SOME HIGHLIGHTS NOTE
DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN HEADLINES ("captured") AND KNOWN
("MIA") STATUS.
We
asked why so many of these are being
re-announced 2-3 times increasing news forwards and confusion.
03/22/19
These are being published with the full information, while the initial
notification only contains basic information. The updates are providing
information on the loss, recovery and identification, as well as funeral
information if it is available at the time.
I hope this helps,
SFC Kristen Duus
Chief of External Communications
Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
From: Everette, Sean P SFC
USARMY DPAA OC (USA)
<sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 5 February, 2020 09:06
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release: DPAA Fiscal Year 2019 Identification
Made in Error
DPAA Fiscal Year 2019 Identification Made in Error
Feb. 5, 2020
WASHINGTON -- The Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has determined
that
an identification made in Fiscal
Year (FY) 2019 of the remains of a
soldier missing from the Korean War
was made in error.
DPAA immediately informed
the U.S. Army Service Casualty Office (SCO), who
then notified the family
of the error.
"We have extended our deepest
apologies to the family and will explain the
regrettable error when we and the
Army meet with them," said Kelly McKeague,
DPAA director.
In accordance with its
laboratory accreditation requirements and quality
assurance system, DPAA is
performing an internal cause analysis of the
misidentification. DPAA
has also arranged for an independent scientific
assessment of this case
and overall laboratory processes. Both reviews will
guide any necessary
adjustments to DPAA's identification and laboratory
procedures.
"While this
misidentification is an unfortunate mistake, we will learn from
it, and the lessons we
learn and apply will further strengthen our
scientific enterprise,"
said McKeague.
DPAA has decremented the FY 2019
accounted-for total from 218 to 217.
DPAA Public Affairs can be
reached at (703) 699-1420/1169 or (808) 448-4500,
He was
accounted for September 8, 2020, according
to the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency. The remains of an
Arkansas sailor who died during ...
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 22 December, 2020 09:11
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Arkansas Accounted For From World War II
Dec. 22,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Mess Attendant 3rd
Class Isaac Parker, 17, of Woodson, Arkansas, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on Sept. 8, 2020.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Parker 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 Parker.
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 Parker.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Parker's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces
Medical
Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Parker'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.
Parker will be buried June 8, 2021 in St. Louis.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 17 December, 2020 09:55
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Oklahoma Soldier Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Dec. 17,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army
Sgt. Billy V.
Rodgers, 19, of Panama, Oklahoma, killed during the
Korean War, was
accounted for April 9, 2020.
In late
1950, Rodgers was a
member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 32nd
Infantry Regiment,
31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division. He
was reported missing
in action on Dec. 2, 1950, when his unit was attacked
by enemy forces near the
Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the
battle, his remains could
not be recovered.
On July 27,
2018, following the
summit between President Donald Trump and
North Korean Supreme
Leader Kim Jong-un in June 2018, North Korea turned
over 55 boxes,
purported to contain the remains of American service members
killed during the
Korean War. The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl
Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
on Aug. 1, 2018, and were subsequently accessioned
into the DPAA
laboratory for identification.
To identify
Rodgers' remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological
analysis, as
well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from
the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and
autosomal
STR (auSTR) analysis.
Rodgers'
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
still
missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name
to indicate
he has been accounted for.
Rodgers will be buried at Arlington National
Cemetery in Arlington,
Virginia.The date has yet to be determined.
For family
and funeral 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: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 17 December, 2020 10:59
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Marine From Wisconsin Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Dec. 17,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Marine Corps
Cpl. Elmer E. Drefahl,
22, of Milwaukee, killed during World
War II, was accounted
for on Sept. 29, 2020.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Drefahl 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 Drefahl.
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 Drefahl.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Drefahl's remains, scientists from DPAA anthropological
analysis.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner
System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR), and
autosomal
DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Drefahl'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.
The date and location
for Drefahl's burial have yet to be determined by the
family.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 17 December, 2020 11:35
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Nebraska Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Dec. 17,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Seaman 2nd Class
Charles A. Jones, 21, of Harvard, Nebraska, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on Sept. 28, 2020.
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.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Jones's remains, scientists from DPAA dental and anthropological
analysis.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner
System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Jones'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.
Jones will be buried in his hometown.
The date is yet to be
determined.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
Those listed in
bold have been identified by the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency, through the efforts of
anthropologists at its laboratory at Offutt ...
Divers ... recovered the device at the bottom of Gelting
Bay, on Germany's northern coast, while working to
remove abandoned fishing nets that threaten marine life.
It is thought to
have come from a scuttled U-boat (much like pictured
bottom right) Designed shortly after WWI by the
engineer Arthur Scherbius for commercial usage, the
cipher engine (inset) was
adopted by many national governments and militaries.
