2018
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stories and Press Releases below chart

Research sites: 

www.kpows.com

http://www.kpows.com/thezimmerleereports.html

2018

Member Rank	First & Last Name	Service	Unit	Lost	Location	Accounted-For	Funeral Date	Funeral Location
Pfc.	James C. Williams	U.S. Army	Medical Company, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division	7/12/1950	South Korea	1/2/2019
1st Lt.	Burleigh E. Curtis	U.S. Army Air Forces	377th Fighter Squadron, 362nd Fighter Group	6/13/1944	France	12/20/2018
Steward 2nd Class	Felicismo Florese	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	12/20/2018
Cpl.	John G. Krebs	U.S. Army	Company L, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division	7/11/1950	South Korea	12/19/2018
Machinst's Mate 1st Class	George Hanson	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	12/19/2018
Pfc.	William F. Delaney	U.S. Army	Company A, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division	11/22/1944	Germany	12/17/2018
Sgt.	Vernon L. Hamilton	U.S. Army Air Forces	642nd Bombardment Squadron, 409th Bombardment Group, 9th Bombardment Division, 9th Air Force	3/21/1945	Germany	12/14/2018
Sgt. John Kalausich U.S. Army Air Forces 642nd Bombardment Squadron, 409th Bombardment Group, 9th Bombardment Division, 9th Air Force 3/21/1945 Germany 12/14/2018 2/23/2019 Charleston, West Virginia
2nd Lt.	Lynn W. Hadfield	U.S. Army Air Forces	642nd Bombardment Squadron, 409th Bombardment Group, 9th Bombardment Division, 9th Air Force	3/21/1945	Germany	12/13/2018
Electrician's Mate 3rd Class	Roman W. Sadlowski	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	12/11/2018
Water Tender 1st Class	Edwin B. McCabe	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	12/10/2018
Seaman 2nd Class	John C. Auld	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	12/7/2018
Pfc.	Karl L. Dye	U.S. Army	Battery B, 52nd Field Artillery Battalion, 24th Infantry Division	7/16/1950	South Korea	12/6/2018
Seaman 2nd Class	George A. Thompson	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	12/5/2018
Pvt.	Harry W. Wilder	U.S. Army	Company B, 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division	11/14/1944	Germany	11/27/2018
Pvt.	Floyd A. Fulmer	U.S. Army	Company A, 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division	11/14/1944	Germany	11/27/2018
Seaman 1st Class	Kenneth H. Sampson	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	11/26/2018
Fireman 3rd Class	Willard I. Lawson	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	11/23/2018
Pfc.	Nicholas J. Gojmerac	U.S. Marine Corps Reserve	Company Q, 4th Raider Battalion, 1st Marine Raider Regiment	7/20/1943	Solomon Islands	11/14/2018
Machinist's Mate 1st Class	Ulis C. Steely	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	11/14/2018
Aviation Machinist's Mate 1st Class	John O. Morris	U.S. Navy Reserve	Carrier Aircraft Service Unit (CASU) 17	12/16/1943	Tarawa	11/13/2018
Ensign	Charles M. Stern, Jr.	U.S. Naval Reserve	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	11/13/2018
Seaman 1st Class	Kirby R. Stapleton	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	11/1/2018
Cpl.	Frederick E. Coons	U.S. Army	Company A, 1st Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division	7/29/1950	South Korea	10/31/2018
Pvt.	Fred E. Freet	U.S. Marine Corps Reserve	Company F, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division Fleet Marine Force	11/20/1943	Tarawa	10/29/2018
Seaman 2nd Class	Ira N. Slaton	U.S. Navy Reserve	USS Colorado	7/24/1944	Tinian Island	10/26/2018
Pvt.	Robert J. Sipes, Jr.	U.S. Army	Company L, 3rd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division	11/30/1950	North Korea	10/25/2018
Fireman 1st Class	Angelo M. Gabriele	U.S. Navy	USS West Virginia	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	10/24/2018
Pfc.	William E. Brandenburg	U.S. Marine Corps Reserve	Company A, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force	11/22/1943	Tarawa	10/24/2018
Wiper	Elvis N. Spotts	U.S. Merchant Marines	SS Cape Isabel	2/22/1944	Tarawa Atoll	10/23/2018
Fireman 1st Class	Grant C. Cook, Jr.	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	10/17/2018
Seaman 1st Class	John A. Karli	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	10/16/2018
Buglemaster 2nd Class	Lionel W. Lescault	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	10/16/2018
Sgt.	Dwight W. Randall	U.S. Marine Corps	Company C, 2nd Amphibious Tractor Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force	11/20/1943	Tarawa	10/12/2018
Seaman 2nd Class	Charles C. Gomez, Jr.	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	10/9/2018	6/3/2019	Slidell, Louisiana
Lt.	Richard C. Lannom	U.S. Naval Reserve	Attack Squadron Three Five [ATKRON 35], USS Enterprise ([CVA-65]	3/1/1968	Vietnam	10/9/2018
Pfc.	Michael L. Salerno	U.S. Marine Corps	Company K, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force	11/20/1943	Tarawa	10/8/2018
Fireman 1st Class	Creighton H. Workman	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	10/5/2018
Chief Warrant Officer	John A. Austin	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	10/5/2018
Mr.	George L Ritter	Civilian	Air America Incorporated	12/27/1971	Laos	10/4/2018
Sgt. 1st Class	James L. Boyce	U.S. Army	Company K, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division	7/11/1950	South Korea	10/2/2018
2nd Lt.	James R. Lord	U.S. Army Air Forces	66th Fighter Squadron, 57th Fighter Group, 12th Tactical Air Command, 12th Air Force	8/10/1944	France	10/2/2018
1st Lt.	Allen R. Turner	U.S. Army Air Forces	1330 Army Air Force Base Unit, Air Transport Command	7/17/1945	India	10/2/2018
Seaman 1st Class	Herbert J. Poindexter	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	10/1/2018
Chief Pharmacist's Mate	James T. Cheshire	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	9/28/2018
Pfc.	Marvin E. Dickson	U.S. Army	Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division	11/13/1944	Germany	9/27/2018
Storekeeper 2nd Class	Gerald L. Clayton	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	9/26/2018	7/5/2019	Central City, Nebraska
Musician 2nd Class	Francis E. Dick	U.S. Navy	USS Oklahoma	12/7/1941	Pearl Harbor	9/26/2018	2/13/2019	Vancouver, Washington
Seaman 2nd Class	Deward W. Duncan, Jr.	U.S. Naval Reserve	Aviation, Construction, Ordinance, Repair, Navy Fourteen, Standard Landing Craft Unit 4	1/12/1944	Tarawa	9/26/2018
Pfc.	Joseph I. Natvik	U.S. Army Air Forces	1330 Army Air Force Base Unit, Air Transport Command	7/17/1945	India	9/26/2018
Pfc.	John W. Martin	U.S. Army	Medical Company, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division	12/2/1950	North Korea	9/25/2018

