But we would like to get that number higher if we can find ways to do it,” said Dr. John Byrd, the chief scientist from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting ...
DNA – “DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a double stranded molecule of helical structure containing the genetic code that makes you who you are. You inherit your DNA from your parents and it determines certain characteristics such as hair color, eye color and other physical attributes.”
It is my understanding that DoD/DPAA could use our help in obtaining DNA samples of MIA/Unaccounted For specifically from WW II.
Of the 72,000 plus military personnel MIA or Unaccounted For from WW II, less than 30% have Family DNA reference samples on file.
With official authorization to disinter “Unknowns” from US military cemeteries around the world the production level of the Central Identification Laboratories would improve greatly IF the DNA samples were on file and available for use.
There are approximately 55,000 families that need to supply DNA samples.
The donation process is relatively simple;
The process of donating a DNA reference sample is easy, painless and free-of-charge. If you are the relative of a missing service member, you should contact your Service Casualty Office (SCO) for information on how to provide a DNA sample. The SCO will mail to your home, a DNA donor kit that contains a donor consent form, instruction form, three buccal (cheek) swabs and a shipping envelope. All you have to do is fill out the paperwork, rub the inside of your cheek with the swabs, place the swabs back in their containers and affix the label. The collected samples are then placed in a pre-addressed and pre-paid envelope and mailed to AFMES-AFDIL at Dover AFB, Delaware. That’s it! It’s a completely painless process.
He is one of 203 soldiers identified through advanced DNA technology and other processes by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. It's the ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (USA) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 18 December, 2018 17:47
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Airman Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today Army Air Forces
2nd Lt. James R. Lord, 20, of Conneaut, Ohio, killed during World War II,
was accounted for on Sept. 25, 2018.
On Aug. 10, 1944, Lord, a member of the 66th Fighter Squadron, 57th Fighter
Group, 12th Tactical Air Command, 12th Air Force, was piloting a P-47D
aircraft, targeting gun positions in the Savona area of northwest Italy,
near the French border. During the mission, Lord misjudged his altitude and
crashed into the water, a mile off the coast of Anghione, Corsica. No
witnesses reported seeing any parachute sightings.
In the 1980s, local Corsican divers found and documented a large number of
Royal Air Force, French, German and U.S. aircraft off the island. Mr.
Franck Allegrini-Semollini, a local diver and amateur archeologist began
diving the sites in 1985. In August 2012, Allegrini-Semollini dived on two
P-47 wrecks, and informed the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC-a
predecessor to DPAA) of his historical research and findings.
After a 2014 follow-up investigation by JPAC, in June and July 2018, a DPAA
Underwater Recovery Team onboard French Navy Vessel BBPD PLUTON, returned to
the site and conducted recovery operations in the area where Lord’s aircraft
was believed to have been. The team consisted of personnel from DPAA, U.S.
Naval Forces Europe, and the French Navy’s dive and EOD unit Groupement de
Plongeurs Démineurs. The team excavated 150 square feet of seafloor
sediment, recovering possible osseous remains, material evidence, unexploded
ordnance, aircraft wreckage and personal effects.
To identify Lord’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to Mr. Franck Allegrini-Semollini and Mr. Marc-Francois
Casanova of AMIS 57th Bomb Wing Group, Mr. Philippe Castellano, Mr. Stephan
le Gallais, the French Ministry of Culture (DRASSM), the French Navy, the
Sainte Anne Army Instructional Hospital of Toulon, the U.S. Army Mortuary
Affairs Activity Europe/Africa, and the U.S. Consulate General Marseille for
their partnerships in this recovery.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,766 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Lord’s name is recorded on the Tablets
of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery, an American Battle
Monuments Commission site in Impruneta, Italy, along with the others missing
from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
For family information, contact the Army Service Casualty office at (800)
It's all right there in Rolling Thunder's mission statement: “The major function of Rolling Thunder®, Inc. is to publicize the POW-MIA issue: To educate ...
Georgia-born Alexander R. Nininger Jr., who trained at Fort Benning before shipping off to fight the Japanese on Bataan in late 1941, received World ...
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency on Friday announced confirmation of the remains of 21-year-old Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Hulen A.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (USA) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 14 December, 2018 12:10
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Texas Airman Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Air
Forces 2nd Lt. Hulen A. Leinweber, 21, of Houston, killed during World War
II, was accounted for on June 20, 2018.
On June 10, 1945,Leinweber, a member of 40th Fighter Squadron, 35th Fighter
Group, was piloting a P-51 aircraft, on a strafing mission targeting a large
convoy north of Payawan in Infugao Province, Republic of the Philippines.
The aircraft reportedly was struck by anti-aircraft fire, causing the right
wing to break off. Leinweber's aircraft crashed just south of Ilap village.
The American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) searched the area south of
Ilap village between August 26-28, 1947, locating wreckage but recovering no
remains. In October 1947, Leinweber's remains were declared
non-recoverable.
Between March and July 2017, a Joint University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)
and National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) Recovery Team (RT1) excavated a
site believed to be associated with Leinweber's crash. The recovery team
found material evidence and possible osseous remains. The remains were sent
to the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Leinweber's remains, scientists from DPAA used laboratory
analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis, as
well as material and circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the University of Illinois at Chicago and the National
Museum of the Philippines, as well as the Philippine government for their
partnerships in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,771 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Leinweber's name is recorded on the Walls
of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments
Commission site, in Taguig City, Philippines, along with others missing from
WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
For funeral details and family contact information, contact the Army
Casualty office at (800) 892-2490.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (USA) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 14 December, 2018 11:23
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Louisiana Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy
Seaman 2nd Class Charles C. Gomez, Jr., 19, of Slidell, Louisiana, killed
during World War II, was accounted for on Sept. 19, 2018.
On Dec. 7, 1941,Gomez was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Gomez.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crewmen, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Gomez.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl
for analysis.
To identify Gomez' remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,771 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Gomez' name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along
with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to
his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For funeral details and family contact information, contact the Navy
Casualty Office at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (USA) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 14 December, 2018 11:07
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Nebraska Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy
Storekeeper 2nd Class Gerald L. Clayton, 21, Central City, Nebraska, killed
during World War II, was accounted for on Sept. 10, 2018.
On Dec. 7, 1941,Clayton was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Clayton.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crewmen, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Clayton.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl
for analysis.
To identify Clayton's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,771 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Clayton's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For funeral details and family contact information, contact the Navy
Casualty Office at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (USA) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 13 December, 2018 14:13
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Indiana Soldier Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Pfc.
Marvin E. Dickson, 19, of Indianapolis, killed during World War II, was
accounted for on Sept. 27, 2018.
In November, 1944, Dickson was a member of Headquarters Company, 1st
Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division. He was tasked
with facilitating communication among various battle elements by laying
telephone wire between headquarters and outposts in the Hürtgen Forest in
Germany. Dickson was reportedly killed in the early morning hours of Nov.
13, 1944, when he and other Soldiers moved to the front lines to reestablish
broken telephone communications. According to witnesses, one man was killed
and three were wounded. However, surviving members could not confirm
Dickson’s death, nor provide the exact location to where he was killed. He
was subsequently listed as missing in action. In Nov. 14, 1945, his status
was amended to killed in action.
After the war, the American Graves Registration Command extensively searched
the Hürtgen Forest, to locate Dickson’s remains. Unable to make a
correlation with any remains found in the area, he was declared
non-recoverable.
In April 1947, a set of remains was recovered from District #21 of the
Raffelsbrand sector of the Hürtgen Forest. The remains were sent to the
central processing point at Neuville, Belgium. They were unable to be
identified, were designated X-5406, and buried at Neuville American
Cemetery.
Based upon the original recovery location of X-5406, a DPAA historian
determined that there was a possible association between the remains and
Dickson. In April 2017, the Department of Defense and American Battle
Monuments Commission disinterred X-5406 and accessioned the remains to the
DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Dickson’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis, dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful the American Battle Monuments Commission for their
partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,771 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Dickson’s name is recorded on the
Tablets of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery, an American
Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, along with the
others missing from WWII. Although interred as an Unknown, Dickson’s grave
was meticulously cared for by ABMC for 70 years. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For funeral details and family contact information, contact the Army
Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
... and Rear Adm. Jon Kreitz, deputy director of the POW/MIA Accounting Agency, attend at a ceremony marking the arrival of the remains believed to ...
The major function of Rolling Thunder®, Inc. is to publicize the POW-MIA issue: "To educate the public that many American Prisoners of War were left ...
The event, the 147th of its kind, was jointly organised by the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Personnel (VNOSMP) and the Defence POW/MIA ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 11 December, 2018 08:47
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Massachusetts Pilot Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Air
Forces 1st Lt. Allen R. Turner, 25, of Brookline, Massachusetts, killed
during World War II, was accounted for on Sept. 24, 2018.
On July 17, 1945, Turner, a member of the 1330 Army Air Force Base Unit, Air
Transport Command, was the pilot of a C-109 aircraft, en route from Jorhat,
India, to Hsinching, China, over "The Hump," when the aircraft crashed in a
remote area. All four passengers were declared deceased after an extensive
search effort failed to identify the crash site.
In late 2007, an independent investigator, Clayton Kuhles, discovered
aircraft wreckage in a deep ravine at a high altitude that correlated with
Turner's aircraft. Possible osseous remains were recovered and turned over
to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (a predecessor to DPAA).
In February 2009, a contracted group traveled to the reported crash site and
confirmed the location of the aircraft wreckage. Also in 2009, a local
resident in India turned over additional bone fragments he had taken from
the crash site.
One set of remains was identified on Feb. 9, 2016 as the co-pilot, 1st Lt.
Frederick W. Langhorst, 24, of Yonkers, New York. Langhorst was buried Nov.
26, 2016, in Battle Creek, Michigan. Another set of remains was identified
Sept. 24, 2018 as Army Air Forces Pfc. Joseph I. Natvik, 21, of Madison,
Wisconsin. Natvik was buried Nov. 25, 2018 in Columbus, Wisconsin.
To identify Turner's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, as well as
circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the government of India and Clayton Kuhles for their
partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,771 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Turner's name is recorded on the Walls of
the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments
Commission site in Taguig City, Philippines, along with others missing from
WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
For funeral details and family contact information, contact the Army
Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 11 December, 2018 09:21
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Michigan Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy
Machinist's Mate 1st Class Fred M. Jones, 31, of Otter Lake, Michigan,
killed during World War II, was accounted for on Dec. 5, 2016.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Jones was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Jones.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Jones.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the NMCP for
analysis.
To identify Jones' remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which
matched a niece and a grand niece, as well as circumstantial evidence and
laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological
analysis, which matched Jones' records.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,771 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Jones' name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along
with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to
his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For funeral details and family contact information, contact the Navy
Casualty Office at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 11 December, 2018 07:48
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: New York Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy
Fireman 3rd Class Kenneth L. Jayne, 26, of Patchogue, New York, killed
during World War II, was accounted for on March 22, 2016.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Jayne was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Jayne.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Jayne.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the NMCP for
analysis.
To identify Jayne's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental
analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,771 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Jayne's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along
with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to
his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For funeral details and family contact information, contact the Navy
Casualty Office at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
Byrd's lab is part of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), the Pentagon agency that oversees the recovery and identification of missing ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 10 December, 2018 13:07
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Illinois Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy
Signalman 3rd Class Charles E. Nix, 26, of Danville, Illinois, killed during
World War II, was accounted for on Sept. 25, 2017.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Nix was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored at
Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly
capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen,
including Nix.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Nix.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the NMCP for
analysis.
To identify Nix's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical
Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,771 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Nix's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along
with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to
his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For funeral details and family contact information, contact the Navy
Casualty Office at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 10 December, 2018 12:57
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Kansas Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy
Seaman 1st Class Camillus M. O'Grady, 19, of Greenleaf, Kansas, killed
during World War II, was accounted for on Dec. 5, 2016.
On Dec. 7, 1941, O'Grady was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored
at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese
aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it
to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429
crewmen, including O'Grady. No single vessel at Pearl Harbor, with the
exception of the USS Arizona, suffered as many fatalities.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including O'Grady.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the NMCP for
analysis.
To identify O'Grady's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental
analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,771 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
O'Grady's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For funeral details and family contact information, contact the Navy
Casualty Office at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 10 December, 2018 11:34
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Michigan Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy
Ensign William M. Finnegan, 44, of Bessemer, Michigan, killed during World
War II, was accounted for on April 18, 2016.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Finnegan was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Finnegan.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Finnegan.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the NMCP for
analysis.
To identify Finnegan's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental analysis,
as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,771 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Finnegan's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For funeral details and family contact information, contact the Navy
Casualty Office at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 10 December, 2018 10:54
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Illinois Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy
Seaman 1st Class Harold W. Roesch, 25, of Rockford, Illinois, killed during
World War II, was accounted for on Dec. 6, 2016.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Roesch was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Roesch.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Roesch.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the NMCP for
analysis.
To identify Roesch's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,771 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Roesch's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For funeral details and family contact information, contact the Navy
Casualty Office at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
10,000 Wreaths Are On Their Way to Andersonville National Cemetery
Amazing new record set for annual Wreaths Across America event to be held on Saturday, December 15, 2018
ANDERSONVILLE, Georgia – On Friday, December 14th, a convoy of trucks, police, fire, Patriot Guards, and a Huey helicopter will leave McDonough, Georgia on a mission to bring 10,000 wreaths to Andersonville National Historic Site. The wreaths will be placed on the graves of fallen veterans buried in Andersonville National Cemetery at noon on Saturday, December 15th.
The cargo of 10,000 wreaths shatters the previous record of 3,654 brought last year and means that almost half of the national cemetery will be graced with wreaths this year. “It will be an incredible sight,” said Andersonville National Historic Site Superintendent Charles Sellars.
The procession will leave McDonough on Friday morning at 9:45 am and travel south on Highway 19. They will traverse the portion of Highway 19 named for SFC Victor A. Anderson, who was killed in action in Iraq and who is buried in Andersonville National Cemetery. One of the wreaths they will carry is destined for SFC Anderson’s grave.
The procession will arrive in Americus at approximately 11:30 am. We invite veterans and all supporters of our military to come out and welcome them as they drive on East Lamar Street through Americus. The caravan will then turn north onto Highway 49 and continue to Andersonville National Historic Site, where the wreaths will be unloaded and staged for placement the next day.
The incredible number of wreaths sponsored this year is thanks to the efforts of Bennett International, the Taylor Foundation, the Civil Air Patrol, and Wreaths Across America. Bennett International transported wreaths to Andersonville National Cemetery last year. When they learned of the park’s goal to place a wreath on each of the over 20,000 graves in the cemetery, they pledged to help increase the number of wreaths brought in 2018. The Taylor Foundation joined the effort as well, and it has been extraordinarily successful, almost tripling the number of wreaths sponsored.
“It is both humbling and exciting to see such support,” said Superintendent Sellars. “We are grateful to Bennett International, the Taylor Foundation, the Civil Air Patrol, and Wreaths Across America for their help in honoring those laid to rest in Andersonville National Cemetery.”
A record number of wreaths will require a record number of volunteers! The park is asking everyone to come out on Saturday, December 15th to help place wreaths, some of which are marked for specific graves. Volunteers can arrive at Andersonville National Cemetery to register starting at 11:00 am.
At 12:00 pm the Civil Air Patrol will conduct a brief ceremony to honor America's armed forces. Afterward, everyone will be invited to help place wreaths on gravesites as a special way to remember our fallen military who are no longer here for the holidays. Attendees may also bring a wreath to place on a specific grave or on one of thousands of unvisited graves.
Wreaths Across America is a national program that encourages individuals, community groups, and families to sponsor wreaths for placement in national cemeteries throughout the United States. At Andersonville National Historic Site, we want to make sure that each of the more than 20,000 gravesites in the cemetery is decorated with a wreath at least once. To accomplish this, undesignated wreaths are placed sequentially and rotated from one cemetery section to the next each year. For 2018, undesignated wreaths will be placed in Sections F, K, Q, J, I, and the Memorial Section.
Andersonville National Cemetery includes over 20,000 graves and will continue to grow as additional veterans are buried. We want every veteran buried in the cemetery to be honored and remembered for their service and sacrifice. With the partnership of Bennett International, the Taylor Foundation, the Civil Air Patrol, and Wreaths Across America, the park has set a new goal of 20,000 wreaths by 2020!
We hope you will join us on Saturday, December 15th and help us pay tribute to those who sacrificed so much for this country by placing a wreath on a veteran’s grave.
Beginning December 1, 2017, wreaths no larger than 20 inches and floral blankets no larger than 2 feet by 3 feet are permitted in the cemetery. Wreaths should be brought in person, or delivered by a florist, directly to the gravesite. To find the location of a specific grave, please visit http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov or stop at the National Prisoner of War Museum for assistance.
Andersonville National Historic Site is located 10 miles south of Oglethorpe, GA and 10 miles northeast of Americus, GA on Georgia Highway 49. The national park features the National Prisoner of War Museum, Andersonville National Cemetery and the site of the historic Civil War prison, Camp Sumter. Andersonville National Historic Site is the only national park within the National Park System to serve as a memorial to all American prisoners of war. Park grounds are open from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. The National Prisoner of War Museum is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., daily. Admission is free. For more information on the park, call 229 924-0343, or visit at www.nps.gov/ande/. Visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AndersonvilleNPS or on Twitter www.twitter.com/andeNHS.
Now, anthropologists are working to identify the rest of the remains at the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency at Offutt Airforce Base ...
WASHINGTON, DC. (KARD, KTVE) - - According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), the remains of Army Pfc. John Allen Taylor ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 3 December, 2018 11:22
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Louisiana Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from the Korean War, are those
of Army Pfc. John A. Taylor, 22, of Winnsboro, Louisiana. Taylor was
accounted for on May 9, 2018.
In August 1950, Taylor was a member of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 24th
Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division in South Korea. On Aug. 11, his
regiment encountered a Korean People's Army unit near the village of Haman.
Taylor's company was ordered to move southwest, where they were ambushed and
forced to disperse. In the days following, the battalions of 24th Infantry
Regiment consolidated their positions, reorganized and began accounting for
their Soldiers. After several days of checking adjoining units, aid
stations and field hospitals, Taylor was reported as killed in action on
Aug. 12, 1950, but his remains were not recovered.
On Jan. 6, 1951, an Army Graves Registration Service search and recovery
team recovered a set of unidentified remains near the village of Haman. The
remains, which could not be identified, were interred in United States
Military Cemetery Masan in South Korea, as Unknown X-213 Masan.
In February 1954, the Central Identification Unit in Kokura, Japan, examined
Unknown X-213 Masan. Unable to make an identification, the remains were
declared unidentifiable in April 1955 and buried as an Unknown in the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu.
In 2016, research into unresolved losses and unknowns remains from the
Korean War led researchers to conclude that Unknown X-213 could likely be
identified. The unknown had been recovered in the area where Taylor went
missing. DPAA disinterred Unknown X-213 in June 2017 and sent the remains
to the laboratory for analysis.
To identify Taylor's remains, scientists from DPAA used as dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Today, 7,675 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North
Korea by American recovery teams. Taylor's name is recorded on the Courts
of the Missing at the NMCP in Honolulu along with the others who are missing
from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate
he has been accounted for.
For funeral details and family contact information, contact the Army
Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Taylor on file.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 3 December, 2018 12:01
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are those of
Navy Fireman 1st Class Leonard R. Geller, 21, of Garber, Oklahoma. Geller
was accounted for on Jan. 9, 2018.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Geller was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Geller.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Geller.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the NMCP for
analysis.
To identify Geller remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA, Y-chromosome (Y-STR)
DNA and autosomal (auSTR) DNA analysis, which matched his family, as well as
circumstantial evidence and anthropological analysis, which matched his
records.
DPAA is appreciative to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their
partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,776 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Geller's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For funeral details and family contact information, contact the Navy
Casualty Office at (800) 443-9298.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Geller on file.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 3 December, 2018 10:49
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Texas Pilot Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are those of
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Ottaway B. Cornwell, 22, of Houston. Cornwell was
accounted for on July 25, 2018.
On January 27, 1944, Cornwell was a member of the 4th Fighter Squadron, 52nd
Fighter Group, Twelfth (XII) Air Force, piloting a Supermarine Spitfire
aircraft, which was shot down over Pierrefeu-du-Var, France. Cornwell was
engaged in battle with a German Messerschmitt 109 (Me-109). Another pilot
also engaged in battle witnessed two unidentified aircraft crash into the
side of a mountain several miles northeast of Grande Bastide. Cornwell
could not be reached through radio contact. Because southern France was
occupied by enemy forces, an immediate search could not be conducted. After
Allied forces liberated the area, they were unable to locate Cornwell's
remains.
In October 2016, French researcher Mr. Steve Leleu contacted DPAA about a
possible aircraft crash site near his home in the village of
Pierrefeu-du-Var, France. In a February 3, 1944 document provided by Leleu,
the Prefecture of Var reported that two American airplanes were shot down
near the aerodrome at Cuers, France. A French report from Jan. 3, 1944,
also from the Prefecture of Var, discussed the burials of two American
aviators.
Leleu reported recovery of a large amount of evidence, including aircraft
parts, personnel equipment and possible remains.
In June 2017, DPAA's Europe-Mediterranean Regional Directorate Investigation
Team conducted a field investigation, confirmed the evidence from Leleu, and
took possession of the remains.
To identify Cornwell's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome (Y-STR)
DNA analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial
and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the French government and Mr. Steve Leleu for their
assistance in this recovery.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,772 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Cornwell's name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence
American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in
Impruneta, Italy, along with the others missing from WWII. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For funeral details and family contact information, contact the Army
Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Cornwell on file.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 3 December, 2018 09:57
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Iowa Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted for from World War II, are those of
Navy Reserve Musician 1st Class Henri C. Mason, 48, of Corwith, Iowa. Mason
was accounted for on March 26, 2018.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Mason was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Mason.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Mason.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl
for analysis.
To identify Mason's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis,
anthropological and dental analysis, as well as circumstantial and material
evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this recovery.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,772 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Mason's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along
with the others missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name
to indicate he has been accounted for.
For funeral and family contact information, contact the Navy Casualty Office
at (800) 443-9298.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Mason on file.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), Zehetner was one of about 1,000 Marines and sailors killed and more than 2,000 ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 November, 2018 12:12
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Georgia Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted for from World War II are those of
Navy Shopfitter 3rd Class John M. Donald, 28, of Ball Ground, Georgia.
Donald was accounted for on April 11, 2018.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Donald was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Donald.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Donald.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl
for identification.
To identify Donald's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis,
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,776 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Donald's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For funeral and family contact information, contact the Navy Casualty Office
at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 November, 2018 12:46
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: California Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted for from World War II, are those of
Navy Radioman 3rd Class Jack R. Goldwater, 19, of San Francisco. Goldwater
was accounted for on March 19, 2018.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Goldwater was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma,
which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Goldwater.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Goldwater.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl
for analysis.
To identify Goldwater's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis,
anthropological and dental analysis, as well as circumstantial and material
evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this recovery.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,776 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Goldwater's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For funeral and family contact information, contact the Navy Casualty Office
at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 November, 2018 10:17
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Minnesota Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from the Korean War, are those
of Army Master Sgt. Carl H. Lindquist, 32, of Willmar, Minnesota. Lindquist
was accounted for on June 4, 2018.
In late November 1950, Lindquist was a member of Headquarters Company, 3rd
Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. The unit,
designated the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), engaged with forces of the
Chinese People's Volunteer Forces (CPVF) in a battle on the east side of the
Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Lindquist was reported missing in action
during the battle, on Nov. 29, 1950.
In 1954, United Nations and communist forces exchanged the remains of war
dead in what came to be called "Operation Glory." All remains recovered in
Operation Glory were turned over to the Army's Central Identification Unit
for analysis. None of the recovered remains could be associated with
Lindquist and he was declared non-recoverable.
One set of remains returned during Operation Glory were reportedly recovered
from an isolated grave on the east side of the Chosin Reservoir. The
remains, designated X-15902, were determined to be unidentifiable and were
interred as an Unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
(NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In July 2013, following thorough historical analysis and research, DPAA
disinterred Unknown X-15092 from the Punchbowl and sent the remains to the
lab for identification.
To identify Lindquist's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental,
anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, as well as
circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Today, 7,675 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North
Korea by American recovery teams. Lindquist's name is recorded on the
Courts of the Missing at the NMCP, along with others who are missing from
the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been accounted for.
For funeral and family contact information, contact the Army Casualty Office
at (800) 892-2498.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 29 November, 2018 13:51
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: New York Tuskegee Airman Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are those of
Army Air Forces Capt. Lawrence E. Dickson, 24, of New York, New York.
Dickson was accounted for on July 26, 2018.
In December 1944, Dickson was a pilot with the 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd
Fighter Group, in the European Theater. On Dec.23, 1944, Dickson departed
Ramitelli Air Base, Italy on an aerial reconnaissance mission toward Praha,
Czechoslovakia. On his return, Dickson's P-51D aircraft suffered engine
failure and was seen to crash along the borders of Italy and Austria,
reportedly between Malborghetto and Tarviso, Italy. According to witnesses,
Dickson's plane had rolled over with the canopy jettisoned. He was not
observed ejecting from the plane. Dickson's remains were not recovered and
he was subsequently declared missing in action.
After combat operations in the area ceased, the American Graves Registration
Command (AGRC) and American Graves Registration Service- Mediterranean Zone
U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps searched for and disinterred remains of U.S.
servicemen in Europe, as part of the global effort to identify and return
fallen servicemen.
On April 6, 1946, a search team investigated Dickson's case, and spoke to
municipal officials, locals and priests in a number of towns along the
Italy-Austria border. While the team received information on several
crashes, none correlated to Dickson's loss.
On May 12, 1948, an investigation, conducted by the Austrian Detachment,
First Field Command, American Graves Registration Command spoke with the
Burgermeister, a local magistrate, of Arnoldstein, Austria, as well as with
current and former police chiefs of Maglern, Austria. One witness stated
the plane exploded when it crashed. The wreckage and remains found were
allegedly taken to Klagenfurt, Austria, by German military.
With no further leads on Dickson's case, a Board of Officers declared him
non-recoverable on Sept. 29, 1949.
In January 2012 researchers with the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (a
predecessor to DPAA) contacted Mr. Roland Domanig, an Austrian researcher
who had recently reported the discovery of a separate crash site in northern
Italy.
In April 2012, historians and analysts from DPMO and Joint Personnel
Accounting Command (JPAC, also a predecessor to DPAA) met with Mr. Domanig
and additional witnesses who had seen the crash and been to the crash site.
The team subsequently visited the crash site, finding wreckage matching
Dickson's aircraft type in Austria.
From July 11 through Aug. 8, 2017, partnered with DPAA, the University of
New Orleans and University of Innsbruck conducted an excavation of the crash
site. Recovered remains were sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air
Force Base, Nebraska.
To identify Dickson's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA), Y-chromosome (Y-STR) and
autosomal (auSTR) DNA analysis, as well as anthropological analysis, and
circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the government and people of Austria, the University of
New Orleans, which implemented the field school that conducted the recovery
effort, the University of Innsbruck, which greatly assisted with the field
school, the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, which provided key support
to the field school, to include financial fellowships for participating
students, and Mr. Roland Domanig, for their support in this recovery.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,776 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Dickson's name is recorded on the Tablets
of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery, an American Battle
Monuments Commission site in Impruneta, Italy, along with the others missing
from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
For funeral and family contact information, contact the Army Casualty Office
at (800) 892-2498.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
... period, Deputy Chairman of the US-Russian Joint Commission on Prisoners of War and Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Alexander Kirilin told Sputnik.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 28 November, 2018 12:42
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: New York Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are those of
Seaman 1st Class Walter C. Foley, 18, of Brooklyn, New York. Foley was
accounted for on Jan. 10, 2018.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Foley was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Foley.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Foley.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the NMCP for
analysis.
To identify Foley's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which
matched his family, as well as circumstantial evidence and anthropological
analysis, which matched his records.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,776 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Foley's name is recorded on the Courts of
the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, along with the
others missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to
indicate he has been accounted for.
For funeral and family contact information, contact the Navy Casualty Office
at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 November, 2018 12:39
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: New York Marine Accounted For From Korean War
Dear Editor,
The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today
that the remains of a serviceman, accounted-for from the Korean War, are
those of Marine Corps Sgt. Meredith F. Keirn, 24, of Niagara Falls, New
York. Keirn was accounted for on May 22, 2018.
In late November, 1950, Keirn was a light machinegun section leader for
Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. He was
reported to have been killed Nov. 30, 1950 while defending a hill
overlooking the Toktong Pass, a critical main supply route between the
villages of Hagaru-ri and Yudam-ni, North Korea. His remains were
reportedly buried at the base of "Fox Hill," in the Toktong Pass, but they
could not be recovered following the war.
In August 2015, a South Korean citizen turned over remains believed to be
U.S. servicemen from the Korean War. The remains were turned over to the
U.S. Forces Korea Mortuary Affairs Office in Yongsan Garrison, Seoul, South
Korea, which were subsequently turned over to DPAA.
To identify Keirn's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used Next Generation Sequencing and mitochondrial
(mtDNA), Y-chromosome (Y-STR) and autosomal (auSTR) DNA analysis,
anthropological analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence.
Today, 7,675 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North
Korea by American recovery teams. Keirn's name is recorded on the Courts of
the Missing the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along
with others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For funeral and family contact information, contact the Marine Corps
Casualty Office at (800) 847-1597.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 November, 2018 13:50
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Wyoming Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted for from the Korean War, are those
of Army Cpl. DeMaret M. Kirtley, 19, of Kaycee, Wyoming. Kirtley was
accounted for on May 4, 2018.
In late November 1950, Kirtley was a member of Battery A, 57th Field
Approximately 2,500 U.S. and 700 South Korean soldiers assembled into the
31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), which was deployed east of the Chosin
Reservoir, North Korea, when it was attacked by overwhelming numbers of
Chinese forces. As the Chinese attacks continued, American forces withdrew
south. The U.S. Army evacuated approximately 1,500 service members; the
remaining soldiers had been either captured, killed or missing in enemy
territory. Kirtley was reported missing in action on Dec. 6, 1950, when he
could not be accounted for after the withdrawal. He was last seen in the
vicinity of Hagaru-ri, Changjin County, Hamgyeong Province, North Korea.
Kirtley's name did not appear on any prisoner of war lists and no returning
Americans reported Kirtley as a prisoner of war. Due to a lack of
information regarding his status, the Army declared him deceased as of Dec.
31, 1953.
In 1954, an agreement was reached between the United Nations Command (UNC),
the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (D.P.R.K.) and the Chinese
People's Volunteer Forces (CPVF) regarding the recovery and return of each side's dead.
This agreement, known as Operation Glory, lasted from 1 September to 30 October
1954.
During the Operation Glory exchange, Chinese and Korean officials returned
the remains of more than 4,000 individuals to the UNC, of which 2,944 were
determined to be American. Those remains were sent to the American Graves
Registration Service Central Identification Unit (CIU) in Kokura, Japan, for
possible identification. By the end of the CIU-Kokura identification
process, 416 sets of American remains from the D.P.R.K. remained
unidentified. Those 416, along with another 451 sets of remains recovered in
the Republic of Korea by the AGRS, were sent to the National Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) in Honolulu, Hawaii, for burial as
"Unknowns."
One set designated as "X-15900 Operation Glory," was among a group of
remains that North Korea unilaterally turned over after reportedly being
recovered from isolated burial sites on the east side of the Chosin
Reservoir.
On May 8, 2017, DPAA disinterred X-15900 Operation Glory and sent the
remains to the laboratory.
To identify Kirtley's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental and
anthropological analysis, and material and circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Today, 7,675 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North
Korea by American recovery teams. Kirtley's name is recorded on the Courts
of the Missing in Honolulu, along with the others who are missing from the
Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been accounted for.
For funeral and family contact information, contact the Army Casualty Office
at (800) 892-2498.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
Several years ago his mother, Mary, while at a POW-MIA ceremony, hugged me and asked, "Bob, will I ever find out if Eddy is still alive? Will I ever see ...
U.S. military officials say the remains of a Marine from Niagara Falls killed during the Korean War have been identified. The Department of Defense ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 November, 2018 12:13
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: West Virginia Soldier Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are those of
Army Cpl. Joseph Akers, 23, of Kenova, West Virginia. Akers was accounted
for on April 30, 2018.
In November 1944, Akers was a member of Company C, 803rd Tank Destroyer
Battalion, participating in intense fighting in the Hürtgen Forest. His
company was deployed as direct fire support for American infantrymen
attacking the town of Grosshau. Two tank destroyers and six tanks,
including the M10 tank destroyer Akers was on, were knocked out in the
fighting around Grosshau on Nov. 25, 1944. He was killed during the battle,
though his status was initially listed as missing in action. On Dec. 21,
1944, his status was amended to killed in action.
In 1947, an American investigation team found remains inside the remnants of
an America tank destroyer near Grosshau. The remains were later designated
X-6852 Neuville. Due to the condition of the remains, they were declared
unidentifiable and were interred at United States Military Cemetery
Draguignan, France, present-day Rhone American Cemetery.
After thorough research and historical analysis, historians from DPAA
determined that Akers was a strong candidate for association to the remains.
In June 2017, X-6852 Neuville was disinterred and sent to DPAA.
To identify Akers’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, and
circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful the American Battle Monuments Commission for their
partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,776 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Akers’ name is recorded on the Tablets
of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle
Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, along with others
missing from WWII. Although interred as an "unknown" his grave was
meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle
Monuments Commission. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate
he has been accounted for.
For funeral and family contact information, contact the Army Casualty Office
at (800) 892-2498.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
“I never knew anybody else like me,” said Stonebraker, who is a member of the board of directors for National League of POW/MIA Families. “And I felt ...
The soldier's remains will be taken to the U.S. Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in Hawaii for specific identification. The fallen ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 20 November, 2018 11:47
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Arizona Marine Accounted For From Korean War
Dear Editor,
The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today
that the remains of a serviceman, accounted for from the Korean War, are
those of Marine Corps Reserve Sgt. Johnson McAfee, 27, of Laveen, Arizona.
McAfee was accounted for on Sept. 25, 2017.
In late November, 1950, McAfee was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th
Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force fighting against
units of the Chinese People's Volunteer Forces (CPVF) in North Korea.
McAfee was reported to have been killed in action on Nov. 28, 1950, in the
vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir at the Marine position known as Fox Hill.
Following his death, McAfee was buried alongside others at the base of Fox
Hill prior to the evacuation of the outpost.
In September 1953, in accordance with provisions in the armistice agreement,
North Korea began the return of U.S. and United Nations Command (UNC) dead
for identification. On Sept. 10, 1954, a set of remains, "Unknown X-15012,"
was returned, which was reportedly recovered in the vicinity of where McAfee
was buried. The remains were determined to be unidentifiable and were
transferred to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu and
interred as a Korean War Unknown.
After a thorough historical and scientific analysis indicated that the
remains could likely be identified, X-15012 were disinterred in August 2013
and sent to DPAA for analysis.
To identify McAfee's remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological and
chest radiograph comparison analysis, which matched his records, as well as
circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Today, 7,675 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North
Korea by American recovery teams. McAfee's name is recorded on the Walls of
the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu,
along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For funeral and family contact information, contact the Marine Corps
Casualty Office at (800) 847-1597.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 20 November, 2018 09:40
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Washington Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted for from World War II, are those of
Navy Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Marvin B. Adkins, 20, of Seattle. Adkins was
accounted for on April 11, 2018.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Adkins was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Adkins.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Adkins.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl
for identification.
To identify Adkins' remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis, dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,778 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Adkins' name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along
with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to
his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For information on funeral services or family information, contact the Navy
Casualty office at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 20 November, 2018 07:51
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Louisiana Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted for from World War II, are
those of Navy Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Charles H. Harris, 22, of Pine,
Louisiana. Harris was accounted for on April 30, 2018.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Harris was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Harris.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Harris.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl
for identification.
To identify Harris' remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,778 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Harris' name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along
with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to
his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For information on funeral services, contact the Navy Casualty office at
(800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
An East Tennessee World War II soldier's remains will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting ...
On August 2, 2018, samples of Odom's remains were identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency – which made it possible for him to be ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 19 November, 2018 11:02
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Ohio Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced that the remains of a
U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from the Korean War, are those of Army Pfc.
Leo J. Duquette, 19, of Toledo, Ohio. Duquette was accounted for on Aug. 8,
2018.
In July 1950, Duquette was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 21st
Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, engaged in combat operations
against North Korean forces near Choch'iwon, South Korea. Duquette could
not be accounted-for and was declared missing in action on July 11, 1950.
In December 1953, based on a lack of information regarding his status,
Duquette was declared deceased. In January 1956, he was declared
non-recoverable.
In October 1950, the remains of 164 Americans were found in the vicinity of
the Chonui and Choch'iwon, South Korea, in an area corresponding to where
Duquette's unit engaged in battle. One set of remains, designated X-132,
was processed for identification, but a match could not be made. The
remains were interred in American Cemetery No. 1, later renamed to United
Nations Military Cemetery Taejon.
From October 1950 to September 1954, the American Graves Registration
Service attempted to associate Unknown X-132 with a U.S. Soldier. When a
possible association could not be made, the remains were declared
unidentifiable and X-132 was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the
Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu as an Unknown.
On Oct. 16, 2017, Unknown X-132 was disinterred from the Punchbowl and sent
to the laboratory for analysis.
To identify Duquette's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, as well as
dental, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, and
circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in
this mission.
Today, 7,675 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North
Korea by American recovery teams. Duquette's name is recorded on the Courts
of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu,
along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For information on funeral services, contact the Army Casualty office at
(800) 892-2490.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 19 November, 2018 09:13
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: New York Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from the Korean War, are those
of Army Pfc. John W. Martin, 23, of Saratoga, New York. Martin was
accounted for on Sept. 24, 2018.
In late November 1950, Martin was a member of Medical Company, 32nd Infantry
Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Approximately 2,500 U.S. and 700 South
Korean soldiers assembled into the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), which
was deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea, when it was attacked
by overwhelming numbers of Chinese forces. As the Chinese attacks continued,
American forces withdrew south. By December 6, the U.S. Army evacuated
approximately 1,500 service members; the remaining soldiers had been either
captured, killed or missing in enemy territory. Martin was reported missing
in action on Dec. 2, 1950, after he was last seen near the Chosin Reservoir.
Martin's name did not appear on any prisoner of war lists, and no returning
prisoners of war reported that he had been captured. Based on this
information, he was declared deceased as of Dec. 31, 1951. In 1956, his
remains were declared non-recoverable.
In September 2001, during the 25th Joint Recovery Operation, a burial site
located at the Chosin Reservoir, in the vicinity of where Martin's unit
fought during the war, was excavated. The remains were accessioned to the
DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Martin's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA), Y-chromosome (Y-STR) and
autosomal (auSTR) DNA analysis, anthropological analysis, as well as
circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the government and people of the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea, and looks forward to the continued fulfillment of the
commitment made by President Trump and Chairman Kim on the return and
recovery of U.S. service members in North Korea.
Today, 7,675 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North
Korea by American recovery teams. Martin's name is recorded on the Courts
of the Missing in Honolulu, along with the others who are missing from the
Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been accounted for.
For information on funeral services, contact the Army Casualty office at
(800) 892-2490.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 19 November, 2018 10:05
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Tennessee Soldier Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted for from World War II, are those of
Army Pfc. Lewis E. Price, 23, of Rogersville, Tennessee. Price was
accounted for on Sept. 24, 2018.
In November, 1944, Price was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 109th
Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, which moved into the Hürtgen
Forest in Germany, to relieve U.S. forces who had been fighting for weeks.
The fighting in and around the forest was frequently chaotic, and while
details surrounding his loss are sparse, he was reported missing in action
as of Nov. 6, 1944.
After the war, the American Graves Registration Command extensively searched
the Hürtgen Forest, to locate Price’s remains. Unable to make a correlation
with any remains found in the area, he was declared non-recoverable.
In 2015, a historian from DPAA analyzed documentation of X-2736 Neuville, an
unidentified set of remains recovered from the Hürtgen Forest in 1946. Army
officials had been unable to identify the remains following the war and
subsequently interred them as an unknown Soldier at Neuville, present-day
Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium.
