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Greetings Veterans and Fellow Patriots:
We have a several events coming up we hope you will all join us at each of them.

First up, we are participating in the Veterans Day Parade on Saturday, November 14th.. We will be using Al’s truck to pull the Pins & Patches trailer. We may also bring bikes; weather permitting, but it is not looking good based on the current forecast. People who want to walk with us in the parade can hand out Wreaths Across America flyers that we will provide. People who want to help, but don’t want to walk in the parade, can meet Nicki in Caldwell Park. She will have the Missing Man Table, Henry Rifle Raffle tickets for sale, Wreaths Across America QR code for wreaths donations. Please donate by November 25, 2026. Nicki will also have POW*MIA Member applications for perspective members.
Parade line up is at 930am and begins at 1st and Carter and goes down 1st street on a first come first serve basis. Look for the Pins & Patches trailer.
Parade starts at 11am.

After the Veterans Day Parade, we will be placing stakes near veterans graves at Mountain View Cemetery to mark where we will place wreaths in December during Wreaths Across America. Meet Nicki at Mountain View Cemetery, Saturday, November 14th at 2pm.

Next up, we will be decorating a tree for Pocatello’s Festival of Trees. We have the tree and decorations, we just need your help decorating the tree and delivering it to the Stephens Performing Arts Center. Tree decorating will take place on Sunday, November 15th at 11am in Nicki’s garage. There will be a tv to check your favorite football team’s score. We hope to be done decorating and have the tree delivered by early afternoon. Reach out to Greg DeWall if you would like more information.

Then we take a breath for a week, and then we’re back at it again. Friday, November 20th at 7pm is our general membership meeting at Liberty Hall. Please read the October General Membership Meeting Minutes, so we will be able to take a vote to accept or amend them.

Sunday, November 22 at 11am will be another fun-filled day of decorating in Nicki’s garage. This time we will be decorating our float for the Night Lights Parade. This year’s theme is Home for the Holidays! The parade begins at 6:30pm on Friday, November 27th. Check-in starts at 4pm on Harrison Ave. All participants must illuminated. Check out their website for more information.

Enter for you chance to win a Henry Golden Boy 22 cal Long Brasslite Lever Action Rifle. Tickets are available from any POW*MIA member.

Our spotlight on the Idaho Vietnam Unaccounted For Service Members that went missing in action in November is on Staff Sgt. William Balt Hunt and Major Jon Keith Bodahl.

Staff Sgt William Balt Hunt
Hometown: Sandpoint, ID
Unaccounted for: 11/4/66
Unit: DET A 302 5 SP FC GP

Staff Sergeant (SSG) William Balt Hunt, who joined the U.S. Army from Idaho, was a member of Detachment A-302, 5th Special Forces Group. On November 4, 1966, he was a passenger aboard a helicopter on a resupply and medical evacuation mission for a U.S.-led Mobile Strike Force company that was under attack by enemy forces in Tay Ninh Province, South Vietnam. When the helicopter reached the company’s location, SSG Hunt departed to make room for the wounded. He then voluntarily participated in the Mobile Strike Force company’s defense. The next day, the company’s defensive position was overrun, and SSG Hunt became severely wounded. Staff Sergeant Hunt, along with one American and two South Vietnamese, were able to evade capture for several hours, until SSG Hunt indicated that he would be unable to continue. The other three men continued on without him, and a helicopter extracted them from a nearby landing zone. They were unable to relocate SSG Hunt, who remains unaccounted for. After the incident, the Army promoted SSG Hunt to the rank of Master Sergeant (MSG). Today, Master Sergeant Hunt is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Major Jon Keith Bodahl
Hometown: Boise, ID
Unaccounted for: 11/12/69 (57 years ago, yesterday)
Unit: 34 TFS KORAT AB

On November 12, 1969, an F-4E Phantom II (tail number 67-0219) with a crew of two took off from Korat Air Base as the lead aircraft in a two-plane strike mission. As the flight proceeded to its target, it was diverted to assist in search and rescue efforts for a downed forward air controller (FAC) aircraft. The on-scene commander directed the Phantoms to destroy enemy helicopters around the FAC aircraft’s crash site. Witnesses reported seeing a large explosion where the lead Phantom was making a gun run against enemy helicopters. Radio contact with the Phantom was lost, and search efforts for the aircraft and its crew were unsuccessful.
Captain John Keith Bodahl, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Idaho, was a member of the 34th Tactical Fighter Squadron. He was the pilot of this Phantom when it went down and was lost with the aircraft. His remains have not been recovered. After the incident, and while carried in the status of missing in action (MIA), the U.S. Air Force promoted Captain Bodahl to the rank of Major (Maj). Today, Major Bodahl is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

DPAA assessed these individuals’ cases to be in the analytical category of Active Pursuit.

We hope to see all of you soon. Keep an eye on the calendar and Facebook for all of our events.

Thank you,
POW*MIA Awareness Rally Association – Pocatello

November General Membership Meeting
Friday, November 20^th 7:00pm
Liberty Hall, 325 W. Benton, Pocatello

Decorating for Night Lights Parade
Sunday, November 22^nd 11:00am
Nicki’s Garage

Night Lights Parade
Friday, November 27^th 6:30pm
Line up at 4:00pm on Harrison Ave.

December Board Meeting
Monday, December 7^th at 6:00pm
Liberty Hall, 325 W. Benton, Pocatello

Wreath Across America
Saturday, December 19th at 10:00am
Brady Chapel, Mountain View Cemetery
Please donate by November 25, 2026.