List posted 01/04/19

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SOME HIGHLIGHTS NOTE DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN HEADLINES ("captured")  AND KNOWN ("MIA") STATUS.

moe note:

http://www.dpaa.mil/Resources/Fact-Sheets/Article-View/Article/590581/armed-forces-medical-examiner-system-dna-identification-laboratory/
 

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.

To contact a specific Service Casualty Office and confirm your eligibility, go to this page; http://www.dpaa.mil/Families/Contact-Information/

Just by sharing the story below and the info above, YOU can be a big part in bringing closure to a family that has been waiting more than 70 years.

Until they all come home……….

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)

892-2490.

For future funeral information, visit

http://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/Article/1717214/
airman-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-lord-j/

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.

/////

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

/////

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Gomez' personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000XhBoEAK

/////

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Clayton's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000XeKmEAK

/////

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

/////

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

From: Duus, Kristen L SFC 
Sent: 12 December, 2018 09:58
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA FY 2018 Year in Review

Good morning,

Below is the link to the DPAA FY 2018 Year in Review.

http://www.dpaa.mil/Portals/85/Documents/Newsletters/YiR%20FINAL.pdf?ver=201
8-12-10-114751-100

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

/////

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Jones' personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000001DKIovEAH

/////

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Jayne's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000001EcbzZEAR

/////

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Nix's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000Xe0VEAS

/////

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

O'Grady's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000014EFDlEAO

/////

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Finnegan's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000001DKIptEAH

/////

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Roesch's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000014EFCsEAO

/////

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Taylor's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt00000133sAaEAI

/////

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

/////

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Mason's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000Xe07EAC

/////

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Donald's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000XeL5EAK

/////

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Goldwater's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000XhBtEAK

/////

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Lindquist's personnel file can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000000azLqCEAU

/////

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Dickson's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000Xe6eEAC

/////

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

/////

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

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

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Keirn's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000000jNPNKEA4

/////

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

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

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.

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.