Based upon the original recovery location and evidence from the personal
effects associated with X-2736, the DPAA historian determined that there was
a possible association between the remains and Price. In June 2016, the
Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission disinterred
X-2736 and accessioned the remains to the laboratory for identification
To identify Price’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful the American Battle Monuments Commission for their
partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,778 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Price’s name is recorded on the Tablets
of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle
Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, along with the other
who are missing from WWII. Although interred as an Unknown, Price’s grave
was meticulously cared for by ABMC for 70 years. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For information on funeral services, contact the Army Casualty office at
(800) 892-2490.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for missing Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the
DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency stated that Pvt. Kaniatobe was accounted for in September of this year. He will be laid to rest Saturday with ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 15 November, 2018 09:57
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: California Marine Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Pfc. Clarence E. Drumheiser, accounted for on March 26, 2018,
will be buried Decemer 8 in Prairie View, Texas.
Drumheiser, 21, of Fresno, California, was killed during the battle of
Tarawa in World War II.
His niece, Cherly Hagan, of Arlington, Texas, is available for interviews at
(817) 861-7963
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Drumheiser on file.
Three months ago, the Defense POW MIA accounting agency identified his remains through DNA testing. That is when his family reached out to the ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 14 November, 2018 14:14
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Kentucky Soldier Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Pvt. Robert J. Sipes, Jr., accounted for on Oct. 23, 2018, will be
buried December 5 in his hometown.
Sipes, 19, of Irvington, Kentucky, was killed during the Korean War.
His family member, Mildred Smith, is available for interviews at (317)
447-5084.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Sipes on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 14 November, 2018 13:50
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Pennsylvania Tulsamerican Pilot Killed During World War II To Be Buried During With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Eugene P. Ford, accounted for on Jan. 16, 2018, will
be buried December 4 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.
Ford, 21, of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, was the pilot of a B-24J aircraft known
as the Tulsamerican, killed in World War II.
His son-in-law, Paul Beard, of Fairland Indiana, is available for interviews
at (317) 835-8125.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Ford on file.
Media interested in attending the funeral should contact Arlington National
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 14 November, 2018 13:21
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Illinois Sailor Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Fireman 2nd Class Martin A. Gara, accounted for on Nov. 6, 2017, will
be buried December 4 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Gara, 20, of Chicago, was killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in
World War II.
His family does not wish to be contacted by media.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Gara on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 13 November, 2018 14:25
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Maryland Marine Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Reserve Staff Sgt. Richard J. Murphy, Jr., accounted for on
July 25, 2018, will be buried December 1 in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Murphy, 26, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, was killed during World War II.
His nephew, Gerard Murphy, of Potomac, Maryland, is available for interviews
at (301) 294-3393.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Murphy on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 13 November, 2018 13:51
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Iowa Sailor Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Fireman 1st Class Bert E. McKeeman, accounted for on Aug. 13, 2018,
will be buried December 1 in his hometown.
McKeeman, 25, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was killed during the attack on the
USS Oklahoma in World War II.
His nephew, Ron McKeeman is available for interviews at (402) 630-6310.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 13 November, 2018 11:46
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Puerto Rico Soldier Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Cpl. Francisco Ramos-Rivera, accounted for on July 12, 2018, will be
buried November 29 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Ramos-Rivera, 33, of Puerto Rico, was killed during the Korean War.
His family, Tomas Montanez, is available for interviews at (787) 370-3903
The Department of Defense has no photos of Ramos-Rivera on file.
Farfan's remains were identified earlier this year by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency as part of a project to identify the service members who ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 7 November, 2018 11:12
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: CORRECTION: California Marine Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Sgt. Dwight W. Randall, accounted for on Sept. 13, 2018, will
be buried November 20 in his hometown.
Randall, 22, of Fresno, California, was killed during World War II.
His niece, Linda Gist, of Clovis, California, is available for interviews at
(559) 681-1868.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Randall on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 7 November, 2018 11:15
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: FW: Wisconsin Airman Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Air Forces Pfc. Joseph I. Natvick, accounted for on Sept. 24, 2018,
will be buried November 25 in Columbus, Wisconsin.
Natvick, 20, of Madison, Wisconsin, was killed during World War II.
His niece, Joan Link, of Columbus, is available for interviews at (920)
623-4210.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Natvick on file.
S. Korea discovers 2 additional sets of Korean War remains in DMZ
November 06, 2018
SEOUL, Nov. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has found two additional sets of Korean War remains during its demining and road construction work in a notorious battle site inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Seoul's defense ministry said Tuesday...
.....The engineers' efforts Monday began a two-month operation to clear mines and build a road to Arrow Head Hill, also known as Hill 281, the South Korean Defense Ministry said in a statement. Arrow Head Hill was selected as the site for them to jointly conduct a pilot search for remains within the no-man's zone, where some of the fiercest battles of the Korean War were fought.
The troops began removing mines on the southern part of the two sites. Later Monday, the South Korean military detected North Korean soldiers engaged in what it believed was demining on the northern part of the sites, a South Korean defense official said on condition of anonymity, citing department rules.
The official refused to provide more details. North Korea's state media didn't immediately confirm its reported demining.
At Arrow Head Hill, where some of the fiercest battles occurred during the Korean War, Seoul officials believe there are remains of about 300 South Korean and U.N. forces, along with an unspecified number of Chinese and North Korean remains....
In defense of the Bladensburg Veterans Memorial
11/05/18
Dear American Legion Family and Friends,
We forget what we do not see.
That simple but poignant statement is what drives The American Legion to strongly advocate for preserving the memories of our fallen comrades. It’s an important legacy that began with our founding in the aftermath of World War I and continues through the modern War on Terrorism.
In an example of The American Legion’s quest to honor and remember our brothers and sisters in arms, we’re pleased with the recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to hear our case regarding the World War I Bladensburg Veterans Memorial. In 1925, The American Legion and Gold Star Mothers erected the memorial to honor 49 Bladensburg, Md., men who gave their lives in defense of our nation during World War I.
For decades, the families of these 49 sons memorialized in Prince George’s County, Md., have considered the Bladensburg Veterans Memorial their sons’ grave stones. The memorial stood peacefully for almost 90 years without objection until the American Humanist Association filed a lawsuit in February 2014.
The association alleges that the cross-shaped memorial is unconstitutional and is calling for it to be demolished, altered, or removed from public land. The Supreme Court stands as the last hope for preserving the Bladensburg memorial, honoring those World War I heroes and providing the opportunity for the families to remember.
Without question, the Constitution should allow Gold Star mothers to erect a simple memorial to honor their sons. This is what drove the Gold Star moms to create the memorial nearly a century ago.
“…the chief reason I feel so deeply in this matter, my son, Wm. F. Redman, lost his life in France and because of that I feel that our memorial cross is, in a way, his grave stone.” – Mrs. Martin Redman, a Gold Star mother
The American Legion cannot allow the memories of Redman and the other 48 heroes to be bulldozed.
Their names are emblazoned on a bronze plaque on the memorial. On another plaque, above the names, is the inscription “This Memorial Cross Dedicated To The Heroes of Prince George’s County Who Gave Their Lives In The Great War For The Liberty Of The World.”
On each side of the memorial a word captures its spirt: Valor, Endurance, Courage, Devotion. Additionally, two sides display The American Legion emblem.
For nearly a century, The American Legion has focused on preserving the memories of our fallen brothers and sisters. And that’s why it is so critical that we – veterans and civilians alike -- never forget those honored on the Bladensburg Veterans Memorial.
Portage, Pa. - A Cambria County Sailor killed in World War II will be buried in his hometown. The burial is set for November 10th in Portage. On July 27 ...
FOR IMMEDIATERELEASE
Thursday, November 1, 2018
CONTACT: Yvette Martinez
OFFICE: 615-253-7770
Remains of Tennessee Pilot Killed in World War II Identified
Second Lieutenant Martin O’Callaghan Identified After More than 70 Years
NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Veterans Services Commissioner Many-Bears Grinder recognize the service and sacrifice of U.S. Army Air Force Second Lieutenant Martin O’Callaghan, Jr. of Memphis, who was killed during a mission as a P-38 Lightning aircraft pilot in World War II in Maribor, Yugoslavia now known as Slovenia. He was serving with the 96th Fighter Squadron, 82nd Fighter Group when his plane was struck by anti-aircraft fire which caused him to crash in occupied territory on February 15, 1945. He was 22 years old.
A team from the American Graves Registration Office in Belgrade, Yugoslavia recovered the remains of an unidentified pilot from a village cemetery in July 1947 and reinterred them in the U.S. Military Cemetery at Belgrade only identified as Unknown X-36. The remains were exhumed in an attempt to identify them in 1948, but results were inconclusive. Therefore, Unknown X-36 was buried at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Italy.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) disinterred Unknown X-36 in March, 2017 and used DNA analysis and other evidence to finally identify O’Callaghan on April 24, 2018.
“Marty was a Christian Brothers High School graduate, Memphis native and World War II hero,” Haslam said. “As a courageous pilot he served his country and as a state we pause to welcome him home.”
“Claire Johnson waited her entire adult life to see her brother brought home,” Grinder said. “Although she was alive to receive the news that Marty had been identified, she passed away just months before his final return to his final resting place. We join the surviving family members for this welcome home that has been 73 years in the making.”
The dignified transfer of remains will be at the Memphis International Airport at 5:15 p.m. (CDT) on Saturday, November 3. Media planning to attend the arrival need to contact Memphis International Airport Marketing & Communications Project Manager Laura Rainey at (205) 239-3293 and must arrive by 4:30 p.m. for appropriate staging.
The Memorial Service will be held at the West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery at 4000 Forest Hill/Irene Road in Memphis at 10:00 a.m. (CST) on Monday, November 5.
Haslam has declared a day of mourning from sunrise to sunset on Monday, November 5 in honor of O’Callaghan’s ultimate sacrifice.
O’Callaghan is survived by his nieces, Sharon O’Callaghan, Mary Kate Johnson, Gayle McDonald, and Brenda Ann Johnson as well as nephews Mark Johnson and Warren Johnson.
Sent: Thursday, November 1, 2018 3:33 PM
Subject: unclaimed veteran
Good afternoon,
We have just receive word we will be receiving a unclaimed veteran on November 9, 2018 @ 11:00am. This is the information I have at the present:
Name : Vinton Earl Carter
Branch: USAF
Rank: A1C
Date of service: 12-17-1961-9-1-1964
Remains will be in a urn
Family Mortuary
878 Jackson Av
Memphis, TN 38107
Phone-901-521-0594
James Lindsey | Director
West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery
4000 Forest Hill Irene
Memphis, TN 38125
p. 901.543.2016
f. 901.543-7141
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 1 November, 2018 12:34
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Texas Soldier Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Pfc. Mathis O. Ball, accounted for on Aug. 14, 2018, will be buried
November 18 in Bokchito, Oklahoma.
Ball, 20, of Collin County, Texas, was killed during the Korean War.
His nephew, Hobert Ball, of Waurika, Oklahoma, is available for interviews
at (832) 649-9057.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Ball on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 1 November, 2018 12:08
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Oklahoma Soldier Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Pvt. Charles G. Kaniatobe, accounted for on Sept. 13, 2018, will be
buried November 17 in his hometown.
Kaniatobe, 21, of Idabel, Oklahoma, was killed during the Korean War.
His nephew, Rick Kaniatobe, is available for interviews at (580) 236-2142.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Kaniatobe on file.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) reported that the remains of Kvidera were being returned to his family for burial with full military ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 1 November, 2018 10:22
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: New Jersey Soldier Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Staff Sgt. Karl R. Loesche, accounted for on Sept. 13, 2018, will be
buried November 17 in Elmer, New Jersey.
Loesche, 22, of Monroeville, New Jersey, was killed during World War II.
His sister, Marion Atkinson, is available for interviews at (215) 968-0471.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Loesche on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 1 November, 2018 09:07
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Kansas Sailor Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Fireman 1st Class Gerald H. Pirtle, accounted for on Aug. 28, 2018,
will be buried November 17 in Wichita, Kansas.
Pirtle, 19, of El Dorado, Kansas, was killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II.
His niece, Louise Gerwick, of Derby, Kansas, is available for interviews at
(316) 650-9845.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Pirtle on file.
There were several American Flags on 8' poles staked at the circle, a POW-MIA flag, State of Indiana flag and the U.S. Army flag there to pay honors to ...
This undated photo released by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency shows Army Cpl. Albert E. Mills of Dallas. Military officials have identified ...
"Imagine"
by John Zimmerlee October 2, 2018
Imagine, you’re 18 years old and a proud American. World War II has been over for five years and you are not sure what you want to do for the rest of your life, so you take a chance, sign up for Active Army Duty to see the world and make up your mind.
First stop . . . Japan! Wow, what an experience!
Days later, you learn that North Korea has invaded South Korea and your upcoming assignment is in Pusan to push back the North Koreans. Fresh off the boat, you immediately hit the battlefields and wind up in Hadong where bodies are dropping everywhere. Your commander tells you to surrender and you drop your weapon. It is July 27, 1950.
Almost immediately, your government lists you as MIA, "Missing in Action" . . . along with 46 others who were also known to be captured, yet labeled MIA. But, you assume that your country knows you are a POW and will be coming to get you very soon.
Your captors line you up and start marching you North. The line is as far North as you can see. Fear rushes in.
Months later you are finally in Pyongyang. American Forces were approaching. Three of you are bound together at the East Gate Ferry site along the Taedong River in Pyongyang. The guards beat you up and toss you into the river. You all drown.
Days later, your Comrades recovered your 3 remains and buried them on the west side of the courtyard of the Provincial Government Building. On October 24, 1950, George Gibbs disinterred the bodies and found your ration card in the jacket pocket of one of the remains. The remains were moved to the Military Cemetery in Pyongyang and buried on plot A, Row 1, Grave 9. A report was filed that you died as a POW but your family was never told and you remained just "Missing in Action."
According to enemy documents that our government claims . . . to this day . . . to be confidential, your name appeared in those documents during the war. Prior to your death, you were photographed by the enemy and you were identified by the "Office of Special Investigation" from those photos as an obvious POW, but your family was never told and you remained "Missing in Action."
After the war, remains were shipped from North Korea to South Korea and N-17030 was among them. It appears to be the same remains that had your ration card in the shirt pocket. But as of 1955, your remains were reburied as an unknown in the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii, grave number 333 and you remained "Missing in Action".
With a budget of $140 million a year, DPAA has been sitting on this compelling information while their laboratory was just 9 miles from your remains . . . for the last 63 years.
In reality, James Elbert Beller, we hope that our government will soon open your file; give your case the attention it so deserves; disinter these remains; identify you; return you to your family . . . and no longer refer to you as just "Missing in Action"!!!
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 31 October, 2018 13:40
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Iowa Sailor Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Carpenter's Mate 3rd Class William L. Kvidera, accounted for on July 3,
2018, will be buried November 16 in his hometown.
Kvidera, 22, of Traer, Iowa, was killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II.
His brother, John Kvidera, also of Traer, is available for interviews at
(319) 404-4641.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Kvidera on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 31 October, 2018 12:20
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: West Virginia Sailor Accounted For From USS Oklahoma To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Seaman 2nd Class Carl Nichols, accounted for on March 27, 2018, will be
buried November 14 in Bland County, Virginia.
Nichols, 20, of Glen Alum, West Virginia, was killed during the attack on
the USS Oklahoma in World War II.
His family does not wish to be contacted by media.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Nichols on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 October, 2018 13:59
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: CORRECTION: Nebraska Soldier Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Pfc. Morriss R. Worrell, accounted for on Aug. 13, 2018, will be buried
November 10 in his hometown.
Worrell, 20, of Wisner, Nebraska, was killed during World War II.
His niece, Theresa Ramirez is available for interviews at (402) 750-6333.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Worrell on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 October, 2018 13:41
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Texas Soldier Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Cpl. Albert E. Mills, accounted for on July 13, 2018, will be buried
November 12 in his hometown.
Mills, 20, of Dallas, was killed during the Korean War.
His niece, Eva Arnold, of Mesquite, Texas, is available for interviews at
(469) 387-7676.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Mills on file.
Oct. 30 (UPI) -- The Defense POW/MIA Accounting agency has been ... Later accounts reported Jones had died at a prisoner of war camp in North ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 October, 2018 14:30
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Nebraska Soldier Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Sgt. Eugene G. McBride, accounted for on Sept. 10, 2018, will be buried
November 12 in his hometown.
McBride, 20, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was killed during World War II.
His sister, Ella-Mae Kubes, also of Lincoln, is available for interviews at
(402) 466-1315.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of McBride on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 29 October, 2018 12:29
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Pennsylvania Sailor Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Aviation Radioman 3rd Class Walter E. Mintus, accounted for on June 25,
2018, will be buried November 10 in his hometown.
Mintus, 22, of Portage, Pennsylvania, was killed during World War II.
His nephew, Richard Kozak, of Conway, Pennsylvania, is available for
interviews at (412) 526-7955.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Mintus on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 29 October, 2018 11:50
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Louisiana Soldier Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Cpl. Edward M. Jones, accounted for on Sept. 13, 2018, will be buried
November 9 in his hometown.
Jones, 20, of Lake Charles, Louisiana, was killed during the Korean War.
His family does not wish to be contacted by media.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Jones on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 29 October, 2018 11:02
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Guam USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Steward Mate 1st Class Ignacio C. Farfan, accounted for on March 27,
2018, will be buried November 8 in the Guam Veterans Cemetery.
Farfan, 21, of Agana, Guam, was killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma
in World War II.
His family does not wish to speak with media.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Farfan on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 29 October, 2018 09:35
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: West Virginia Marine Accounted For From World War II Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Joe Lukie, accounted for on Sept. 5, 2017, was
buried October 27 in Oak Hill, West Virginia.
Lukie, 19, of Harvey, West Virginia, was killed during the battle of Tarawa
in World War II.
His nephew, Frank Luke, of Sherwood, Michigan, is available for interviews
at (313) 404-3100.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Lukie on file.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency confirmed on Sept. 12 that the remains were McDaniel's. McDaniel was an Army medic who was reporting ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 26 October, 2018 08:52
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Tennessee Airman Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Martin F. O'Callaghan, Jr., accounted for on April
24, 2018, will be buried November 5 in his hometown.
O'Callaghan, 22, of Memphis, Tennessee, was killed during World War II.
His nephew, Mark Johnson, is available for interviews at (406) 860-8127.
The Department of Defense has no photos of O'Callaghan on file.
For more information regarding the funeral, contact the Army Service
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 25 October, 2018 10:03
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: North Carolina USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Fireman 1st Class Jarvis G. Outland, accounted for on March 16, 2018,
will be buried November 3 in his hometown.
Outland, 22, of Murfreesboro, North Carolina, was killed during the attack
on the USS Oklahoma in World War II.
His niece, Elnora Parker, of Boykins, Virginia, is available for interviews
at (252) 862-5762.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Outland on file.
Several of the motorcycles and other vehicles were adorned with American flags and other banners showing a branch of service or the POW-MIA flag.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 23 October, 2018 11:58
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Texas Soldier Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Sgt. James K. Park, accounted for on June 20, 2018, will be buried
October 27 in Barry, Texas.
Park, 20, of Beaumont, Texas, was killed during World War II.
His daughter, Kay G. Crawford, of Bridgeport, Texas, is available for
interviews at (817) 773-0513.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Park on file.
Sent: 23 October, 2018 11:50
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: New Mexico Marine Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Paul D. Gilman, accounte for on May 17, 2018, will
be buried October 26 in his hometown.
Gilman, 19, of Belen, New Mexico, was killed during World War II.
His family does not wish to be contated by media.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Gilman on file.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says the remains of 33-year-old Army Pfc. Leslie E. Shankles are being returned to his family for burial with ...
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said this week that Lescault, who was killed in the Japanese attack on the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor, ...
So sad that an entire French village knew what happened and named a town after this US serviceman, yet our government didn’t know what happened to him for 60 years. db
WWII Widow Finds Husband’s Resting Place 60-Years Later | DoDLive
However, through their meetings with Sen, the local legislators found the POW/MIA program was very important to him, Buys said. “I believe this is a ...
... traveled to eastern Germany in July to assist the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in an operation to recover artifacts from a downed aircraft.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 17 October, 2018 09:22
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Kansas Soldier Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Pfc. Leslie E. Shankles, accounted for on July 12, 2018, will be buried
October 24 in Fort Scott, Kansas.
Shankles, 33, of Arcadia, Kansas, was killed during World War II.
His family does not wish to be contacted by media.
The Department of Defense has the attached photos of Shankles on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 16 October, 2018 07:37
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Wisconsin Soldier Accounted For From World War II Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Pvt. John B. Cummings, accounted for on July 12, 2018, was buried
October 13 in Hazelhurst, Wisconsin.
Cummings, 22, of Hartford, Wisconsin, was killed during World War II.
His family does not wish to be contacted by media.
The Department of Defense has the attached photos of Cummings on file.
-----Original Message-----
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 15 October, 2018 14:13
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Ohio Soldier Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Pfc. Kenneth B. Williams, accounted for on Aug. 13, 2018, will be
buried October 22 in Seville, Ohio.
Williams, 38, of Akron, Ohio, was killed during the Korean War.
His niece, Patricia A. Kegg, also of Akron, is available for interviews at
(330) 510-0570.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Williams on file.
“There are families still carrying the torch,” said Carrie Brown, a forensic anthropologist with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency's lab at Offutt.
... to Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Oct. 2, wishing for the re-activation of the prisoners of war or missing in action (POW/MIA) ...
So he set up a POW MIA table in his restaurant's window. ... "It's usually 'that's really cool you have a POW table,' and they know what it means, they ...
But thanks to modern technology and the US Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, his family has found closure. In December 1941 ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 12 October, 2018 11:28
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Iowa USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Fireman 2nd Class George C. Ford, accounted for on April 30, 2018, will
be buried October 20 in Glidden, Iowa.
Ford, 25, of Lidderdale, Iowa, was killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II.
His nephew, George E. Ford, is available for interviews at (337) 322-5570.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Ford on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 12 October, 2018 09:36
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Maryland Soldier Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Cpl. James I. Jubb, accounted for on Jan. 25, 2018, will be buried Oct.
17 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.
Jubb, 21, of Eastport, Maryland, was killed during the Korean War.
His family does not wish to be contacted by media.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Jubb on file.
Media interested in attending the funeral should contact Arlington National
Sent: 10 October, 2018 16:51
To: Prichard, Charles L CIV DPAA OC (US) <charles.l.prichard.civ@mail.mil>
Subject: DPAA Accounts for 203 Missing Personnel in Fiscal Year 2018
DPAA Accounts for 203 Missing Personnel in Fiscal Year 2018
Oct. 10, 2018
WASHINGTON- In Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
(DPAA) accounted for 203 formerly missing persons from past conflicts, the
highest yearly total reached by the agency or its predecessor organizations.
Also, the agency individually identified the remains of three additional
personnel, who were previously accounted for as part of group burials,
reaching another milestone of 206 individual identifications for the FY.
"Providing the families of the missing those long-sought answers with which
they can at least achieve some solace is a profound manifestation of our
nation's steadfast commitment to them and their loved ones. Because it's a
sacred obligation, if not moral imperative, our over 600 military and
civilian professionals earnestly contribute their talents, dedication, and
passion to the noble mission with which we are entrusted," said DPAA
Director Kelly McKeague.
Broken down by conflict, 10 were accounted for from the Vietnam War, 37 from
the Korean War, and 156 were from World War II.
"Science and technology have expanded exponentially in recent years,
enabling identifications that even five years ago seemed impossible. We
also attribute the increasing yearly trend to DPAA's expanded use of
partnerships, a more precise management of disinterments, and improvements
in our robust field operations,' said Rear Admiral Jon Kreitz, DPAA's Deputy
Director for Operations.
DPAA's partnerships are strong and extensive. First, the government
officials and people in each of the countries the agency operates in provide
invaluable assistance and respect to the mission. Collaborative support
from the four Service Casualty Offices; the Armed Forces Medical Examiner
System and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory; U.S. Indo Pacific
Command, the U.S. European Command and the Defense Intelligence Agency -
Stony Beach; the Department of Veterans Affairs and the American Battle
Monuments Commission cemeteries are also vital. DPAA's partnering with
non-Federal entities continues to expand agency capacity and capabilities.
Additionally, agency efforts benefit from partnerships with Family Groups
and Veterans Service Organizations.
Today, the DPAA is focused on the research, investigation, recovery, and
identification of the approximately 34,000 (out of approximately 83,000
missing DoD personnel) believed to be recoverable, who were lost in
conflicts from World War II to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for DoD personnel still missing and unaccounted-for while serving our
country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa, or call (703) 699-1169/1193/1420.
# # #
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 9 October, 2018 10:24
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Minnesota Soldier Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Pvt. Delbert J. Holliday, accounted for on July 12, 2018, will be
buried October 15 in Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota.
Holliday, 22, of Minneapolis, was killed during the Korean War.
His family does not wish to speak with media.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Holliday on file.
After research and historical analysis, historians from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) determined Anderson was a strong candidate ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 4 October, 2018 12:38
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Nebraska Soldier Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Sgt. Melvin C. Anderson, accounted for on April 30, 2018, will be
buried October 12 in his hometown.
Anderson, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska, was killed during World War II.
His niece, Joani R. McGinnis, of Shenandoah, Iowa, is available for
interviews at (712) 215-1770.
The Department of Defense has the attached photos of Anderson on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 4 October, 2018 12:30
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Missouri USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Seaman 1st Class Natale I. Torti, accounted for on April 26, 2018, will
be buried October 12 in Jefferson Barracks, Missouri.
Torti, 19, of St. Louis, Missouri, was killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II.
His nephew, Joseph P. Torti, Jr., of St. Louis, is available for interviews
at (314) 487-9189.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Torti on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 4 October, 2018 12:20
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Tennessee USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Seaman 2nd Class William V. Campbell, accounted for on May 9, 2018,
will be buried October 10 in his hometown.
Campbell, 20, of Elizabethton, Tennessee, was killed during the attack on
the USS Oklahoma in World War II.
His brother, Gene Campbell, of Greenville, South Carolina, is available for
interviews at (864) 616-6397.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Campbell on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 3 October, 2018 12:21
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Missouri USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Seaman 2nd Class Harold L. Head, accounted for on Sept. 26, 2017, will
be buried October 10 in Laclede, Missouri.
Head, 20, of Browning, Missouri, was killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II.
His family does not wish to be contacted by media.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Head on file.
The remains were repatriated in early 2018 from North Korea, flown to Hawaii's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency for DNA identification and, ...
10/02/18
BELL TOLLING EVENT
Nationwide bell tolling at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 will honor the 116,516 American men and women who died in World War I. Bells will be rung in places of worship, schools, town halls, public carillons and cemeteries to mark the centennial of the armistice that ended hostilities in what Americans fervently hoped had been “The War to End All Wars.”
The "FamWeb" is an online space for sharing general information with families of missing personnel, such as case synopses and battlefield summaries. As always, family members of missing personnel should stay in contact with their designated casualty officer to get specific details on their missing loved ones and the government's efforts to account for them. If you do not know your casualty office, the following link provides a list of each one: http://www.dpaa.mil/Families/Contact-Information.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which makes announcements that remains have been identified, did so for Streetman on Sept. 6. It says ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 1 October, 2018 10:54
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Connecticut USS Oklahoma Sailor To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Water Tender 1st Class Stephen Pepe, accounted for on March 19, 2018,
will be buried October 8 in Bourne, Massachusetts.
Pepe, 43, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, was killed during the attack on the
USS Oklahoma in World War II.
His niece, Barbara Kovacs, of Plainville, Massachusetts, is available for
interviews at (508) 361-4040.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Pepe on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 28 September, 2018 11:02
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Minnesota Soldier Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Sgt. Eugene W. Yost, accounted for on March 28, 2018, will be buried
October 5 in Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota.
Yost, 18, of Milaca, Minnesota, was killed during the Korean War.
His sister, Elise Ditslear, of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, is available for
interviews at (928) 451-1087.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Yost on file.
Jack Merrill's vision is virtually gone, but he still sees things from a long time ago. Horrible things. Painful things. Historic things. He was a prisoner of ...
Andersonville/Macon/Warner Robbins = The Ride Home 2018 - 1 Gold Star, 30 POW/MIA families, 57 former POWs, 20 widows of ex-POWs for 3 days of Tribute.
He received the Silver Star and Bronze Star for his service in the U.S. Army during World War II, and was credited with liberating the Gunskirchen Nazi ...
Nashville Tennessean USA TODAY NETWORK - TENNESSEE
At exactly 9:51 a.m. the Delta Airlines flight carrying the remains of the late WWII fighter pilot, Harold DeMoss, touched the ground, draped in an American flag and ushered off the tarmac into a waiting hearse by six Navy personnel wearing their dress whites.
It has been more than 70 years since the 21-year-old Navy Ensign — who left Nashville to join the Navy as a teen, never to return — crashed his plane in a remote outcrop on the Hawaiian island of Oahu....
Yet for all those years, DeMoss’s remains have lain where his plane went down on American soil — just 40 miles from the offices of the Pentagon agency charged with retrieving the remains of all fallen soldiers.
The failures of the agency — now called Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency — to bring home some 83,000 fallen soldiers from wars past has devastated thousands of families and drawn withering criticism from Congress....
Sept. 15, 1993: Kathy Borah Duez of LeRoy and other POW-MIA activists will move their protest and month-long fast to Washington. Her brother was shot down over Laos and may be a prisoner in Vietnam. They are upset at President Clinton’s lifting of the trade embargo against Vietnam.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency identified the sailor Tuesday as Navy Seaman 1st Class James W. Holzhauer, 23. No hometown was listed ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 14 September, 2018 09:17
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Indiana Soldier Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Cpl. Morris Meshulam, accounted for on June 4, will be buried September
23 in his hometown.
Meshulam, 19, of Indianapolis, was killed during the Korean War.
His nephew, Sam Goldstein, is available for interviews at (317) 850-0726.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Meshulam on file.
From: Bill Fortier <bfortier@usamedia.tv>
Sent: Fri, Sep 14, 2018 7:40 am
Subject: PLEASE PASS INFO...CA Marine Accounted For From KOREAN WAR To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
CALIFORNIA MARINE CORPS PFC. ROGER GONZALES TO BE BURIED ON Friday,SEP 21, 2018, “NATIONAL POW/MIA RECOGNITION DAY” IN RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA
Please pass the word to groups or individuals in the area who might be interested in showing support
for a fallen warrior from the Korean War who has been returned home for burial.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 14 September, 2018 09:14
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: California Marine Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Pfc. Roger Gonzales, accounted for on June 4, will be buried
September 21 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
Gonzales, 20, of San Pedro, California, was killed during the Korean War.
His sister, Erminia Salceda, is available for interviews at 310-833-0592.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Gonzales on file.
Hi Mary! I put together some info and pics to update you on what's been happening in Kansas on POW/MIA activities. First thing is that our past SEVEN governors have signed a POW/MIA Recognition for the state, beginning in the late 1980's:
Gov. Mike Hayden -- 1987-91
Gov. Joan Finney --- 1991-95
Gov. Bill Graves ----- 1995-2003
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius -- 2003-2009
Gov. Mark Parkinson ----- 2009-2011
Gov. Sam Brownback ---- 2011-2018
Gov. Jeff Colyer -- 2018 to present.
That's each year for each governor since 1988.
Notice that the current proclamation, which was signed on Aug. 24, 2018 (picture attached), designates Kansas POW/MIA Recognition WEEK along with National POW/MIA Day. It's been that way since the beginning, and I update the proclamation every year. There might be other states that do that, but I don't know.
For each signing ceremony, they allow me to invite up to ten other folks to attend. (I usually go over by a few so I can include as many organizations as possible.) Some of the photos are attached. Not many.
There's a lot more, as you can imagine. Just want to make sure our state gets its due. And we all thank you for a lot of your inspiration and work.
... in November 1943 on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 12 September, 2018 09:05
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Ohio Sailor Accounted For From USS Oklahoma To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Chief Machinist's Mate Dean S. Sanders, accounted for on March 26, will
be buried September 19 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in
Honolulu.
Sanders, 38, of Lima, Ohio,was killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma
in World War II.
His family does not wish to be contacted by media.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Sanders on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 12 September, 2018 09:06
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Idaho Soldier Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Master Sgt. Leonard K. Chinn, accounted for on July 12, will be buried
September 19 in Silver Creek, Nebraska.
Chinn, 34, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, was killed during the Korean War.
His son, Rodney Chinn, of Columbus, Nebraska, is available for interviews at
(402) 563-4322.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Chinn on file.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said Monday that the remains of Navy Water Tender 2nd Class Clarence M. Lockwood have been ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 11 September, 2018 11:17
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Oklahoma Soldier Accounted-For From World War II
Sir/Ma'am,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, killed during World War II, have been
identified as those of Army Tech. Sgt. Robert J. Fitzgerrell. Fitzgerrell,
32, born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was accounted for on September 4.
In January 1945, Fitzgerrell was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 311th
Infantry Regiment, 78th Infantry Division. On Jan. 30, 1945, while engaged
in an attack against enemy forces near Huppenbroich, Germany, Fitzgerrell
stepped on an anti-personnel mine and was killed. His remains were not
identified by American forces after the battle.
After the war, the American Graves Registration Command traveled to
Huppenbroich and extensively searched the Hürtgen Forest, to locate
Fitzgerrell’s remains. Unable to make a correlation with any remains found
in the area, he was declared non-recoverable on Dec. 15, 1951.
In 2016, a historian from DPAA analyzed documentation of X-6998 Neuville, an
unidentified set of remains recovered from a shallow burial near
Huppenbroich in 1947. The remains, unable to be identified in 1947, were
subsequently interred at Neuville, present-day Ardennes American Cemetery in
Belgium.
Based upon the original recovery location and evidence from the personal
effects associated with X-6998, the DPAA historian determined that there was
a possible association between the remains and Fitzgerrell. Following a
comparison of the X-6998 skeletal documentation to Fitzgerrell’s physical
characteristics, a DPAA anthropologist concurred, and DPAA officials
recommended disinterment. In June 2017, the Department of Defense and
American Battle Monuments Commission disinterred X-6998 and accessioned the
remains to the laboratory for identification
To identify Fitzgerrell’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome DNA
(Y-STR) analysis, as well as anthropological analysis, and circumstantial
and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful the American Battle Monuments Commission for their
partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,866 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Fitzgerrell’s name is recorded on the
Tablets of the Missing at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Hombourg,
Belgium, an American Battle Monuments Commission site along with the other
MIAs from WWII. Although interred as an Unknown, Fitzgerrell’s grave was
meticulously cared for by ABMC for 70 years. A rosette will be placed next
to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For information on funeral services, contact the Army Service Casualty
office at (800) 892-2490.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for missing Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the
DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 11 September, 2018 08:36
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Washington USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Sir/Ma'am,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, killed during World War II have been
identified as those of Navy Radioman 3rd Class Bruce H. Ellison. Ellison,
21, born in Poulsbo, Washington, was accounted for on August 27.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Ellison was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Ellison.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Ellison.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl
for analysis.
To identify Ellison's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis,
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,866 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Ellison's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For information on funeral services, contact the Navy Service Casualty
office at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for missing Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the
DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 11 September, 2018 08:29
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Virginia USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Sir/Ma'am,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, killed during World War II have been
identified as those of Navy Seaman 1st Class James W. Holzhauer. Holzhauer,
23, of Virginia, was accounted for on August 27.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Holzhauer was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma,
which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Holzhauer.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Holzhauer.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl
for analysis.
To identify Holzhauer's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis,
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,866 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Holzhauer's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For information on funeral services, contact the Navy Service Casualty
office at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for missing Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the
DPAA website atwww.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at
We believe that most of us can/will agree with the statement ‘all men are created equal’ but we also understand that in life, order is necessary to avoid chaos. In the Armed Services and specifically in a combat situation this ‘order’ is a must and its use is a proven life saver. But when should ‘rank/order’ cease to be a measurement of ones life’s accomplishments?
Are you aware of the fact that a Sargent or a Private First Class who is captured by the enemy, held against his/her will (POW), repatriated and upon their death is not entitled to the same funeral service that an Officer who had also been a POW? The Officer would be entitled to ‘Full Military Honors’ Funeral Service while the Enlisted person would be entitled to a ‘Funeral Service’.
Personally, I agree with Representative Sam Johnson (TX), who was a Prisoner of War (16 April 1966-12 February 1973). His statement in a recent press release announcing the introduction of ‘Full Military Honors Act of 2018’ is copied in part below:
“During my time in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, many of my fellow POWs and I were isolated in cramped cells,” said Rep. Johnson. “We spent months in leg irons, years in leg stocks, and endured extreme starvation and torture. My fellow POWs who served honorably demonstrated the utmost patriotism, but not all of them were eligible for full military honors at their burial, simply due to their rank. I believe this is wrong. ANY veteran who served honorably as a Prisoner of War or whose actions earned them the Medal of Honor has already demonstrated extraordinary dedication to defending Freedom. In return, they deserve to have the country they fought for bestow full military honors if they are eligible to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
If you agree with Representative Johnson thoughts we hope you will contact your Representative and request they become a Co-Sponsor on this Act, H.R. 6734.
This Bill was brought to the Floor on 7 September and referred to the House Committee on Armed Services - https://armedservices.house.gov/about/members. Is your Representative on this Committee?
Time is of the essence! Only a few months until this Congressional session ends. Pro-Active is best.
Being a part of the Solution can be very rewarding!
If we can be of any help – just contact us via this email – moehog@verizon.net or our cell – 407 448 1181
This is a copy of the Media Release from Rep. Bishop’s Office:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Annalyse Beaver
Sep 10, 2018
202-805-5619
Reps. Bishop, Johnson and Walz Introduce Full Military Honors Act
WASHINGTON – Congressmen Mike Bishop (MI-08), Sam Johnson (TX-03), and House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Tim Walz (MN-01) today announced the introduction of the bipartisan Full Military Honors Act of 2018 (H.R. 6734) to allow enlisted Medal of Honor recipients and Prisoners of War (POW) who are eligible for burial at Arlington National Cemetery to receive a full military honorsburial, which includes an escort platoon, a military band, and a caisson (horse drawn casket) if available. Currently, full military honors are reserved for commissioned officers, warrant officers, and senior non-commissioned officers.
“America’s POWs and Medal of Honor recipients have sacrificed immeasurably in service to the United States – regardless of their rank. So I was shocked to find out that earlier this year a former POW from Michigan, Army Pvt. 1st Class Robert Fletcher was denied a full honors burial at Arlington National Cemetery based solely on his enlisted rank,” said Rep. Bishop. “This has been an issue for too long, and my legislation will ensure those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty are provided the full military honors they have earned for their end of life ceremonies.”
“During my time in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, many of my fellow POWs and I were isolated in cramped cells,” said Rep. Johnson. “We spent months in leg irons, years in leg stocks, and endured extreme starvation and torture. My fellow POWs who served honorably demonstrated the utmost patriotism, but not all of them were eligible for full military honors at their burial, simply due to their rank. I believe this is wrong. ANY veteran who served honorably as a Prisoner of War or whose actions earned them the Medal of Honor has already demonstrated extraordinary dedication to defending Freedom. In return, they deserve to have the country they fought for bestow full military honors if they are eligible to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. I am grateful for Rep. Mike Bishop’s leadership on this issue, and I’m proud to join him in standing up for the service and sacrifice of our Great Nation’s veterans.”
“Medal of Honor recipients and POWs have earned and deserve nothing less than full military honors,” said Rep. Walz. “As a retired enlisted soldier of 24 years, I’m proud to join in introducing the Full Military Honors Act. To help ensure we honor the sacrifices these heroes and their families have made for our country, we must pass it without delay.”
Congressman Sam Johnson, a 29-year U.S. Air Force veteran, flew combat missions in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. On the 25th combat mission of his second tour in Vietnam, Johnson was shot down over North Vietnam and held as a POW for nearly seven years in the “Hanoi Hilton.” While there, his captors labeled him a “diehard” resistor and moved him into solitary confinement in “Alcatraz,” along with ten other POWs including U.S. Senator Jeremiah Denton and Vice Presidential candidate Jim Stockdale.
Congressman Tim Walz, a 24-year veteran of the Army National Guard, is the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and serves on the US-Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs. Walz is the highest ranking enlisted soldier ever to serve in Congress.
The Full Military Honors Act of 2018 is endorsed by the American Legion, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Military Officers Association of America, National League of POW/ MIA Families, Special Operations Association, Special Forces Association, and American Fallen Warriors Memorial Foundation. To read letters in support of H.R. 6734, clickHERE.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 10 September, 2018 10:26
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Iowa USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Sir/Ma'am,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, killed during World War II have been
identified as those of Navy Fireman 3rd Class Robert J. Bennett. Bennett,
18, born in Monona, Iowa, was accounted for on August 13.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Bennett was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Bennett.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Bennett.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl
for analysis.
