Detection & Ranging) & infrared radar, cadaver dogs, and satellite imagery to help find our missing men. On March 28 of this year (2026) Barbara will be attending an FMU (Family Member Update) in San Diego & push for more answers.

Barbara has written two books, "Is Anybody Listening? A True Story About The POW/MIAs In The Vietnam War" & a sequel -- "Searching For The Truth"-- giving all the information she'd gotten since the first book. The 1st book is nonfiction and tells how the government handles this issue starting with WWII & up to 2005.  Barbara runs Jim's story through it and her journey & challenges as she hunted for answers. This book received the President's Award from the Military Writers Society of America in 2006. The second book is fiction based on fact & includes all the pieces of information she collected from 2006 to 2021.

In 2023, the government finally agreed with Barbara that Jim was left behind in Laos & in 2025 they admitted that there was no proof of death. Barbara's push for the truth continues for both herself & other veterans' family members and friends.