Data Sources - Air Force Manual No. 200-25A, Department of the Air Force, Washington, October 16, 1961 page 1. Sanitized copy. National Archives KOREAN Conflict Casualty File (KCCF) 1950-1954.
MIAs in Incident; DeRosier, Albert Paul; Akin, Rolan M.; Davis, Norman
Glen
03/92 -- Korea, and the men yet to be accounted for -- the "official list" -- is a list of U.S. servicemen known to have been
held as prisoners of war by the red Chinese and North Koreans from the Korean War
but not released or accounted for by the communists, as released on May 27,
1957 at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on the Far East and Pacific by the Department
of Defense.
The lists, the printed minutes of the May 27, 1957 hearing and the
"sense of congress" resolution were subsequently buried in the
archives. The original list had 450 names compiled from American POWS who were
repatriated by the Reds, as well as from photographs released by the Reds, Chinese
radio propaganda broadcasts, and letters written home by captured men. The "revised" list was narrowed down in august of 1961 to 389 men, and
all were arbitrarily declared dead by the military services, the USG still
lists them as "unaccounted for".
Names and ranks only were released at the time, and printed in "The Spotlight" on August 27, 1979, along with the above information and background. Further information has been compiled by the P.O.W. Network from the Hawaii POW/MIA Korean Memorial records, National Archives documentation, and public United States Air Force documentation, and changes made to the original published information. (FEBRUARY 1992)
Albert DeRosier is listed on the "HONOR ROLL OF FORGOTTEN AMERICANS" yet is noted as having died "while missing" by the National Archive.
03/11/2021
- KOREAN WAR
- UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
- Unaccounted For
On September 12, 1951, a B-26B Invader (tail number 41-3944A) carrying three crew members took off from Kunsan Air Base (K-8), Korea, on a night intruder mission against enemy targets along the main supply route between Wonsan and Pukchong, North Korea. While en route, the pilot of this aircraft checked in with air control to report he was inbound to the target area; this was the last radio contact made. When the aircraft failed to return to its home base following the mission, a search was conducted but found no signs of the missing aircraft or its three crew members. Unconfirmed reports indicated that a B-26 had crashed in the general area where this aircraft went missing; the report referred to three crew members aboard this aircraft, with one reported as dead, one with a broken leg who was shot and killed, and a third, believed to be an officer, who was captured. However, this information has not been verified, and the three crew members who were aboard this B-26 remain unaccounted-for.
Captain Albert Paul Derosier entered the U.S. Air Force from Massachusetts and served with the 8th Bombardment Squadron, 3rd Bombardment Group (Light). He was the radar observer aboard this Invader when it was lost, and he went missing with the aircraft. Based upon the unconfirmed reports which came to light after the war, his status was amended to indicate that he had been killed in the incident. No returning POWs mentioned having contact with Capt Derosier, nor was he seen at any known holding point, interrogation center, hospital, or permanent POW camp. He remains unaccounted-for. Today, Captain Derosier is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual's case to be in the analytical category of Deferred.
If you are a family member of this serviceman, DPAA can provide you with additional information and analysis of your case. Please contact your casualty office representative.