To identify Bennett's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome DNA
(Y-STR) analysis, anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial
evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,866 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Bennett's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For information on funeral services, contact the Navy Service Casualty
office at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for missing Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the
DPAA website atwww.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at
Subject: Arkansas USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Sir/Ma'am,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, killed during World War II have been identified as those of Navy Water Tender 2nd Class Clarence M. Lockwood.
Lockwood, 21, born in Smithton, Arkansas, was accounted for on July 3.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Lockwood was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Lockwood.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Lockwood.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify Lockwood's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, as well as anthropological analysis and circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this recovery.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,866 (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Lockwood's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For information on funeral services, contact the Navy Service Casualty office at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
"The IDs will be made officially in the next couple of days," said John Byrd, the director of scientific analysis at the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting ...
... been identified, and the U.S. military will be notifying their families within days, directors for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said Monday.
To identify his remains, scientists from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency used material and circumstantial evidence. He will be laid to rest in ...
The Pentagon's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Sept. 4 that 1st Lt. Herman L. Falk's remains were identified last month using DNA ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 6 September, 2018 07:39
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Illinois USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Sir/Ma'am,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, killed during World War II have been
identified as those of Navy Seaman 1st Class Earl P. Baum. Baum, 19, born
in Chicago, was accounted for on August 23.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Baum was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was
moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese
aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it
to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429
crewmen, including Baum.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Baum.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl
for analysis.
To identify Baum's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis,
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72, 866 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Baum's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along
with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to
his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For information on funeral services, contact the Navy Service Casualty
office at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for missing Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 6 September, 2018 07:52
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Nebraska USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Sir/Ma'am,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, killed during World War II have been
identified as those of Navy Seaman 1st Class Joseph K. Maule. Maule, 18,
born in Bloomfield, Nebraska, was accounted for on August 8.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Maule was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Maule.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Maule.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl
for analysis.
To identify Maule's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome (Y-STR)
DNA analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial
evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,866 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Maule's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along
with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to
his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For information on funeral services, contact the Navy Service Casualty
office at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for missing Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 6 September, 2018 13:37
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Georgia Soldier Accounted For From The Korean War
Sir/Ma'am,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, killed during the Korean War, have been
identified as those of Army Sgt. 1st Class James S. Streetman, Jr.
Streetman, 23, born in Columbus, Georgia, was accounted for on August 31.
In July 1950, Streetman was a member of Company B, 19th Infantry Regiment,
24th Infantry Division, participating in the defense of the 24th ID's Kum
River Line against the Korean People's Army (KPA), near the town of Taejon,
South Korea. The KPA outmaneuvered and overwhelmed Streetman's regiment,
forcing units into a fighting withdrawal through enemy lines. Streetman was
initially reported to have been killed in action on Aug. 14, 1950, however
historical records determined he had been killed July 22, 1950.
After the war, the American Graves Registration Services (AGRS) processed
remains from South Korean battlefields for possible identification. Remains
that could not be identified were buried as "Unknowns" in the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
Because no remains could be associated with Streetman, he was declared
non-recoverable.
On Oct. 6, 1950, unidentified remains recovered from north of Taejon
designated as Unknown X-162, were interred by the U.S. Army in the former
American Cemetery No. 1, renamed to United States Military Cemetery Taejon.
After attempts to identify the remains were unsuccessful, Unknown X-162 were
declared unidentifiable and were subsequently interred at the National
Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In 2017, ten sets of remains were disinterred from NMCP, including Unknown
X-162, and sent to the laboratory for analysis.
To identify Streetman's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental,
anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, as well as
circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Today, 7,686 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North
Korea by American recovery teams. Streetman's name is recorded on the Courts
of the Missing at the NMCP in Honolulu along with the others who are missing
from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate
he has been accounted for.
For information on funeral services, contact the Army Service Casualty
office at (800) 892-2490.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for missing Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 6 September, 2018 07:39
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Wisconsin USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Sir/Ma'am,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, killed during World War II have been
identified as those of Navy Seaman 1st Class George E. Naegle. Nagle, 22,
born in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, was accounted for on August 27.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Naegle was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Naegle.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Naegle.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl
for analysis.
To identify Naegle's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,866 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Naegle's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For information on funeral services, contact the Navy Service Casualty
office at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for missing Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency exhumed the remains of Navy Seaman 1st Class George Naegle, of La Crosse, from the National ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 5 September, 2018 14:47
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Illinois Airman Accounted For From World War II
Sir/Ma'am,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, killed during World War II, have been
identified as those of Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Herbert W. Harms. Harms,
28, born in Rutland, Illinois, was accounted for on August 31.
In August 1944, Harms served as a B-17 tail gunner with the 569th
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 5 September, 2018 14:50
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Rhode Island Airman Accounted For From World War II
Sir/Ma'am,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, killed during World War II, have been
identified as those of Army Air Forces 1st Lt. John D. Crouchley, Jr.
Crouchley, 26, born in Providence, Rhode Island, was accounted for on August
31.
In June 1944, Crouchley served as a pilot with the 828th Bombardment
Squadron, 485th Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force. On June 28, 1944,
Crouchley was lost when his B-24H aircraft was shot down and crashed during
a combat mission over Romania. The nine crewmembers of aircraft parachuted
safely, were captured as prisoners of war in Belgium, and subsequently
returned to duty. Only Crouchley remained unaccounted for. Because the
crash occurred in enemy territory, American personnel were not able to
conduct an immediate search, and Bulgaria provided no evidence that his
remains were recovered or buried. Based on no further information of his
status, he was declared deceased as of June 29, 1945.
Following the close of hostilities, the American Graves Registration Command
(AGRC) searched for and disinterred the remains of U.S. service members who
were killed in battle. Investigators compared Crouchley's medical
information to unidentified remains recovered in Bulgaria, but a positive
match could not be made. On July 2, 1948, Crouchley's remains were declared
non-recoverable.
In 2010, an investigation team of analysts from the Defense POW/Missing
Personnel Office and the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (both predecessors
of DPAA) conducted a site survey of the alleged crash site and interviewed
potential witnesses. The site was consistent with the historical loss
records, as well as eyewitness accounts. The team recovered weaponry
bearing the serial number that correlated with Crouchley's aircraft.
From July to September 2017, a DPAA recovery team excavated the crash site,
overlooking the village of Churen. The team recovered possible osseous
remains and material evidence. The remains were accessioned to the
laboratory for analysis.
To identify Crouchley's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, as well as
circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to Col. Stanimir Stanev, Bulgarian Army, Retired and the
Bulgarian Government for their partnership in this recovery.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,866 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Crouchley's name is recorded on the
Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery, an American Battle
Monuments Commission site in Impruenta, Italy, along with others missing
from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been accounted for.
For information on funeral services, contact the Army Service Casualty
office at (800) 892-2490.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for missing Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the
DPAA website at www.dpaa.milor call (703) 699-1420/1169.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Tuesday that Pfc. Alva J. Cremean, who served on the U.S.S. Oklahoma, was accounted for as ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 4 September, 2018 13:18
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Arkansas Marine Accounted For From World War II
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, killed during World War II have been
identified as those of Marine Corps Sgt. Millard Odom. Odom, 26, born in
Batesville, Arkansas, was accounted for on August 20.
In November 1943, Odom was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 2nd
Marines, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed against stiff
Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the
Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of
intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were
killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were virtually
annihilated. Odom died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943, during
the first waves of the assault.
The battle of Tarawa was a significant victory for the U.S. military because
the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from
which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance
their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members
who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on
the island. Odom was reportedly buried in Cemetery #33. The 604th
Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery
operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but Odom's remains were not
identified. All of the remains found on Tarawa were sent to the Schofield
Barracks Central Identification Laboratory for identification in 1947. By
1949, the remains that had not been identified were interred in the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) in Honolulu.
On Feb. 27, 2017, DPAA disinterred Tarawa Unknown X-273 from the NMCP, and
sent the remains to the laboratory.
To identify Odom's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental,
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,866 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Odom's name is recorded on the Tablets of
the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others killed or lost in WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted
for.
For information on funeral services, contact the Marine Corps Service
Casualty office at (800) 847-1597.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for missing Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the
DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 4 September, 2018 13:13
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: New York Soldier Accounted For From The Korean War
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, killed during the Korean War, have been
identified as those of Army 1st Lt. Herman L. Falk. Falk, 22, of New York,
New York, was accounted for on August 14.
In February 1951, Falk was a member of Company B, 38th Infantry Regiment,
2nd Infantry Division, supporting Republic of Korea Army attacks against
units of the Chinese People's Volunteer Forces (CPVF) in an the vicinity of
Changbong-ni, South Korea. Falk, and half of his platoon, were reported
missing in action on Feb. 12, 1951.
Following the war, returning American prisoners of war reported that Falk
died in either April or May of 1951, while being held as a prisoner of war
at the Suan Bean Camp in North Korea.
Between 1990 and 1994, North Korea returned to the United States 208 boxes
of commingled human remains, which were later determined to contain the
remains of at least 400 U.S. servicemen who died during the war. First
Lieutenant Falk's remains were included in this turnover
To identify Falk's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome DNA
(Y-STR) analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as
circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA remains fully prepared to resume recovery operations in the Democratic
Republic of Korea, and looks forward to the continued fulfillment of the
commitment made by President Trump and Chairman Kim on the return and
recovery of U.S. service members in North Korea.
Today, 7,686 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North
Korea by American recovery teams. Falk's name is recorded on the Courts of
the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu,
along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For information on funeral services, contact the Army Service Casualty
office at (800) 892-2490.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for missing Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the
DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
Mueller died on May 3, 1951, unable to march farther north. On Aug. 4, 2017, Mueller's stepbrother Greg got a call from the POW/MIA Identification Lab ...
Presumed dead, the location of his body remained a mystery until the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency positively identified Duran's remains in ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 August, 2018 11:55
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Minnesota USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted-For From World War II
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, killed during World War II have been
identified as those of Navy Radioman 3rd Class Dante S. Tini. Tini,19, born
in Virginia, Minnesota, was accounted for on August 13.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Tini was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was
moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese
aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it
to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429
crewmen, including Tini.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Tini.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl
for analysis.
To identify Tini's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,866 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Tini's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along
with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to
his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 29 August, 2018 13:10
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: South Dakota USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted-For From World War II
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, killed during World War II have been
identified as those of Navy Seaman 2nd Class Myron K. Lehman. Lehman, 20,
born in Gann Valley, South Dakota, was accounted for on August 9.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Lehman was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Lehman.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Lehman.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl
for analysis.
To identify Lehman's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis,
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,866 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Lehman's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For information on funeral services, contact the Navy Service Casualty
office at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for missing Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the
DPAA website at www.dpaa.milor call (703) 699-1420/1169.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 29 August, 2018 13:10
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Arkansas USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted-For From World War II
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, killed during World War II have been
identified as those of Navy Seaman 1st Class Richard L. Watson, Watson,
20, born in Crossett, Arkansas, was accounted for on August 14.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Watson was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Watson.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Watson.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl
for analysis.
To identify Watson's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,866 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Watson's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For information on funeral services, contact the Navy Service Casualty
office at (800) 443-9298.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for missing Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the
As it turns out, those addresses, and corresponding Internet links, all are listed on a single website maintained by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting ...
BAKERSFIELD, California (KBAK/KBFX) — Military officials with The Department of Defense's POW/MIA agency identified the remains of a Bakersfield ...
moe note; although this is a “Blast from the Past” from POW Network please note the original published date is August 2016.
Please remember, that just because a sitting President (Eisenhower, Nixon) say there are NO LIVE POWs being held against their Will – Does NOT make it so. Just because Communist Country Leadership says they have NO Americans in their possession after the signing of the peace treaty/armistice – Does NOT make it so.
In my opinion, they were 20,000 plus left behind at the end of WW II, 1,000 plus left behind after we pulled out of Korea and 300 plus left behind in Indochina after our departure in 1973
Remember the Mission – NOT FORGOTTEN – until they come home or are accounted for.
From: POW Network <info@pownetwork.org> Sent: 24 August, 2018 20:40 To: undisclosed-recipients: Subject: Blast from the past
Kim Jong-Un is still holding elderly British and American prisoners of war in death camps SIXTY years after Korean War, experts claim
CIA documents also suggest an unknown number of Western soldiers were abandoned at the end of the war
By COREY CHARLTON
23rd August 2016, 10:35 am
Updated: 23rd August 2016, 10:35 am
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 28 August, 2018 11:42
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Marine Killed During World War II Accounted For (Schade, L.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Marine Corps Capt. Lester A. Schade, killed during World War II, was
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 28 August, 2018 08:55
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Jordan, W.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Seaman 1st Class Wesley V. Jordan, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on July 8, 2018.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 28 August, 2018 09:38
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Shelden, E.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Fire Controlman Edward J. Shelden, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on July 26, 2018.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 28 August, 2018 07:32
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (McKissack, H.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Seaman 1st Class Hale McKissack, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on July 26, 2018.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 28 August, 2018 07:31
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Dorr, C.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Fireman 2nd Class Carl D. Dorr, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on July 25, 2018.
... missing in action to call the appropriate Service Casualty Office (operating within the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency): Army (800-892-2490), ...
A large American Flag and an equally large POW/MIA flag stand tall, far above the rooftop of Ron Elliot's Marshallton-area home. Elliot is a Vietnam ...
In 2015, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, armed with new technology, renewed efforts to identify those lost at Pearl Harbor. Petty Officer ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 23 August, 2018 11:37
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Eberhardt, E.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Machinist's Mate 1st Class Eugene K. Eberhardt, killed during the
attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on July 3,
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 21 August, 2018 10:19
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Captured and Killed During Korean War Accounted For (Williams, K.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Pfc. Kenneth B. Williams, captured and killed during the Korean War,
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 21 August, 2018 10:19
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During World War II Accounted For (Boegli, W.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Pvt. William A. Boegli, killed during World War II, was accounted for
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 August, 2018 10:57
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Miles, A.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Machinist's Mate 2nd Class Archie T. Miles, killed during the attack on
the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on July 26, 2018.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 August, 2018 10:56
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (McKeeman, B.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Fireman 1st Class Bert E. McKeeman, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on Aug. 13, 2018.
Good Wednesday Afternoon Veterans, Patriots and Advocates!
The Link above was shared a few days ago – it is from an email sent by Bill Dumas – MIA Family member of Roger Dumas, Korean War POW who never came home! He was Last Known Alive (LKA) in Camp 5.
If you ever asked the question, to yourself or out loud, - “Did We Leave American Military Behind?”- this is a chance to formulate your answer based on rarely published facts.
Self-Education is vital to the success of the Accounting Mission.
FYI –
Last Known Alive by era;
WW II – 20,000 plus left in the hands of our ALLY – Russia/Stalin
Korea – 1,000 plus – note the film
Vietnam – ‘1205’ report, dtd. Sept. 1972, notes 1205 US military held by North Vietnam – only 591 released by 1 April 1973 – 600 plus unaccounted for, plus unaccounted for in Laos & Cambodia. Total could be 900 plus.
Just a reminder – Recovery of LIVE Military personnel does/did not fall under DPAA/DPMO/JPAC mission – SecDef, Pentagon, JSOC, State Department & White House as well as Intelligence Agencies are units involved in such action.
that would provide $10 million for POW/MIA identification. Senators have introduced a slew of other amendments to bill, which leaders have paired ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 20 August, 2018 10:56
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: New Mexico Airman Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Air Forces Sgt. Alfonso O. Duran, accounted for on May 22, will be
buried August 22 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Duran, 22, of El Rito, New Mexico, was killed during World War II.
His nephew, Stanley Evans, of Santa Fe, is available for interviews at (505)
982-3204.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Duran on file.
The envelope from Hawaii is postmarked Dec. 6, 1941. Inside is the last letter 19-year-old Marine Pfc. Robert Kimball Holmes sent home to his father ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 17 August, 2018 07:18
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Captured and Killed During World War II Accounted For (Worrell, M.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Pfc. Morris R. Worrell, captured and killed during World War II, was
... many sets of Korean War remains were in 55 boxes handed over by North Korea, officials with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said Aug.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 16 August, 2018 07:26
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Indiana Sailor Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Machinist's Mate 1st Class Arthur Glenn, accounted for on Nov. 17,
2017, will be buried August 21 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the
Pacific in Honolulu.
Glenn, 43, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II.
His great niece, Danielle Myers, also of Fort Wayne, is available for
interviews at (260) 615-9076.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Glenn on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 16 August, 2018 07:12
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During Korean War Accounted For (Spangenberg, G.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Pfc. George L. Spangenberg, killed during the Korean War, was accounted
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 16 August, 2018 07:10
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During Korean War Accounted For (Ball, M.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Pfc. Mathis O. Ball, Jr., killed during the Korean War, was accounted
Forty-five years after American Prisoners-of-War returned to the U.S. following ... the Director of the Defense for the POW and MIA Accounting Agency....
Shortly after, he became a P.O.W and died in November of 1942. ... Many people came out to remember his story, including veterans, POW/MIA riders ...
After 75 years a Germantown born Marine has finally returned home to Philadelphia.
Marine Pvt Emil F. Ragucci was given a police escort to the John F. Murray in Flourtown, PA for his full honors burial tomorrow in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, 3301 W. Cheltenham Ave., Philadelphia. PA.
I am writing in regard to the removal of the Bible from the POW/MIA display at F.E. Warren Air Force Base. Four generations of our family have served ...
American remains go to the sophisticated Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency's Forensic Identification Laboratory at Oahu in Hawaii to try to identify ...
Ketchum was identified in April by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Office. "It's a miracle," said Mary Jo Edge, Ketchum's daughter. Because it is an ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 10 August, 2018 08:32
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: California Airman Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Air Forces Capt. George Van Vleet, Jr., 35, accounted for on March 19,
will be buried August 18 in his hometown.
Van Vleet, 35, of Fresno, California, Was killed during World War II.
His daughter, Ann Wagner, also of Fresno, is available for interviews at
(559) 439-7918.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Van Vleet on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 10 August, 2018 08:35
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Pfc. Joe S. Elmore, accounted for on Jul 3, will be buried August 18 in
Albany, Kentucky.
Elmore, 20, of Seminary, Kentucky, was killed during the Korean War.
His niece, Debbie Bowlin, is available for interviews at (270) 791-7877.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Elmore on file.
... and Rear Adm. Jon Kreitz, deputy director of the POW/MIA Accounting Agency, attend at a ceremony marking the arrival of the remains believed to ...
... dismantling its nuclear test ground and repatriating POW/MIA remains would contribute to improving relations, Xinhua news agency reported.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 9 August, 2018 08:29
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During Korean War Accounted For (Duquette, L.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Pfc. Leo J. Duquette, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for
Sent: 8/8/2018 6:18:11 PM Eastern Standard Time
Subject: Great Podcast with Ann Mills-Griffiths (POW/MIA Families) and Kelly McKeague, Head of DPAA
Hi All, (Please pass this along to others)
Below is a link to a podcast from 8/2/18 - this is one of the best presentations I have heard about the recovery of Americans troops who are Still Missing & Uncounted for…it will give hope to POW/MIA families, Veterans and to those presently serving in the Military.
An exceptional job by all 3 interviewees:
1. Retired Air Force Maj Gen Kelly McKeague Head of DPAA
2. Ann Mills-Griffiths, Head of National League of POW/MIA Families
3. Mr. Bryan Bender, Defense Editor for Politico, Author (You Are Not Forgotten…)
4. The interviewer is a Guest Host, Celeste Headlee…also did a great job.
The interviews are on a podcast at the link below (once there, Click on the word “Listen” in an orange box)
As Dr. John Byrd, chief scientist of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, put it ... Others perished in distant Chinese or North Korean POW camps.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 7 August, 2018 09:14
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Wisconsin Soldier Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Sgt. 1st Class Rufus L. Ketchum, accounted for on April 23, will be
buried August 14 in his hometown.
Ketchum, 38, of Superior, Wisconsin, was killed during the Korean War.
His daughter, Mary Edge, also of Superior, is available for interviews at
(715) 392-3031.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Ketchum on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 7 August, 2018 09:55
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Pennsylvania Marine Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Reserve Pvt. Emil F. Ragucci, accounted for on Nov. 13, 2017,
will be buried August 14 in his hometown.
Ragucci, 19, of Philadelphia, was killed during the battle of Tarawa in
World War II.
His nephew, Charles Ragucci, is available for interviews at (610) 203-2272.
The Department of Defense has the attached photos of Ragucci on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 7 August, 2018 12:11
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Airman Killed During World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Air Forces Flight Officer Richard W. Lane, accounted for on April 23,
will be buried August 9 in Gage, Nebraska.
Lane, 21, of Beatrice, Nebraska, was killed during World War II.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Lane on file.
Obviously, they have never read or been a part of the POW/MIA ceremony that states, in part, “the Bible serves to remind us of the comfort of faith ...
He is the 149th USS Oklahoma crew member to be identified through the efforts of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency laboratory at Offutt Air ...
THE NEW YORK TIMES
How the Defense Department Identifies the Remains of Our War Dead
By John Ismay Aug. 2, 2018
On Wednesday, two military cargo planes carrying 55 aluminum coffin-shaped cases landed at Hickam Air Force Base in Oahu, Hawaii.
Inside are presumed to be the remains of American service members who died in North Korea between 1950 and 1953 during the Korean War....
Fri, 3 Aug 2018 20:25:15 -0400
moe note:
I cannot tell you how many times in the past week we all have been subject to the press/journalistic question “Why 55 sets of remains? Didn’t the President say something about 200 sets of remains?” ‘Why are the boxes covered with a UNITED NATIONS Flag in lieu of an AMERICAN Flag?’
As Noted by Hal – let’s see if the infamous single “Dog Tag” matches a name on John’s list of 55. For the sake of the 55 Families I truly hope it is a match.
...The Pentagon exclusively showed Fox News military equipment that was found among the remains, including several pairs of boots, two helmets, several canteen bottles, dozens of buttons, buckles, a bayonet handle, socks and one pair of what appeared to be fingerless gloves.
One dog tag from a U.S. Army soldier was among the recovered equipment, and two sons of the deceased soldier will receive the dog tag next week.
Most of the remains returned to the U.S. were from the village of Sinheung Ri, near the Chosin Reservoir. The site hosted a famous battle fought from November to December of 1950 during the Korean War....
... center, and Rear Adm. Jon Kreitz, deputy director of the POW/MIA Accounting Agency, watch as military members carry transfer cases of the remains ...
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Eric Feltz, mortuary affairs specialist assigned to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, secures a U.S. flag onto a ...
From: Ann Mills-Griffiths <powmiafam@aol.com> Sent: 2 August, 2018 17:21 Subject: Re: DPAA Press Briefing at Pentagon on DPRK Remains
Click on this link to see Kelly McKeague, DPAA Director, and Dr. John Byrd (from Hawaii) on a live DoD briefing to interested press. Kelly begins with a statement, then opens the floor to questions, and the entire press conference is one hour long. You'll learn a lot, mostly about the remains of assumed US personnel unaccounted-for from the Korean War and the prognosis for the future, as well as ID's on those returned. It is worthwhile. Best to all, Ann
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 2 August, 2018 14:28
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Georgia Soldier Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Cpl. Terrell J. Fuller, accounted for on April 13, will be buried Aug.
11 in his hometown.
Fuller, 20, of Toccoa, Georgia, was captured and killed during the Korean
War.
His grand-niece, Amy Hix is available for interviews at (706) 224-3531.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Fuller on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 2 August, 2018 14:24
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Pennsylvania Soldier Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Sgt. William A. Larkins, accounted for on May 4, 2017, will be buried
Aug. 10, in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania.
Larkins, 20, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was killed during the Korean War.
His family does not wish to be contacted by media.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Larkins on file.
... are bound for a forensic laboratory run by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in Honolulu, for testing that may finally offer answers to families ...
... Tuskegee Airmen and one of just 27 who went missing during the war, have been found in Austria, per the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 31 July, 2018 16:21
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During World War II Accounted For (Shankles, L.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Pfc. Leslie Shankles, killed during World War II, was accounted for on
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 31 July, 2018 16:21
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Marine Killed During World War II Accounted For (Goldtrap, C.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Marine Corps Cpl. Claire E. Goldtrap, killed during World War II, was
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 31 July, 2018 16:06
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Marine Killed During World War II Accounted For (Zehetner, R.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Robert L. Zehetner, killed during World War II,
DNA to X-ray: To ID remains from North Korea, military has a range of tools
...The military has been collecting DNA from such family members since 1992, and has reached the relatives of 92 percent of the 8,100 service members who were listed as missing at the end of the Korean War, McMahon said....
A meaningful first step. Hopeful, but with a watchful eye. Joy for the families of the fallen.
These are the reactions from veterans and advocates on the first tangible outcome of President Donald Trump's efforts to bring home American war dead from the Korean peninsula, 65 years to the day after combat ended.
“This is a huge step in the right direction that we hope will finally bring peace to the peninsula and closure to American families who have been waiting more than six decades for their loved ones to return home from their war,” said VFW national commander Vincent B.J. Lawrence.
[PIC - A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster, a cargo aircraft, carried the remains that landed at the U.S. Osan Air Base, just south of the Seoul on Friday. ]
Joe Anello, a U.S. Army Korean War veteran and former prisoner of war in Korea said he was “cautiously optimistic” when it comes to this latest gesture from Pyongyang.
“I’m very happy they’re returning them if they are in fact our men. I know it will mean a lot to the families,” he said. “And that means a lot to me because, as you know, I buried friends there.”
But Anello remains skeptical, however, given that North Korea has been using American remains as “bait.” “They use them whenever they think they can get some kind of advantage, or get some kind of favor with us for negotiations,” he said.
The remains will be carefully transferred to a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency office in Hawaii, where forensic experts will begin the tedious task of identifying them. North Korea has, in the past, the mixed U.S. remains with non-human carcasses.
To ensure the remains could be positively identified as American, the VFW is urging families of Korean War missing to provide a DNA sample to the Defense Department.
“Identifications can be made through strong circumstantial evidence, but nothing says proof-positive better than an actual DNA match,” said Lawrence.
According to the VFW, DNA reference samples from families only account for 91 percent of Korean War mission. And, they’re calling on family members to submit a reference sample, “in the hope that the next identification announcement is their long-lost soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine.”
Relatives can contact a military service casualty officer for information on how to provide a sample at the following phone numbers:
U.S. Army: (800) 892-2490
U.S. Marine Corps: (800) 847-1597
U.S. Navy: (800) 443-9298
U.S. Air Force: (800) 531-5501
“We owe it to their families and we owe to their battle buddies,” added Lawrence.
It’s going to be a long process, says Ann Mills-Griffiths, chairman, and CEO of the National League of POW/MIA.
“Concrete answers bring an end to uncertainty, and the uncertainty about a missing loved one is what motivates all the questions and effort after all these years,” said Mills-Griffiths, whose brother is still missing from Vietnam.
“If you can get identifiable remains and have a funeral here in the United States then that brings finality, it’s a tremendous relief."
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 July, 2018 15:30
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Marine Killed During World War II Accounted For (Riser, M.)
Sir/Ma'am,
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Merton R. Riser, killed during World War II, was
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 July, 2018 17:17
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Tuskegee Airman Killed During World War II Accounted For (Dickson, L.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
U.S. Army Air Forces Capt. Lawrence E. Dickson, killed during World War II,
U.S. Receives Fallen Service Members’ Remains From North Korea
DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, July 27, 2018 — The United Nations Command with support from U.S. Forces Korea today repatriated 55 cases of remains of fallen U.S. service members returned by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, also known as North Korea, according to a news release.
A U.S. cargo aircraft flew to Wonson, North Korea, to receive the remains and returned promptly to Osan Air Base, South Korea, the release said.
“Now, we will prepare to honor our fallen before they continue on their journey home,” Brooks added.
Brooks will host a full honors ceremony for the fallen service members August 1. Immediately following that ceremony, the remains will be flown to Hawaii for further processing under the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
The UNC in Korea remains committed to enforcing the 1953 U.N. Armistice Agreement to return fallen service members, the release said.
“The United States owes a profound debt of gratitude to those American service members who gave their lives in service to their country and we are working diligently to bring them home” according to a statement released by the White House. “It is a solemn obligation of the United States government to ensure that the remains are handled with dignity and properly accounted for so their families receive them in an honorable manner.
“Today’s actions represent a significant first step to recommence the repatriation of remains from North Korea and to resume field operations in North Korea to search for the estimated 5,300 Americans who have not yet returned home,” the statement added.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 July, 2018 07:39
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Kvidera, W.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Carpenter's Mate 3rd Class William L. Kvidera, killed during the attack
on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on July 3, 2018.
From: McKeague, Kelly K SES DPAA FO (US)
Sent: 26 July, 2018 22:16
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Update on Korean War Unaccounted-for in DPRK
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As you all know, the joint statement by President Trump and Chairman Kim
issued as a result of their summit in Singapore included a commitment to
repatriating and recovering remains of US service members from the DPRK.
Since then, we have been actively engaged with US Government partners to
ensure fulfillment of this pledge. Many thanks to those of you for publicly
emphasizing the importance of this humanitarian endeavor. Your efforts
certainly contributed to the DPRK's commitment, as the President had
previously alluded to.
We are pleased that a few hours ago the DPRK turned over 55 boxes containing
the possible remains of missing DoD personnel to the United Nations Command.
Four anthropologists and one forensic photographer from DPAA conducted a
preliminary review of the remains at Wonsan Airport prior to being
transported to joint US-RoK air base at Osan on an USAF aircraft.
During the next few days, those scientists will perform a more detailed
field forensic review, and on Aug 1, the remains will be honorably carried
onto two USAF aircraft for their return to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in
Hawaii. After the dignified ceremony, the remains will be accessioned into
our laboratory where in-depth forensic analyses will begin.
We have not yet reached an agreement with the DPRK regarding future field
recoveries; however, we are working closely with our DoD, State Department,
and National Security Council partners on this matter. Our collective goal
is to commence field operations in the DPRK next Spring.
Of the 400+ U.S. remains either unilaterally turned over by the DPRK in the
early 1990s or recovered during DoD's 1996-2005 operations in North Korea,
over 337 individuals have been identified, accounted-for and returned to
their families for burial with full military honors. The most recent of
these occurred this past April.
We are guardedly optimistic about the weeks and months ahead, as we endeavor
to bring long-awaited answers to more families who lost loved ones in the
Korean War.
We look forward to seeing some of you at next month's Korea/Cold War
Government Briefings in Arlington, VA.
Best regards,
Kelly
Kelly McKeague
Director, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
"Fulfilling Our Nation's Promise"
moe note; we must remember to not get caught up in the media hype of recent ‘progress’ in the POW/MIA issue with North Korea. Mark is trying to keep us ‘grounded’ on this issue. Since the Armistice signing, 65 years ago, we have been looking for answers on 8,000 plus American Military. The North Koreans have ‘HELPED’ us with the repatriation of approximately 1,000 sets of Remains , dating back to 1954, of which we have NOT reached the halfway point on identifying them yet, but what about our Last Known Alive (LKA)!?? We know from the returning POWs in 1953 that their were other Americans that were Alive and in the Camp with them but they did NOT make the exchange. North Korea has dangled the ‘carrot’ of Remains in our face many times over the last six decades, but somewhere close to 75% of the original MIA Cases remain open.
Let’s do our best to help those that still wait by staying focused on the Mission and the Truth.
FYI, see below notes from our book re DPRK and remains:
One reason DoD has to be careful in receiving remains from Pyongyang is that the regime has engaged in deception operations involving them in past – including “salting” sites to be excavated by the US – in one case, see below, a “battlefield’ remains was discovered with its cranium glued together. At least one other had been prepared for use as a lab skeleton. The North Koreans buried them beforehand at locations the US had paid to search.
North Korea may claim the remains to be returned this week were “discovered” by farmers, but US intel reports indicate the North Koreans have warehoused perhaps hundreds of US remains to, IMO, in effect sell back to us.
The North Koreans have also sent back mingled and misidentified remains and, in one alleged case, animal remains claimed to be a UN ally POW/MIA.
Finally there is the issue of the glacial pace of Pentagon identifications of Korean War POW/MIA. DPAA, the Pentagon POW/MIA agency, has still not identified all the remains North Korea returned in 1954. Some Korean War POW/MIA family members are demanding the “new” remains be sent to private labs, fearing they – the POW/MIA loved ones – will be dead before the remains are identified if left in the hands of the Pentagon.
The info below is from 2013 and in most cases the situation has not changed.
Category in Pentagon List of Korean War POW/MIA Remains
In 2007, the Pentagon identified human remains recovered from an infantry battlefield in Kujang County, North Korea, by a combined team from North Korea and the Pentagon’s Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC). Among those identified was Col. Douglas Hatfield, a Korean War MIA. This might not seem exceptional, except for the fact that when Hatfield went missing, he was aboard a B-29 bomber that crashed some 80 miles away from where his body was found. This raises an obvious question: How did an aviator’s body end up in infantry fighting position? And why did one set of US remains from the site (it’s unclear if they were Hatfield’s or another aviator) show signs of death from a plane crash, instead of a ground battle?
It appears Hatfield’s remains, along with others, were “salted” by the North Koreans. In other words, Pyongyang buried remains where Americans were scheduled to dig. The North Koreans didn’t even try hard to make it appear natural. “At one DPRK recovery site, glue was detected on recovered remains, apparently used to reconstruct a cranium. Other remains had been drilled or cut, suggesting the remains were prepared for rearticulation (e.g., making a lab skeleton),” the 2012 internal “Cole Report” on JPAC notes. These salted remains, and others North Korea dug up itself and returned in boxes for American payments, were so badly excavated, contaminated and mixed up (in “shambolic” condition, says the report) it will take far longer to identify them, and likely prove impossible in many cases.
Despite untold millions of dollars spent over recent decades in the effort, JPAC has only “accounted for” 236 of over 8,000 Korean War POW/MIAs, averaging fewer than eight identifications per year. While North Korea, China and Russia stonewall American attempts to locate and recover remains overseas, more than 1,200 unidentified bodies are in American hands, but the Pentagon does not focus on identifying these men, to the fury of many family members.
JPAC’s remains recovery operation is “dysfunctional,” according to the scathing 2012 Cole Report, named after its author Dr. Paul Cole, a JPAC employee, management consultant and POW/MIA expert. The organization is also marked by waste, abuse and potential fraud. (It is important to mention here the deep appreciation owed to most Pentagon field personnel. Many leave their families for long periods to live in harsh conditions, often risking their personal safety, to recover lost American heroes across the globe. They are skilled service members and civil servants who do not bear responsibility for mismanagement from the top and misconduct by their peers.)
Our own investigation shows that families have not been informed of critical information, including that remains returned from the war were associated with their loved ones via dog tags or identification by North Korea. A Pentagon database reports the “wrong bodies” of Korean War missing were shipped home, raising the possibility loved ones received by families were actually the remains of someone else. In other cases, the Pentagon publicly announced men had been identified, but they are still carried as “unaccounted for.” Is this a mistake in the identifications or the list? Were families told? Sixty years after the end of the war, the remains of America’s Korean War POW/MIAs remain unfinished business.
U.S. Remains: a North Korean Natural Resource
By salting with the bodies of missing Americans, North Korea was apparently trying to ensure remains were discovered in places where Pyongyang wanted the Pentagon to dig. This kept US investigators away from places North Korea didn’t want them, while ensuring the Americans recovered remains and so kept paying for access. The “North Koreans have a considerable quantity of remains that they have systematically planted for later recovery,” Pentagon scientists concluded, according to the Cole Report. In 2008, a North Korean told visiting Senate staffers the country had remains of about 100 Americans, according to a Pentagon record. By other estimates, Pyongyang has excavated far more from the graves and death sites of thousands of Americans who died in North Korean prison camps and battlefields. “Hundreds” of American remains were already in a Pyongyang warehouse by the late 1980s, a Chinese official told the U.S.
Now, because of tensions in the relationship, Washington and Pyongyang are no longer working together to recover remains. But the North Koreans are patient. It may not be oil, but they know their ground contains a valuable resource.
<image015.jpg>
North Korea has taken clues from the strategy its ally Vietnam used to extract financial and diplomatic benefits from American war dead (though Pyongyang’s execution has been less sophisticated than Hanoi’s). The United States has paid North Korea more than $22 million for POW remains, access and excavations. Pyongyang has also used the issue to advance key goals, such as increasing direct contact with the US and reducing support for sanctions against the country. The remains issue has helped North Korea bypass the Armistice Agreement’s Military Armistice Commission, as Beijing was able to do after the war by negotiating directly with the US for captive POW political prisoners in China. Meanwhile, as Pyongyang tries to extract every concession it can from the remains while dragging out the process for years, America has provided it an estimated $1.3 billion in food and other aid.
Where Are the Remains?
Most unrecovered Korean War remains exist in North Korea, but there are others in South Korea and crash sites in China. We believe yet more rest near secret camp sites in China and the former Soviet Union, though, as discussed earlier, the Pentagon denies the existence of such camps.
But the location of one the largest concentrations of unidentified US remains from the Korean War surprises some people – it’s Hawaii.
<image016.jpg>
The Punchbowl is a Honolulu national cemetery in an extinct volcano crater (said to be the site of ancient Hawaiian human sacrifices), where unidentified remains the Communists exchanged in 1954’s “Operation Glory,” plus others found in South Korea, are buried. At last count, 853 unidentified remains rest there. Combined with others, mostly in the nearby Hawaiian labs of JPAC, at least 1,200 and by some reports up to 1,800 human remains from the Korean War are in US hands.
Who Will Live to See Them Identified?
With all those remains in hand, why has the Pentagon been identifying so few Korean War POW/MIAs every year? At current rates, everyone who ever knew a man missing from Korea could be dead before even the remains in American custody are identified.
One reason is policy. “DPMO (Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office) attempted to prevent JPAC from conducting disinterments for the purpose of identification,” according to the Cole Report, which says a senior DPMO official called disinterment “grave robbing.” As discussed below, some family members believe this is because the Pentagon has, in effect, buried its mistakes in the Punchbowl.
In March of 2013, DPMO held a regional update in Birmingham for family members of the missing. A senior leader of JPAC mentioned a Congressional goal to identify 200 remains per year (from all wars) by 2015. He quickly declared that federal budget “sequester” rules prevented his teams from excavating in foreign countries, thus ensuring the goal would not be met (he failed to mention JPAC’s “dysfunctional” management and other systematic problems noted in the Cole Report.)
Zimmerlee asked the JPAC official about remains in the Punchbowl, which obviously did not require foreign travel. DPMO’s senior leader, Montague Winfield, rose and took the microphone to declare the existence of special protocols for exhuming remains from there. Good prospects of identification must exist before exhumation (the phrase “likelihood of identification” is often used by Pentagon officials), he said, in order to show “respect” for the remains.
This brought some graying family members to their feet, incensed. Many had been waiting decades for identification of their loved ones and had not nearly that many years left. A family member declared: “The people in this room are the people who care most about the remains in the Punchbowl. If they are ever to be identified, it is most likely that they are a member of one of our families. If you truly respect these remains, then do what their families expect. Dig them up and put them in the lab. Then give them some attention and identify them. That is the ‘respect’ that they deserve!”
The crowd cheered.
To be fair, the Punchbowl remains were covered in formaldehyde in 1954 to preserve the bones for future identification. Ironically, the chemical makes DNA analysis difficult. In recent years, the Pentagon has made a major and often successful push to get DNA from the relatives of the missing. But even without easier DNA identification, x-ray, bone-matching “clavicle” techniques, dental and other diagnostics can be performed.
What the Pentagon did not share with the families is an internal study showing 91 remains in the Punchbowl have a “Very High Potential” for identification and 523 have “Potential” to be identified, according to the Cole Report, which also noted that Punchbowl cases are often easier and faster to identify. There is usually substantial information associated with these remains and Pentagon experts can pick the ones most likely to produce identification. “In August 2011, three unknowns exhumed from the Punchbowl were identified in less than one month,” according to the report.
So why aren’t more being identified?
X Files
Some nonprofit organizations and private researchers believe the Pentagon hoards remains and “supposedly lost” information that, if made public, would allow outsiders to generate useful data and increase identifications. Of greater concern, the military has failed to share information even with family members.
We have reviewed cases in which evidence suggests men carried as KIA had actually been captured and were seen alive after their reported “date of death.” In some cases, remains of these men had apparently been sent home. Certainly the reports of their captivity may have been wrong in some cases, but it’s also possible the military sent home someone else’s body.
