To Lane who is no longer the little boy sat with
me at Coalition Breakfasts and to my Brothers
and Sisters - Veterans & POW Activists.
THE PASSING
OF A GREAT AMERICAN PATRIOT
 I
awakened just about sunrise on Monday morning,
May 11, 2009 and as I usually do, I checked the
perimeter. On the northern boundary of the property,
about three hundred yards out, I saw what appeared
to be the image of a man. Wondering who might
be so audacious to be trespassing in the middle
of what is a vast open area, I reached for my
binoculars. On closer examination, what I thought
was a man was actually a hawk perched on my no
trespassing sign. I gazed at the hawk for a few
moments and then suddenly it took flight. It was
only this morning that I realized what might have
been the significance of what I had observed.
The next day, I learned that my old friend, Ted
Sampley, 'Red Hawk' (of Red Hawk Construction)
who had undergone extensive bypass surgery on
Monday had expired suddenly on Tuesday. In restrospect,
I cannot help but wonder, not having seen Ted
as frequently over the last few years (the last
time at dinner in June 2007 with Earl and Patti
Hopper, Billy Hendon, Top Holland, Jerry Kiley,
Joe Millner, Frank Emiro,et al) if the hawk was
a message from Ted.
Sadly, American prisoners
of war have have lost one of their greatest defenders.
Ted has gone to the place where he will be welcomed
by other great POW`activists: Col. Nick Rowe,
Col. Ear Hopper, Senator Jeremiah Denton, Col.
Laird Gutterson... and all the American prisoners
of war who have expired in enemy captivity but
who Ted so ably defended. These giants and heroes
will be in their rightful place in heaven and
one can only hope that their (and our) opponents
and detractors, opponents of truth, justice and
freedom, will go to their rightful place.
I first met Ted on Sunday,
November 4, 1984 in Lafayette Park, in Washington,
DC at a POW Rally. I was in town to attend a meeting
of representatives of veterans organizations from
Long Island (NY) with government representatives
(the usual dog and pony show) at the White House
Executive Office Building. Along with other members
of the RELEASE Foundation, I met with a few activists
at the rally and I noticed a veteran wearing a
green beret who did not seem to be feeling well.
The veteran and I spoke briefly and he asked what
I intended to discuss at the meeting. Unlike the
others who were going to attend the meeting, I
was wearing camouflage fatigues and green and
black face paint. After emerging from the meeting,
he learned that I had upset the other attendees
not only because of my appearance but also from
my comments about our government who was deceiving
us under the facade of 'the highest national priority'.
The veteran in the green beret was Ted Sampley.
Our friendship began on that day over two decades
ago. Thereafter, we shared many experiences in
Washington DC, at the Mall, the White House, the
Capitol the Laotian and Vietnamese Missions and
at the UN fighting for the return of our missing
men. POW-MIA family members, activists, organizations
and the National Vietnam Veterans Coalition proudly
accepted the label given to us by the government
opposition in 1985: ' the Rambo Faction' as our
nom de guerre and Ted though his actions and defiance
was Rambo in every sense of the word.
Over the years, we continued
to apply pressure to our government and communist
adversaries though the number of activists and
energy began to diminish. Ted was instrumental
in revitalizing the effort by helping to initiate
the first Rolling Thunder Rally in DC in 1988
and founding a newspaper devoted to the plight
of our prisoners of war and missing in action:
'The Bamboo Connection' which over the years blossomed
into the U.S Veterans Dispatch which continued
to provide vital information on our POW-MIAs and
on veterans issues. Ted's initiative, energy and
brilliance enabled the POW issue to emerge from
the activist stage to the intellectual via Ted's
early mastery of the computer and the information
highway. For a number of years Ted served as a
senor officer of the National Vietnam Veterans
Coalition and he continued to provide motivation
for later activist and legislative efforts on
behalf of our POW-MIAs. In the midst of all his
efforts on behalf of our POW-MIAs, including traveling
to Thailand to distribute the reward offer across
the Mekong River, Ted managed a profitable business,
and even had a personal life. His energy was boundless.
During one of my several
'interviews' with federal law enforcement officials
(terrorist task force) during the 1980s who considered
the activities of the RELEASE Foundation suspect,
they asked me about Ted. I replied then and I
still feel today: 'that Ted Sampley is one of
the finest Americans with whom I would be most
proud to serve in the save foxhole and die with'.
I was called incorrigible, but Ted was incorrigibility
personified and a true representative of the Spirit
of America.
Ted, my friend you shall
be greatly missed by many. You were truly today's
Brave Heart and your boots will be extremely difficut
to fill.
RED HAWK is on the wing
and an inspiration to us all!
John J Molloy
Chairman
National Vietnam & Gulf War Veterans Coalition
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