Show ' MUrolta 4V C rtrM'iiv's mf Ferguion holds children Deborah and M - r Av ' ' v' ' ' - 1 ''- - f! “ will S " "$ have on their lives Airman n£& i ££ t ' s id Wonders what effect dieir father's jfisappearonce ' t' deny having Information on him 'vt ’'inti? ' i a "'-'- v-- : Ss£gh66-?Slvi- 1IM :4SP&-- arm-fc- hn t 1 i iji $ -- 3 The next thing I knew Margaret was sitting on the bed beside me Shortly after Captain Tarbucks had left the office she told me a second' report had come through Sergeant Kresge had rushed home to bring it to me The Russians reported finding only tix bodies! They knew nothing about the other five crew members Like someone in a dream I got up off the bed and walked back into the living room I felt hope swelling agaia Jim had to be among those five! The med-ic- al officer helped me to a chair and reached into his pocket for a small white envelope "You’re doing very well" he said “but in case it gets too bad these will help you sleep a little" I never did use the pills but it was good to know that I had them- and I began to learn to live with telegrams I feared each would contain the fatal words that would finish -- ' my hopes for Jim But they were all painfully similar and impersonal: Thirteen “REFERENCE YOUR HUSBAND days later Russia returned the six which were flown to Frankfurt for the E FERGUSON JR slow job of identification by military doctors It had now been nearly a month since Jim disap- pea red Captain Tarbucks suggested I return to the States I didn’t want to It seemed like deserting Jim I knew I must be there when he came home The captain left it up to me “But supposing Jim does come out alive" he said “He would be flown to the States immediately You’re getting closer to the time when the baby will be bom A few more weeks and the doctors won’t let you go Jim might be sent to the States and you'd-- ” have to stay here” That convinced me Three days later Deborah and 1 with an escort sergeant boarded a chartered plane for the United States It was a rough trip The plane was jammed with returning military wives and children and Debbie was restless At New York bad weather closed in the airport and I became violently airsick Then came another flight to Indiana a missed connection and worst of all the feeling of being farther and farther away from Jim ' Debbie and I moved in with my folks in La Porte vived” Then he would be listed as “presumed dead" and I would be declared a widow ' A2C JAMES' PROCESSING OF UN- KNOWN REMAINS IS STILL NOT COMPLETE” “REFERENCE YOUR HUSBAND NO FUR” THER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE “REFERENCE YOUR HUSBAND NO IN" FORMATION IS YET AVAILABLE “REFERENCE YOUR HUSBAND REMAINS WILL NOW BE MOVED TO UNITED STATES " FOR FURTHER PROCESSING SPE“REFERENCE YOUR HUSBAND CIALISTS ARE STILL PROCESSING THE UNKNOWN REMAINS' For a month I received two or three torturous telegrams a week Then on Nov 3 came welcome news: “REFERENCE OUR PREVIOUS CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING YOUR HUSBAND HAS BEEN COMPLETED v PROCESSING YOUR HUSBAND WAS NOT AMONG THOSE IDENTIFIED A letter followed stating Jim would be “held in missing-persstatus until his exact status was determined or a review' of his case by the Secretary of the Air Force indicated he could not have sur on boy was born on Dec 14 and I named Edward as his father had wished was rapid though complicated He was a baiy Myhim Keith The birth big baby and the doctor did not get there till it was half over Having a baby when you don’t know if your husband is alive or dead is intolerable My dissolved under the anesthetic I screamed and cried for Jim The next day I began to hemorrhage Ten days and four transfusions later I was released from the hospital but I am still under a doctor's care announced a special report to the nation for noon Feb 5 last year Wei gathered at Jim’s folks to hear it over the radio The an- nouncer was'excited The Government had a tape recording of the Russian fighter planes shooting down Jim’s unarmed transport ' Jim’s mother and I just looked at each other We had been sure the plane had been shot down and that the Government had known it all the time We began to wonder if they would ever do anything We couldn’t understand why they had waited until after Anastas Mikoyan’s visit to the United States to release this information With Jim missing presumably behind the Rus- self-contr- ol (Continued) Famllv Wffkl Marrh S 1K0 7 XWwM |