More than 250 sets of still unidentified remains from Operation Glory have been associated with names of currently missing Americans. In other words, North Korea provided names for the remains it returned, and those names match men still missing. But the Pentagon did not tell all of the families.
Zimmerlee has shared this information with at least two dozen family members whose loved ones’ names are listed. None had been informed and all wanted to know, even if the information turned out to be wrong. The Pentagon appears to withhold the data because the names are often wrongly assigned and, in some cases, the remains have been identified as someone else. But the government does not make clear why families are better off not knowing the North Koreans somehow had their relatives’ name and service number. Even if the Koreans provided inaccurate information, their possession and use of the data may provide clues.
We have also uncovered documents showing that scores of Americans were “accounted for” in some manner by the Pentagon, but their status never changed. Despite evidence their remains returned home, they are still listed as “unaccounted for.”
For example, in 1956, while preparing for meetings in Geneva, the US government announced it had updated the list of missing based on analysis of remains from Project Glory. It said 56 Army soldiers and four Air Force personnel had been removed from the list for which America “demand(ed) accountability” (up to ten Marines may have also been accounted for in this phase.) Physically or forensically, Pentagon specialists had identified 60 men by examination of remains. Yet some of those names remain on the “unaccounted for” list. Were they really identified in the first place? And if so, were their families notified? We can’t tell.
Many “unidentified remains” are associated with information linking them to specific men, from name tags to computer analysis, but the Pentagon apparently does not always share this with family members.
Sometimes information leaks. Zimmerlee obtained documentation that a set of unidentified remains called “Masan KS X25” had been narrowed down by Pentagon investigators in 1955 to one of just three men: Sgt. Lee Henry, Pfc. John A. Taylor and Pfc. Robert D. Fogle. Such a case would seem to call for a renewed attempt at identification using modern technology and data.
The case of “Inchon X-20” proves illuminating. The remains belong to a Caucasian, 18-20 years old, about 5’ 8”, with brown hair. Investigators believed X-20 might be associated with Pfc. Edward E. Smedley, lost on September 20, 1950, or Pfc. Robert D Miller, who went missing three days later. However, a post-war search for dental records to confirm an identification came up empty. The remains were buried in the Punchbowl and forgotten.
As noted earlier, the Pentagon does not make it easy for Zimmerlee to share his information with other family members, but in this case he was able to track down Edward Smedley’s brother, Harold. With Harold’s encouragement, in early 2013 JPAC provided an extensive new evaluation of the X-20 remains using sophisticated computer software not available in decades past. Edward Smedley turned out not to be a match with X-20, but the software revealed he did share some common elements with 39 other remains and further investigation should be conducted.
How about Pfc. Robert Miller, the other possible match? Zimmerlee asked the Army Casualty office to let Miller’s family know about the new information. If the Army ever followed up, the Miller family did not come forward, as far as we can tell.
<image017.jpg>
POW Investigators Risk Their Lives in Expensive Global Operations While Hundreds of Unidentified Remains Sit in Hawaii
<image018.jpg>
Is This The Best They Can Do?
Pressure from Congress and the families has been building for years to increase the number of annual identifications for the estimated 83,000 Americans missing from World War II on. One goal was 200 identifications by 2015. “JPAC could fake everything except the identifications,” notes the Cole Report, the 2012 internal review of JPAC operations by noted POW/MIA expert Dr. Paul Cole.
The report was allegedly suppressed and in effect “banned” by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) leaders after its release, but we and the Associated Press were able to obtain information from it. The result: national headlines and more disturbing revelations.
<image019.jpg>
“The Pentagon's effort to account for tens of thousands of Americans missing in action from foreign wars is so inept, mismanaged and wasteful that it risks descending from ‘dysfunction to total failure,’ according to an internal study suppressed by military officials,” the Associated Press reported in early July 2013. Reporter Bob Burns discovered memos showing JPAC considered the Cole Report accurate, but the organization’s commander at the time decided to suppress it.
Even the current JPAC commander, Air Force Maj. Gen. Kelly K. McKeague, agrees it is accurate to call JPAC dysfunctional. “I'd say you're right, and we're doing something about it,” he told the AP in July 2013.
Among findings from the report (with some updates from the AP):
JPAC’s annual average number of identifications has dropped to 69 (for all wars, including Korea) from 85 in earlier periods; there is little chance it will come close to achieving 200 identifications per year;
The time an average case spends in the lab before identification has increased from four to 11 years;
In the last ten years, the lab has identified 115 individuals twice and one individual three times, part of a broader JPAC pattern of wasteful investigations of resolved cases;
The cost of each identification is set to rise and could in some scenarios reach $2.1 to $5.7 million per case (for men from all wars);
JPAC and DPMO suffer from overlapping responsibilities and continued bureaucratic infighting; and
JPAC is mismanaged and home to waste, abuse and possible fraud.
Essentially, there is little or no hope JPAC and its ostensible partner DPMO will meet the oft-cited Congressional goal of 200 identifications a year for POWs from all wars (senior DPMO official and retired Maj. Gen. Montague Winfield – who formerly commanded JPAC – emphasized to us in June 2013 there is actually no such Congressional goal to achieve 200 identifications per year. Rather, the goal is to achieve the “capacity and capability” to make that many identifications. We can see how Pentagon POW officials prefer to be graded on “capacity and capability” instead of hard numbers, but the point appears moot. Winfield said the Pentagon will fail even to achieve the “capacity and capability’ goal due to budget issues.)
Congress and the Pentagon reacted to public disclosure of the Cole Report with alarm. Pentagon leaders were unaware of many issues in the report, said a Pentagon spokesman, and an investigation would be conducted. Remarkably, the Pentagon placed the top official ultimately responsible for the POW issue in charge of the probe, in effect allowing him to investigate the failings of his own organization.
The report blames much of the problem on JPAC’s failure to find new remains likely to produce identifications. A main cause of the failure: “a ‘military tourism’ procurement method.” “Military tourism,” the report explains, is “a pattern of foreign travel, accommodations and activities paid for by public funds that are ultimately unnecessary, excessive, inefficient, or unproductive.” In effect, travel boondoggles.
The investigation reveals large amounts of money and untold man hours spent on trips that produced no POW/MIA information of value. For example, JPAC investigators spent five nights in a luxury Paris hotel with “no report” of POW-related activity.
One especially disturbing report involves a JPAC team that visited a French building, ostensibly to investigate the reported remains of a World War I GI. The team found a toy skeleton and what appeared to be dog bones – but the search also revealed bottles of champagne. After this find, the team leader reported: “We finished the champagne, packed our case of bottles in the van, and we bid with adieu… I turned to the team and said, ‘That’s how it’s done ladies and gentlemen.’ The best case ever!”
<image020.png>
A JPAC Investigation:
Toy Skeleton, Probable Dog Bones and Champagne
The Cole Report asserted that not only was the trip a waste of time and money, but upon returning to base an official attempted to put through a carefully crafted report to justify a return trip. “This is a clear case of the (investigations unit) willfully withholding data as well as selectively excluding data from analysis, which are both examples of gross research misconduct. Withholding information concerning the rubber skeleton and the non-human osseous material (dog bones) was a deliberate attempt to create a serious distortion,” the Cole Report concluded. “There is no record of JPAC Command or senior management taking administrative action against those responsible for what in best international practice constitutes Core Research Misconduct.”
In another case, the report alleges, almost $100,000 was wasted sending historians to investigate the case of men “who were located, recovered, identified and removed from the roster of the missing 65 years ago.”
“Unreliable Results”
One element of the Cole Report raises even more disturbing issues. In a discussion of the Pentagon’s flawed POW/MIA lists, discussed earlier, the report analyzes a JPAC database called CARIS (Central Accounting Repository and Information System). The report features a chart called “CARIS: Unreliable Results.” By the names of some missing men, the chart indicates mistakes in the database location of remains, such as “Off by 8 Km (kilometers).”
The chart also shows that the “database of the missing” includes men who actually returned home alive. “(P)eople carried as KIA (in the JPAC CARIS database) in fact survived the Korean War,” it reveals.
Perhaps most importantly, it has the notation “Wrong body sent home?” by the names of three men reportedly returned in Operational Glory, the exchange of remains after the war. Next to those names are different identities under the column “Accurate data,” implying the remains returned home had been misidentified.
<image021.jpg>
We asked the Pentagon to explain this. JPAC would not respond. A DPMO official told us the “Name” column is the identity provided by the Communists during Operation Glory, while the “Accurate Data” is the identity determined by US military identification experts. “’(P)rovided names’ (from the Communists) were circulated for forensic purposes only, but are now widely mistaken for ‘names identified,’” he wrote. We were still puzzled as to why the comment in the Cole Report states “Wrong body sent home?” and is highlighted, since the report is based on recent information and written by an expert no doubt well aware of the difference between Communist-supplied names and actual identifications.
The Pentagon official also noted: “You also need to know that the Lab at Kokura (where bodies were identified by the US) had a wonderful mix of US and Japanese anthropologists, with widely varying academic and government backgrounds. Internal disagreement was common enough. Notes passed back and forth… So a jabbing comment like, ‘Wrong body sent home?’ does not surprise me. My best belief, and I’d say the same to the families, is that it sorted out in good faith.”
Not mentioned by the Pentagon official is that the “wonderful mix” of people identifying Americans from the Korean War included an anthropologist later criticized by Congress and other investigators for sloppy work during the Vietnam War. An investigation revealed the man’s credentials had been inflated and raised allegations he and his co-workers, working for the predecessor of JPAC, had misidentified Vietnam War remains. In at least one case, an “identified” MIA from Vietnam had to be exhumed when his actual remains were later discovered.
In the best case, the CARIS chart in the Cole Report represents a data entry mistake now fixed, or an internal investigative discrepancy resolved and the original identifications verified. In the worst case, “wrong bodies” may have indeed been sent home. Either way, the situation is confused. We have not received clarification by publication time.
We can say with certainty the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) remains under the spotlight. As we write, it is undergoing the final phase of another investigation, this from the federal Government Accountability Office. JPAC’s commander in July 2013 predicted substantial changes might be in store for the Pentagon’s POW/MIA operations. Better late than never.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 26 July, 2018 10:13
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Marine Killed During World War II Accounted For (Holmes, R.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Marine Corps Pfc. Robert K. Holmes, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on May 9, 2018.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 26 July, 2018 12:33
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Airman Killed During World War II Accounted For (Cornwell, O.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Ottaway B. Cornwell, killed during World War II, has
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 26 July, 2018 12:03
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During World War II Accounted For (Cummings, J.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Pvt. John B. Cummings, killed during World War II, was accounted for on
PS Pentagon POW/MIA still lists them as MIA, despite declassified military intel records showing they were confirmed POWs.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 25 July, 2018 13:22
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Mintus, W.)
Navy Aviation Radioman 3rd Class Walter E. Mintus, killed during World War
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 23 July, 2018 07:18
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Pace, M.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Fireman 1st Class Millard C. Pace, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on March 26, 2018.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 19 July, 2018 10:30
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During Korean War Accounted For (Mills, A.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Cpl. Albert E. Mills, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for
Leonard Chinn earned the Silver Star while fighting in World War II. The SilverStar is the “third-highest military combat decoration that can be awarded ...
The U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced in February that Gibson's body had been finally accounted for thanks to advances in DNA ...
From: Marty Eddy <eddypowmia@aol.com>
Sent: Fri, Jul 20, 2018 5:47 pm
Subject: National League of POW-MIA Families 49th annual meeting program and presentations link
The National League of POW/MIA Families (the League) has uploaded detailed information from the 49th annual meeting to the League website. The multi-day meeting was one of the best and most encouraging in years. If you follow the link below, it will take you to the League annual meeting page.
Scroll to "NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POW/MIA FAMILIES 49th ANNUAL MEETING" and look for the .pdf documents you can open and read online or save for later reading. The documents include: the 49th annual meeting program with letters from the president and the US ambassadors to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia; remarks given by Richard Childress, the League senior policy advisor; a US-Russia Joint Commission presentation and a command briefing, both given by Kelly McKeague, director of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA); 12 DPAA presentations covering various aspects of the accounting process; and a workshop covering off-the-scope aircraft losses.
I urge you to take advantage of access to this information. Share the link with others. As you know, the League concerns itself with those unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. However, you will find reference to activities and processes concerning other wars in some of the DPAA presentations. I recommend you read the program book, Mr. Childress's remarks, and Director McKeague's remarks -- in that order -- before you delve into the DPAA presentations and the workshop materials.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 20 July, 2018 11:39
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Kansas Airman Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Vincent L. Politte, accounted for on April 11,
will be buried July 30 in Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery, Fort
Leavenworth, Kansas.
Politte, 19, of Leavenworth, was killed during World War II.
His sister, Dorothy Culp, of Kansas city, Missouri, is available for
interviews at (816) 216-1558.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Politte on file.
The Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery is on a military base and all media
must be escorted onto the installation.
Media interested in covering the event, please contact George Marcec,
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 19 July, 2018 10:30
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During Korean War Accounted For (Mills, A.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Cpl. Albert E. Mills, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for
Citing practical difficulties, the official said 55 was a “ballpark” figure and that it would require further testing by the Defence POW/MIA Accounting ...
Citing practical difficulties, the official said that 55 was a “ballpark” figure and that further testing by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency would ...
... but when he rose from his position, "enemy gunfire erupted and Rosenkrantz was killed," according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 17 July, 2018 10:39
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During Korean War Accounted For (Ramos-Rivera, F.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Cpl. Francisco Ramos-Rivera, killed during the Korean War, was
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 17 July, 2018 09:30
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During Korean War Accounted For (Chinn, L.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Master Sgt. Leonard K. Chinn, killed during the Korean War, was
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 16 July, 2018 12:24
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During Korean War Accounted For (Holliday, D.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Pvt. Delbert J. Holliday, killed during the Korean War, was accounted
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 16 July, 2018 08:45
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Kansas Sailor Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Electrician's Mate 3rd Class George H. Gibson, accounted for on
February 12, will be buried July 21, in Inglewood, California.
Gibson, 20, of Winchester, Kansas, was killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II.
His nephew, Thomas Clark, Jr., of Roseville, California, is available for
interviews at (916) 521-4305.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Gibson on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 16 July, 2018 08:40
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Ohio Soldier Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Pfc. Walter W. Green, accounted for on Aug. 18, 2017, will be buried
July 20 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.
Green, 18, of Zanesville, Ohio, was killed during the Korean War.
His family does not wish to be contacted by media.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Green on file.
Media interested in attending the funeral should contact Arlington National
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 16 July, 2018 08:35
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: California Soldier Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Staff Sgt. David Rosenkrantz, accounted for on March 7, will be buried
July 20 in Riverside, California.
Rosenkrantz, 28, of Los Angeles, was killed during World War II.
His nephew, Phillip Rosenkrantz, of Placentia, California, is available for
interviews at (714) 401-2715.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Rosenkrantz on file.
No wonder the black POW/MIA flags still flutter. If silence is to still rule the day, then there is no means for truth to wend its way into our consciousness.
“It still will take us a number of years, assuming full access,” stated Kelly McKeague, Director of U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. “We've yet ...
“The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified,” the fourth ...
MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) — Seventy-three years after his bomber was shot down over East Germany, Staff Sgt. Charles H. Daman has come home.
It was the spring of 1945 when 21-year-old Daman, a Plummer High School graduate, was killed in action after he and the crew of his B-24M Liberator were shot down over a field just north of Wittenberg, Germany....
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency “gives new meaning to no man left behind,” stated Patricia Farinacci, during a tribute to her uncle, Joseph ...
From: Cheryl Cerbone Sent: 13 July, 2018 08:35 To: Subject: Death of our National Commander
The Directors, Officers and members of the American Ex-Prisoners of War are saddened by the death of our National Commander Charles Susino, Jr. on Thursday, July 12, 2018 at his home in New Jersey.
As always, he was surrounded by his family and their love.
There will be a very simple one day service on Wednesday, July 18th,
2-6 pm at the Wright and Ford funeral home in Flemington, NJ. At a later date, TBD, he will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Many of you know his love and passion for veterans, his fellow ex-Prisoners of War and his country.
If you wish to reach out to his family, please address cards to his son, Charles Anthony Susino, who will share them with his mother, Lillian, and his family.
-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Fortier <bfortier@usamedia.tv>
Sent: Tue, Jul 10, 2018 7:48 am
Subject: POW/MIA Director Visiting Northeast Asia to Meet with Allies and Partners - Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
POW/MIA Director Visiting Northeast Asia to Meet with Allies and Partners
WASHINGTON, July 9, 2018 —Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Director Kelly McKeague is travelling to
Northeast Asia July 8-18, 2018 to acknowledge the longstanding cooperation of the governments and peoples of Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the People’s Republic of China in the search for America’s unaccounted-for personnel from past conflicts dating back to World War II.
“Our progress accounting for Department of Defense (DoD) personnel still missing from past wars has been significant, but it would not be possible without the staunch support and strong collaboration of our host nation partners,” said McKeague.
McKeague stressed that the continued cooperation from Japan, South Korea, and China has been essential in providing the fullest possible accounting for DoD’s missing personnel to their families and the nation. He also said the good will generated in jointly pursuing the Agency’s humanitarian efforts in Northeast Asia has contributed to the respective bilateral relationships in each country.
McKeague will also discuss the development of joint initiatives to help accelerate the Agency’s overall efforts in Northeast Asia.
“We welcome and appreciate assistance from our host nation partners in developing new methods and approaches to increase and improve efforts to account for our service members who made the ultimate sacrifice and provide long-sought answers to their families,” he said.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420.
His remains were held at an American cemetery in France until they were eventually sent to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency for analysis on ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 6 July, 2018 12:28
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During Korean War Accounted For (Elmore, J.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
ArmyPfc. Joe S. Elmore, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 6 July, 2018 12:28
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During World War II Accounted For (Jenkins, W.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Pfc. Willard Jenkins, killed during World War II, was accounted for on
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 6 July, 2018 08:46
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Michigan Sailor Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Fireman 2nd Class Lowell E. Valley, accounted for on January 11, will
be buried July 14 in his hometown.
Valley, 19, of Ontonagon, Michigan, was killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II.
His brother, Robert Valley, of Gladstone, Michigan, is available for
interviews at (906) 280-9538.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Valley on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 6 July, 2018 08:53
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Texas Sailor Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Seaman 1st Class James C. Solomon, accounted for on Sept. 26, 2017,
will be buried July 14 in his hometown.
Solomon, 23, of Forestburg, Texas, was killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II.
His nephew, Harvey Seay, of Bowie, Texas, is available for interviews at
(940) 841-1420.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Solomon on file.
The National POW/MIA Recognition Day event, The RIDE HOME, is scheduled to kick off on September 20, 2018 and our base of operations this year will be Warner Robins Georgia. For over 15 years we have invited Former Prisoners of War and Families of those still Missing in Action so we may fulfill the Commander-in-Chief’s Proclamation:
“I call upon the people of the United States to join me in honoring and remembering all former American prisoners of war and those missing in action who valiantly served our great country. I also call upon Federal, State, and local government officials and private organizations to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.”
Hero’s Banquet – Friday, 21 September requires a $25 donation per plate if you wish to break bread with our Honored Guest – information here - http://www.theridehome.com/banquet2018.html
All Services are open to the Public.
All escort Rides gathering points to the services will be announced on or about the 10th of September.
This is the Largest mutigenerational gathering of Former Prisoners of War and Families of Missing in Action in the country in response to the Presidential Proclamation, so come, be a part of History!
If you wish to Sponsor an Honored Guest, check out the attached Form.
Looking forward to see you in Georgia this September!
Until they all come home……….
moe
Chairman
The RIDE HOME, Inc.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 5 July, 2018 09:13
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Virginia Airman Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. William W. Shank, accounted for on March 5, will be
buried July 14 in his hometown.
Shank, 24, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, was killed during World War II.
His nephew, Mark Miller, is available for interviews at (504) 387-1092.
The Department of Defense has the attached photos of Shank on file.
Taylor's requests to the U.S. government for personnel files on the sailors caught the attention of officials at the Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency ...
Subject: Connecticut Airman Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. John H. Canty, accounted for on Dec. 12, 2017, will be buried July 10, in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.
Canty, 22, of Winstead, Connecticut, was killed during World War II.
His great nephew, Wayne Brazeau, Jr., is available for interviews at (773) 848-1702.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Canty on file.
Media interested in attending the funeral should contact Arlington National Cemetery Public Affairs at 703-614-0024.
On June 22, 1944, Canty was a member of the 555th Bombardment Squadron, 386th Bombardment Group, IX Bomber Command, aboard a B-26 Maurader on a nighttime bombing mission from Easton Lodge-Essex, England, against targets near Caen, France. His B-26 was shot down between the villages of Baron-sur-Odon and Gavrus, France. All eight crewmembers were killed in the incident. Because the location of the crash was in German-held territory, U.S. forces were unable to make a detailed search for the crew at the time of their loss.
Following the liberation of France, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps, searched for and disinterred the remains of U.S. service members who were killed in battle. Residents of Gavrus recalled that a two-engine airplane crashed just outside the village on June 22, 1944. An American was recovered and buried in a nearby British cemetery. In 1945, the remains were exhumed and he was identified as an airman aboard the same aircraft as Canty. However, no other remains were identified and Canty was declared non-recoverable.
In 1986, a French citizen located remains and personal effects recovered from a crash site near Gavrus. The remains were handed to the Normandy American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, France, and were later identified as four individuals from the same aircraft as Canty.
In October 2014, Mr. Michael Jurd, a British researcher contacted U.S.
authorities that he found remains, as well as personal effects that corresponded to Canty, near Gavrus.
In 2016, a DPAA investigation team surveyed the reported crash site and recommended it for excavation.
Between April and May 2017, a DPAA recovery team excavated the crash site between Baron-sur-Odon and Gavrus, locating possible remains and personal effects.
To identify Canty's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which matched his family, as well as dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his records, and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the French Government, Mr. Michael Jurd and the American Battle Monuments Commission for their assistance in this recovery.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,906 service members (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Canty's name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Normandy American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 3 July, 2018 10:07
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Idaho Airman Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Air Forces Sgt. Charles H. Daman, accounted for on Aug. 28, 2017, will
be buried July 11 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
Daman, 21, of De Smet, Idaho, was killed during World War II.
His nephew, Wilbur Tanner, of Moscow, Idaho, is available for interviews at
(208) 301-0007.
The Department of Defense has the attached photos of Daman on file.
According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, in 1998 a witness reported to a joint U.S./North Korean recovery team that human remains ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 2 July, 2018 12:31
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Virginia Soldier Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Sgt. 1st Class Elmore B. Goodwin, accounted for on Aug. 18, 2017, will
be buried July 9 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.
Goodwin, 25, of Norfolk, Virginia, was killed during the Korean War.
His nephew, Dr. Stefan C. Goodwin, of Baltimore, is available for interviews
at (410) 235-4985.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Goodwin on file.
Media interested in attending the funeral should contact Arlington National
Seventy-five years later, Joe's nephew Dennis Rislove was in Green Bay, Wis., and officials from the POW/MIA Accounting Agency were explaining the ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 2 July, 2018 08:45
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Texas Soldier Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Pvt. Kenneth D. Farris, accounted for on April 23, will be buried July
9 in Dallas.
Farris, 19, of Dodson, Texas, was killed during World War II.
His sister, Judith Bingham, of Fredericksburg, Texas, is available for
interviews at (432) 230-5263.
The Department of Defense has the attached photos of Farris on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 2 July, 2018 09:45
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During World War II Accounted For (Brown, D.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Pvt. Donald E. Brown, killed during World War II, killed during World
From: Mark Sauter <markasauter@gmail.com> Sent: 1 July, 2018 20:12 To: Mark <markasauter@gmail.com> Subject: Pls share: Best major media report ever on LKA US POWs & DPRK (Gordon Chang on Fox News)
Gordon is owed a great thanks for his forceful attention to this topic. I hope POTUS sees it, especially the color video of USAF Major Sam Logan in North Korean hands – they have never returned or accounted for him, along with so many others.
My only addition to Gordon’s great interview: At the end of the war, General Mark Clark, top commander of US/UN forces, did indeed publicly say the communists had kept US POWs. What was kept classified for decades was that a year AFTER the war, America’s top Air Force general asked the CIA to rescue American POWs still in enemy hands. See below.
Mark Sauter 202-701-9515
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 29 June, 2018 12:50
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Iowa Sailor Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Seaman 1st Class Leon Arickx, accounted for on January 30, will be
buried July 7, in Osage, Iowa.
Arickx, 22, of Mitchell, Iowa, was killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II.
His family, Joan Lonergan, is available for interviews at 507-440-1856.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Arickx on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 29 June, 2018 12:03
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Camery, R)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Fireman 1st Class Raymond R. Camery, killed during the attack on the
USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on March 28, 2018.
"The grandson took us to the field," recalled Gregory Kupsky, a historian with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. "We had metal detectors and ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 29 June, 2018 08:22
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Louisiana Soldier Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Sgt. John W. Hall, accounted for on June 6, 2017, will be buried July 6
in Houston.
Hall, 23, of Jennings, Louisiana, was captured and killed during the Korean
War.
His niece, Deidra McKinnis, of Pflungerville, Texas, is available for
interviews at (512) 638-3264.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Hall on file.
On Thursday, US Senator Todd Young (R-IN) met with Kelly McKeague, the Director of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). The two ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 28 June, 2018 20:21
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Marine Killed During Korean War Accounted For (Gonzales, R.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Marine Corps Pfc. Roger Gonzales, killed during the Korean War, was
The attack killed and injured more than 900 U.S. servicemembers, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency website. More than a dozen ...
moe note;
I get it, the American Cowboy does not like to be told what to do or that they are wrong but for the sake of ‘international face’ what would be the harm in picking up the remains and making the effort to identify them. If the Cowboy is right, he can sing his ‘I Told YOU So’ song loud and long on the international radio but due to the stand the Cowboy has taken now, if anyone identifies these specific remains as American, there are NOT enough ladders on the earth to help Cowboy climb out of the ‘loss of integrity’ pit that he dug himself into.
For the sake of a Next of Kin family member somewhere on this earth, swallow the pride pill.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 25 June, 2018 10:14
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Guisinger, D.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Seaman 1st Class Daniel L. Guisinger, Jr., killed during the attack on
the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on May 22, 2018.
A Seoul official said on Friday that officials from the Pentagon and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency appear to be visiting North Korea, adding ...
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says 7,697 Americans are unaccounted for from the 1950-1953 war. About 5,300 of those are believed to ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 22 June, 2018 09:30
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During World War II Accounted For (Park, J.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Sgt. James K. Park, killed during World War II, was accounted for on
... Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. His remains were identified last year by the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 21 June, 2018 13:46
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Alabama Airman Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Percy C. Mathews, accounted for on March 26, will
be buried June 28 in Pensacola, Florida.
Mathews, 25, of Andalusia, Alabama, was killed during World War II.
His family does not wish to be contacted by media.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Mathews on file.
Cpl. Joseph Robinson died a prisoner of war in North Korea in 1951. .... “There is a potential that even the returned POW/MIA's children may not be ...
There are 7,697 U.S. troops still unaccounted for from the war, and about 5,300 of those were lost in North Korea, according to the Defense POW/MIA ...
We applaud your commitment to restart the POW/MIA recovery effort and to finally provide closure for the families that have waited for so long. We are ...
About eight years after that, Elkin went to a Chicago hotel for one of the events the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency holds around the country in ...
PUBLISHED: 19:14 EDT, 16 June 2018 | UPDATED: 19:44 EDT, 16 June 2018
......In 2011, a casket was passed with great ceremony to the then British ambassador to North Korea.
But what the world was never told was that subsequent DNA tests on the bones identified them not as Flt Lieut Hinton's but those of an animal.
While family members were informed, the media was kept in the dark for fear of damaging relations between North Korea and the UK.
The revelation appears in the memoirs of Thae Yong-Ho, a North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea in 2016. It came as North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un agreed with US President Donald Trump at their Singapore summit that all remains of US servicemen who died in the Korean War would now be returned.......
DNA, anthropological analysis and dental records helped identify the remains in February and the family was notified, the Defense POW/MIA ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 15 June, 2018 11:21
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Indiana Soldier Killed During Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Pfc. David Baker, accounted for on January 31, will be buried June 23
in Hobart, Indiana.
Baker, 18, of Gary, Indiana was captured and killed during the Korean War.
His niece, Angela Wilson, is available for interviews at (708) 203-4499.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Baker on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 15 June, 2018 11:12
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Texas Soldier Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Staff Sgt. Leo J. Husak, accounted for on February 12, will be buried
June 23 in his hometown.
Husak, 21, of West, Texas, was killed during World War II.
His brother, John Husak, of Haughton, Louisiana, is available for interviews
at (318) 949-4853.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Husak on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 15 June, 2018 10:07
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Massachusetts Marine Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Marine Pfc. John W. Mac Donald, accounted for on Aug. 15, 2016, will be
buried June 22 in Bourne, Massachusetts.
Mac Donald, 19, of Somerville, Massachusetts, was killed during the battle
of Tarawa in World War II.
His cousin, Sharon N. Kelley, of Canton, Massachusetts, is available for
interviews at (781) 562-1241.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Mac Donald on file.
"If it's not our son, if it's not our daughter, or our neighbors or relatives, do we care?” said Bob Jones, vice president of the Northeast POW/MIA Network.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced the remains of Army Pfc. Felipe A. Champion of Brownsville will be buried in his hometown ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 14 June, 2018 11:44
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Texas Soldier Accounted For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Pfc. Felipe A. Champion, accounted for on Aug. 8, 2017, will be buried
June 21 in his hometown.
Champion, 19, of Brownsville, Texas, was killed during the Korean War.
His niece, Lupita Vera, is available for interviews at (956) 459-7967.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Champion on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 14 June, 2018 10:56
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Kansas Sailor Accounted For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Storekeeper 3rd Class Wallace E. Eakes, accounted for on Sept. 27,
2017, will be buried June 21 in Denver, Colorado.
Eakes, 22, of Caney, Kansas, was killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II.
His nephew, Gary Eakes, of Tacoma, Washington, is available for interviews
The Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency says 20-year-old Army Private First Class John H. Walker will be returned to his family and laid to rest June ...
... 27 April); and an agreement to “recovering POW/MIA remains [from the Korean War], including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.
The joint declaration signed by President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un included a commitment to “recovering POW/MIA ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 13 June, 2018 07:08
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Iowa Soldier Accounted-For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Pfc. John H. Walker, accounted for on April 11, will be buried June 20
in his hometown.
Walker, 20, of Morning Sun, Iowa,was killed during World War II.
His brother, Robert Walker, of Midlothian, Texas, is available for
interviews at (972) 723-2135.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Walker on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 12 June, 2018 08:54
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Arkansas Soldier Accounted-For From Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Sgt. Donald L. Baker, accounted for on Jan. 25, 2018, will be buried
June 19 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Baker, 20, of Thornton, Arkansas, was killed during the Korean War.
His niece, Kaggie Baker, of Cedar Rapids, is available for interviews at
(319) 320-6810.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Baker on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 12 June, 2018 11:00
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Illinois Soldier Accounted-For From Korean War To Be Buried With
Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Maj. Stephen T. Uurtamo, accounted for on Sept. 27, 2017, will be
buried June 19 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.
Uurtamo, 32, of Chicago, was killed during the Korean War.
His daughter, Carol Elkin, also of Chicago, is available for interviews at
(773) 575-4774.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Uurtamo on file.
Media interested in attending the funeral should contact Arlington National
Cemetery Public Affairs at 703-614-0024.
For more information, contact:
SFC Kristen Duus
Chief of External Communications
Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
2300 Defense Pentagon
Washington, D.C 20301-2300
(703) 699-1420 Kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil
In late November 1950, Uurtamo was a member of Headquarters Battery, 82nd
Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division,
which was engaged in persistent attacks with the Chinese People's Volunteer
Forces (CPVF) near the Ch'ongch'on River in North Korea. On Nov. 30, 1950,
the Division began to withdraw south along the Main Supply Route, known as
"The Gauntlet." During the withdrawal, the 82nd lost many Soldiers, one of
whom was Uurtamo who was declared missing in action as of Dec. 1, 1950, when
he could not be accounted for.
Following the war, several returning American prisoners of war reported that
Uurtamo had been captured and died at the prisoner of war transient camp,
known as Hofong Camp, in North Korea in January 1951. Based on this
information, the U.S. Army declared Uurtamo deceased on Jan. 21, 1951.
In April 2005, a joint U.S./Korean People's Army Recovery team recovered 32
sets of remains from a site south of Unsan, North Korea. Based on the
recovered material evidence and surrounding conditions, it was determined
this was a secondary burial site.
To identify Uurtamo's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA), Y-chromosome (Y-STR) and
autosomal (auSTR) DNA analysis, anthropological analysis, as well as
circumstantial evidence.
Today, 7,702 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North
Korea by American recovery teams. Uurtamo's name is recorded on the Courts
of the Missing at the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, with the
others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to
his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 12 June, 2018 12:06
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: South Dakota Sailor Accounted-For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Reserve Radioman 2nd Class Julius H.O. Pieper, accounted for on Nov.
15, 2017, will be buried June 19 at the Normandy American Cemetery in
Colleville-sur-Mer, France.
Pieper, of Esmond, South Dakota, was killed during World War II.
Pieper will be buried next to his twin brother, Radioman 2nd Class Ludwig J.
Pieper, who was killed in the same attack.
His niece, Linda G. Pieper Suitor, of Green Valley, Arizona, is available
for interviews at (520) 834-6488.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Pieper on file.
From: markasauter@gmail.com <markasauter@gmail.com> Sent: 12 June, 2018 15:15 To: Subject: surprise from the well-known intelligence reporter (and longtime digger on the POW issue) Bill Gertz at the Free Beacon.
This is from a note I sent him weeks ago, but he was on top of it after the results of the summit. M
The joint statement also said North Korea and the United States "commit" to recovering remains of prisoners of war and missing in action including the immediate return of those already identified.
POW activists have said North Korea has not accounted for Americans held by North Korea since the 1950s.
"A critical issue between America and North Korea that has received scant media attention involves the fate of Americans last known alive in North Korean hands and never returned at the end of the Korean War, along with those reported shipped during the war to North Korean allies the Soviet Union and China, as well as U.S. POWs reportedly sent from Vietnam to North Korea, which flew jets against American aviators over the skies of its North Vietnamese ally during the Vietnam War," said Mark Sauter, a noted researcher and activist.
“The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified,” reads ...
-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject:
President Trump, North Korea, the Media & US POWs Last Known Alive But Not Returned
Date:
Tue, 12 Jun 2018 14:41:23 -0400
From:
markasauter@gmail.com
Some of you asked me about the Trump/Kim summit and agreement (see the portion of the agreement about POW/MIA below)
The summit apparently went as we anticipated: President Trump and his team asked only about remains and therefore only got a commitment to recover remains, including the “immediate repatriation of those already identified” (IMO, those the North Koreans have been holding in their warehouse/s to sell back to us) -- the efforts of the family groups to reach POTUS on the unrepatriated POW issue seems to have failed.
Let’s hope the North Koreans keep their word on the remains, which would be great. However, while the recovery of the remains of our heroes is critical, it is not sufficient when we know Pyongyang can account for many Americans last known alive in their hands but never returned. In addition, what nobody talks about is that even if Pyongyang returned 1,000 remains this year, the Pentagon – unless things change dramatically – would take decades to identify them.
I listened to the President’s entire press conference. He mentioned remains several times, but never mentioned unrepatriated POWs and, as far as I can recall, never mentioned accounting for the missing (eg, men for whom there are no remains). He did mention Japanese abductees.
I imagine this will turn out to be great news for the North Koreans, as there is a good chance we will in effect pay them for the remains, as we have in the past, and there is no sign the President (who probably still doesn’t even realize that Americans were known alive by name, even after the Armistice, and not returned; were shipped to other countries; were reported alive in North Korea decades after the war) has or will raise such issues, and DPAA does not appear to be pushing him on it. IMO, and as many of your family members will agree, the DPAA only wants to deal with the remains issue. As a reminder of one example DPAA almost certainly never told the President about: Gilbert Ashley and four other US aviators confirmed by US intelligence alive and in North Korean hands after the Armistice was signed, but never returned or accounted for by Pyongyang: http://www.kpows.com/confirmedalivetheashleyfive.html Or men such as Major Sam Logan, seen here in color film in North Korean captivity https://youtu.be/CLkj2gs45r8 and his post-capture picture sent round the world by the Soviet news agency, but again never returned or accounted for…
Aside from Fox, no major media outlets, as far as I’m aware, have covered the issue of unrepatriated POWs (versus remains) as important to US/North Korea relations. Many if not most have done stories on: Korean-American families in the US who hope to learn what happened to their relatives in North Korea; Japanese abductees; and human rights in North Korea. These are all important stories, but I emailed several people at the Washington Post and asked why they didn’t have room to write about not just Koreans and Japanese last known alive in North Korea, but also American servicemen. I included much of our data, pictures and declassified documents. Not one replied. These gatekeepers are a major reason the White House and American people hear about Japanese abductees but not last known alive Americans in North Korea. The reporters asked POTUS many questions about these topics, but none about Americans last known alive in North Korean hands or the multiple reports of surviving US prisoners in North Korea decades after the war.
Bottom line: the North Korean POW/MIA issue has now essentially been defined forever by the President and media as only involving remains, unless something changes.
Having studied this issue and its history for 30 years now, I am reminded of the family movement right after the Korean War to gain a full accounting (there were even protests outside the White House.) Back then the families did not have access to the now declassified records we have showing extensive evidence that many US POWs had been retained by the North Koreas, Chinese and Soviets. The families suspected this was all true – and the commander of UN/US forces during the Korean War had stated it publicly -- but the US government denied in public what its own generals and intel analysts were saying behind closed doors. Back in the mid- and late-1950s, the families lost their fight. Yesterday was the biggest opportunity since then to obtain the truth, and once again the opportunity seems to have been lost.
1.“The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.”
Mark
www.powinvestigativeproject.org
PS What to do politically? As an investigative historian, this is not my role. But IMO unless POW/MIA families get in front of the President and perhaps other decision makers (via Hannity? Fox and Friends? A major media and oped push by family groups on the theme that “remains are critical but not enough?” A meeting with President Trump and the family groups arranged by a group of Senators? etc), the DPAA policy will have prevailed and there will never be any real pressure on Pyongyang to account for those last known alive.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 12 June, 2018 07:22
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During Korean War Accounted For (Meshulam, M.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Cpl. Morris Meshulam, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for
The Defense Department's POW/MIA Accounting Agency said Monday that the remains of Marine Sgt. Meredith F. Keirn had been positively identified ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 11 June, 2018 08:35
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Tindall, L.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Reserve Fireman 1st Class Lewis F. Tindall, killed during the attack on
the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on March 26, 2018.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 11 June, 2018 08:35
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Marine Killed During World War II Accounted For (Gilman, P.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Paul D. Gilman, killed during World War II, was
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 11 June, 2018 08:36
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Harris, C.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Charles H. Harris, killed during the
attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on April 26,
Up to 17 million people were sent to the Gulag, the notorious Soviet prison camp system, in the 1930s and 1940s, and at least 5 million of them were convicted on false testimony.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
National Alliance of Families, April 9, 2005:
Information recently provided, by former DPMO Intelligence Research Officer Warren Gray, details a string of failures within DPMO to actively pursue information relating to our POW/MIAs. One of his many concerns was the DPMO failure to investigate a report, known in house, as the “185 Report.” Could the 185 POWs referred to in this report be the “small number” of POWs mentioned in the conclusion of the Senate Select Committee’s 1993 Report? We don’t know because DPMO buried the report.
With the recent release of the 5th Edition of the Gulag Study, this legislation has never been more important.
According to the study; “Americans, including American servicemen, were imprisoned in the former Soviet Union . . . "
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Volume III, Number 2 February 1993
This information service is designed to help President Clinton's appointees understand that there are unresolved problems of Americans who were captured alive (POWs) but not released. THE INSIDER is published by a group of current and former intelligence officer who formed in 1981 to look for evidence that would prove, that not all captured U.S. POWs were released at the end of war. What happened to them?
"The Soviet Connection"
On December 30, 1992 the Washington Times newspaper reported on a State Department cable, dated December 10, 1992, that had been leaked to them. In the cable there was some discussion about the possibility that the Moscow office of the Joint-Russian and American Commission on POWs (prisoners-of-war), which was just set up this last summer, may stop functioning. The cable sited the hostile environment in Moscow by some Soviet counter-parts who were slowing the inquire and there was a feeling that U.S. investigators were not looking for live American prisoners.
