Study Group Missing Soldier – terms and conditions
Study Group Missing Soldier is a Dutch non-profit organization. Being non-profit means that we depend on donations and that the board and members are volunteers. They are not on a payroll and do not work at hourly rate.
If you think you need help from Study Group Missing Soldier, you can contact us via the contact form on the right side of this page. Study Group Missing Soldier will consider your request as a pure request. Because you do not have to pay for our services, we do not consider you as a ‘client’. Therefore Study Group Missing Soldier cannot be forced to take specific steps and/or actions.
The goal of Study Group Missing Soldier is to locate World War II missing in the broadest sense of the term, so eventually that specific person can be given a proper burial. Study Group Missing Soldier refers to WWII ground loss within the BeNeLux and Germany employed by the army during the time they went missing.
Air crew is not our goal. For aircraft and their personnel other foundations are active. Study Group Missing Soldier has no experience in aircraft recovery.
Nationality of the missing person in question is not applicable. Study Group Missing Soldier does not discriminate Allied or Axis. However, Study Group Missing Soldier is most experience in finding U.S. personnel, and will mainly focus on this nationality.
Study Group Missing Soldier limited their field of activity to the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg. Projects outside this area will individually be assessed for feasibility.
Given that Study Group Missing Soldier does not want her services to be abused, the foundation compiled some Terms of Condition. These conditions are published below. Unfortunately it appeared that certain conditions are necessary. All conditions are in favor of an investigation, and thus in favor of the initiator. If you have questions about these terms and/or our process, please feel free to contact us by using the contact form.
| 1 – Financially | |
| 1.1 | Study Group Missing Soldier is a Non-Profit organization. |
| 1.2 | None of the members of Study Group Missing Soldier are on a payroll. All staff members are volunteers. |
| 1.3 | Study Group Missing Soldier will never ask the initiator, for a financial contribution in any form whatsoever. |
| 1.4 | Study Group Missing Soldier will never ask next-of-kin, relatives, adopters and such, for a contribution in any form whatsoever. |
| 1.5 | All activities done by Study Group Missing Soldier, will be funded by Study Group Missing Soldier itself. |
| 1.6 | Study Group Missing Soldier appreciates donations for her assistance. This is not obliged. If you want to donate, please click here to follow the link. |
| 1.7 | Should the initiator request an external party for help or assistance, then the resulting costs are for the initiator to that external party. It is advisable to ask your contact for any consequences‘, before enabling an external party (ref. article 5.3 and 6.1). |
| 1.8 | Should a third party be hired or requested for assistance by Study Group Missing Soldier itself, then there is no charge. Study Group Missing Soldier only works with specific, by the foundation selected third parties. |
| 2 – Contacts | |
| 2.1 | After an application for assistance, one of the foundation members will be assigned to that project. Study Group Missing Soldier decides which member it is. Should you prefer the support of a specific member of Study Group Missing Soldier, you are free to indicate this. Study Group Missing Soldier will examine the possibilities. |
| 2.2 | During the progress of the investigation you will only have contact with the by Study Group Missing Soldier assigned contact (see Article 2.3), unless otherwise indicated. |
| 2.3 | Members of Study Group Missing Soldier always have an email address ending with @missinginaction.nl or @vermistesoldaat.nl. Should you be approached by someone with a different email address, then this is not a member of Study Group Missing Soldier. You should inform your contact within Study Group Missing Soldier immediately to ask how to handle this or sent an email to abuse@vermistesoldaat.nl. |
| 2.4 | Study Group Missing Soldier only maintains contact with the initiator. Contact with others (family, relatives, etc.) will always go through that initial assistance requesting party, unless Study Group Missing Soldier thinks it is necessary to act otherwise. |
| 3 – Research content | |
| 3.1 | Basically; Study Group Missing Soldier is not required to share or provide the content of an investigation to any party.* |
| 3.2 | Basically; Study Group Missing Soldier is not required to inform any party on the progress of an investigation.* |
| 3.3 | Upon completion of an investigation, Study Group Missing Soldier compiles a research report. This report will be offered/delivered to the initiator (see Article 5.5). |
| 4 – Research data | |
| 4.1 | Study Group Missing Soldier expects, when she provides its services, that the initiator furnishes all the information already collected to the designated contact within Study Group Missing Soldier, even if this information might seem irrelevant. Study Group Missing Soldier is referring to all public data (Individual deceased Personnel Files (IDPF), After Action Reports (AAR) Company Morning Reports (CMR) etc., but not to private information regarding personal contact with families or next of kin of the missing, unless this might be relevant to the progress of an investigation. The initiator can decide itself whether to share the personal information described in the aforementioned sentence. |
| 4.2 | None of the by Study Group Missing Soldier received data (in the broadest sense of the word) will be published (in any way), distributed, shared and/or forwarded without written permission from the initiator. |
| 4.3 | None of the by Study Group Missing Soldier provided data (in the broadest sense of the word) may be published (in any way), distributed, shared, used as teaching materials and/or forwarded without written permission from Study Group Missing Soldier. |
| 5 – Research termination | |
| 5.1 | Study Group Missing Soldier reserves the right to stop an investigation at any time. |
| 5.2 | Study Group Missing Soldier reserves the right to refuse to help, when requested. |
| 5.3 | Should it be that: the initiator, without consult, decides to hire or request help from an external organization with a similar goal, procedures and/or work method as Study Group Missing Soldier, Study Group Missing Soldier will immediately cease her activities, contacts, surveys, investigation, etc. (see Article 1.7 and 6.1). |
| 5.4 | Should it be that: the initiator abuses and/or unauthorized uses the name of Study Group Missing Soldier, Study Group Missing Soldier will immediately cease her activities, contacts, surveys, investigation, etc. |
| 5.5 | Upon completion of an investigation, Study Group Missing Soldier will compile a research report, and offer/deliver to the initiator (see Article 3.3). Study Group Missing Soldier reserves the right write in this report what it thinks is relevant. This report is not legally binding. |
| 6 – Cooperation | |
| 6.1 | Study Group Missing Soldier will basically not cooperate with third parties*, other than the third parties they already work with (see Article 1.7 and 5.3). Proposals for cooperation from the initiator, family or others will be considered, but cooperation is not self-evident |
*Study Group Missing Soldier will examine this per individual project.
** No rights can de derived from research reports. Study Group Missing Soldier reserves the right to include in the research report any information it deems relevant