Former Pueblo Captain Doubts POWs Are in Soviet Territories
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PUEBLO, Colo. — The former commander of the Pueblo, the intelligence-gathering ship captured by North Korea in 1968, said Friday he doubts any American POWs are in the former Soviet Union.
Retired Navy Capt. Lloyd Bucher and 43 of his former shipmates are holding a reunion in the Pueblo’s namesake city this weekend to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the commissioning of the ship.
Asked by reporters whether he thinks any American POWs are alive in the former Soviet Union--as suggested by Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin--Bucher said he doesn’t think there are any U.S. POWs alive anywhere.
“Every time it comes up, (it) reawakens this thing and makes them (missing servicemen’s families) go through this agony all over again,” Bucher said.
The Pueblo was captured Jan. 23, 1968, after being fired on by North Korean vessels. The crew was tortured and endured public humiliation before being released the following December.
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