It would be a grave and serious mistake to stop looking for Americans who are missing in the former Soviet Union just after the investigation started. Boris Yeltsin, the President of Russia has offered a once in a life time opportunity to try to chase down leads on last known alive Americans who were in Soviet hands on June 12, 1992. On the journey to find out what happened to captured Americans the United States should leave no stone unturned.
To illustrate the usefulness of collection and analysis from completely open source material on the "Soviet Connection" to our missing prisoners, I submit the following review and analysis of facts I have collected while writing a book called "The Missing Prisoners".
As a serious student of the "Soviet Connection" to our missing prisoners (POWs), I have spent the last 10 years researching Soviet and U.S. archives for hard copy documents, reviewing cable traffic sent to and coming out of the U.S. Moscow Embassy, interviewing former prisoners of the Soviet prison system and looking through newly released Soviet records, given freely by the Soviets to the U.S. National Archives. I have meet in Russia with sources who have located Soviet military officers who were involved in the transfer process, that brought captured American prisoners and military equipment to the Russia during and after the Korean War. The Russian military has admitted their role as interrogators of captured Americans in Korea and Vietnam. With the change in leadership in the former Soviet Union, access to records has begun to become more open and U.S. efforts to gain access to these records should not be curtailed or halted while the opportunity presents itself.
Everything I have uncovered in my research supports the conclusion that the Soviets imprisoned Americans from the early 1920's to current times. On August 20, 1921 Dr. Weston B. Estes was released, along with 5 other Americans who were arrested and imprisoned, for 8 months in No.2 Lubiaka prison. Victor Herman, an American, was thrown into a Russian prison in July 1936, for what Soviet authorities called counter- revolutionary activity. Victor was finally freed in 1976.
One of the Soviets reasons for taking American prisoners was to obtain their "military value" knowledge or other information. The Soviets routinely shot down American aircraft to capture American technicians to squeeze them for their knowledge of America's advanced technology. Moscow is preparing to turn over the remains of Capt. John R. Dunham who was shot down on October
7, 1952 in a B-29 bomber that disappeared over northern Japan after being hit by Soviet fire. A crew of 8 Americans went missing during on this reconnaissance mission. The Soviets also say they have located the remains of Maj. Eugene E. Posa, shot downed on July 1, 1960 in an RB-47, during an electronic reconnaissance mission over the Barents Sea near the Kola Peninsula. Four of the six man crew on board were killed in the shoot down according to U.S. records. Although the former Soviet Union had denied that they captured or held American prisoners from any shot down during the cold war, the surfacing of these two U.S. Air Force specialists indicates that
these Americans fell into Soviet hands. Clearly, some American prisoners were captured and most likely subjecting to interrogation.
The Soviets know much more than what has already been surfaced publicly. On April 8, 1950 a U.S. Navy PB4Y-2 was fired upon as it was near Libau, Latvia and disappeared over the Baltic Sea. On April 25, 1950 a Swedish fishing vessel recovered parts of the missing aircraft 37 miles west of Libau, Latvia. In September 1950 a U.S. citizen John Noble arrived in a Soviet prison camp called Vorkuta where he spoke to another prisoner, a Yogoslavian national who said he had seen and spoken to American flyers who were shot down over the Baltic Sea. He learned that eight of the crew of ten had survived the shot down. Another American imprisoned in Vorkuta, Pvt. William T. Marchuk spoke to a Russian prisoner who claimed to have been with the Soviet fleet that helped rescue the American flyers. The Soviets have always denied that these Americans were captured, who had special talents (electronic intelligence collection skills).
The Soviets kidnapped American's they wanted. Some from West Germany, and some with special knowledge. Pvt. William T. Marchuk and Pvt. William A. Verdine were released by the Soviets on January 6, 1955 along with John Noble. Private Marchuk was kidnapped on February 1, 1949 in Germany and Private Verdine was kidnaped on February 3, 1949 from Germany. Noble, a civilian, was taken by the Soviets from his home in Dresden, Germany on July 5, 1545. Alexander Dolgun, who worked for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow was
kidnapped in 1948 and not freed until 1971. Charles Clifford Brown, an American was reported by a released Italian prisoner who reported the American engineer in Moscow's Lefortskaya prison in January 1948. Clifford Brown was reported alive in Verkhni, Uralsk in November 1953 by Austrian prisoners who were released in June 1955. The Joint Russian-American search has located and released Soviet prison records that indicate that Brown was shot as a spy.
Intelligence officers may believe that there is only a paper trail left behind in Russia that tells what happened to Americans who fell into Soviet hands. The President of Russia however is clearly talked, on June 12, 1992, about Live Americans still on Soviet soil. On November 18, 1992, four Americans, trapped on Soviet soil after World War II, were found alive living in western Ukraine. Bogdan Karishin, Emiliya Shakhrai, Margaret Krivenko and Mikhail Semko were all trapped in 1945 in the Soviet Union and were not allowed to leave.
Adding to the mountain of evidence, that can not be ignored, that points to the facts that some Americans were held as prisoners on Soviet soil, on September 11, 1992, ABC's 20/20 aired a program in which their cameraman strolled into a Russian cemetery near one of the old gulag (prisons) and found the graves along with supporting documents that five American prisoners-of-war captured during WWII, were buried there. Three of the five Americans have been identified, publicly. All were Americans who were registered in German prison record books as having been held as POWs in WWII (Army Cpl. Lyle Timmerman was in Stalag 3C; Sgt Ted Yates was in Stalag 3C; and, Pvt. R. Larson was in Stalag 3A). Stalag 3C and Stalag 3A were German prisoner-of-war camps that were overrun by the Soviet Army. These three Americans, were clearly, moved to the Soviet Union, where they died and were buried in a Soviet cemetery.
In a new book released in the fall of 1992 called "Soldiers of Misfortune" on page 279 the authors paint the picture that the Soviets did
not return all of the American prisoners they "liberated" from German POW camps:
German Prison American held Americans released
1. Stalag 4G 7,076 520
2. Stalag 3A 4,894 1,115
3. Stalag 2D 6,894 258
4. Stalag 2B 7,087 5,782
5. Stalag 2A 3,700 2,395
6. Stalag 3C 2,100 1,420
TOTAL 31,751 11,490
Thus, the research of Col. James D. Sanders, Mark A. Sauter, & R. Cort Kirkwood showed that 20,261 (31,751-11490) Americans were taken from German POW camps and shipped back to the Soviet Union, were not all released or accounted for.
I set out to set up a private back channel in Russia in 1990 and 1991 to assess how willing and open the Soviets were to the idea of discussing, openly, that they had held American prisoners at one point in time. I testified before a Soviet committee of Peoples Deputies about Soviet control and contact with captured Americans in WWII, Korea, the Cold War, and in Vietnam. I met with 3 Soviet Generals at a Soviet Military headquarters in Moscow including 3-Star Soviet General Vitaly Varennikov, his deputy General Bethehtin, and General Vladimir Iljich Fedchik.
In a private meeting in Moscow on July 23, 1990 between Soviet officials and a delegation of 10 American Vietnam veterans of which I was a member, General Dmitri Volkogonov, the Director of the Institute of Military History made a startling admission about American POWs, through two members of the Supreme Soviet Vladimir V. Finogenov and Pavel V. Shet'ko-"When the Soviets took the German area they captured 76 Americans who were fighting with the Germans. In 1945 the Soviet Army liberated 22,429 U.S. POWs in German camps and took them back to the Soviet Union." General Volkogonov is now the Russian head of the of the Joint Russian-American Commission on POWs.
Thus, the Soviet historical records produced statistics of 22,429 Americans taken to the Soviet Union from German POW camps, match almost identically with German prison records of 20,261 missing Americans who were alive in German POW camps over run by the Soviets that were uncovered by Sanders, Sauter, and Kirkwood and presented in their book "Soldiers of Misfortune". Very clearly the Soviets appear to be serious and ready, willing and able to discuss American MIAs who fell into their hands.
The Soviets directed the interrelation of captured American POWs in Korea and Vietnam. On June 12, 1992 the President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin gave the U.S. Senate a list of 535 Americans who were debriefed by the Soviets. These debriefings were found in the files of the KGB.
In some very specific cases, the Soviets, took some captured American POWs covertly to the Soviet Union, or so the theory goes. The theory is supported, in part, by information taken from three informants files, archived at the State Department.
-1. American officers and soldiers who had been taken prisoners in Korea.
Whereabouts-Camp Potma, Irkutsk, Taiebet & Omsk. "Various people reported seeing American soldiers captured in Korea." Date of Report-January 18, 1955. Informant-John Noble, received from conversations with other prisoners.
-2. 9 American fliers from Korea with rank of Major and Captain.
Whereabouts-Kirov Camp. Informant-William Marchuk "received information from Otto Herman Kirschner, German POW not at Potma. Kirschner said he had been in Kirov with these flyers." Marchuk was released with Noble Jan-1955.
-3. At the U.S. Embassy, Brussels on September 5, 1960- "a walk-in Polish refugee said that he was released on May 1, 1960, after seven and one-half years detention, from Soviet prison Camp No.307 near Bulun...he became acquainted in the Soviet camp with two American Army prisoners who were captured in Korea in 1951-a lieutenant and a sergeant."
Soviet reporters and film makers during the Vietnam war reported seeing and meeting with captured American POWs, who did not come home at the end of the war.
-1. Ivan Schedrov a reporter for Pravda published a story along with a post-capture picture of Lt.Col. David Hrdlicka on August 31, 1966. Hrdlicka was shot down over Laos and captured on May 18, 1965. On March 15, 1968 Ivan Schedrov wrote, "I have met David Hrdlicka (and) had an opportunity to talk to him."
-2. Capt. James Grace was shot down over Laos on June 15, 1968. His capture was shown as part of a Soviet propaganda film on prisoners, showing Capt. Grace alive and under guard in 1969.
-3. Lt. David M. Christian was shot down over North Vietnam on June 2, 1965. The wreckage of his A4E aircraft was located but there was no sign of Lt. Christian. In June 1965 Provda described Christian, by name, the color of his eyes, the pictures he was carrying, and the contents of his pockets.
The Soviets ran an effective program of encouraging defection, transferring broken soldiers into Moscow to be used for propaganda purposes. During the Vietnam war 4 U.S. defectors crossed over in Japan, when their ship, "The Intrepid" was docked. They were taken to Moscow where they made anti-war propaganda broadcasts. They were Michael Linder, Craig Anderson, Richard Bailey and John Barlla. Jon Sweeney was taken from Vietnam to Moscow where he made propaganda productions before he was released June 17, 1970.
On May 13, 1968 Phillip Callicoat, Terry Whitmore, Edwin Arnett, Mark Shapiro, and Kenneth Griggs, all U.S. servicemen went on Soviet TV speaking out against the Vietnam war. On May 17, 1968 Joseph Knetz with the USMC went on Soviet TV and denounced the Vietnam war and his American citizenship. The KGB even set up an American city in Russia in which to train its KGB penetration agents to conduct espionage, directed against the United States.
The Soviet system kept all of their actions very secret, so it should not a surprise, to the U.S., that the former employees of the KGB, would not be forth coming with all that they know. Likewise the U.S. who trains its agents to operate covertly behind enemy lines, would not be forth coming with all the secrets that are still hidden away.
The Joint Russian-American Commission on POWs was set up in May 1992, to address the issues surround the question, "What happened to the prisoners who were captured alive but not released?" Task Force-Russia staffed up to support the inquire with documentation collection-consolidation, witness interviews, and was tasked to explore leads in Russia.
Cooperation between two opposing forces is not something that comes easily, expressly when it comes to how secrets are collected and kept hidden. There is some discussion between U.S. intelligence professionals about obfuscation in Russia by some officials close to the investigation. There are some Russian officers that are having trouble adjusting to cooperation and there are limits to which some Russians have tried to restrict the inquire. The U.S. simply needs to work through these restrictions and move the inquire forward.
Some major accomplishments are being achieved as a result of the inquire by joint U.S. and Russian officials.
Unprecedented successes can be outlined in the context of political agreement at the highest levels of the U.S. and Russian governments, who have made the commitment and shown the resolve to look into the last known alive cases where American prisoners were reported in Soviet hands. There are some 90 Soviet prisons that have been identified, where Americans were reported by released prisoners. The U.S. has sent teams to some of these old prison and found prison registration cards and records listing Americans who
were held as prisoners. Some died in prison and some were transferred on to other prisons. One prison registration card bears the name of Robert Lovein, born in 1920 in New York. He was held at Odessa Transit Camp 139. The prison records indicate that he left the camp on March 25, 1945, current whereabouts unknown.
On December 10, 1992 Maj. Butch Burchett a member of Task Force Russia got into the Soviet prison archives at IRKUTSK and located prisoners registration cards on Carl Wever who was born in 1896 in Chicago, Illinois and Murry Fields born in Brooklin, New York in 1919. Maj. Burchett also gained access to the records at the Soviet prison at KHABAROVSK and found the records on Michael Hill or Gill born in New York.
Some Americans located in Moscow, who got stuck in Russia during WWII, have been located and interviewed, but have decided not to return to America. The Joint Task Force moving forward unilaterally in the Russian Republic has found George Green, a former clerk at the Associated Press office in Moscow. Green and his sister Leah were arrested in 1946 and reported by many released prisoners as being held in Vorkuta prison. They are live freely in Moscow today and have stated that they have no desire to leave Russia, according to Maj. Burchett who interviewed them.
For the first time ever, all the public domain records are being summoned together to support the inquire by Task Force Russia. Former prisoners of the Soviet prisons are being brought in and debriefed seriously for the first time. Former-POWs like John Noble and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn are being brought to Washington to be seriously debriefed for the first time ever, about their knowledge of Americans they saw or heard about while imprisoned in the Soviet Union.
John Noble was debriefed by Task Force Russia in January 1993, 38-years after his release from the Soviet prison system, in January 1955. John provided the Task Force with the location of a previously unknown archive in Minsk where he had located his Russian prison records through a Soviet attorney.
I myself was brought to Washington to be debriefed for 6 hours on information I have collected over the last 10 years on the Soviet Connection to captured American POWs. Of particular interests to the Task Force were a collection of Soviet publications, I had collected over the last several years. One story written by Maj. Valerii Amirov on June 30, 1992 in Na Strazhe (a Soviet military newspaper) interviews Soviet 1Lt. Vladimir Roshchin who went to Korea in 1951 with a special group to take an American Saber jet to a Soviet airfield in China. Maj. Amirov had written another story in Na Strazhe on May 9, 1991 about Soviet Lt. Grigorii Matevosovich Dzhagarov who went to Korea in 1952 with the mission of downing American aircraft and capturing on board electronic equipment to be shipped to the
Soviet Union for study. The story also tells how an American was captured by the Soviet forces after they downed the aircraft.
Another batch of documents of particular interest to the Task Force were those I had received from other researchers that related to 3 groups of Americans named in Soviet prisons in documents in the State Departments archives.
---The first group of 18 names of Americans were taken from the State Department documents. In June 1955 the Soviets released several Austrian prisoners. The Red Cross obtained statements, from these released Austrian's about Americans who they had seen in specific prison in the USSR. The Red Cross then turned these records over to the State Department.
---The second group of 10 names of Americans are from a shoot down on April 8, 1950 of a U.S. Navy PB4Y-2 that disappeared over the Baltic Sea near Libau, Latvia. Two Americans (Noble and Marchuk) released in January 1955 reported information they received, while being held as prisoners inside the Soviet prison system, on survivors of this shoot down as reported by other prisoners.
---The third group of 34 names of Americans were given by released German, Japanese, Austrian and Iran prisoners. The State Department kept 51 documents entitled "AMERICAN CITIZENS DETAINED IN THE USSR" that contained these 34 names. The Task Force had gone to some of these prisons, listed on these State Department records and found prison registration cards on some of the Americans who were named by released former Soviet prisoners.
The Russians, for the first time ever, are permitting record reviews and on site searches, accompanied with interviews with Soviet citizens who talked to and put their hands on the American prisoners who were kept in Russia.
The notion that the search be abandoned, just after the inquire has staffed up and has started to move forward, is very premature in my
judgement. The probe should continue as the families of these MIAs deserve an expatiation as to what happened to their missing loved ones.
Political interference with the production of intelligence has been exposed by those who leaked the secrets State Department cable, dated December 10, 1992. Some may see the finding of answers to questions about missing Americans in Russia, as counter-productive to improving relations between the U.S. and Russia and leaked the cable. There are those who would have their preferred policy bolstered-that the Soviets do not now have any live American prisoners-by leaking this secret cable. These same policy makers have attempted to through water on the progress of the Task Force, by leaking information that shows there are some troubles in the area of total Russian cooperation. And, some U.S. agencies are suppressing intelligence that challenges their views on the "Soviet Connection" to U.S. POWs. The faction within the State Department that does not want the inquire-into Americans who were taken to Russia-to move forward, are as much a challenge to progress as some Russians who are trying to protect their home grown secret knowledge of what happened to the Americans who ended up in the Soviet Union.
I challenge the views of those who want to suppress or derail the inquire into the "Soviet Connection" to captured American prisoners, as shallow minded. Never before in the history of the world has the opportunity presented itself to find out what happened to these missing Americans who fell into Soviet hands. We should continue to try to get to the bottom of the POW questions even if the pace of progress does not meet a Western vision of expectations. It is our duty to ensure that America's missing, not be ignored and we should not be blind and deaf to the continuing opportunity to collect data inside the Soviet Union that can show what happened to the missing Americans, after they were taken prisoner.
Should any readers of this story possess knowledge of Americans who were imprisoned in the Soviet Union please contact Col. Jerry Parr with Task Force Russia 703-325-1755 so these leads can chase down inside of Russia and a sincere attempt to resolve the issue can continue.
Should anyone have any questions about this material or have anything to
add to the Soviet Connection story, please contact-
During the 36th Joint Recovery Operation in September and October 2004, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, (a predecessor to DPAA) ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 5 June, 2018 09:12
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Mason, H.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am
Navy Musician 1st Class Henri C. Mason, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on March 26, 2018.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 5 June, 2018 09:25
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Virginia Airman Accounted-For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Air Forces Tech. Sgt. John S. Bailey, accounted for on Sept. 18, 2017,
will be buried June 13 in Winchester, Virginia.
Bailey, 28, of Woodstock, Virginia, was killed during World War II.
His cousin, Julie Sayre, of Saint Helena Island, South Carolina, is
available for interviews at (843) 271-4771.
The Department of Defense has the attached photos of Bailey on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 5 June, 2018 09:30
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Alabama Pilot Accounted-For From World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Robert Keown, accounted for on Nov. 8, 2017, will be
buried June 15 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.
Keown, 24, of Scottsboro, Alabama, was killed during World War II.
His nephew, John Keown, of Decatur, Alabama, is available for interviews at
(256) 350-4086.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Keown on file.
Media interested in attending the funeral should contact Arlington National
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 4 June, 2018 08:26
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: California Marine Accounted-For From World War II To Be Buried With
Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Reserve Pvt. Charles A. Drew, accounted for on Sept. 20, 2017,
will be buried June 11, in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington,
D.C.
Drew, 29, of Coalinga, California, was killed during the battle of Tarawa in
World War II.
His cousin, John Lund, of Millbrae, California, is available for interviews
at (650) 692-7777.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Drew on file.
Media interested in attending the funeral should contact Arlington National
Cemetery Public Affairs at 703-614-0024.
For more information, contact:
SFC Kristen Duus
Chief of External Communications
Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
2300 Defense Pentagon
Washington, D.C 20301-2300
(703) 699-1420 Kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil
In November 1943, Drew was assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine
Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which landed against stiff Japanese
resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert
Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense
fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and
more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
Drew died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943.
The battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the
Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which
to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their
Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members
who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on
the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration
Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio Island, but Drew's
remains were not recovered. On Oct. 7, 1949, a military review board
declared Drew's remains non-recoverable.
In June 2015, a nongovernmental organization, History Flight, Inc., notified
DPAA that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the
remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought during the
battle in November 1943. The remains were turned over to DPAA in July 2015.
To identify Drew's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, which matched his records, as well as
circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to History Flight, Inc., for their partnership in this
mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,917 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Drew's name is recorded on the Tablets of
the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others killed or lost in WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted
for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 1 June, 2018 11:12
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Oklahoma Soldier Killed During World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Pfc. Oscar E. Sappington, accounted for on April 23, will be buried
June 9 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Sappington, 19, of Dawson, Oklahoma, was killed during World War II.
His nephew, Gerald Bruner, is available for interviews at (918) 261-1962.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Sappington on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 1 June, 2018 09:41
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Arkansas Soldier Killed During Korean War To Be Buried With Full
Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Sgt. Julius E. McKinney, accounted for on March 5, 2018, will be buried
June 8, in Corinth, Missisisppi.
McKinney, 23, of Clay, Arkansas, was killed during the Korean War.
His nephew, William E. Huff, of Iuka, Mississippi, is available for interviews
at (662) 284-5082.
The Department of Defense has no photos of McKinney on file.
For more information, contact:
SFC Kristen Duus
Chief of External Communications
Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
2300 Defense Pentagon
Washington, D.C 20301-2300
(703) 699-1420 Kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil
In late November 1950, McKinney was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 32nd
Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Approximately 2,500 U.S. and 700
South Korean soldiers assembled into the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT),
which was deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea, when it was
attacked by overwhelming numbers of Chinese forces. As the Chinese attacks
continued, American forces withdrew south. By December 6, the U.S. Army
evacuated approximately 1,500 service members; the remaining soldiers had
been either captured, killed or missing in enemy territory. McKinney was reported
missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, after he was last seen on the east side
of the Chosin Reservoir.
McKinney's name did not appear on any prisoner of war lists and no returning
Americans reported McKinney as a prisoner of war. Due to the prolonged lack
of evidence, the U.S. Army declared him non-recoverable on Jan. 16, 1956.
During the 36th Joint Recovery Operation in September and October 2004, the
Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, (a predecessor to DPAA) Recovery Team 2,
conducted recovery operations with elements of the Korean People's Army
(KPA) in the vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir. A secondary burial site was
excavated in the vicinity of Twikkae Village, Changjin County. The remains
of at least five individuals were accessioned to the Central Identification
Laboratory in Honolulu.
To identify McKinney's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA and autosomal (auSTR)
DNA analysis, which matched his family, anthropological analysis, which
matched his records, and material evidence.
Today, 7,702 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North Korea
by American recovery teams. McKinney's name is recorded on the Courts of the
Missing in Honolulu, along with the others who are missing from the Korean
War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 1 June, 2018 09:24
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: CORRECTION: Arkansas Soldier Killed During World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Please note:
The burial location has been changed to Ravenden, Arkansas.
Dear Editor,
Navy Seaman 1st Class Henry G. Tipton, accounted for on February 5, will be
buried June 8 in Ravenden, Arkansas.
Tipton, 20, of Imboden, Arkansas, was killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II.
His half-brother, Kenneth Tipton, of Jupiter, Florida, is available for
interviews at (901) 484-4473.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Tipton on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 1 June, 2018 08:51
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Kentucky Soldier Killed During Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Cpl. Ernest L.R. Heilman, accounted for on Aug. 19, 2016, will be
buried June 8 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.
Heilman, 19, of Greenup, Kentucky, was captured and killed during the Korean
War.
His niece, C. Bernadetta Largent, of Chillicothe, Ohio, is available for
interviews at (740) 773-4826.
The Department of Defense has the attached photos of Heilman on file.
Media interested in attending the funeral should contact Arlington National
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 1 June, 2018 08:28
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Airman Killed During World War II Accounted For (Duran, A.)
In February 1944, Duran was a nose gunner on a B-24H Liberator, assigned to
the 724th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 451st Bombardment Group, 15th Air
Force. On February 25, 1944, the final day of Operation Argument, Duran's
aircraft came under attack by German fighters and anti-aircraft fire, while
he was on a bombing mission targeting Regensburg, Germany. The tail gunner
in another aircraft witnessed a direct hit on Duran's aircraft, which tore
off a section of the right wing. Nine of the ten crew members were able to
bail from the aircraft before it crashed. The tail gunner from Duran's
aircraft reported he had last seen Duran alive in the aircraft, but believed
Duran did not bail out. All nine of Duran's crewmates survived the bail out
and were captured and interrogated in Verona, Italy, where they were told
that one body had been found in the aircraft wreckage. The crash site was
reported to be located near Ljubljana, Slovenia, an area then under Axis
control.
DPAA is grateful to the Slovenian Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Affairs,
and Equal Opportunities, the Institute for Protection of Cultural Heritage
of Slovenia, the residents of Pokojišče, the several private Slovenian
researchers involved, the Office of Australian War Graves Commission, and
the RAAF Directorate of History and Heritage for their partnership in this
recovery.
Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days
prior to scheduled funeral services.
Duran's name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence
American Cemetery in Impruneta, Italy, along with other MIAs from WWII. A
rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted
for.
A nine-person military team from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which has a lab on Oahu, dug through mud and plane wreckage in 2016 ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 31 May, 2018 10:42
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Adkins, M.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Marvin B. Adkins, killed during the attack on the
USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on April 11, 2018.
Coalition of Families of Korean and Cold War POW/MIAs
Media Release
Memorial Day 2018
Missing American Servicemen
Need to be on the agenda for a U.S./North Korea Summit
In 2016, the
Coalition of Families of Korean & Cold War POW/MIAs joined the Richardson Center for Global Engagement in talks with North Korea that resulted in an offer to return collected American remains from the Korean War. That offer still stands.
We call on the White House to accept this offer during the proposed U.S./DPRK summit.
We ask the media to help by bringing the issue to the forefront of public discussion. Follow-up talks need to negotiate the return of joint recovery operations to repatriate thousands more American remains buried beneath former battlefields, prisoner of war
camps, and in isolated air crash sites across North Korea. Deeper discussions need to address numerous reports that American P.O.W.s were left behind alive in North Korea following the Armistice.
U.S./North Korea talks offer unique opportunities to honor the nation’s noble promise to leave no man behind. Japanese and South Korean abductees will be on the proposed agenda. Thousands of missing American servicemen should be there as well.
It is high time that, as a nation, we resolve the fate of these missing Americans, who served their country without answers to their stories, or closure for their families.
For more information, or to schedule an interview, please contact the Coalition.
With Memorial Day having just passed, the sacrifice of men and women serving our country is still fresh on many people's minds. Many companies find ...
A North Texas family finally laid to rest a military family member who'd been missing in action in Korea for more than a half century. The funeral service ...
Heaven Can Wait is one of 30 United States aircraft retrieved by Project Recover, a six-year-old nonprofit that collaborates with the Defense POW/MIA ...
In total, 2,341 sailors, soldiers and Marines were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency is still working to ...
The team will give its findings to the Department of Defense's POW/MIA Accounting Agency. That office seeks to recover the remains of those missing ...
According to military records, he was fatally struck by enemy fire while attempting to rescue a fellow Marine. He posthumously received a Silver Star for ...
Students are educated in a variety of disciplines and work hand-in-hand with the US Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 24 May, 2018 10:28
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For
(Nichols, C.)
On Dec. 7, 1941, Nichols was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Nichols.
In 2015, DPAA disinterred remains from the National Memorial Cemetery of the
Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days
prior to scheduled funeral services.
Nichols' name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 24 May, 2018 08:21
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Pennsylvania Sailor Killed During World War II To Be Buried With
Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Seaman 1st Class Edward F. Slapikas, accounted for on Sept. 5, 2017,
will be buried June 9 in his hometown.
Slapikas, 26, of Wanamie, Pennsylvania, was killed during the attack on the
USS Oklahoma in World War II.
His niece, Leona Hotko, of Kingston, Pennsylvania, is available for
interviews at (570) 283-2336.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Slapikas on file.
For more information, contact:
SFC Kristen Duus
Chief of External Communications
Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
2300 Defense Pentagon
Washington, D.C 20301-2300
(703) 699-1420 Kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil
On Dec. 7, 1941, Slapikas was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Slapikas.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Slapikas.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the NMCP for
analysis.
To identify Slapikas' remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, as well as
circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental
comparisons and anthropological analysis.
DPAA is appreciative to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their
partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,917 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Slapikas' name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 24 May, 2018 09:06
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During Korean War Accounted For (Yost)
In September 1950, Yost was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th
Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. Yost's regiment was responsible for
defending the road from Sanju to Taegu in South Korea, and positioned
themselves in bordering hills. On September 2, the unit received information
that the 19th Regiment North Korea People's Army would attack in the
evening. During the night, the North Koreans overran the cavalry's
positions. Yost was last seen on Sept. 3, 1950, and was reported missing in
action when he could not be accounted for.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their assistance
in this recovery.
Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days
prior to scheduled funeral services.
Yost's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are
missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to
indicate he has been accounted for.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 24 May, 2018 09:07
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During Korean War Accounted For (Kirtley, D.)
In late November 1950, Kirtley was a member of Battery A, 57th Field
Artillery Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division.
Approximately 2,500 U.S. and 700 South Korean soldiers assembled into the
31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), which was deployed east of the Chosin
Reservoir, North Korea, when it was attacked by overwhelming numbers of
Chinese forces. As the Chinese attacks continued, American forces withdrew
south. The U.S. Army evacuated approximately 1,500 service members; the
remaining soldiers had been either captured, killed or missing in enemy
territory. Kirtley was reported missing in action on Dec. 6, 1950, when he
could not be accounted for after the withdrawal. He was last seen in the
vicinity of Hagaru-ri, Changjin County, Hamgyeong Province, North Korea.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days
prior to scheduled funeral services.
Kirtley's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing in Honolulu, along
with the others who are missing from the Korean War.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 24 May, 2018 10:09
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Massachusetts Marine Killed During World War II To Be Buried With
Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Pfc. Francis E. Drake, Jr., accounted for on Aug. 28, 2017,
will be buried May 25 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Drake, 20, of Framingham, Massachusetts, was killed during World War II.
His nephew, Francis P. Drake, of Springfield, is avilable for interviews at
(413) 531-2644.
The Department of Defense has the attached photos of Drake on file.
For more information, contact:
SFC Kristen Duus
Chief of External Communications
Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
2300 Defense Pentagon
Washington, D.C 20301-2300
(703) 699-1420 Kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil
On October 9, 1942, Drake was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 7th
Marines, 1st Marine Division, participating in a main offensive action in
the Battle of Guadalcanal. After nearly two months of battle, the regiment
completed their action, however Morrissey was killed in action. Two other
Marines from Morrissey's battalion were reportedly interred in graves atop
Hill 73, alongside him.
From 1947 through 1949, the American Graves Registration Service searched
for isolated burials on Guadalcanal but did not associate any remains with
Morrissey. Based on the lack of information, Drake was declared
non-recoverable.
In 2011, Mr. Yorick Tokuru, a resident of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands,
located possible osseous remains near his home on the western edge of
Skyline Ridge (Hill 73). A team of Royal Solomon Islands Police Force
investigators excavated the site and turned recovered remains over to the
state archaeologist. The archaeologist turned the remains over to Mr. John
Innes, an Austrailian expert on the Battle of Guadalcanal, who in turn
contacted the Joint POW/MIA Recovery Command (JPAC- now DPAA.)
On July 12, 2013, Mr. Ewan Stevenson, a Guadalcanal native living in New
Zealand, contacted JPAC stating more remains had been recovered near the
site of the 2011 recovery location.
On August 6, 2013, the remains were unilaterally turned over to JPAC for
identification.
To identify Drake's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, and which matched his records; as well as
historical and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to Mr. Yorick Tokuru, Mr. John Innes, Mr. Ewan Stevenson
and the Solomon Islands government and police force for their assistance in
this recovery.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,917 service members still
unaccounted for from World War II (approximately 26,000 are assessed as
possibly-recoverable). Drake's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing
at the Manila American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission
site in the Philippines, along with the other MIAs from WWII. A rosette will
be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 24 May, 2018 09:07
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During World War II Accounted For (Akers, J.)
In November 1944, Akers was a member of Company C, 803rd Tank Destroyer
Battalion, participating in intense fighting in the Hürtgen Forest. His
company was deployed as direct fire support for American infantrymen
attacking the town of Grosshau. Two tank destroyers and six tanks, including
the M10 tank destroyer Akers was on, were knocked out in the fighting around
Grosshau on Nov. 25, 1944. He was killed during the battle, though his
status was initially listed as missing in action. On Dec. 21, 1944, his
status was amended to killed in action.
DPAA is grateful the American Battle Monuments Commission for their
partnership in this mission.
Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days
prior to scheduled funeral services.
Akers' name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Netherlands
American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in
Margraten, Netherlands, along with the other MIAs from WWII. Although
interred as an "unknown" his grave was meticulously cared for over the past
70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
This circa 1943 U.S. Army Air Force photo from the Kelly Family Research Project shows Lt. Tom Kelly, center left, rear, with members of the crew of a ...
The crash site details have been given to the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in order to begin the process of ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 22 May, 2018 07:16
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Louisiana Soldier Killed During Korean War To Be Buried With Full
Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Pfc. Willie E. Blue, accounted for on Sept. 26, 2017, will be buried
May 29 in Dallas, Texas.
Blue, 19, of New Orleans, was killed during the Korean War.
His half-brother, Taylor August, of Dallas, is available for interviews at
(214) 388-7626.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Blue on file.
For more information, contact:
SFC Kristen Duus
Chief of External Communications
Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
2300 Defense Pentagon
Washington, D.C 20301-2300
(703) 699-1420 Kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil
In August 1950, Blue was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 9th Infantry
Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, taking part in defending the Naktong Bulge
portion of the Pusan Perimeter. He was reported missing in action as of
Aug. 31, 1950, after his status could not be determined following his
admittance to the 2nd Clearing Station, 2nd Medical Battalion, 2nd Infantry
Division in Yong-san, South Korea. No additional records showed his
disposition, nor did the 8076th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) have
records on Blue. With no additional information concerning his loss, the
Department of the Army declared him deceased on March 3, 1954.
On Aug. 5, 1951, a search and recovery team from the 565th Quartermaster
Graves Registration Company recovered a single set of remains near
Tongjong-ni, South Korea. The remains were designated "Unknown X-1664" and
transferred to the Central Identification Unit in Kokura, Japan. The
remains were deemed unidentifiable and were transferred to the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii, known as the "Punchbowl."
After a thorough historical and scientific analysis of information
associated with X-1664 it was determined that the remains could likely be
identified. After receipt of approval, the remains were disinterred from
the Punchbowl on Aug. 14, 2017, and sent to the laboratory for analysis.
To identify Blue's remains, scientists from DPAA dental, anthropological and
chest radiograph comparison analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their assistance
in this recovery.
Today, 7,702 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Blue's
name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with
the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 22 May, 2018 09:15
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During Korean War Accounted For (Hall, J.)
In late November 1950, Hall was a member of Headquarters Battery, 503rd
Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. On Nov. 29, Hall's unit
received orders to move from Kunu-ri to Sunchon, North Korea. The division
received reports that the Chinese People's Volunteer Forces (CPVF) had set
up fireblocks on several roads, including their planned withdrawal route.
The division organized a movement into convoys, with Hall in the eighth
convoy. Hall's battalion began their withdrawal route through an area known
as "The Gauntlet." Hall was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950, in
the vicinity of Somindong, North Korea.
Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days
prior to scheduled funeral services.
Hall's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are
missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to
indicate he has been accounted for.
“Not all is lost for Korean War families,” said Chuck Prichard, the head spokesman for the Department of Defense's POW/MIA Accounting Office, which ...
The Battle of Tarawa spanned from Nov. 20-23, 1943 on Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands. The U.S. attempt to take the atoll and capture a Japanese ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 21 May, 2018 12:17
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: North Dakota Sailor Killed During World War II To Be Buried With
Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Radioman 2nd Class Walter H. Backman, accounted for on July 17, 2017,
will be buried May 28 in Batavia, Illinois.
Backman, 22, of Wilton, North Dakota, was killed during the attack on the
USS Oklahoma in World War II.
His nephew, Walt Pickens, of Newborn, Georgia, is available for interviews
at (678) 736-3301.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Backman on file.
For more information, contact:
SFC Kristen Duus
Chief of External Communications
Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
2300 Defense Pentagon
Washington, D.C 20301-2300
(703) 699-1420 Kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil
On Dec. 7, 1941, Backman was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Backman.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Backman.
In 2003, a single casket associated with the USS Oklahoma attack was
disinterred from the Punchbowl, however laboratory analysis revealed the
remains to be highly commingled. In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of
Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns
associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began
exhuming the remains from the NMCP for analysis.
To identify Backman's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and autosomal (auSTR) DNA
analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to
include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,917 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Backman's name is recorded on the Courts
of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from
WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
In June 2015, a nongovernmental organization called History Flight, Inc., notified the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) that the group had ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 21 May, 2018 11:14
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Kansas Marine Killed During World War II To Be Buried With Full
Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Pfc. Jack H. Krieger, accounted for on January 10, will be
buried May 28 in his hometown.
Krieger, 28, of Larned, Kansas, was killed during World War II.
His cousin, Judith F. Redding, also of Larned, is available for interviews
at (620) 285-9105.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Krieger on file.
For more information, contact:
SFC Kristen Duus
Chief of External Communications
Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
2300 Defense Pentagon
Washington, D.C 20301-2300
(703) 699-1420 Kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being
returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Marine Corps Pfc. Jack H. Krieger, 28, of Larned, Kansas, accounted for on
January 10, will be buried May 28, in his hometown. In November 1943,
Krieger was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 18th Marine Regiment, 2nd
Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force which landed against stiff Japanese
resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert
Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense
fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and
more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
Krieger died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943.
The battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the
Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which
to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their
Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members
who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on
the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration
Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio Island, but Krieger's
remains were not recovered. On Oct. 7, 1949, a military review board
declared Krieger's remains non-recoverable. Remains that had been recovered
were sent to the Schofield Barracks Central Identification Laboratory in
Hawaii. Remains that could not be identified were subsequently buried as
Unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the
Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In 2013, through a partnership with History Flight, Inc., the laboratory
received remains recovered from a site believed to be Cemetery 25 on Betio
Island.
On April 3, 2017, DPAA disinterred Tarawa X-224 from the Punchbowl and
accessioned them to the lab for analysis.
To identify Krieger's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to History Flight, Inc., and the Department of Veterans
Affairs for their partnerships in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,917 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Krieger's name is recorded on the Tablets
of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, along with
the others killed or lost in WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name
to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 21 May, 2018 10:47
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Indiana Marine Killed During World War II To Be Buried With Full
Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Reserve Pharmacist's Mate 2nd Class Thomas J. Murphy, accounted for on
Sept. 14, 2017, will be buried May 28 in Hamilton, Ohio.
Murphy, 22, of Greencastle, Indiana, was killed during World War II.
His family does not wish to speak with media.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Murphy on file.
For more information, contact:
SFC Kristen Duus
Chief of External Communications
Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
2300 Defense Pentagon
Washington, D.C 20301-2300
(703) 699-1420 Kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil
In November 1943, Murphy was assigned to Headquarters Company, 3rd
Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Fleet Marine Force, which landed against
stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll
of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several
days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors
were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were
virtually annihilated. Murphy was killed on the first day of the battle,
Nov. 20, 1943.
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military success in
the battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the
Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which
to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their
Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members
who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on
the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration
Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio Island, but Murphy's
remains were not recovered. On Feb. 7, 1949, a military review board
declared Murphy's remains non-recoverable.
In June 2015, a nongovernmental organization, History Flight, Inc., notified
DPAA that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the
remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought during the
battle in November 1943.
In May 2017, through a partnership with History Flight, Inc., DPAA used
advanced investigative techniques to locate further areas believed to
contain the remains of men buried on Tarawa. The recovered remains were
sent to the laboratory for analysis.
To identify Murphy's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, which matched his records, as well as
circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to History Flight, Inc., for their partnership in this
recovery mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,917 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Murphy's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are
missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he
has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
The military's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, or DPAA, had identified Hellstern's remains. "I started bawling, just started bawling, because I've ...
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said Navy personnel spent more than two years recovering remains of those lost on the USS Oklahoma. 05/18/18
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 17 May, 2018 08:35
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Louisiana Marine Killed During World War II To Be Buried With Full
Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Harvel L. Moore, accounted for on February 12, will be
buried May 26 in his hometown.
Moore, 25, of Chatham, Louisiana, was killed during the battle of Tarawa in
World War II.
His niece, Barbara Norris, of West Monroe, Louisiana, is avaialble for
interviews at (318) 372-5804.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Moore on file.
