USS Horne 2017 Reunion & Plaque Dedication

NCIS Special Agent Scott Smith speaking at the USS Horne Reunion 6/24/17

Special Agent Andrew L. Traver
Director
Naval Criminal Investigative Service
2713 Mitscher Rd, SW, BLDG 168, Suite 100
Anacostia Annex, Washington DC
20373

Dear Director Traver,

I am writing to compliment the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and particularly Special Agent Scott Smith who spent this past Saturday evening with us to provide a superb presentation. Mr. Smith joined us for our USS HORNE DLG/CG-30 "50th Anniversary" Reunion group dinner and discussed, among other things, the cold case of our missing shipmate, EW3 Jason "Bill" Dies, USN.

EW3 Dies was detached from USS HORNE in June 1991 upon our return to San Diego from Operation Desert Storm. He was PCS ordered to an EW school at Corry Station, Pensacola, FL but upon his failure to report was declared an Unauthorized Absentee and subsequently a deserter. Years later his cousin filed a missing persons report with Pensacola Sheriffs authorities prompting contact with me as Petty Officer Dies' then commanding officer and Joe Westerberg who runs our ship's website, www.USSHorne.net. We had no knowledge of Petty Officer Dies’ whereabouts, but feared the worse. Joe eventually made contact with Special Agent Mark Smeester in Pensacola who enabled the connection with Mr. Smith here in Washington, the location of our reunion.

Special Agent Smith came well prepared and provided a nicely executed overview on the NCIS and the efforts you make in the matters of cold cases, encouraging us to reach out to anyone who may have known Petty Officer Dies, his family, and his friends for any clues that might explain his disappearance and whereabouts, providing his contact information for any leads.

Please extend our compliments and appreciation to Special Agent Smith for his personal interest in the cold case of our missing shipmate and to Special Agent Mark Smeester for introducing us to Mr. Smith. Hopefully their extra efforts to get the word out to our HORNE community on avenues to resolve this difficult case will yield positive results and closure for Petty Officer Dies' family, friends and shipmates.

Very best,
Thomas J. Barnett, Capt USN (Ret.)
Commanding Officer
USS Horne CG-30
1989-1991