For more information, contact:
SFC Kristen Duus
Chief of External Communications
Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
2300 Defense Pentagon
Washington, D.C 20301-2300
(703) 699-1420 Kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil
In November 1943, Moore was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine
Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed against
stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll
of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several
days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors
were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were
virtually annihilated. Moore died on the third day of the battle, Nov. 22,
1943.
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military success in
the battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the
Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which
to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their
Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members
who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on
the island. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted
remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but Moore's
remains were not identified.
In May 2015, History Flight, Inc., a nongovernmental organization conducted
excavations on Betio, finding osseous remains through various advanced
investigative techniques. The remains were sent to DPAA for analysis.
To identify Moore's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA, which matched his
family, dental, and anthropological analysis, which matched his records, as
well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to History Flight, Inc., for their partnership in this
mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,918 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Moore's name is recorded on the Courts of
the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, along with the
other MIAs from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate
he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 17 May, 2018 08:12
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Wisconsin Marine Killed During World War II To Be Buried With Full
Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Sgt. Elden W. Grimm, accounted for on Sept. 26, 2017, will be
buried May 26 in Neenah, Wisconsin.
Grimm, 26, of Menasha, Wisconsin, was killed during the battle of Tarawa in
World War II.
His niece, Margaret Kersten, of Neenah, is available for interviews at (920)
385-8551.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Grimm on file.
For more information, contact:
SFC Kristen Duus
Chief of External Communications
Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
2300 Defense Pentagon
Washington, D.C 20301-2300
(703) 699-1420 Kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil
In November 1943, Grimm was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 18th
Marines, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed against stiff
Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the
Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of
intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were
killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were virtually
annihilated. Grimm died on Nov. 25, 1943.
The battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the
Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which
to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their
Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members
who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on
the island. In 1946, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company of
the American Graves Registration Services (AGRS) had recovered remains from
burial sites across the Tarawa Atoll and interred them in Lone Palm
Cemetery. The remains that could not be identified were designated as
"Unknowns."
In 1947, the U.S. Army began disinterments to bring the remains to Oahu for
identification at the Central Identification Laboratory. A set of remains
designated Unknown X-150 were sent to the Schofield Barracks Central
Identification Laboratory in Hawaii for analysis. When the X-150 could not
be identified, they were reinterred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the
Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In October 2016, due to recent advances in forensic technology, DPAA began
the exhumation of unknown remains associated with Tarawa from the Punchbowl
and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Grimm's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental,
anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, which matched his
records, and circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,918 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Grimm's name is recorded on the Courts
of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from
WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 17 May, 2018 07:39
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Kansas Sailor Killed During World War II To Be Buried With Full
Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Seaman 1st Class Willard H. Aldridge, accounted for on Nov. 15, 2017,
will be buried May 26, in Ashland, Kansas.
Aldridge, 20, of Sitka, Kansas, was killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II.
His nephew, Raymond Sumners, of Arvada, Colorado, is available for
interviews at (303) 424-8352.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Aldridge on file.
For more information, contact:
SFC Kristen Duus
Chief of External Communications
Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
2300 Defense Pentagon
Washington, D.C 20301-2300
(703) 699-1420 Kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil
On Dec. 7, 1941, Aldridge was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored
at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese
aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it
to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429
crewmen, including Aldridge.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Aldridge.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl
for analysis.
To identify Aldridge's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental and
anthropological analysis, along with circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this recovery.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,918 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Aldridge's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 16 May, 2018 10:38
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: California Airman Killed During World War II To Be Buried With Full
Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Clarence E. Allen, accounted for on July 26, 2017,
will be buried May 23 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.
Allen, 23, of Venice, California, was killed during World War II.
His family does not wish to be contacted by media.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Allen on file.
Media interested in attending the funeral should contact Arlington National
Cemetery Public Affairs at 703-614-0024.
For more information, contact:
SFC Kristen Duus
Chief of External Communications
Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
2300 Defense Pentagon
Washington, D.C 20301-2300
(703) 699-1420 Kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil
In mid-October 1944, Allen was a member of the 395th Fighter Squadron, 368th
Fighter Group, and was the pilot of a P-47 aircraft as the lead element in a
dive-bombing mission near Aachen, Germany. The squadron engaged enemy
aircraft in dogfights in the vicinity of Dusseldorf, and following the
battle, all aircraft except Allen’s returned to the base. The squadron
Mission Report indicated that a P-47 was seen crashing in the vicinity of
the battle. Based on this information, Allen was declared missing in action
on Oct. 12, 1944.
Following the hostilities, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC)
personnel searched for and disinterred the remains of American servicemen.
On March 18, 1948, the AGRC team disinterred remains from the community
cemetery of Myhl. The remains were deemed unidentifiable and designated
“Unknown X-7214,” and buried in the United States Military Cemetery in
Neuville-en-Condroz (now known as Ardennes American Cemetery) in Nupré,
Belgium.
On March 8, 2003, German researchers located aircraft wreckage that
correlated with Allen’s aircraft, in Myhl. After a thorough historical and
scientific analysis, it was determined that X-7214 could likely be
identified. After receiving approval, in 2005, Unknown X-7214 was
disinterred from Ardennes American Cemetery and sent to the DPAA laboratory
for analysis.
To identify Allen’s remains, historians from DPAA established a strong link
between X-7214 and historical documentation of Allen’s loss. Then,
scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which strengthened the link to Allen’s
family members, establishing a consistent anthropological profile between
X-7214 and Allen.
DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission for their
partnership in this recovery.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,918 service members
(approximately 26,000 assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted
for from World War II. Allen’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the
Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, Netherlands, an
American Battle Monuments Commission site, along with the other MIAs from
WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for. Although interred as an "unknown," Allen’s grave was
meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle
Monuments Commission.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 14 May, 2018 10:01
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Naval Aviator Killed During World War II Accounted For (DeMoss, H.)
In the early morning hours of June 23, 1945, DeMoss was a member of Fighting
Squadron 100 (VF-100), piloting an F6F-3 Hellcat from Naval Air Station
Barbers Point, Oahu, Territory Hawaii. DeMoss was accompanied by two other
squadron aircraft for a night division tactics training flight. Following
the completion of their flight plan, the pilots circled the island. At
Kahuku Point, the northern tip of Oahu, the pilots encountered a layer of
clouds. DeMoss climbed above the clouds and attempted to descend through
them. His aircraft was not seen reemerging from the clouds and attempts to
contact him via radio were unsuccessful. An immediate search for his
aircraft began.
Interment services are pending; more information will be released 7-10 days
prior to scheduled funeral services.
For more information about DPAA, visit www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media
at www.facebook.com/dodpaa, or call 703-699-1420.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Rick Downes, Coalition Executive Director <rickdownes05@gmail.com> Sent: 13 May, 2018 21:05 Subject: Bill Richardson Interview
A burst of sunlight was brought to remains recovery and other humanitarian issues by former governor/UN ambassador Bill Richardson three minutes into today's MSNBC interview Please share the link widely!
Howard Jack Keil, who survived being shot down over Austria, imprisonment by Nazis, and a brutal forced march, died May 8 at The Waterford at Levis ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 14 May, 2018 10:01
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Naval Aviator Killed During World War II Accounted For (DeMoss, H.)
In the early morning hours of June 23, 1945, DeMoss was a member of Fighting
Squadron 100 (VF-100), piloting an F6F-3 Hellcat from Naval Air Station
Barbers Point, Oahu, Territory Hawaii. DeMoss was accompanied by two other
squadron aircraft for a night division tactics training flight. Following
the completion of their flight plan, the pilots circled the island. At
Kahuku Point, the northern tip of Oahu, the pilots encountered a layer of
clouds. DeMoss climbed above the clouds and attempted to descend through
them. His aircraft was not seen reemerging from the clouds and attempts to
contact him via radio were unsuccessful. An immediate search for his
aircraft began.
Interment services are pending; more information will be released 7-10 days
prior to scheduled funeral services.
... the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and in partnership with East Carolina University Archeology Department to locate and identify aircraft lost ...
McNichol's remains, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, were buried along with others in a battlefield cemetery on the island after ...
The city of Ashland in southwest Kansas is preparing to welcome home a native son who died while serving in the Navy more than 76 years ago. Navy Seaman 1st Class Willard Aldridge died aboard the USS Oklahoma during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. He was among 429 sailors who ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 7 May, 2018 09:46
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Ford, G.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Fireman 2nd Class George C. Ford, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on April 30, 2018.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 7 May, 2018 09:30
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Recently Accounted For Pennsylvania Marine Killed During World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Cpl. John V. McNichol, accounted for on Sept. 25, 2017, will be
buried May 14 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.
McNichol, 20, of Altoona, Pennsylvania, was killed during World War II.
His nephew, Thomas McNichol, of Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, is available for
interviews at (814) 933-9384.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of McNichol on file.
Media interested in attending the funeral should contact Arlington National
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 7 May, 2018 09:21
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Recently Accounted For California Soldier Missing From The Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Army Cpl. Albert E. Quintero, accounted for on Aug. 28, 2017, will be buried
May 14 in Long Beach, California.
Quintero, 23, of Los Angeles, was missing from the Korean War.
His niece, Alice Arviso, is available for interviews at (562) 507-6848.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Quintero on file.
In 2003, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command disinterred a single casket that contained the partial remains of about 100 crew members from the USS Oklahoma. Aldridge enlisted in the Navy at Great Bend and during his service earned a Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, American Defense ...
J.W. “Joe” Brown's father, Warrant Officer Charles D. Brown of the U.S. Army's 31st Infantry Regiment, was interred in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in the Philippines when he made the bracelet for his toddler son. Smuggled out of the camp by a Catholic priest who delivered it to Brown's family, it has ...
The developments at AFDIL have brought a surge of optimism to families of missing soldiers, said Mark Stephensen, vice chairman of the National League of POW/MIA Families. The organization is part support network and part watchdog, committed to pressuring the military into doing everything in its ...
Scientists and researchers for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency positively identified Slapikas' remains in the fall and the Navy is planning an official burial ceremony later this year in his hometown. “It's unbelievable, but I'm very happy to hear it,” Slapikas' niece, Leona Hotko, 88, said. “He was ...
“It was total elation, just pure joy,” said Paul Quinn, Sgt. Quinn's nephew, remembering the moment he told his mother that the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) had finally identified the remains of a soldier exhumed on Tarawa as her brother-in-law. “Then after a bit, it's kind of bittersweet.”
He survived the Bataan Death March, only to die from dysentery as a prisoner of war in the Philippines. ... But he's no longer on the list of more than 72,000 service members who haven't been accounted for from that war, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which has a $146 million ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 4 May, 2018 11:15
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Recently Accounted For Sailor Killed During World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Seaman 1st Class Clifford G. Goodwin, accounted for on Sept. 26, 2017,
will be buried May 12 in his hometown.
Goodwin, 24, of Diamond, Missouri, was killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma during World War II.
His niece, Mary Putnam, of Joplin, Missouri, is available for interviews at
(417) 623-8013.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Goodwin on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 4 May, 2018 11:11
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Recently Accounted For Sailor Killed During World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Radioman 2nd Class Quentin J. Gifford, accounted for on July 26, 2017,
will be buried May 12 at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minnesota.
Gifford, 22, of Mankato, Minnesota was killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II.
His brother, Harold Gifford, of Woodbury, Minnesota, is available for
interviews at (651) 730-8790.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Gifford on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 4 May, 2018 10:14
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Recently Accounted For Sailor Killed During Korean War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class William G. Payne, accounted for on Aug. 9.
2017, will be buried May 11 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
in Honolulu.
Payne, 41, of Springfield, Missouri, was killed during the Korean War.
His family does not wish to be contacted by media.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Payne on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 4 May, 2018 09:17
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Torti, N.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Seaman 1st Class Natale I. Torti, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on April 26, 2018.
FW: Marine Killed During World War II Accounted For (Cavin, W.)
Date:
Thu, 3 May 2018 07:37:31 -0400
From:
moehog@verizon.net
To:
'Moe Moyer' <moehog@verizon.net>
Welcome HOME Private First Class Cavin!
Salute to HISTORY FLIGHT and all their efforts to account for our Missing in Action!
-----Original Message-----
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 3 May, 2018 07:31
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Marine Killed During World War II Accounted For (Cavin, W.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Marine Corps Pfc. William F. Cavin, killed during World War II, was
PENSACOLA, Fla., May 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The research staff at the WFI Research Group was overjoyed when the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announcement that PFC Herman W. Mulligan USMCR had been identified. PFC Herman W. Mulligan had gone missing while serving with ...
DELAVAN - A U.S. Marine Corps Corporal who was killed in battle during World War II is coming home at last, and will be buried in Delavan, according to the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). Cpl. Raymond A. Barker will be buried May 5 in Delavan, according to a DPAA news release.
In 2003, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command disinterred a single casket that contained the partial remains of about 100 crew members from the USS Oklahoma. Advancements in DNA allowed identification of the remains, and family members were sought out. The remains were matched with ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 1 May, 2018 12:05
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Recently Accounted For Marine Killed During World War II To Be Buried With Full Military Honors
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Pfc. Harold V. Thomas, accounted for on Nov. 7, 2017, will be
buried May 7 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.
Thomas, 21, of Columbus, Ohio, was killed during the battle of Tarawa in
World War II.
His nephew, Harry Thomas, of Dacula, Georgia, is available for interviews at
(404) 509-3788.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Thomas on file.
Media interested in attending the funeral should contact Arlington National
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 1 May, 2018 10:02
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During World War II Accounted For (Farris, K.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Pvt. Kenneth D. Farris, killed during World War II, was accounted for
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 1 May, 2018 07:34
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Captured and Killed During the Korean War Accounted For (Fuller, T.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Cpl. Terrell J. Fuller, captured and killedduring the Korean War, was
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 1 May, 2018 07:22
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During World War II Accounted For (Sappington, O.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Pfc. Oscar E. Sappington, killed during World War II, was accounted for
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 April, 2018 13:10
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Missing From The Korean War Accounted For (Ketchum, R.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Sgt. 1st Class Rufus L. Ketchum, missing from the Korean War, was
The same month, the remains of those who died at Tarawa were disinterred so that DNA samples could be taken by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, a government organization tasked with recovering missing personnel who are listed as Prisoners of War or Missing in Action. Paul had gotten in ...
... as Marines landed against strong Japanese resistance on the tiny, coral reef-ringed island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands. Approximately 1,000 Marines and sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded. The Pentagon's POW/MIA Accounting Agency says Quinn's remains ...
The Pentagon agency responsible for recovering servicemen held as prisoners of war or those missing in action, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, says Quinn's remains will be transferred at Logan Airport in Boston on May 4. “We never thought we'd be bringing him home. It's pure joy,” Quinn ...
This undated photo released by the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency shows U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. David Quinn, who died Nov. 20, 1943, during the battle of Tarawa in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Quinn's remains have been identified and a burial with full military honors will ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 April, 2018 11:41
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release- Funeral Announcement For New Hampshire Marine Killed During World War II
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Reserve 1st Sgt. David H. Quinn, accounted for on Nov. 7, 2017,
will be buried May 5 in his hometown.
Quinn, 24, of Temple, New Hampshire, was killed during the battle of Tarawa
in World War II.
His nephew, Paul C. Quinn, also of Temple, is available for interviews at
(603) 924-6173.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Quinn on file.
**Please note, a dignified transfer will take place at Logan, New Hampshire
Airport on May 4, with funeral services held at the Congregational Church of
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 April, 2018 10:57
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release- Funeral Announcement for Marine Killed During World War II
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Reserve Cpl. Raymond A. Barker, accounted for on Sept. 27,
2017, will be buried May 5 in Delavan, Wisconsin.
Barker, 22, of Evanston, Illinois, was killed during the battle of Tarawa in
World War II.
His niece, nephew, Philip Wright, is available for interviews at (423)
237-8034.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Barker on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 April, 2018 10:29
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release- Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed During World War II
Dear Editor,
Army Pfc. Billy R. Ball, accounted for on Aug. 28, 2017, will be buried May
4, in St. Louis, Missouri.
Ball, 20, of Matthews, Missouri, was killed during World War II.
His niece, Carolyn Duncan, of The Villages, Florida, is available for
interviews at (352) 460-7108.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Ball on file.
/////
On Dec. 8, 1941, Ball was a member of Headquarters Detachment Philippines
Department, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands. Intense
fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9,
1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were taken prisoner;
including many who were forced to endure the Bataan Death March, en route to
Japanese prisoner of war (POW) camps, including the POW camp at Cabanatuan
on the island of Luzon, Philippines. Ball was among those reported captured
after the surrender of Corregidor and who were eventually moved to the
Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the
remaining years of the war.
According to prisoner records, Ball died on Sept. 28, 1942, and was buried
along with fellow prisoners in the local Cabanatuan camp cemetery.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel
exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to
a temporary U.S. military cemetery near Manila. In late 1947, the AGRS again
exhumed the remains at the Manila cemetery in an attempt to identify them.
Due to the circumstances of the POW deaths and burials, the extensive
commingling, and the limited identification technologies of the time, all of
the remains could not be individually identified. The unidentified remains
were reburied as unknowns in the present-day Manila American Cemetery and
Memorial.
In May 2016, the Secretary of the Army granted permission to exhume six
graves associated with Cabanatuan Common Graves 437 and 439. On May 11,
2017, the remains were sent to DPAA for identification.
To identify Ball's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, as well as
circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental
comparisons and anthropological analysis.
DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission for their
partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,934 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Although interred as an "unknown" in
Manila, Ball's grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by
the American Battle Monuments Commission. His name is recorded on the Walls
of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery site along with the other
MIAs from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which is charged with recovery and identification of America's war dead, has a special project to identify remains from the battle, said Chuck Prichard, the agency's director of public affairs. It has since 2016 identified 106 sets of remains, leaving 444 as of two ...
Missouri Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt passed legislation this week to add the Kansas City Liberty Memorial — the nation' official World War I Museum and Memorial — to the list of national memorials that fly the POW/MIA flag honoring American servicemembers who are prisoners of war or ...
Management said each resident is only allowed to fly one flag -- and it must be an American flag. Other flags are not allowed. “I felt degraded," Kunkle said. "It's terrible that people like that they don't understand that POW. flags are like the most American flags you can get besides Stars and Stripes."...
Hanoi (AFP) - When Tycoria Johnson told her family she was going to Vietnam to help recover the remains of an American killed there during the war, her mother was proud -- but anxious.
Seventeen years earlier, Johnson's father died in a helicopter crash on a similar mission to find some of the 1,600 US servicemen and women killed in the Vietnam War whose bodies have still not been located....
The funding frustrations are traced back to the defense sequester of 2013, with the Pentagon at one point forced to cut more than a third of its MIA .... It was a trickle-down effect, after the arm of the Pentagon known as the Defense POW / MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) saw its budget cut from 2015 until ...
At issue is whether exhibits by the Navy, Marine Corps and Army that use the Bible to honor POW/MIA's — prisoners of war and those missing in action — suggest official endorsement of Christianity as a religion. Critics say that would run afoul of the U.S. Constitution and Pentagon regulations barring ...
Purkapile's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with others missing from that war. A rosette will be placed next to his name, indicating that he's been accounted for, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
In recent filings tied to the lawsuit that was filed last May, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) agreed to disinter several graves - including 704 and 822 in the Manila American Cemetery - that are cited in a lawsuit filed by Patterson and six others last May. The graves may hold as many as ...
From the Desk of Mark Sauter, SF Veteran, DMZ Korea, Author, researcher extraordinaire.
moe note; Advocates, Activists, Veterans, a few reminders concerning the KOREAN War (not Conflict);
It was a United Nations controlled war
It lasted three years
58,150 + Killed in Action (almost the same as 10 yrs. plus of Vietnam)
7,190 Prisoners of War (American) (Ten times the number of Vietnam POWs)
8,170 + Missing in Action (7,704 still unaccounted for – Five times the number of Vietnam Unaccounted for)
No Peace Treaty – Armistice only since 1953
Similar to WW II, many UN/US Military personnel were left in the hands of the enemy. DoD leadership knew, the Commander-in-Chief knew, but little to no effort was made to retrieve them. US/DoD Files are still classified sixty five years after the fact - Why?
Subject: Unrepatriated US POWs from the Korean War About to Get the Short Stick Again -- Trump/Kim Summit
The US is apparently going to ask for the return of several Americans now known to be detained in North Korea.
Critical….
And it appears, but to my knowledge not confirmed, that President will raise the issue of repatriating the remains of US POW/MIA in the North (the history, politics and payoffs surrounding which could populate 20 articles).
Essential and decades overdue…
But there is NO indication President Trump’s advisors are asking him to raise the issue of US POWs known alive at the end of the Korean War but never returned by North Korea and its allies, plus the numerous reports of their survival in North Korea decades after the war – plus declassified information that some American prisoners from the Vietnam War may also have ended up in North Korea. [Then there is also the mysterious case of David Sneddon, an American student who disappeared in China in 2004 and who was then reported a prisoner in North Korea.]
In comparison, the South Korean government has acknowledged that many of its soldiers captured around the same time and places, were kept by the North, with hundreds still alive at last report.
If there’s ever been a time to update the American people on evidence kept classified from them for all these years about US POWs from the Korean War, it’s now. And even more so if the Trump/Kim talks lead to negotiations for a permanent peace treaty – full accounting for POW/MIAs needs to be on the table (POW/MIA issues delayed signing of the current Armistice Agreement for almost two years during the conflict).
FLANDREAU, S.D. (AP) — The remains of a South Dakota serviceman whose fighter plane was shot down over the Pacific Ocean during World War II will be laid to rest next month. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says Navy Reserve Lt. William Punnell of Flandreau will be buried with full ...
The remains of a South Dakota serviceman whose fighter plane was shot down over the Pacific Ocean during World War II will be laid to rest next month. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says Navy Reserve Lt. William Punnell of Flandreau will be buried with full military honors May 2 in ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 25 April, 2018 10:19
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release- Funeral Announcement for Sailor Killed During World War II
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Reserve Lt. William Q. Punnell, accounted for on June 23, 2017, will be
buried May 2 in Arlington National Cemetery,near Washington, D.C.
Punnell, 27, of Flandreau, South Dakota, was killed during World War II.
His nephew, Dennis Kelvie, of Caldwell, Idaho, is available for interviews
at (208) 459-7974.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Punnell on file.
Media interested in attending the funeral should contact Arlington National
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 25 April, 2018 10:02
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Pepe, S.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Water Tender 1st Class Stephen Pepe, killed during the attack on the
USS Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
The directive orders city departments to stop enforcing Jacksonville's sign ordinance as it relates to flying official flags for the United States, the state of Florida, or the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, as well as POW-MIA flags. The suspension of enforcement related to the ...
Technological advancements over the years have made possible the identification of unknown remains previously deemed unidentifiable, as has the work of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which provides the fullest possible accounting of missing American personnel to their families and the ...
LANCASTER, Wis. (AP) - The remains of a Wisconsin serviceman killed in the Korean War and recently accounted for will be buried this week. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says the remains of Army Cpl. Leonard Purkapile of Potosi are being returned to his family for burial with full military ...
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, (MRFF), a radical group claiming to be protectors of the constitutional rights of those in the military, filed a seven-page complaint about a Bible and “One Nation Under God” placard on a POW/MIA table at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Okinawa, Japan.
The United States Navy has rejected a leading secularist group's demands that it remove a Bible on display at a "Missing Man" table honoring prisoners of war and those missing in action at a Naval hospital in Japan. Earlier this month, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and 26 families in ...
She asked if I could reach out to the other family," said Farfan. And after several years, the sailor has finally been accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Funeral services are currently being planned with the family. But Farfan believes that it's necessary to share this story with others.
The same policy applies to Medal of Honor recipients, Yates said. Yates said she feels bad that some families ... Kanda Fletcher lamented that officers who never stood on the firing line could get full honors at Arlington, but enlisted former POWs could not. “Shame on you,” she said, directing her anger to ...
As we learned a couple of weeks ago, the U.S. Naval Hospital in Okinawa, Japan now has a “Missing Man” table dedicated to prisoners of war or those missing in action. That's perfectly fine, but this particular table included a Bible, suggesting that POW/MIAs were only Christian and that atheists and ...
“As one of nine symbolic references on the table, the purpose of the book and accompanying description is not to promote religion, but to commemorate the strength and resolve required of POW and MIA personnel in the most difficult of times,” wrote Rear Admiral P.D. Pearigen of Navy Medicine West in ..
Army Sgt. Kristen Duus, spokeswoman for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, said its researchers travel the world to try and ID the remains of American service members from World War II. "It can be difficult, we try to rely on witness reports and we have phenomenal historians and analysts," she ...
Now his remains have been identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. They were part of a large set of remains turned over to the United States by ... The prisoners were marched north to the Suan POW Camp Complex. In August 1953, his parents were officially informed that he had died ...
A year later, a similar script appeared on the website of the National League of POW/MIA Families, he said. The Air Force adopted the Bible as part of the display in 2001, took it out six years later and then put it back in 2012, according to Weinstein. He said Air Force now makes the “one nation under ...
John Dennis Wheeler was a sailor aboard the USS Oklahoma that was sunk in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. His remains have only recently been identified and he will finally be buried next to his mother, father and brother in the Gaither Cemetery. According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 20 April, 2018 11:09
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release- Funeral Announcement For Arkansas Sailor Killed During World War II
Dear Editor,
Navy Fireman 2nd Class John D. Wheeler, accounted for on Aug. 14, 2017, will
be buried April 28 in Harrison, Arkansas.
Wheeler, 26, of Gaither, Arkansas, was killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II.
His nephew, James Wheeler, is available for interviews at (316) 522-1904.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Wheeler on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 19 April, 2018 08:20
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Marine Killed During World War II Accounted For (Drumheiser, C.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Marine Corps Pfc. Clarence E. Drumheiser, killed during World War II, has
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 19 April, 2018 08:20
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Kelley, J.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Seaman 2nd Class Joe M. Kelley, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 19 April, 2018 08:21
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Missing From World War II Accounted For (Walker, J.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Pfc. John H. Walker, missing from World War II, has now been accounted
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 19 April, 2018 08:21
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Airman Killed During World War II Accounted For (Politte, V.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Vincent L. Politte, killed during World War II,
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 19 April, 2018 11:35
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release- Funeral Announcement For Wisconsin Soldier Killed During Korean War
Dear Editor,
Army Cpl. Leonard V. Purkapile, accounted for on February 12, will be buried
April 26 in Lancaster, Wisconsin.
Purkapile, 26, of Potosi, Wisconsin, was killed during the Korean War.
His daughter, Delores Hall, of Lancaster, is available for interviews at
(608) 723-7288.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Purkapile on file.
From: Prichard, Charles L CIV DPAA OC (US) <charles.l.prichard.civ@mail.mil> Sent: 19 April, 2018 17:40 To: Prichard, Charles L CIV DPAA OC (US) <charles.l.prichard.civ@mail.mil> Subject: DPAA News Article: U.S. Army Spc. Brings Great-Grandfather Home
Dear Editor,
Army Master Sgt. Finley J. Davis, accounted for on Aug. 8, 2017, was buried today (April 19, 2018) in North Charleston, South Carolina. Davis, 39, of Pittsburgh, was captured during the Korean War.
Master Sgt. Davis' return to his family was made even more special because his great-grandson, a U.S. Army Soldier stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, received the remains and escorted them home.
Please see attached and pasted below a DPAA News Article about Spc. Zachary Boney's journey to Hawaii to accompany his great-grandfather to a final honor.
To see and download photos that accompany this article, follow this link to the DPAA website:
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HI – He finally returned home from a deployment and wasn’t anticipating being sent anywhere else since he had just gotten back. He called his family, told them to pack because they were moving to settle down permanently someplace else. Then, he received a call informing him he was getting deployed to Korea. He would soon be listed as missing in action and never return home to his family.
U.S. Army Master Sgt. Finley James Davis was returned to his family following a Chain of Custody ceremony at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, April 16, 2018. Davis’ great-grandson, U.S. Army Spc. Zachary Boney, traveled to DPAA to receive the remains of his great-grandfather and escort him home to his final resting place.
“I feel, after going through the tour today and watching the agency video, a great deal of respect for the people who work at DPAA,” said Boney. “Now knowing the process you all have to go through, it’s very comforting to know you all put your time and patience into making sure other families have comfort for whenever you are able to make an identification.”
Davis was listed as missing in action in late 1950. He served in Delta Company, 2nd Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division when he was captured and became a prisoner of war in Kunu-ri, Camp 5, North Korea. It was a truly special and emotional moment for Boney, who felt honored that his grandmother chose him to escort Davis home, he said. Boney understood just how much this would mean to his family.
“He was very important to my grandmother because she was only 12 years old when he went missing,” said Boney. “My grandma would always talk about how much she missed him, and I know just how important this is for her. She is 78 years old and it warms her heart knowing that he’ll be coming home before she passes.”
Even though Boney’s great-grandmother is not around today he understands just how monumental this moment would have been for her as well.
“I first found out about all of this in early September after my mother had called me,” recalled Boney. “It was after talking to my mom and grandmother that we felt that this was a bit of an unique love story. My great-grandmother never remarried after him because she told my grandmother how he was the only man she wanted to be with and didn’t ever want to be with anyone else.”
Even though it took decades for Davis to return home, Boney had some encouraging words to offer those who are currently have loved ones missing.
“Just don’t lose hope,” said Boney. “It’s a long process, but eventually you will find the individual you’re looking for.”
Boney and his family finally have closure after many years of uncertainty. Most importantly, after 66 years of being separated, his great-grandparents finally get to be together again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 18 April, 2018 13:48
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release- Funeral Announcement For Soldier Captured During Korean War
Dear Editor,
Army Sgt. 1st Class Milton M. Beed, accounted for on Dec. 4, 2017, will be
buried April 25 in Norfolk, Nebraska.
Beed, 30, of Meadow Grove, Nebraska, was captured during the Korean War.
His niece, Suanne Jensen, is available for interviews at (462) 658-2635.
The Department of Defense has the attached photos of Beed on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 18 April, 2018 13:42
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release- Funeral Announcement For Airman Killed During Vietnam War
CORRECTION: Please note the correction in the first paragraph of the
attached News Release.
/////
Dear Editor,
Air Force Reserve 1st Lt. David T. Dinan, III, accounted for on Aug. 7,
2017, will be buried April 25 in Arlington National Cemetery, near
Washington, D.C.
Dinan, 25, of Nutley, New Jersey, was killed during the Vietnam War.
His brother, Charles Dinan, of McMurray, Pennsylvania, is available for
interviews at (724) 941-2875.
The Department of Defense has the attached photos of Dinan on file.
Media interested in attending the funeral should contact Arlington National
On March 17, 1969, Dinan was a member of the 34th Tactical Fighter Squadron,
288th Tactical Fighter Wing, 7th Air Force, and was the pilot of the number
two aircraft in a flight of two F-105s on a strike mission over northern
Laos. During the second strafing pass over the target, Dinan transmitted a
distress message. The Forward Air Controller then observed Dinan's
parachute enter the jungle, as well as an aircraft crash. Search and rescue
aircraft conducted an aerial search and located a parachute and confirmed
the death of the pilot, however, due to enemy fire in the area and the
hazardous location, his body could not be recovered. The U.S. Air Force
subsequently reported Dinan as killed in action.
In March 2014, a joint U.S./Lao People's Democratic Republic (L.P.D.R.) team
investigated a site near Ban Khap, Xiangkoang Province, associated with
Dinan's loss, recovering personal effects associated with Dinan.
In June 2016, a joint U.S./L.P.D.R. team excavated the same site near Ban
Khap, recovering osseous remains and material evidence. The remains were
sent to DPAA for analysis.
To identify Dinan's remains, DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner
System used mitochondrial (mtDNA), as well as dental and anthropological
analysis, and circumstantial evidence.
The support from the government of Laos was vital to the success of this
recovery.
Today there are 1,598 American servicemen and civilians that are still
unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. Dinan's name is recorded on the Walls
of the Missing at an American Battle Monuments Commission site along with
the others unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for missing Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the
DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil or call (703) 699-1420.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 18 April, 2018 12:37
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release- Funeral Announcement For Soldier Captured During World War II
Dear Editor,
Army Pvt. Raymond Sinowitz, accounted for on Aug. 18, 2017, will be buried
April 23 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.
Sinowitz, 25, of Bronx, New York, was captured during World War II.
His family does not wish to be contacted by media.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Sinowitz on file.
Media interested in attending the funeral should contact Arlington National
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 18 April, 2018 12:45
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release- Funeral Announcement For Airman Killed During Vietnam War
Dear Editor,
Air Force Reserve 1st Lt. David T. Dinan, III, accounted for on Aug. 7,
2017, will be buried April 25 in Arlington National Cemetery, near
Washington, D.C.
Dinan, 25, of Nutley, New Jersey, was killed during the Vietnam War.
His brother, Charles Dinan, of McMurray, Pennsylvania, is available for
interviews at (724) 941-2875.
The Department of Defense has the attached photos of Dinan on file.
Media interested in attending the funeral should contact Arlington National
U.S. Army Master Sgt. Finley James Davis was returned to his family following a Chain of Custody ceremony at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, April 16th. His great-grandson, U.S. Army Spc. Zachary Boney, stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, ...
Lost in Battle, Found by Amateur Sleuths: An ‘Unknown’ Marine
Digitized records and DNA tests are allowing civilian volunteers to pitch in and
help put correct names on unidentified remains in American military cemeteries.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Funeral services are this weekend for a Louisiana soldier captured during the Korean War, whose remains were recovered last year. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says 19-year-old Army Sgt. 1st Class Lester R. Walker, of Ferriday, will be buried in Downsville ...
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says Army Sgt. 1st Class Lester R. Walker, of Ferriday, will be buried in Downsville after graveside services Saturday at Ruggs Bluff Cemetery. He was 19. Walker was a member of Battery B, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 2nd Infantry ...
Funeral services are scheduled this weekend for a Louisiana soldier declared missing in action during the Korean War whose remains were recovered last year. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says Army Sgt. 1st Class Lester R. Walker, of Ferriday, will be buried in Downsville after graveside ...
Funeral services are this weekend for a Louisiana soldier captured during the Korean War, whose remains were recovered last year. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says 19-year-old Army Sgt. 1st Class Lester R. Walker, of Ferriday, will be buried in Downsville following graveside services ...
Nania said the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency made the identification without DNA, using new technology. "Basically, what happened is everybody that joined the military for the Korean War had chest X-rays to see if they had tuberculosis. Well, now with technology, they use the collarbone.
Since the Vietnam War, the military has maintained the sacred tradition of setting a separate table in its dining facilities to honor POW/MIAs. The table is decorated with several items, each carrying symbolic meaning used to help remember those who were captured or declared missing. Traditionally, as a ...
On April 26, representatives of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency are set to come to Severna Park for a visit with Betty Tucker. Betty is Jubb's niece and his closest living relative. She doesn't remember much about her uncle. She was 2 when he was listed as missing in action. “I grew up listening ...
It would take almost 52 years before the Hestle family got some form of closure when in June 2017, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency notified the family that human remains that had been recovered by a farmer in an area near where Hestle's plane went down, had been positively identified as ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 13 April, 2018 12:17
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release- Funeral Announcement For Louisiana Soldier Captured During the Korean War
Dear Editor,
Army Sgt. 1st Class Lester R. Walker, accounted for on Sept. 26, 2017, will
be buried April 18 in Downsville, Louisiana.
Walker, 19, of Ferriday, Louisiana, was captured during the Korean War.
His brother, Roy Walker, of West Monroe, Louisiana, is available for
interviews at (318) 791-6596.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Walker on file.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 13 April, 2018 07:59
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release- Funeral Announcement For Pennsylvania Soldier Captured During the Korean War
Dear Editor,
Army Master Sgt. Finley J. Davis, accounted for on Aug. 8, 2017, will be
buried April 19 in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Davis, 39, of Pittsburgh, was captured during the Korean War.
His daughter, Roseann V. Stonestreet, of Henderson, Nevada, is available for
interviews at (843) 670-0716.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Davis on file.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said a set of remains that had been marked X-14024 were processed for identification in 1954 but an association could not be made and they were returned to the United States for burial. The remains of these "Unknowns" would be sent to Honolulu for burial ...
U.S. Navy sailors are being labeled as part of an “extremist” Christian sect for including a Bible and a placard about the sustaining faith it represents on a Prisoner of War/Missing in Action display at a naval hospital in Okinawa, Japan. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, founded by former Air ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 11 April, 2018 09:11
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Farfan, I.)
Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Steward Mate 1st Class Ignacio C. Farfan, killed during the attack on
the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on March 27.
“We would like to thank the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the other organizations that played a part in Felton's case over the last 50 years,” said Col. Alan Davis, son of Col. Felton Davis. “The journey to bring our father home was long, and with gaps, but their work spans years and we would ...
The Bible is actually included in traditional POW/MIA tables set in honor of captured and missing soldiers at military balls, chow halls and veterans associations, according to Navy Live, the official blog of the U.S. Navy. “The Bible represents faith in a higher power and the pledge to our country, founded ...
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – Chaplains from the 25th Infantry Division visited Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on March 29, in an effort to better understand the process of bringing lost American service members back home. The DPAA's ...
From the desk of Patrick Hughes, USMC, Vietnam Combat Veteran, POW/MIA Advocate.
moe note: Patrick has a SPECIAL connection to the recovery efforts on Tarawa being conducted by HISTORY FLIGHT, - http://historyflight.com/nw/ - an NGO under contract with DPAA,;
Patrick is also a Marine – and you know what they say “once a Marine….”
Patrick had the Honor & privilege to spend several months on Tarawa as a recovery team member documenting with his Camera the actual day-to-day operations of a recovery team
Patrick has been an Activist as well as an Advocate for several decades, from embassy protest to Capitol Demonstrations as well as an exorbitant amount of Legislative work, on and off the Hill.
For those who are not aware, Tarawa had several hundred KIAs buried there after the early battles in 1942 -43. In recent years leadership at what is now DPAA had told History Flight not to not waste time or money bothering with recovery efforts there, it would not be successful. It’s a good thing History Flight’s founder and Director, Mark Noah, is as bull-headed as he is committed to the accounting mission of our Missing in Action, for his teams have recovered close to if not more than 200 US Marines over the last 2-3 years. They are by FAR the most active recovery unit in this mission.
To Patrick and Mark – Thank YOU for ALL YOU continue to do to account for our Missing in Action!
Until they all come home……….
Do NOT forget to click on the YouTube link below to view the Dignified Transfer.
From: Patrick ( 1 ) <patrick@patrickjhughes.org> Sent: 10 April, 2018 10:09 To: Jim 'Moe' Moyer <moehog@verizon.net> Subject: Fw: Memorial Marker for Pvt. Edwin W. Jordan removed "Today"
Morning Moe,
Not snowing here Today, as yet!
Was at BWI on Saturday for Respectfully, dignified transfer of another Tarawa Marine and his Arlington burial services Yesterday.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 10 April, 2018 09:24
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Sanders, D.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Chief Machinist's Mate Dean S. Sanders, killed during the attack on the
USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on March 26.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 9 April, 2018 12:21
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release- Funeral Announcement For Naval Aviator Missing From World War II
Dear Editor,
Navy Reserve Lt. j.g. Irvin E. Rink, accounted for on July 10, 2017, will be
buried April 16 in his hometown.
Rink, 25, of Wichita, Kansas, was missing from World War II.
His family does not wish to be contacted by media.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Rink on file.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says 25-year-old Navy Seaman 2nd Class Frank Wood, of Jackson, Ohio, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which capsized in the attack by Japanese aircraft. Wood's remains were among those considered unidentified and buried in Honolulu in ...
The Defense Department's POW/MIA Accounting Agency says Wood was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which capsized in the attack by Japanese aircraft. Wood's remains were among those considered unidentified and buried in Honolulu in the years that followed. In 2015, crews began ...
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The Navy has launched an investigation after a Bible was included in a POW/MIA “Missing Man” table display at U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa. Officials were first alerted to the issue Thursday evening, when a complaint was received from the New York-based Law Office of ..
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) is investigating the possibility that human remains and other items recovered from a wartime crash site in Austria last summer may be those of Capt. Dickson. If so, he would be the first of the World War II black aviators known as the Tuskegee Airmen ...
The remains of sailor Ora Sharninghouse Jr., whose aircraft crashed in the Pacific in 1944 during World War II, were returned to his sister after 73 years. (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency). FINDLAY, Ohio — The remains of a gunner whose plane crashed in the Pacific Ocean during World War II ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 6 April, 2018 14:10
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release- Funeral Announcement For USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II
Dear Editor,
Navy Seaman 2nd Class Frank Wood, accounted for on Aug. 28, 2017, will be
buried April 14, in Franklin, North Carolina.
Wood, 25, of Jackson, Ohio, was killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma
in World War II.
His nephew, Jack Overly, of Colorado, is available for interviews at (970)
586-2559.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Wood on file.
Richard Downes, president of the Coalition of Families of Korean and Cold War POW/MIAs, said the North had expressed a willingness to return remains as recently as 2016, when he traveled to Pyongyang with a nonprofit headed by Richardson. "If progress is made, even without the remains issue ...
According to the Pentagon's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency , most of the missing Americans died in major battles or as prisoners of war. Others died along the wayside or in small villages. Many of the losses from aircraft crashes also occurred near battle zones or roads connecting them.
However, his family never gave up, and through the work of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, his remains were identified using new DNA process in 2017. "they say he was a joker," Hopper's sister Annelle Bowman said. "He liked to tease. All of them were jokers, my brothers. He liked music ...
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — A nonprofit group dedicated to safeguarding servicemembers' constitutional right to religious freedom has lodged a formal complaint with the Navy after a Bible was spotted in a POW/MIA “Missing Man” table display at U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa. The complaint was filed ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 5 April, 2018 21:06
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release: Funeral Announcement For Pennsylvania Soldier Missing From Korean War
Dear Editor,
Army Master Sgt. George R. Housekeeper, Jr., accounted for on June 15, 2017,
will be buried April 11 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington,
D.C.
Housekeeper, 28, of Lansdale, Pennsylvania was missing from the Korean War.
His son, Danny R. Housekeeper, is available for interviews at
(724)-290-7581.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Housekeeper on file.
Media interested in attending the funeral should contact Arlington National
His remains were disinterred in January 2017 and DNA testing at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Laboratory at Hickham Air Force Base, Hawaii finally provided answers. Army Sgt. Christopher ”Ryan” Reynolds accompanied his great uncle's remains on an airline flight Wednesday from Hawaii to ...
The remains of a Fort Bragg soldier's great-grandfather have finally come home after nearly 70 years. Sgt. 1st Class Finley James Davis served in the Korean War. He was a Prisoner of War and listed as Missing In Action in December of 1950 and his date of death is reported as of April 30, 1951.
Divers recovered the two sailors' remains and immediately turned them over to the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which accounts for Americans who went missing while serving their country. Dr. Scannon said it was a momentous discovery and an emotional experience for all ...
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that Davis had been accounted for in August 2017. His remains, originally mislabeled by the North Korean Army, were originally returned to U.S. custody in the fall of 1954, part of a massive swap of each side's dead known as Operation Glory.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 4 April, 2018 11:54
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Missing From Korean War Accounted For (Reagan, T.)
Sir/Ma'am,
Army Cpl. Thomas W. Reagan, missing from the Korean War, has now been
On Aug. 1, 1943, 2nd Lt. William H. Harth Jr. of Columbia was a bombardier on a B-24D heavy bomber making a run over the Nazi-controlled oil refineries in Ploesti, Romania. It was the first large-scale, low-altitude attack by U.S. heavy bombers on the strategic city. Called Operation Tidal Wave, the ...
Marine Corps Pvt. Edwin W. Jordan was among the forces invading the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll in November of 1943, trying to secure a base for further U.S. operations against Japanese forces in the central Pacific, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, a part of the ...
The families of 83,000 U.S. service members have never had their loved ones remains returned home, according to the POW/MIA Accounting Agency, or DPAA. The Department of Defense agency is tasked with locating the bodies, recovery, and ultimately bringing home veterans who are missing in ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 2 April, 2018 11:34
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement For Marine Killed During World War II
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Pvt. Edwin W. Jordan, accounted for on Sept. 27, 2017, will be
buried April 9 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.
Jordan, 17, of Pittsburgh, was killed during the battle of Tarawa during
World War II.
His niece, Nancy E. Erwin, is available for interviews at (304) 375-6539.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Jordan on file.
/////
In November 1943, Jordan was assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 8th
Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force which landed
against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa
Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over
several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and
Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were
virtually annihilated. Jordan died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20,
1943.
The battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the
Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which
to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their
Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members
who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on
the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration
Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio Island, but Jordan's
remains were not recovered. On Feb. 28, 1949, a military review board
declared Jordan's remains non-recoverable.
In July 2017, through a partnership with History Flight, Inc., DPAA used
advanced investigative techniques to locate further areas believed to
contain the remains of men buried on Tarawa. The recovered remains were
sent to the laboratory for analysis.
To identify Jordan's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental,
anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, which matched his
records, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to History Flight, Inc., for their partnership in this
mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,936 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Jordan's name is recorded on the Tablets
of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, along with
the others killed or lost in WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name
to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 2 April, 2018 10:01
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Airman Killed During World War II Accounted For (Mathews, P.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Percy C. Mathews, killed during World War II, has
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 2 April, 2018 10:01
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Bruesewitz, W.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Seaman 1st Class William G. Bruesewitz, killed during the attack on the
USS Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 2 April, 2018 09:49
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Young, R.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Seaman 1st Class Robert V. Young, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 2 April, 2018 09:41
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Doyle, B.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Seaman 2nd Class Bernard V. Doyle, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 2 April, 2018 09:38
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Foley, W.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Seaman 1st Class Walter C. Foley, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 2 April, 2018 09:29
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Missing From the Korean War Accounted For (Baker, Donald)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Sgt. Donald L. Baker, missing from the Korean War, has now been
In January, while trying to identify another unknown Korean War casualty, the POW/MIA Accounting Agency Forensic Team positively identified Sgt. Simon's remains. His remains were returned home to Ohio, where he was finally laid to rest in All Saints Cemetery in Northfield Center. His service was ...
The remains of a U.S. Marine who was killed during World War II have been returned to his family in Oregon for burial. Marine Corps Pfc. Lyle E. Charpilloz will be buried with full military honors on April 7 in Salem. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency reported Charpilloz, a 19-year-old from ...
As the years went on, he and another brother submitted DNA samples to the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in hopes of one day bringing their brother's remains home where they belong. "The family did have a memorial service for him in the church. And we kind of thought, well, that put ...
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) - This week has been an emotional rollercoaster for Lisa Bailey, her mother and other family members. On Friday, her mom's cousin's remains were flown to Tampa International Airport with full military honors. Thursday afternoon, Corporal Thomas Mullins was finally laid ...
The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used DNA from two cousins to positively identify the Harriman High School student on June 8, 2017, officials said. "As a Tennessee teenager, Tommy bravely answered a call to protect our freedom ...
"I mean out of the blue someone from Quantico calls me?" It turns out the Department of Defense had been searching for Tolsono and soldiers like him, too. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) runs a program that searches for missing soldiers, exhumes their remains, and identifies them.
Dolores Soltesz, of the Cleveland suburb of Maple Heights, says the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency notified her earlier this year that Simon's remains had been identified. The agency said he was killed in action Sept. 5, 1950. His remains were found the next year but remained unidentified until ...
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Military officials say a U.S. Marine from Nevada who was killed in action in the Pacific Ocean battle of Tarawa in World War II will be buried next week with military honors. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says the remains of Pvt. John M. Tillman of Reno will be returned to ...
Dolores Soltesz of Maple Heights says the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency notified her earlier this year that Simon's remains had been identified. The agency said he was killed in action Sept. 5, 1950. His remains were found the next year but remained unidentified until this January. Soltesz says ...
McComb, OHIO (WTVG) - A local sailor killed during World War II will be laid to rest with full military honors. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced Tuesday that the remains Navy Reserve Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class Ora H. Sharninghouse, Jr., 22, of McComb, Ohio, were ...
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says the remains of Pvt. John M. Tillman of Reno will be returned to his family for burial on April 6 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. Tillman was 21 when he died during fighting against Japanese troops on the small island of Betio in ...
Simon's niece, Dolores Soltesz, of Maple Heights, was contacted by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) earlier this year with news that her uncle had been identified. "I was oldest living relative," she said. "It was a big shocker. I couldn't believe it. After 68 years of him being dead, it was a ...
In February, Kozak's niece was contacted by the U.S. Navy's POW/MIA branch, seeking a DNA sample because they recovered pieces of an aircraft on Palau. Kozak was asked to provide a DNA sample to potentially verify that remains found this year are his uncle, he said. “Please bear in mind that ...
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says the remains of Pvt. John M. Tillman of Reno will be returned to his family for burial April 6 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. Tillman was 21 when he died during fighting against Japanese troops on the small island of Betio in ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 March, 2018 12:37
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement for Ohio Sailor Killed During World War II
Dear Editor,
Navy Reserve Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class Ora H. Sharninghouse, accounted
for on Aug. 10, 2017, will be buried April 7, in Findlay, Ohio.
Sharninghouse, of McComb, Ohio, was killed during World War II.
His sister, Joan Stough, of Findlay, Ohio, is available for interviews at
(419) 423-1533.
The Departmet of Defense has the attached photos of Sharninghouse on file.
/////
On Sept. 8, 1944, Sharninghouse was a member of the Navy Torpedo Squadron
Eighteen (VT-18), USS Intrepid, on a bombing mission against Japanese
positions on Babelthuap Island, Palau. As the aircraft reached the target
area, the pilot began a dive near Bokerugeru Point and the crew released its
2,000-pound bomb. While attempting to pull out of the dive, the bomb hit an
ammunition dump and exploded. The explosion tore the tail from the
aircraft, causing it to crash off-shore. Sharninghouse was reported missing
in action.
After combat operations in the area ceased, the American Graves Registration
Service- Philippine Command travelled to Palau to investigate and attempt to
recover missing service members. No record of the crash site was found.
In 2005, BentProp Project, a nonprofit NGO of volunteers who work with DPAA
in the Republic of Palau, located a piece of the starboard wing of an
aircraft near Bokerugeru Point. Subsequent investigations located the main
body of the aircraft offshore.
In 2014, possible human remains were located within the main body of the
aircraft, and sent to the Central Identification Laboratory for analysis.
In April 2015, a DPAA Underwater Recovery Team excavated the site and
recovered additional remains and material evidence.
To identify Sharninghouse's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and autosomal
(auSTR) DNA analysis, which matched his family; anthropological analysis,
which matched his records; and historical evidence.
DPAA is grateful to BentProp Project for their partnership in this recovery.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,948 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Sharninghouse's name is recorded on the
Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines, an
American Battle Monuments Commission site, along with the other MIAs from
WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 March, 2018 12:28
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement for Oregon Marine Killed During World War II
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Pfc. Lyle E. Charpilloz, accounted for on Sept. 26, 2017, will
be buried April 7, in Salem, Oregon.
Charpilloz, 19, of Silverton, Oregon, was killed during World War II.
His sister, Donna Galloway, of Salem, is available for interviews at (503)
363-4567.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Charpilloz on file.
/////
In November 1943, Charpilloz was assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 8th
Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which landed against stiff Japanese
resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert
Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense
fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and
more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
Charpilloz died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943.
The battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the
Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which
to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their
Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members
who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on
the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration
Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio Island, but
Charpilloz' remains were not recovered. On Feb. 10, 1949, a military review
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 March, 2018 10:04
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement for Nevada Marine Killed During World War II
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Pvt. John M. Tillman, accounted for Sept.5, 2017, will be
buried April 6 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
Tillman, 21, of Reno, Nevada, was killed during World War II.
His nephew, John Benevides, of San Juan Capistrano, California, is available
for interviews at (949) 493-8304.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Tillman on file.
/////
In November 1943, Tillman was assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 2nd
Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which landed against stiff Japanese
resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert
Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense
fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and
more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
Tillman died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943.
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military success in
the battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the
Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which
to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their
Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members
who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on
the island. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted
remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but Tillman's
remains were not identified. All of the remains found on Tarawa were sent to
the Schofield Barracks Central Identification Laboratory for identification
in 1947. By 1949, the remains that had not been identified were interred in
the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) in Honolulu.
On March 13, 2017, DPAA disinterred Tarawa Unknown X-35 from the NMCP and
sent to DPAA for analysis.
To identify Tillman's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental,
anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, which matched his
records, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is appreciative to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their
partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,948 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Tillman's name is recorded on the Walls
of the Missing at the NCMP, along with the others killed or lost in WWII. A
rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted
for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 March, 2018 09:37
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement for South Carolina Airman Killed During World War II
Dear Editor,
Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. William H. Harth, accounted for on Nov. 3, 2017,
will be buried April 6 in his hometown.
Harth, 22, of Columbia, South Carolina, was killed during World War II.
His niece, Bonnie Hipkins, of Irmo, South Carolina, is available for
interviews at (803) 361-8616.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Harth on file.
/////
In the summer of 1943, Harth was a bombardier assigned to the 329th
Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 93rd Bombardment Group (Heavy), which was
known as "The Traveling Circus." On Aug. 1, 1943, he served on a B-24D
aircraft, nicknamed "Hell's Angels," when he was participating in a historic
mission, code-named Operation TIDAL WAVE, which was the first large-scale,
low-altitude attack by U.S. heavy bomber aircraft on Ploesti, Romania. As
Harth's aircraft approached Ploesti, it was hit by German anti-aircraft
fire. He was declared missing in action when his aircraft failed to return
following the mission.
In the days following the bombing raid, Romanian officials and civilians
recovered and interred the remains of the deceased American Airmen in the
Hero Section of the Bolovan Cemetery.
In 1946 and 1947, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) teams
disinterred the remains of Americans killed in the raid, and reinterred them
in the American Military Cemetery at Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium (now known
as Ardennes American Cemetery). The AGRC was able to identify 145 Airmen
killed during Operation TIDAL WAVE, including three of Harth's crewmates,
however he was listed as non-recoverable. One set of unidentified remains
was listed as Unknown X-5192 Neuville.
After a thorough historical and scientific analysis, it was determined that
X-5192 could likely be identified. After receiving approval, on April 11,
2017, Unknown X-5192 was disinterred from Neuville and sent to DPAA for
analysis.
To identify Harth's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and DNA analysis, which
matched his family, as well as dental comparisons and anthropological
analysis, which matched his records, and circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is appreciative to the American Battle Monuments Commission for their
partnership in this recovery.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,948 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Harth's name is recorded on the Tablets
of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery in Italy, an American
Battle Monuments Commission site, along with the others who are missing from
the World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he
has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 March, 2018 09:13
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement for North Carolina Airman Killed During Vietnam War
Dear Editor,
Air Force Col. Edgar F. Davis, accounted for on Dec. 19, 2017, will be
buried April 6 in his hometown.
Davis, 32, of Goldsboro, North Carolina was killed during the Vietnam War.
His daughter, Martha Morton, of Oxford, North Carolina, is available for
interviews at (919) 693-1898.
The Department of Defense has the attached photos of Davis on file.
/////
On Sept. 17, 1968, Davis was a navigator aboard a RF-4C Phantom
fighter-bomber aircraft, assigned to the 11th Tactical Reconnaissance
Squadron, 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing. Davis and his pilot were on a
night photo-reconnaissance mission over the Lao People's Democratic Republic
(L.P.D.R.) when they were shot down by anti-aircraft artillery fire. The
pilot ejected out of the aircraft and was rescued, however no contact could
be established with Davis. Because of this, he was declared missing in
action. Search and rescue efforts were suspended after failing to locate
Davis or the aircraft wreckage. Davis was later declared deceased.
Between August 2001 and February 2015, joint U.S./L.P.D.R. teams
investigated a crash site six times that correlated with Davis' loss.
Excavations recovered personal effects, but analysis could not confirm
whether Davis was in the aircraft at the time of the crash. A subsequent
team excavated an ejection seat location associated with the crash.
In 2015, a Stony Beach debriefer in Bangkok, Thailand obtained information
from a villager concerning the burial location of a U.S. service member in
Boulapha District, Khammouan Province, L.P.D.R. The villager claimed that
in 1968, his father came across the remains of a U.S. pilot and buried them
near his house. The villager turned over bone fragments, which were sent to
DPAA for analysis.
To identify Davis' remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA and autosomal (auSTR)
DNA analysis, which matched his family, as well as material and
circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to Stony Beach and the government of Laos for their
partnerships in this recovery.
Today there are 1,600 American servicemen and civilians still unaccounted
for from the Vietnam War. Davis' name is recorded on the Courts of the
Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along
with others unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 March, 2018 08:54
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Soldier Killed During World War II Accounted For (Goldwater, J.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am
Navy Radioman 3rd Class Jack R. Goldwater, killed during the attack on the
USS Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 March, 2018 08:45
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement For Florida Soldier Killed During Korean War
Dear Editor,
ArmyCpl. Roy J. Hopper, accounted for on June 23, 2017, will be buried
April 6, in Dayton, Ohio.
Hopper, 21, of Miami, was killed during the Korean War.
His brother, Ronald Hopper, of Paducah, Kentucky, is available for
interviews at (270) 442-9090.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Hopper on file.
/////
In July 1950, Hopper was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
2nd Battalion 19th Infantry Regiment. He was reportedly killed in action on
July 31, 1950, when his battalion, along with another battalion, was engaged
in a fighting withdrawal against North Korean forces in Chinju, South Korea.
The enemy had control of the area following the battle, preventing a search
for his remains. After the battle Hopper's remains were not identified.
In early 1951, the graves at Masan cemetery were exhumed and the unknowns
were transferred to the U.S. Army's Central Identification unit in Kokura,
Japan. Remains that could not be identified were transferred to the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, including "Unknown
X-119."
After thorough historical and scientific analysis, it was determined that
X-119 could likely be identified. After receiving approval, X-119 was
disinterred on Jan. 9, 2017 and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Hopper's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which
matched his brother and sister, as well as dental and anthropological
analysis, which matched his records, and circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Today, 7,709 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North
Korea by American recovery teams. Hopper's name is recorded on the Courts
of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu,
along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
US pilot Lt. Frank Fazekas was flying a P-47 Thunderbolt when it came down on a French farm 20 miles from the English Channel after being hit by German fire in May 1944...
The Defense Department's POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) reports Sgt. McAfee was killed during combat in North Korea in late November 1950. He was a member of Company F, 2nd Battallion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force fighting against units of the Chinese ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 26 March, 2018 12:14
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement For Arkansas Soldier Missing From Korean War
Dear Editor,
Army Cpl. William C. McDowell, accounted for on January 10, will be buried
April 4 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.
McDowell, 20, of Stuttgart, Arkansas, was missing from the Korean War.
His daughter, Debra Burtram, of De Witt, Arkansas, is available for
interviews at (870) 946-3275.
The Department of Defense has no photos of McDowell on file.
Media interested in attending the funeral should contact Arlington National
Cemetery Public Affairs at 703-614-0024.
/////
In late November, 1950, McDowell was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion,
32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Approximately 2,500 U.S. and
700 South Korean soldiers assembled into the 31st Regimental Combat Team
(RCT), which was deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea, when it
was attacked by overwhelming numbers of Chinese forces. As the Chinese
attacks continued, American forces withdrew south. By December 6, the U.S.
Army evacuated approximately 1,500 service members; the remaining soldiers
had been either captured, killed or missing in enemy territory. Because
McDowell could not be accounted for by his unit at the end of the battle, he
was reported missing in action as of Dec. 2, 1950.
McDowell's name did not appear on any prisoner of war lists and no returning
Americans reported McDowell as a prisoner of war. Due to the prolonged lack
of evidence, the U.S. Army declared him deceased as of March 15, 1954.
On Dec. 1, 1994, North Korea unilaterally turned over 33 boxes of remains,
which were purportedly recovered from Hwangcho-ri, Changjin County, South
Hamgyong Province, North Korea. The remains were accessioned to the Central
Identification Laboratory, a predecessor to DPAA, in Hawaii.
To identify McDowell's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA and autosomal (auSTR)
DNA analysis, which matched his family, anthropological analysis, which
matched his records, and material evidence.
Today, 7,709 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North
Korea by American recovery teams. McDowell's name is recorded on the Courts
of the Missing in Honolulu, along with the others who are missing from the
Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
The Defense Department's POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) reports Sgt. McAfee was killed during combat in North Korea in late November 1950. He was a member of Company F, 2nd Battallion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force fighting against units of the Chinese ...
In 2015, as part of the USS Oklahoma Project, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, through a partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs, exhumed all of the unknown remains from the USS Oklahoma, and began the lengthy identification process. Recovered remains were sent to the ...
LAKE PRESTON | A South Dakota sailor who died in the Pearl Harbor attack will be buried in his hometown next week. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says the remains of Navy Water Tender 2nd Class Porter Rich of Lake Preston are being returned to his family for burial with full military ...
According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, 7,709 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using modern technology, identifications are still being made. Corporal Mullins will be laid to rest at the Bay Pines National Cemetery in St. Petersburg on March 29. The service is ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 23 March, 2018 12:32
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement For South Dakota Sailor Killed on USS Oklahoma During World War II
Dear Editor,
Navy Water Tender 2nd Class Porter L. Rich, accounted for on Aug. 28, 2017,
will be buried March 31 in his hometown.
Rich, 27, of Lake Preston, South Dakota, was killed during the attack on the
USS Oklahoma in World War II.
His, niece, Mary Hauck, is available for interviews at (605) 847-4481.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Rich on file.
/////
On Dec. 7, 1941, Rich was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored at
Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly
capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen,
including Rich.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Rich.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the NMCP for
analysis.
To identify Rich's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) analysis, which matched
his family, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to
include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis, which matched his
records.
DPAA is appreciative to the Department of Veteran's Affairs for their
partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,948 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Rich's name is recorded on the Walls of
the Missing at the NMCP, along with the other MIAs from WWII. A rosette will
be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
FW: Airman Killed During World War II Accounted For (Van Vleet, G.)
Date:
Fri, 23 Mar 2018 12:05:51 -0400
From:
moehog@verizon.net
To:
'Moe Moyer' <moehog@verizon.net>
Welcome HOME Captain Van Vleet!
A Smart salute and a tip of the hat to History Flight - http://historyflight.com/nw/ - for their unwavering commitment to 'Leave No Man Behind'!
-----Original Message-----
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 23 March, 2018 11:59
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Airman Killed During World War II Accounted For (Van Vleet, G.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Air Forces Capt. George Van Vleet, killed during World War II, has now
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 23 March, 2018 11:05
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement for Pennsylvania Soldier Killed During Korean War
Dear Editor,
Army Sgt. 1st Class Pete W. Simon, accounted for on Jan. 11, 2018, will be
buried March 31 in Northfield, Ohio.
Simon, 34, of Grindstone, Pennsylvania, was killed during the Korean war.
His great-niece, Brenda Binns, is available for interviews at (216)
392-5684.
The family has provided the attached photo of Simon.
/////
In September 1950, Simon was a member of Company G, 2nd Battalion, 8th
Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, participating in a defense of the
Pusan Perimeter, a large defensive line west and north of Pusan, South
Korea. Simon was reported to have been killed in action Sept. 5, 1950, but
his remains were not located following the battle.
In May 1951, American Graves Registration Service personnel recovered three
sets of remains after a villager notified them of remains near his village
on Hill 762. The remains were sent to the Tanggok United Nations Military
Cemetery. One set of remains, identified as Unknown X-1085 Tanggok, were
later transferred to the Central Identification Unit-Kokura for possible
identification. However, an identification could not be established and the
remains were declared unidentifiable and interred at the National Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In October 2017, based on research and analysis, DPAA disinterred Unknown
X-1085 from the Punchbowl and accessioned the remains to the laboratory for
identification.
To identify Simon's remains, scientists from DPAA used laboratory analysis,
including anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, which
matched his records, and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the South Korean government and the Department of
Veterans Affairs for their assistance in this recovery.
Today, 7,709 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Simon's
name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Courts of the Missing at
the NMCP, along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A
rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted
for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
Johnson was born in 1924 and drafted into the Army in 1943 while living in Malvern. He served in the 92nd Infantry Division, the only African-American combat infantry division in Europe, according to a news release from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Johnson's unit fought in northern Italy, ...
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency recently matched DNA from the remains with a sample from Johnson's brother Jesse, allowing Johnson's return home to Arkansas and the long-awaited closure provided by Thursday's funeral. Johnson was the oldest of six siblings, and the two brothers and ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 22 March, 2018 10:15
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement For Tennessee Soldier Captured During Korean War
Dear Editor,
Army Cpl. Thomas H. Mullins, accounted for on June 8, 2017, will be buried
March 29 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Mullins, 18, of Harriman, Tennessee, was captured and killed during the
Korean War.
His cousin, Lisa Bailey, is available for interviews at (813) 752-6647.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Mullins on file.
/////
On Nov. 2, 1950, Mullins was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th
Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He was reported missing in action
on Nov. 2, 1950, following combat between the Chinese People's Volunteer
Forces (CPVF) and his regiment, in the vicinity of Unsan, North Korea.
Approximately 600 men were killed, captured or missing from his battalion.
Mullins was subsequently declared missing in action.
At the end of the war, during "Operation Big Switch," where all remaining
prisoners of war were returned, former prisoners were interviewed. One
reported that Mullins died while being held in POW Camp 5, Pyokdong, North
Korea.
On Dec. 14, 1993, North Korea unilaterally turned over 33 boxes containing
remains believed to be unaccounted for Americans from the Korean War. The
remains were reportedly recovered from Tongju-ri, Pyokdong County, North
Pyongan Province, North Korea, which was the known location of POW Camp 5.
To identify Mullins' remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome (Y-STR)
DNA analysis, which matched two cousins, as well as anthropological
analysis, which matched his records, and circumstantial evidence.
Today, 7,709 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North
Korea by American recovery teams. Mullins' name is recorded on the Courts of
the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, along with the
others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to
his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 22 March, 2018 09:09
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement For New Jersey Airman Killed During World War II
Dear Editor,
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Frank A. Fazekas, accounted for on Aug. 7, 2017,
will be buried March 28 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington,
D.C.
Fazekas, 22, of Trenton, New Jersey, was killed during World War II.
His son, Frank S. Fazekas, of New Hartford, New York, is available for
interviews at (315) 372-5856.
The Department of Defense has the attached photos of Fazekas on file.
Media interested in attending the funeral should contact Arlington National
Cemetery Public Affairs at 703-614-0024.
/////
On May 27, 1944, Fazekas was a member of the 22nd Fighter Squadron, 36th
Fighter Group, when he was returning from a mission over northern France and
his P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft came under enemy fire. His aircraft crashed
in a field north of the French village of Buysscheure. His remains were not
recovered and the U.S. Army reported him deceased on May 27, 1944.
In July 1946, a British recovery team investigated a crash site associated
with Fazekas' loss. The team recovered aircraft parts and personal effects,
but his remains were not recovered. Based on this information, a Board of
Officers of the American Graves Registration Command declared his remains
unrecoverable.
On July 16, 2012, a team of historians and an anthropologist from the
Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office and Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command
(both predecessors to DPAA) visited the crash site. The team received
assistance from local residents and officials, as well as research from Mr.
Joss Leclercq, a French historian. In August 2016, a team from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison, augmented by DPAA, excavated the crash
site, recovering possible remains. The remains were sent to DPAA on August
31, 2016.
To identify Fazekas' remains, DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner
System used mitochondrial (mtDNA), which matched his family, as well as
anthropological analysis, which matched his records, and circumstantial
evidence.
DPAA is grateful to Mr. Leclercq, the French government and the University
of Wisconsin-Madison for their assistance in this recovery.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,048 service members
(approximately 26,000 assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted
for from World War II. Fazekas' name is recorded on the Tablets of the
Missing at Ardennes American cemetery in Neupré, Belgium, an American Battle
Monuments Commission site, along with the other MIAs from WWII. A rosette
will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
They were held in Italy, sent to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency for DNA analysis in 2016 and later identified as Johnson's, the department said. The body was scheduled to arrive at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock on Tuesday evening. A plane-side honors ceremony ...
They were held in Italy, sent to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency for DNA analysis in 2016 and later identified as Johnson's, the department said. The body is scheduled to arrive at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock on Tuesday evening, officials said. A plane-side honors ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 19 March, 2018 08:59
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Outland, J.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Fireman 1st Class Jarvis G. Outland, killed during the attack on the
USS Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
A spokesman for the agency contacted me because of a Memorial Day column I wrote in 2013 listing the 15 Anne Arundel County men killed or considered as missing during the Korean War. Interment of Jubb's remains is still being worked out. The POW/MIA agency says it notified his family Tuesday, ...
Nearly three-quarters of a century after he was killed in the ferocious World War II battle chronicled in the 1977 film “A Bridge Too Far,” Staff Sgt. David Rosenkrantz is coming home to Los Angeles. The U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Thursday, March 15, 2018, that Rosenkrantz's ...
Tulsa County Assistant District Attorney Kevin Gray, standing near memorabilia in his office, talks about the wreckage of the Tulsamerican, a B-24 Liberator bomber assembled in Tulsa near the end of World War II. The plane has been found in the sea off the coast of Croatia. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa ...
They are now accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. According to his obituary, Wood was born in Jackson, Ohio on November 16, 1916. He enlisted in the Navy in 1940 at the age of 23, and reported for duty on the USS Oklahoma on October 12, 1940. The following year, he and ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 15 March, 2018 12:12
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During Korean War Accounted For (Jubb, J.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Cpl. James I. Jubb, killed during the Korean War, has now been
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 15 March, 2018 11:43
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement For Marine Killed During World War II
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Manuel Menendez, accounted for on Aug. 30, 2017,
will be buried March 22 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington,
D.C.
Menendez, 20, of Elizabeth, New Jersey; , was killed during the Battle of
Tarawa in World War II.
His niece, Diane Mazur, of Middletown, Maryland, is available for interviews
at (240) 490-7667.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Menendez on file.
/////
In November 1943, Menendez was assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 2nd
Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which landed against stiff Japanese
resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert
Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense
fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and
more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
Menendez died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943.
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military success in
the battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the
Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which
to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their
Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members
who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on
the island. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted
remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but Menendez'
remains were not identified. All of the remains found on Tarawa were sent to
the Schofield Barracks Central Identification Laboratory for identification
in 1947. By 1949, the remains that had not been identified were interred in
the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the
Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In October 2016, DPAA disinterred Tarawa Unknown X-168 from the NMCP and
sent to the laboratory for analysis.
To identify Menendez' remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) analysis, which matched
his family, dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his records,
as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is appreciative to the Department of Veteran's Affairs for their
partnership in this mission
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,948 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Menendez' name is recorded on the Courts
of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the other MIAs from WWII. A
rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted
for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
Ann Mills-Griffiths, board chair and chief executive officer of the Virginia-based National League of POW/MIA Families, was incensed when told the flags had been removed from Rhinebeck town and village halls. The flag dates to 1970, when an MIA wife and member of the National League of POW/MIA ...
The remains of a U.S. soldier from Michigan who died while in captivity during the Korean War have been identified and are being returned to the state for burial. The Pentagon's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says the remains of 22-year-old Army Sgt. 1st Class Harry Harkness of Lansing will be .
“His remains were not recovered at the time,” the commission said. “Through the work of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the remains of Cpl. Hopper were accounted for in 2017. His name remains permanently inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.” Hopper was born ...
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System conducted the tests. Harkness will be buried in Lansing on March 17. His family has asked for privacy. Another 7,709 Americans are still unaccounted for from the Korean War. The Defense Department has their ...
... as U.S. Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) and United Nations Command (UNC) forces were deployed in defensive positions across the South Korean peninsula, according to a news release from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. His regiment was located in the town of Yonghyon-ni, and was ...
As DNA technology advanced over the years, the federal government's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has gotten more aggressive in using DNA evidence to identify them. Last year, Abner got his news: the previously unidentified remains known simply as X-14155 were Leroy. He was coming ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 9 March, 2018 12:33
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement For Soldier Captured During Korean War
Dear Editor,
Army Sgt. 1st Class Harry E. Harkness, accounted for on Oct. 30, 2017, will
be buried March 17 in his hometown.
Harkness, 22, of Lansing, Michigan, was captured and killed during the
Korean War.
His family does not wish to be contacted by media.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Harkness on file.
/////
On In November 1950, Harkness was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th
Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, participating in combat actions
against the Chinese People's Volunteer Forces (CPVF) in the vicinity of
Unsan, North Korea. Harkness was reported missing in action as of Nov. 2,
1950 when he could not be accounted for by his unit.
Following the war, during an operation known as "Operation Big Switch," when
prisoners of war were returned, returning Americans from Pyoktong Camp 5
reported that Harkness had been captured and died while at POW Camp 5
sometime between January and April 1951.
On Dec. 21, 1993, North Korea unilaterally turned over 34 boxes containing
remains reportedly to be unaccounted-for U.S. servicemen from the Korean
War. One set of remains came from Tongju-ri, Pyokdong County, North Pyongan
Province, North Korea, which corresponds to the known location of POW Camp
5, where Harkness was believed to have died.
To identify Harkness' remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and autosomal (auSTR) DNA
analysis, which matched his family, as well as anthropological analysis
which matched his records; and circumstantial evidence.
Today, 7,709 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North
Korea by American recovery teams. Harkness' name is recorded on the Courts
of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu,
along with the other MIAs from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
However, after many years of erosion, the cross reemerged, and can be seen once again. The site has been turned into a memorial to prisoners of war and MIA soldiers everywhere. Known for a time as Iron Cross Park, it was renamed POW/MIA Park in the 1990s. It currently has a viewing platform for ...
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency confirmed this month that bone material and other evidence found in a farm field in northern Germany belonged to the 24-year-old airman from Harrisonburg, Virginia. Chuck Prichard, a spokesman for the agency, said officials will notify his family. He declined ...
There are about 83,000 Americans still missing from past conflicts, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. On Nov. 13, 1943, Shank's U.S. Army squadron was protecting allied bombers flying on a mission to Bremen, in northern Germany, when it encountered 40 to 50 German aircraft.
This week Retired General Robert Foglesong wrote a letter on behalf of the US-Russia Joint Commision on POW/MIA's to the mayor asking for the city council to reconsider. "I believe that the proposed memorial in Elizabeth City will be an opportunity for your fair city to be recognized on the world stage," ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US)
[mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 8 March, 2018 10:18
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Airman Killed During World War II Accounted For (Shank, W.)
On Nov. 13, 1943, Shank was a pilot with the 338th Fighter Squadron, 55th
Fighter Group, 66th Fighter Wing, 8th Fighter Command, 8th Air Force, flying
his P-38 on a mission to Bremen, Germany. Shank was killed after engaging in
fierce enemy action.
Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days
prior to scheduled funeral services.
DPAA is grateful to Mr. Oeltjebruns and the American Battle Monuments
Commission for their assistance with this disinterment and recovery.
Shank's name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Cambridge
American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission in the United
Kingdom, along with the others missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
COLUMBUS (WCMH) — The remains of a soldier captured during the Korean War will be brought home to his family here in Columbus. According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the remains of Army Pfc. Leroy W. Bryant, 22, is expected to be returned to his family here in Columbus, ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 7 March, 2018 10:52
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Keffer, H.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Radioman 3rd Class Howard V. Keffer, killed during the attack on the
USS Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 7 March, 2018 10:53
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Marine Killed During World War II Accounted For (Mulligan, H.)
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Herman W. Mulligan, killed during World War II,
After almost 70 years, a Columbus family will get a sort of reunion with a long lost loved one. In 1951, 22-year-old Leroy Bryant left to fight in the Korean War. It wouldn't be until 2018 that he would come home to Columbus. His younger brother Abner was 11 years old at the time. He's now the only living ...
The operation, led by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), had been years in the making. Back in 2015 and 2016, preliminary investigations of the sunken aircrafts, an F6F-3 Hellcat and a TBM1-C Avenger, were conducted, sparking the excavation to find the long-lost military service ...
When they were students at Southeast Missouri State University, Buck and his wife got POW/MIA bracelets. Buck's first one, Staff Sgt. Russell Bott, a member of the Army Special Forces lost in Laos. His wife got Col William Henderson Mason, who died piloting a blind-bat mission dropping flares along ...
The recovery team completed the mission on Feb. 25, but won't release the identity of the human remains until it can verify whose they are and notify the next of kin, the U.S. 7th Fleet said in the statement. The mission was coordinated by a number of teams: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency ...
But with continuous work by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Harrison's remains were identified late last year. And the search for family led to Sachse, Texas, and John Welnack Sr., 88, his cousin and closest living relative. Which is why a Marine from Detroit, Michigan finally came home to ...
To many veterans the POW/MIA flag holds a very significant place in their hearts. This bill would make it mandatory to fly the POW/MIA flag on state property if they have the poles in place to properly display it along with the US and Missouri flags. If they do not have a flag and a local VFW provides one, ...
Marty Eddy, Michigan State Coordinator for the National League of POW/MIA Families and Secretary/Treasurer of the POW Committee of Michigan, reports that native Detroiter and former World War II Prisoner of War Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Alex Jefferson (USAF Ret.) visited the Defense POW/MIA ...
Headed by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the team worked from aboard the USNS Salvor near Ngerekebesang Island, completing work on Feb. 25. Divers worked seven days a week, often 12 hours a day, in search of remains belonging to servicemembers shot down in aircraft in 1944, the ...
Norwood was a member of the national Korean War Prisoners of War Association, and elected as one of its officers. That group is now virtually inactive, activities ... “I fly the POW/MIA flag, because those were my closest friends and my buddies, and I can't ignore them. I've got to keep their memory alive.”.
FORT SHAFTER, HAWAII—Stars & Stripes reports that human remains have been recovered from sunken World War II–era airplanes off the coast of Palau by a joint underwater recovery team of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and civilians led by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. The remains are ...
The U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs, acting with the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, proposed the monument last spring to honor Allied aviators who died in a plane crash in the Pasquotank River in 1945. Soviet aviators were brought to the U.S. to train with Catalina aircraft ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 28 February, 2018 07:52
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement For Georgia Soldier Captured During the Korean War
Dear Editor,
Army Pfc. Leroy W. Bryant, accounted for on Sept. 27, 2017, will be buried
March 9, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio.
Bryant, 22, of Autreyville, Georgia, was captured and killed during the
Korean War.
His half-brother, Abner Bryant, of Blacklick, Ohio, is available for
interviews at (614) 440-8719.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Bryant on file.
/////
In early February 1951, Bryant was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 9th
Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, as U.S. Republic of Korea Army
(ROKA) and United Nations Command (UNC) forces were deployed in defensive
positions across the South Korean peninsula. On February 6, Bryant's
regiment was located in the town of Yonghyon-ni, and was tasked to determine
location, position and strength of enemy forces. Enemy forces attacked,
forcing them to withdraw to new positions. Because Bryant could not be
accounted for by his unit after the attack, he was reported missing action
as of Feb. 6, 1951, near Yanghyon-ni, South Korea.
Throughout the war, the Chinese People's Volunteer Forces (CPVF) and Korean
People's Army (KPA) provided lists of American servicemen held in their
custody. Bryant's name appeared on a list of Americans who died while in
custody of communist forces, informally known as the "Christmas List."
However, there was no way to confirm this report and Bryant's status
remained listed as missing in action.
Following the war, a returning prisoner from Bryant's regiment reported that
friends told him Bryant died while being marched north to prisoner of war
Camp 1, located along the Yalu River, near the village of Changsong. Based
on this information, the U.S. Army amended his status to deceased.
From August to November 1954, the United Nations, Chinese Communist Forces
(CCF) and North Korea exchanged war dead at Munsan-ni, South Korea. On
Sept. 7, 1954, a set of remains reportedly recovered from a prisoner of war
cemetery at Camp 1 and 3, Changsong, North Korea, were sent to the Central
Identification Unit in Kokura, Japan, for attempted identification. The set
of remains was designated "X-14155" and was transferred to the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu and
interred as a Korean War Unknown.
After a thorough historical and scientific analysis, it was determined that
X-14155 could likely be identified. After receiving approval, X-14155 was
disinterred on Jan. 9, 2017, and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Bryant's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which
matched his family, as well as dental, anthropological and chest radiograph
comparison analysis, which matched his records, and circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
Today, 7,709 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North
Korea by American recovery teams. Bryant's name is recorded on the Courts
of the Missing at the Punchbowl in Honolulu, along with the others who are
missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he
has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
The project was headed by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), which deployed an Underwater Recovery Team (URT) comprised of U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force service members and Department of Defense civilians that were embarked aboard the USNS Salvor. “It's very labor ...
The recovery project was spearheaded by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, or DPAA, and was based aboard the USNS Salvor, a Navy rescue and salvage ship operated by civilian mariners. An underwater recovery team consisting of U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force service members performed ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 26 February, 2018 08:23
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Gibson, G.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Electrician's Mate 3rd Class George H. Gibson, killed during the attack
on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 22 February, 2018 10:40
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During World War II Accounted For (Husak, L.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Staff Sgt. Leo J. Husak, killed during World War II, has now been
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 22 February, 2018 10:27
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During Korean War Accounted For (Purkapile, L.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Cpl. Leonard V. Purkapile, killed during the Korean War, has now been
FW: Marine Killed During World War II Accounted For (Moore, H.)
Date:
Thu, 22 Feb 2018 13:10:41 -0500
From:
Moe Hog <moehog@verizon.net>
To:
'Moe Moyer' <moehog@verizon.net>
Welcome HOME 2nd Lt. Moore!
Special Salute to HISTORY FLIGHT for their continued commitment to Leave No Man Behind!
-----Original Message-----
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 22 February, 2018 10:20
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Marine Killed During World War II Accounted For (Moore, H.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Harvel L. Moore, killed during World War II, has now
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 22 February, 2018 07:29
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Hultgren, L.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Machinist's Mate 2nd Class Lorentz E. Hultgren, killed during the
attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 21 February, 2018 08:41
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Hellstern ,W.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Gunner's Mate 2nd Class William F. Hellstern, killed during the attack
on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 21 February, 2018 07:48
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Tipton, H.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Seaman 1st Class Henry G. Tipton, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
FW: Marine Killed During World War II Accounted For (Lukie, J.)
Date:
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 08:38:39 -0500
From:
Moe Hog <moehog@verizon.net>
To:
'Moe Moyer' <moehog@verizon.net>
Welcome HOME Private First Class Lukie!
A SALUTE to History Flight for the continuing commitment!
-----Original Message-----
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 21 February, 2018 07:36
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Marine Killed During World War II Accounted For (Lukie, J.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Joe Lukie, killed during World War II, has now
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 15 February, 2018 10:39
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed during WWII Accounted For (Glenn, A.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Machinist's Mate 1st Class Arthur Glenn, killed during the attack on
the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency — or DPAA — said Bensinger's remains were among 32 people found near Unsan, North Korea, in 2005 by a DPAA/Korean People's Army Recovery Team, and were identified in July 2017 using DNA. Clayton, who said he changed his last ...
The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says Bensinger's remains were among those of 32 people found near Unsan, North Korea, in 2005. Bensinger was ... was captured Nov. 30, 1950, and returning American prisoners of war reported that he died at a POW camp in January 1951.
In 2015, a policy memorandum was issued directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma and Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency personnel began exhuming the remains from the cemetery for analysis. To identify Ogle's remains, scientists used DNA analysis, which ...
An Airman who served with 555th Bombardment Squadron, 386th Bombardment Group, 9th Bomber Command, during World War II was accounted for Jan. 22, 2018. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. John H. Canty was one of eight crewmembers aboard a B-26 Maurader on a nighttime bombing mission from ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 9 February, 2018 09:11
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Armstrong, K.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Molder 1st Class Kenneth B. Armstrong, killed during the attack on the
USS Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 9 February, 2018 09:13
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Captured During the Korean War Accounted For (Baker, David)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Pfc. David Baker, captured during the Korean War, has now been
accounted for.
In late November 1950, Baker was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 24th
Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, positioned in the vicinity of
Yongbyong, North Korea. Baker's battalion moved north and lost contact with
two other regiments. On Nov. 25, 1950, 3rd BN met with enemy resistance and
was attacked by Chinese People's Volunteer Force. The battalion suffered
heavy casualties and Baker was declared missing in action as of Nov. 28,
1950, when he could not be accounted for by his unit. Later reports indicate
that Baker was likely captured by the enemy during battle.
Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days
prior to scheduled funeral services.
Baker's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For more information about DPAA, visit www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 8 February, 2018 11:03
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement For Soldier Captured During Korean War
Dear Editor,
Army Sgt. 1st Class Alfred G. Bensinger, Jr., accounted for on July 25,
2017, will be buried at Fort Sill National Cemetery in Fort Sill, Oklahoma,
February 16.
Bensinger, 25, of Oklahoma City, was captured during the Korean War.
His son, Gary G. Clayton, of El Reno, Oklahoma, is available for interviews
at (405) 262-8555.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Bensinger on file.
/////
In late November 1950, Bensinger was a member of Company D, 2nd Engineer
Combat Battalion (2nd ECB) 2nd Infantry Division, when his unit was fighting
persistent Chinese attacks in the Ch'ongch'on River area in northwestern
North Korea. The battle began on the evening of Nov. 25, 1950, when the
Chinese People's Volunteer Forces initiated their Second Phase offensive
along the entire 8th Army front. Bensinger's battalion was heavily engaged
in the battle. When withdrawal orders were issued on November 29, the 2nd
ECB provided security for the Division. The following day, the battalion
was ordered to withdraw from the vicinity of Kunu-ri, when it was again
engaged by enemy forces down the Main Supply Route. During this withdrawal,
Bensinger was captured.
Several returning American POWs reported that Bensinger died at the prisoner
of war transient camp known as the Hofong Camp, a sub-camp of the
Pukchin-Tarigol Main Camp Cluster in mid-January 1951.
In April 2005, a DPAA/Korean People's Army Recovery Team recovered remains
from a site south of Unsan. The remains included 32 different individuals,
and appeared to have originated from a previous burial site. The remains
were then sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Bensinger's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and autosomal (auSTR) DNA
analysis, which matched his family, as well as anthropological analysis,
which matched his records and circumstantial evidence.
Today, 7,710 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North
Korea by American recovery teams. Bensinger's name is recorded on the
Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in
Honolulu, along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A
rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted
for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
California National Guard Sgt. Leonardo Becerra, from the San Diego team, carries the remains ofU.S. Army Sgt. First Class Richard G. Cushman, who died during the Korean War, during funeral service at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Cypress on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018. His remains were recovered ...
“These service members have been missing for up to 75 years, in some cases,” said Sgt. 1st Class Kristen Duus, a spokeswoman for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, according to the Air Force. “We have spouses, children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, who continue to hold out hope that ...
California National Guard Sgt. Leonardo Becerra, from the San Diego team, carries the remains ofU.S. Army Sgt. First Class Richard G. Cushman, who died during the Korean War, during funeral service at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Cypress on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018. His remains were recovered ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 5 February, 2018 12:39
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement For Missouri Sailor Killed During World War II
Dear Editor,
Fireman 1st Class Charles R. Ogle, accounted for on Sept. 11, 2017, will be
buried Feb. 12, 2018 at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis,
Missouri.
Ogle, 20, of Mountain View, Missouri, was killed during the attack on the
USS Oklahoma in World War II.
His nephew, David Reary is available for interviews at (314) 487-8695.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Ogle on file.
/////
On Dec. 7, 1941, Ogle was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored at
Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly
capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen,
including Ogle.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Ogle.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the NMCP for
analysis.
To identify Ogle's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and autosomal (auSTR) DNA
analysis, which matched family, as well as circumstantial evidence and
laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological
analysis.
DPAA is grateful to the Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this
mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,961 (approximately 26,000 are
assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.
Ogle's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing the NMCP along with the
others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name
to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
LARNED — More than 74 years after his death, the remains of a Kansas Marine killed in World War II have been recovered. Jack Krieger of Larned is believed to have died on Nov. 20, 1943. The Great Bend Tribune reports that the Department of Defense's POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced ...
“There's some magic involved, and there's a lot of luck involved,” said Chuck Prichard, public affairs director for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. “We have to fulfill that promise that if you go and defend our country … it is the rest of our responsibility to bring you home.” For Cushman's niece ...
"And their families never get closure from them missing. When you think about it, when there is a military funeral and the casket with the flag, they take that flag, they fold it very honorably, and they hand it to the next of kin. And they have the closure. Just imagine those POW/MIA families that don't have ...
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the Army's Past Conflict Repatriation Branch is seeking family members of Binder and others who were killed and remain missing. Relatives are requested to submit a DNA sample to compare with remains recently recovered in the area where the men ...
The Great Bend Tribune reports that the Department of Defense's POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Thursday that Krieger's remains have been accounted for. Krieger was part of a battalion fighting the Japanese on the small island of Betio of the Gilbert Islands. The Defense Department says ...
In 2014, the secretary of the Army granted permission to exhume 10 graves associated with the Cabanatuan POW Camp for identification. Scientists at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis and other procedures to ...
DPAA is an agency within the Department of Defense whose mission is to recover missing personnel who are listed as POW or MIA, from all past wars and conflicts and from countries around the world. “This mission is important because it is our obligation to fulfill our nation's promise to provide the ...
Following an extensive search conducted by the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Cushman has been returned to his family. Originally from Utah, he will be laid to rest in Cypress, Calif. with full military honors, in the presence of his family. His funeral: Sat. Feb. 3, 10:30 a.m. at Forest ...
More than 74 years after his death, the remains of a Kansas Marine killed in World War II have been recovered. Jack Krieger of Larned is believed to have died on Nov. 20, 1943. The Great Bend Tribune reports that the Department of Defense's POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Thursday that ...
According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, all eight crewmembers were killed in the incident. Because the location of the crash was in German-held territory, U.S. forces were unable to make a detailed search for the crew at the time of their loss. “These service members have been missing ...
Wright was recently identified through DNA analysis with the help of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and returned to his family for burial with full military honors. The American flag is folded over the remains of Seaman 1st Class John Savidge at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 2 February, 2018 12:55
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Arickx, L.)
Navy Seaman 1st Class Leon Arickx, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 2 February, 2018 11:31
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Wicker, E.)
Navy Seaman 1st Class Eugene W. Wicker, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
From: Bill Fortier <bfortier@usamedia.tv>
Sent: Tue, Jan 30, 2018 9:28 am
Subject: This Saturday (10:30 am) Funeral in Cypress CA for Returned Korean War POW/MIA
Hi All,
Here is an opportunity to Honor a returning POW/MIA from the Korean War who was killed in 1950 and whose remains were recently returned for burial on American Soil.
His Funeral will take place this Saturday (10:30 am) at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cypress, CA
Army Sgt. 1st Class Richard G. Cushman
At 10:30 am, on Saturday, 2/3/18 at
Forest Lawn Cemetery,
4471 Lincoln Ave
Cyress, CA 90630
Please pass along to others to get as many attendees as possible in honoring our returned POW/MIA from the Korean War…honor him and his family.
LARNED — On Thursday, Feb. 1, the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced a World War II Marine from Larned had finally been accounted for. Believed killed on Nov. 20, 1943, Krieger was the first casualty of WWII from Larned. Within moments, social media lit up with ...
-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject:
FW: Marine Killed During World War II Accounted For (Krieger, J.)
Date:
Thu, 1 Feb 2018 11:15:14 -0500
From:
Moe Hog <moehog@verizon.net>
To:
'Moe Moyer' <moehog@verizon.net>
Welcome HOME Private First Class Krieger!
Special Salute to HISTORY FLIGHT - http://historyflight.com/nw/ - for the continued effort and support to ‘leave no man behind!’
-----Original Message-----
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 1 February, 2018 10:34
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Marine Killed During World War II Accounted For (Krieger, J.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Marine Corps Pfc. Jack H. Krieger, killed during World War II, has now been
Chris S. Forbes, director for the Europe Mediterranean Regional Directorate, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, went to Poland in 2016 to try to locate Sconiers, who had been categorized as “nonrecoverable” back in 1946. “We could never get in there because the Cold War froze pretty fast.
First Lt. Ewart T. Sconiers, a U.S. Army Air Forces bombardier, died in German-occupied Poland in 1944 from complications following an injury while a prisoner in the Stalag Luft III Nazi prison camp that was made famous in the 1963 Hollywood film “The Great Escape.”
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 31 January, 2018 11:12
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Tulsamerican Airman Killed During World War II Accounted For (Ford, E.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Eugene P. Ford, killed during World War II, has now
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 31 January, 2018 09:03
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement For Oklahoma Soldier Missing From the Korean War
Dear Editor,
Army Sgt. Ollie E. Shepard, accounted for on Nov. 17. 2017, will be buried
February 7 in Bradley, Oklahoma.
Shepard, 22, of Hugo, Oklahoma, was missing from the Korean War.
His sister, Henrietta Spangler, of Oklahoma City, is available for
interviews at (405) 735-7397.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo, provided by the family, on
file.
/////
In late November, 1950, Shepard was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion,
31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Approximately 2,500 U.S. and
700 South Korean soldiers assembled into the 31st Regimental Combat Team
(RCT), which was deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea, when it
was attacked by overwhelming numbers of Chinese forces. The American forces
withdrew south with the Chinese attacks continuing. By December 6, the U.S.
Army evacuated approximately 1,500 wounded service members; the remaining
soldiers had been either captured, killed or missing in enemy territory.
Because Shepard could not be accounted for by his unit at the end of the
battle, he was reported missing in action as of Dec. 3, 1950.
Shepard's name did not appear on any prisoner of war lists and no
repatriated Americans reported Shepard as a prisoner of war. Due to the
prolonged lack of evidence, the U.S. Army declared him deceased on Dec. 31,
1953.
In September 2004, a joint U.S. and Korean People's Army (KPA) recovery team
conducted a Joint Recovery Operation at a burial site in the vicinity of
Twikkae Village, Changjin District, South Hamgyong Province, North Korea, on
the east side of the Chosin Reservoir. The site is consistent with the 31st
RCT's location during their withdrawal. Material evidence and human remains
were recovered and sent to DPAA for analysis.
To identify Shepard's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which
matched his family, anthropological analysis, which matched his records, and
material evidence.
Today, 7,712 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North
Korea by American recovery teams. Shepard's name is recorded on the Courts
of the Missing, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in
Honolulu, along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A
rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted
for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 29 January, 2018 09:58
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Keller, D.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Seaman 1st Class Donald G. Keller, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
Four years ago, 10 graves associated with Cabanatuan Common Grave 717 were exhumed and sent to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency for identification. Two of Delaney's cousins gave DNA samples that were used to match Lobdell's remains. Last summer, the family was notified of the ...
... identified a missing WWII serviceman from Wisconsin and he's being returned to his family for burial with full military honors. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Friday that Army Pfc. Lloyd J. Lobdell will be buried Feb. 2 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Friday that Army Pfc. Lloyd J. Lobdell will be buried Feb. 2 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. The Pentagon says the 23-year-old from Elkhorn died Nov. 19, 1942 at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp Hospital after an illness.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 26 January, 2018 13:42
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed During the Korean War [DIED IN CAPTIVITY]
Dear Editor,
Army Sgt. 1st Class Richard G. Cushman, accounted for on April 12, 2017,
will be buried February 3 in Cypress, California.
Cushman, 18, of Springville, Utah, was killed during the Korean War.
His sister-in-law, Cathryn Cushman, of Lakewood, California, is available
for interviews at (562) 277-4281.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Cushman on file.
/////
In late November 1950, Cushman was assigned to Company A, 72nd Medium tank
Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, on the western side of the Korean
Peninsula, when the Division encountered waves of attacks by the Chinese
People's Volunteer Forces (CPVF.) The attack caused the Division to
withdraw to the village of Kunu-ri. While in the village, a task force
comprised of Cushman's company and an infantry platoon were ordered to
destroy a roadblock and eliminate enemy troops. The CPVF overwhelmingly
attacked the unit and by the end of battle, Cushman could not be accounted
for. He was reported missing in action as of Dec. 5, 1950.
Following the war, no lists provided by the CPVF or Korean People's Army
(KPA) listed Cushman as a prisoner of war, however two returning American
prisoners reported that Cushman had died while being held by the CPVF.
Based on this information, the U.S. Army declared him deceased as of March
31, 1951.
In July and August 2002, a joint U.S. and KPA recovery team conducted a
Joint Recovery Operation at a site, designated KN-0874, in Ung Bong Village,
North Korea. Based on information provided by Korean witnesses, Mr. Man
Hyon Ho, and Mr. Anh Il Chang, the site was excavated and possible human
remains were recovered, along with personal effects and material evidence,
all of which was sent to the DPAA laboratory for processing.
To identify Cushman's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, which
matched his family, as well as anthropological analysis and circumstantial
evidence, which matched his records.
DPAA is grateful to Mr. Man Hyon Ho and Mr. Anh Il Chang for their
assistance in this mission.
Today, 7,712 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
advances in technology, identifications continue to be made from remains
that were previously turned over by North Korean officials or recovered by
American teams. Cushman's name is recorded at the Courts of the Missing at
the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the
others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to
his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 26 January, 2018 13:38
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed During World War II [DIED IN CAPTIVITY]
Dear Editor,
Army Pfc. Lloyd J. Lobdell, accounted for on July 26, 2017, will be buried
February 2 in in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
Lobdell, 23, of Elkhorn, Wisconsin was killed during World War II.
His cousin, Cheri Delaney is available for interviews at (920) 397-7786.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Lobdell on file.
/////
On Dec. 8, 1941, Lobdell was a member of Company A, 192nd Tank Battalion, in
the Far East, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands. Intense
fighting continued until May 6. 1942, when American forces on Corregidor
Island surrendered.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were taken prisoner;
including many who were forced to endure the Bataan Death March, en route to
Japanese prisoner of war (POW) camps, including the POW camp at Cabanatuan
on the island of Luzon, Philippines. Lobdell was among those reported
captured after the surrender of Corregidor and who were eventually moved to
the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during
the remaining years of the war.
Lobdell was admitted to the Cabanatuan Prison Camp Hospital suffering from
illness. He died Nov. 19, 1942, and was buried along with fellow prisoners
in the local Cabanatuan camp cemetery.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel
exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to
a temporary U.S. military cemetery near Manila. In late 1947, the AGRS again
exhumed the remains at the Manila cemetery in an attempt to identify them.
Due to the circumstances of the POW deaths and burials, the extensive
commingling, and the limited identification technologies of the time, all of
the remains could not be individually identified. The unidentified remains
were reburied as unknowns in the American Battle Monuments Commission
cemetery at Fort McKinley in Manila, Philippines.
In 2014, the Secretary of the Army granted permission to exhume ten graves
associated with the Cabanatuan Common Grave 717. On August 28, 2014, the
remains were sent to the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Lobdell's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which
matched his family, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory
analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis, which
matched his records.
DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission for their
partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,961 service members still
unaccounted for from World War II. Lobdell's name is recorded on the Walls
of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery site along with the other
MIAs from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
The military's Graves Registration Service had all but abandoned any search for him by 1948 as Russian influence closed off eastern Europe. But ongoing work by the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, members of the Sconiers family and other people who became known informally ...
After years of searching and working with different agencies like the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Lt. Sconiers' remains were found in Poland and identified through DNA testing. Pam Whitelock, also a niece to Lt. Sconiers, started working to find and recover her uncle's remains 10 years ago.
In this 2015 file photo, members of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency screen through dirt during the search and recovery efforts to retrieve eight U.S. Army Air Corps members who went down in 1942 in Aranchal Pradesh, a state in northwest India. (Staff Sgt Erik Cardenas/Air Force). A group of ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 23 January, 2018 10:04
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Missing From the Korean War Accounted For (Newman, L.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Pfc. Lamar E. Newman, missing from the Korean War, has now been
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 22 January, 2018 10:54
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Killed During the Korean War Accounted For (Simon, P.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Sgt. 1st Class Pete W. Simon, killed during the Korean War, has now
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 22 January, 2018 09:19
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Airman Killed During World War II Accounted For (Canty, J.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. John H. Canty, killed during World War II, has
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 22 January, 2018 08:46
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Valley, L.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Fireman 2nd Class Lowell E. Valley, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 22 January, 2018 08:46
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Crim, W.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Fireman 3rd Class Warren H. Crim, killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
But Roe got through to Henry's longtime caregiver Janice Tunnell and in 2008, Henry gave his DNA to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, who then conducted a preliminary investigation and added Lt. Stegnerski's crash site to a future recovery list. In 2015, Henry passed away,but Tunnell ...
Nearly 300 people are expected at the San Diego Marriott Mission Valley Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., to hear an update about their lost loved ones from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. The agency is charged with finding the remains of members of the U.S. military lost in World War II, ...
According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Ewart T. Sconiers, 27, of DeFuniak Springs, will be buried in his hometown January 27th. On October 21, 1942, Sconiers was part of an attack to bomb a German u-boat pen in France when the aircraft he was on received ...
DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, FL -- (WTVY) A local man who died as a prisoner of war during World War II will return to his family in DeFuniak Springs to be laid to rest. According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Ewart T. Sconiers, 27, of DeFuniak Springs, will be buried in his ...
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN). The remains of a U.S. Army soldier missing since the Korean War have been identified as belonging to a San Francisco resident. Private First Class James J. Leonard was reported killed in action while defending the village of Yongdong, South Korea, on July 25, 1950. He was ...
Until his remains were found, Leonard was among the 83,000 members of the U.S. military who have not returned from foreign combat, said Chuck Prichard, a spokesman for the POW/MIA Accounting Agency. About 7,700 of those are from the Korean War. “Our job is to try to find them and to bring ...
MILLSBORO, Del. (AP) - The recently accounted for remains of a U.S. serviceman who died during World War II are being returned to his family in Delaware for burial with full military honors. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced in a news release Wednesday that Army Air Forces 2nd ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 18 January, 2018 10:07
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Missing From Korean War Accounted For (McDowell, W.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Cpl. William C. McDowell, missing from the Korean War, has now been
accounted for. Army Cpl. William C. McDowell, missing from the Korean War,
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 18 January, 2018 10:38
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement For Missouri Sailor Killed During World War II
Dear Editor,
Navy Reserve Chief Water Tender Paul R. Wright, accounted for on Sept. 1,
2017, will be buried January 25 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the
Pacific in Honolulu.
Wright, 41, of Meadville, Missouri, was killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II.
His niece, Janet Phlegar Solosth, of Utah, is available for interviews at
(435) 652-3533.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Wright on file.
/////
On Dec. 7, 1941, Wright was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored
at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese
aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it
to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429
crewmen, including Wright.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
(NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military
board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable,
including Wright.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the NMCP for
analysis.
To identify Wright's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which
matched his family, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory
analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis, which
matched his records.
DPAA is appreciative to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their
partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,964 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Wright's name is recorded at the Courts
of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the other MIAs from WWII. A
rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted
for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 18 January, 2018 10:40
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Seaton, C.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Fireman 1st Class Chester E. Seaton, killed during the attack on the
USS Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 18 January, 2018 10:56
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement For New Jersey Sailor Killed During World War II
Dear Editor,
Navy Seaman 1st Class John E. Savidge, accounted for on Sept. 1, 2017, will
be buried January 26 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in
Honolulu.
Savidge, 20, of Linden, New Jersey, was killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II.
His nephew, Edwin Taylor, of Sharpsburg, Maryland, is available for
interviews at (301) 223-6956.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Savidge on file.
/////
On Dec. 7, 1941, Savidge was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored
at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese
aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it
to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429
crewmen, including Savidge.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be identified as non-recoverable, including Savidge.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum
directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On
June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the NMCP for
analysis.
To identify Savidge's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which
matched his family, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory
analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis, which
matched his records.
DPAA is appreciative to the Department of Veteran's Affairs for their
partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,964 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Savidge's name is recorded on the Courts
of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the other MIAs from WWII. A
rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted
for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
Died in the hands of his German Captors. 1st Lt. Sconiers was a Prisoner of War from 21 October 1942
until his death 24 January 1944!
-----Original Message-----
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 18 January, 2018 12:52
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement For Airman Killed During World War II
Dear Editor,
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Ewart T. Sconiers, accounted for on April 5, 2017,
will be buried January 27 in his hometown, on the 74th anniversary of his
initial burial following his death in World War II.
Sconiers, 27, of DeFuniak Springs, Florida,died as a prisoner of war.
His niece, Pamela Whitelock, of New Albany, Ohio, is available for
interviews at (850) 814-1982.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Sconiers on file.
/////
On Oct. 21, 1942, Sconiers was a member of the 414th Bombardment Squadron,
97th Bombardment Group, serving as the bombardier on the B-17F Flying
Fortress, during a mission to bomb the German U-boat pens at Lorient,
France. During the attack, the aircraft received severe damage, but the
entire crew parachuted safely, landing in water near Brest, France, where
they were picked up by a French fishing vessel and turned over to German
forces as prisoners of war. The Americans were sent to Dulag Luft in
Oberusal, Germany, for interrogation, and on Nov. 11, 1942, Sconiers was
transferred to Stalag Luft II in Sagan, Germany (present-day Zagan, Poland),
where he remained until Jan. 9, 1944.
Sconiers was admitted to the camp hospital in early January after exhibiting
erratic behavior and complaining of severe ear pain following a fall on ice.
He was subsequently transferred to the reserve hospital in Luben, Germany
(present-day Lubin, Poland), where he died on Jan. 24, 1944. Sconiers was
buried by a detachment of fellow prisoners in grave number seven of the POW
section of the municipal cemetery in Luben/Schleswig on Jan. 27, 1944, near
the remains of five French officers.
In April 1948, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRS) conducted a
field investigation in Lubin, but failed to locate Sconiers' burial site,
and were unable to find any records of deaths or burials in the area.
Between 2006 and 2015, there were multiple searches conducted to find
Sconiers' remains, with negative results, including a full excavation in
Allies Park in Lubin.
In September 2015, an independent researcher identified a cross with
Sconiers' name in a French military cemetery in Gdansk, Poland.
In October 2015, DPAA requested assistance from the French Embassy in
locating records related to the grave. Historical records revealed there
were no French soldiers who died during WWII with the name Sconiers.
Additionally, documentation revealed that several French soldiers who were
reported to have died in the Lubin region were later reburied in the French
Military Cemetery in Gdansk, possibly linking Sconiers to the new burial
site.
In July 2016, the French Government and the Polish Council for the
Protection of Struggle and Martyrdom granted DPAA permission to disinter the
remains at the cemetery. In September 2016, the remains were disinterred
and sent to DPAA's Central Identification Laboratory Annex at Offutt Air
Force Base, Nebraska, for analysis.
To identify Sconiers' remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and DNA analysis, which
matched his family, dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his
records, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the French Embassy, the French Government and the Polish
Council for the Protection of Struggle and Martyrdom for their assistance in
this identification.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 73,964 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Sconiers' name is recorded on the Tablets
of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, an American Battle
Monuments Commission site in Belgium, along with the other MIAs from WWII. A
rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted
for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
The recently accounted for remains of a U.S. serviceman who died during World War II are being returned to his family in Delaware for burial with full military honors. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced in a news release Wednesday that Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Stanley F. Stegnerski ...
With a long list of sites to explore, it wasn't until the summer of 2016 when a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency team excavated the crash site, finding possible remains, material evidence and personal equipment. Scientists used mitochondrial DNA analysis to match Stegnerski with family, as well as ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 17 January, 2018 13:24
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed During the Korean War
Dear Editor,
Army Pfc. James J. Leonard, Jr., accounted for on Aug. 18, 2017, will be
buried January 23 in his hometown.
Leonard, 22, of San Francisco, was killed during the Korean War.
His cousin, Michael Hart is available for interviews at (650) 255-1149.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Leonard on file.
/////
In July 1950, Leonard was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry
Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. In the early hours of July 20, Leonard's
regiment arrived east of Yongdong, South Korea, and began preparing to
assume the defense of the city. By July 23, Korean People's Army (KPA)
units began attacking American defenses and took control of Yongdong by July
25. Leonard was reported as killed in action on July 25, 1950.
In June 1952, the 392nd Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted
searches of the area around Yongdong. All remains recovered were sent to
the Army Graves Registration Service Central Identification Unit in Kokura,
Japan, but Leonard's remains were not identified.
In an effort to account for its own war losses, South Korea developed an
organization known as the Ministry of National Defense Agency for Killed in
Action Recovery and Identification (MAKRI). In early 2017, a local
construction crew uncovered possible human remains and material evidence
during a road excavation near Yongdong village. On March 30, a MAKRI
recovery team recovered the remains and sent them to the MAKRI-Central
Identification Laboratory in Seoul. The remains were subsequently sent to
the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Leonard's remains, scientists from DPAA used laboratory
analysis, including dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his
records, and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the South Korean government for their assistance in this
recovery.
Today, 7,713 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North
Korea by American recovery teams. Leonard's name is recorded at the Courts
of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu,
along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 17 January, 2018 12:47
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement for Airman Killed During World War II
Dear Editor,
Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Stanley F. Stegnerski, accounted for on Aug. 16,
2017, will be buried January 22 in Millsboro, Deleware.
Stegnerski, 25, of Chester, Pennsylvania, was killed during World War II.
His family member, Janice Tunnell, of Wilmington, Delaware, is available for
interviews at (302) 593-9543.
The Department of Defense has the attached photos of Stegnerski on file.
/////
On Nov. 21, 1944, Stegnerski was the pilot of a P-51D Mustang, taking off
from Royal Air Force Base 133 at East Wretham, Norfolk, England, on a bomber
escort mission over Germany. Over Merseberg, Germany, the American aircraft
were attacked by German fighters. Stegnerski's group closed in on a group
of 20 German fighters and opened fire. He was last seen by his wingman as
they prepared to attack the German Focke-Wulf fighters.
A German shoot-down report noted a P-51 Mustang, with a tail number similar
to Stegnerski's, crashed on Nov. 21, 1944 on a road between Dollstedt and
Grafentonna, Germany. The report stated the pilot could not be identified
and the remains were buried in Grafentonna. Based on this information and
no information concerning Stegnerski as a prisoner of war, the Secretary of
War declared him deceased on Nov. 22, 1945.
Because Grafentonna, Germany was in Soviet control after 1947, the American
Graves Registration Command (AGRC) were restricted in their investigation.
In 2008, German nationals Mathias Leich and Hans-Gunther Ploes, provided
information and analysis that led to a U.S. team to investigate a crash site
near Dollstadt and Grafentonna, where the team recovered a piece of engine
cowling matching Stegnerski's aircraft.
In July and August 2016, a DPAA team excavated the crash site, finding
possible osseous remains, material evidence and personal equipment. The
remains were sent to DPAA for analysis.
To identify Stegnerski's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which
matched his family, as well as dental and anthropological analysis, which
matched his records, and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to Mr. Leich and Mr. Ploes for their assistance in this
recovery mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,964 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Stegnerski's name is recorded on the
Tablets of the Missing at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, an American
Battle Monuments Commission in Belgium, along with the others missing from
WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
DUPONT — The hunt for family of a World War II soldier missing since October 1944 has shifted — and appears to be over. Military officials initially contacted the Nanticoke Historical Society, looking for family of Private Anthony Laskowski, believed to have been a Nanticoke native killed in a massive ...
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency recently recovered remains in that area and are trying to link them with the missing through family DNA testing. The organization recently reached out to the Nanticoke Historical Society to help track down relatives of Laskowski. Chet Zaremba, the group's vice ...
The Korean War has been over for almost 65 years . . . or has it?
For the families of any war, we expect our loved-ones to come home or be told when and where they died . . . and when to expect their remains to be returned if possible. Most of the Korean War families of the Missing were essentially told, “Our government doesn’t know what happened to them, so stop asking questions and forget about him!”
Some of us did not accept that answer and we now have the forensic files on more than 800 unknown remains which clearly identify some and will lead to the identification of others.
N-17156 was found at location CT126649. That code narrows down the location within 500 feet. The remains was so badly damage that the race, height and age could not be determined or even estimated.
Yet, it was found with aviation parts included. Duh . . . a plane crash! A quick study of air losses in that vicinity indicates that Willie Wall went down within 2.5 miles . . . and Thomas Helton, John Maniatty, and Bernard McManaman all went down within 2 miles of where this remains was found. Perhaps, the families would like to know?
N-17152 surfaced from CT869718. There were no ID tags but aircraft parts were included. Remains were Caucasian and over age 30. Only two missing airmen fit location . . . Walter Clinnin and Marce Dunn, but only Walter was over 30. If anyone knows his family, please contact me.
N-17157 surfaced from CT154636, Caucasian, age 22-24, no ID tags but AF vest included. Ideal candidates include Robert Gross, Charles Gunther, Ernest Oliphant, Joseph Ratti, and William Roy. Only families of Oliphant and Ratti could be found.
N-17121 was found at BU869452. It was determined to be Caucasian, approx. 68.5” tall, and age 25-30. It was shipped as unknown but an oxygen mask and a/c parts were included. Only two airmen come close . . . Elwood Brey (23 years old) and Joseph Collins (29).
N-17110 surfaced from BU467631, undetermined race, but over 30 years old, and included aircraft parts. Only two come close . . . Lyle Moore (27) and Herbert Smith (35)!
N-17111 was found at BU471625. Just by location that narrowed the candidates down to just Edgar Gray, Lyle Moore, and Herbert Smith. Yet, the age was 30 plus. Only Herbert was that old and his estimated crash site is less than a mile away from the remains! Like most, I haven’t found any family members to share this with!
N-17118 was found at BU729552, Caucasian, 68-70” tall, age 28-32. There were no ID tags or teeth, but included flying suit and Mae West. Another . . . Duh! That fits Henry Dixon, Robert Finch, or Alan Hoff!
N-17134 surfaced from CU021039, Caucasian and over 27 years of age. Originally associated with Royce Carruth, a Navy pilot, but could not be confirmed. The only other likely candidate is Eric O’Briant. Fortunately, I was able to contact his nephew who is requesting disinterment and DNA testing.
N-17124 surfaced from CU494753, Caucasian, age 22-26. Only three are close . . . John Lush, Cordice Teague, and Alfred Ziegler.
N-17126 surfaced from CU519528, Caucasian, age 20+, no ID tags, but included flying suit. Closest matches are James Anderle, James Hughes, Richard Jackson, and Harold Podorson. Unfortunately, I have no family contacts for these.
N-17143 surfaced from YC544593, Caucasian, age 30 plus, no ID tags or teeth, but included flying suit and parachute parts. From the location, only one airman is a logical match . . . Bill Elsom.
N-17145 surfaced from YC564859, Caucasian, age 26-30, included flying vest. Robert Lacey and Ray Wilk are primary candidates.
N-17146 surfaced from YC564859, undetermined race, age 25-30, major trauma to remains, included a landing light switch. Only two come close . . . Robert Lacey and Ray Wilk. If anyone knows their family members, please contact me.
N-17147 surfaced from YC564859, undetermined race, age 24-27, included flying vest. These last 3 all came from the same location. Again Robert Lacey and Ray Wilk are prime for each . . . or anyone with an IQ above plants would deduct one of these is Lacey and another Wilk. The closest third loss would be Curtis Smith or Bill Elsom . . . both about 15 miles away.
N-17102 was found at YD364328. It was shipped as unknown but included AF flying suit, crash helmet, parachute line, and Mae West. That narrows down to just 9 individuals, but it is doubtful that any of the families were told.
N-17104 surfaced from YD328567, Caucasian, age 25-30, no ID tags, but parts of a/c included. Barney Casteel and Marlyn Ford are ideal candidates from location and age. Marlyn’s daughter has been notified.
N-17106 surface from YD284553, Caucasian, age 20-23, no ID tags, but included a/c parts. Four men fit this description . . . George Barbiere, Richard Caldwell, Dean Crabb, and Nicholas Palmiotti, yet Palmiotti is the only one for which I have a family contact.
Please note my frustration. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency calls me a “Hobbyist”. Well, if a Hobbyist can pull together this much information, just think what an agency with a 130 million dollar budget should do!!!!!
Please share this with other family members and encourage anyone and everyone to contact me at john.zimmerlee@gmail.com for more information on those missing from the Korean War.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 11 January, 2018 12:46
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II Accounted For (Aldridge, W.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Navy Seaman 1st Class Willard H. Aldridge, killed during the attack on the
USS Oklahoma in World War II, has now been accounted for.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 11 January, 2018 12:35
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Marine Killed During World War II Accounted For (Morrissey, H.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Marine Corps Pfc. Harry C. Morrissey, killed during World War II, has now
Pfc. Eichelberger enlisted at a time the Army was segregated and he was assigned to the 92nd Infantry Division, which in 1944 and 1945 fought at the westernmost portion of the Allied line in northern Italy, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, an arm of the Defense Department.
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil] Sent: 10 January, 2018 11:10
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Soldier Missing From Korean War Accounted For (Quintero, A.)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Army Pfc. Albert E. Quintero, missing from the Korean War, has now been
Now his remains had been identified at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Lab at Offutt Air Force Base. “I was shocked and ... Fifty years later, a historian with the POW/MIA Accounting Agency studied the file and realized that the remains inside could probably be identified. In April, they were ...
...The body of Ludwig — known as “Louie” to friends and family — was recovered and buried beneath a white cross at Normandy American Cemetery. But no one ever found Julius, known as “Henry.” His body was lost with the ship, which sank to the bottom of the English Channel....
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency worked with his nephew who currently lives in Jefferson Township. Harold Hannon's remains will return to the Philadelphia airport on Wednesday afternoon and he will be laid to rest at Cathedral Cemetery on Saturday. "I never expected it. Not in my wildest ...
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Friday that the remains of a Waco serviceman recently accounted-for from World War II are going to be returned to his family for burial. Army Pfc. Lonnie B.C. Eichelberger, 20, of Waco, Texas, will be buried Jan. 10 in Houston. In February 1942 ...
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 10 January, 2018 08:22
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: CORRECTION: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement For Pennsylvania Marine Killed During World War II
--Please note the adjustement to include History Flight, Inc.'s involvment
in the recovery of Pfc. Hannon's remains.
Dear Editor,
Marine Corps Pfc. Harold P. Hannon, accounted for on October 4, 2017, will
be buried January 13, 2018, in his hometown.
Hannon, 28, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was killed during the battle of
Tarawa in World War II.
His nephew, William Hannon, of Moscow, Pennsylvania, is available for
interviews at (570) 689-9238.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Hannon on file.
/////
In November 1943, Hannon was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th
Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which landed against stiff Japanese
resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert
Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense
fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and
more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
Hannon died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943.
The battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the
Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which
to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their
Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members
who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on
the island. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted
remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but Hannon's
remains were not identified. All of the remains found on Tarawa were sent to
the Schofield Barracks Central Identification Laboratory for identification
in 1947. By 1949, the remains that had not been identified were interred in
the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu.
In July 2017, through a partnership with History Flight. Inc., DPAA used
various advanced investigative techniques and found the remains of men known
to have been buried on Tarawa. The remains were accessioned into the
laboratory for identification.
To identify Hannon's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, which matched his records, as well as
circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the History Flight, Inc. for their partnership in this
mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,964 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Hannon's name is recorded on the Tablets
of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others killed or lost in
WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 5 January, 2018 14:51
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: LOCAL CONNECTION: Funeral Announcement for Soldier Missing From World War II
Dear Editor,
Army Pfc. Lonnie B.C. Eichelberger, accounted for on May 5, 2017, will be
buried January 10, 2018, in Houston, Texas.
Eichelberger, 20, of Waco, Texas, was missing from World War II.
His nephew, Cheyenne Eichelberger, of Richmond, Texas, is available for
interviews at (361) 549-4876.
The Department of Defense has no photos of Eichelberger on file.
/////
In February 1942, Eichelberger was a member of Company I, 371st Infantry
Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division. In an era of racial segregation, the
92nd ID was the only African-American division to fight in Europe. The
division fought at the westernmost portion of the Allied line in northern
Italy from November 1944 until April 1945. As part of Operation Fourth
Term, Eichelberger's regiment fought in the hills near the town of
Strettoia, Italy. His regiment suffered heavy losses while attacking German
defenses. Following the battle, Eichelberger could not be accounted for and
was declared missing in action.
In July and August 1945, during search and recovery operations, American
personnel recovered a set of remains, later designated as X-193, in the
vicinity of Strettoia, Italy. Attempts to identify the remains were
unsuccessful and they were buried as "Unknown" at the United States
temporary military cemetery at Castelfiorentino.
On Sept. 14, 1948, Unknown X-193 was disinterred and transferred to the
Leghorn Port Morgue, where the remains were declared unidentifiable and
reinterred in Florence American Cemetery in April 1949.
Based on analysis of information associating X-193 with two individuals
still unaccounted for from the 92nd ID, the remains were disinterred from
the Florence American Cemetery on June 29, 2016.
To identify Eichelberger's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, which matched his records, as well as
circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission for their
partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000
died during the war. Currently there are 72,964 service members
(approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still
unaccounted for from World War II. Eichelberger's name is recorded on the
Tablets of the Missing at the Sicily-Rome American Ceremony, an American
Battle Monuments Commission site along with the other MIAs from WWII. A
rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted
for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