24, the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency announced on its website Tuesday. The
Trapps were from La Porte, Ind. On the eve of World War
II, ...
From:
Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 1 December, 2020 11:08
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS West Virginia Sailor From Arizona Accounted For From World War
II
Dear Editor,
Dec. 1, 2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Seaman 1st Class Carl
S. Johnson, 20, of Phoenix, killed during World
War II, was accounted
for on Aug. 19, 2019.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Johnson was
assigned to the battleship USS West Virginia,
which was moored at
Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft.
The USS West Virginia sustained multiple torpedo hits,
but timely
counter-flooding measures taken by the crew prevented it from
capsizing, and it
came to rest on the shallow harbor floor. The attack on
the ship resulted in
the deaths of 106 crewmen, including Johnson.
During
efforts to salvage the USS West Virginia, Navy personnel recovered
the remains
of the deceased crewmen, representing at least 66 individuals.
Those who
could not be identified, including Johnson, were interred as
unknowns at
the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the
Punchbowl,
in Honolulu.
From June
through October 2017, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, in
cooperation
with cemetery officials, disinterred 35 caskets reported to be
associated
with the USS West Virginia from the Punchbowl and transferred the
remains to
the laboratory for identification.
To identify
Johnson's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Johnson'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.
Johnson will be buried Jan. 15, 2021, in his
hometown.
For family
information, call the Navy Service Casualty office at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
24, Jackson receive a phone call from the Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency in Honolulu, Hawaii that the remains of
Paul Edd Saylor had been .
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 November, 2020 12:36
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Connecticut Soldier Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Nov. 20,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army
Staff Sgt. Louis S.
Doddo, 30, of South Norwalk, Connecticut, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for Nov. 3, 2020.
In July 1944,
Doddo was a member of the 105th Infantry Regiment,
27th
Infantry Division. He
was killed July 7 during a massive Japanese attack
against the 105th on
the island of Saipan. His remains were not known to
have been
recovered. The Army issued a finding of death on July 8, 1945.
The American
Graves Registration Service (AGRS) searched for and disinterred
remains
throughout the Pacific theater in an effort to identify fallen
service
members after the end of the war. Remains identified as Unknown X-26
were first
reported as buried in the 27th Infantry Division Cemetery.
However, the
AGRS was not able to identify X-26, and the remains were buried
at the
Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines on March 30,
1950.
After
thorough research, DPAA historians concluded X-26 was possibly
associated
with Doddo and four other service members. On Dec. 6, 2018,
Unknown X-26
was disinterred and sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base
Pearl
Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
To identify
Doddo's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally,
scientists
from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial
DNA (mtDNA)
analysis.
Doddo'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
still
missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name
to indicate
he has been accounted for.
Doddo will be buried May 2021 in his hometown.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty office at
(800)
892-2490.
DPAA is
grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission for their
partnership
in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
"(Hugh Johnson) is still
listed as an MIA," Windish said. ... to Hawaii where
scientists from the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency confirmed names ...
Since then, the Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and
History Flight have been working to excavate graves and
identify remains.
Sent: 25 November, 2020 09:48
Subject: Giving Thanks
Dear Family Group and Veterans Organization Leaders,
Thanksgiving has traditionally been a day set aside for relaxation,
gatherings with family and friends, and special dinners. It is also a day
set aside for reflecting.
While this year's Thanksgiving will likely feel different than years past,
it still offers an opportunity to reflect. There is no doubt our personal
and professional lives have been profoundly affected, but in reflecting, we
can come to realize how fortunate we've been throughout the year. Too
often, and especially when faced with obstacles, we let the joys of our
lives pass without noticing, but Thanksgiving affords us a chance to count
them.
We in DPAA do so through our Year in Review, which serves to catalog slices
of all we were able to achieve and overcome. In this COVID-impacted year,
it's encouraging to see the magnitude of such and you can view it here:
https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/Newsletters/ . Please do share it with
your families, members, and friends.
On behalf of our military and civilian professionals, I wish you all an
enjoyable, safe, and blessed Thanksgiving, and one that gives you a chance
to reflect on all to be thankful for. For us in DPAA, we are thankful for
being able to dutifully serve this national commitment. As I told our team,
in doing so, they make tangible their thanks for those who made the supreme
sacrifice for our nation and for the families who are grateful to have their
loved one home or still wait longingly.
Best to you all,
Kelly
Kelly McKeague
Director, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Fulfilling Our Nation's Promise
The story behind this
Marine's Silver Star. The 18-year-old Thomas
Johnson was credited for saving the lives of many other
Marines, he said. He was ...
The Silver Star
was returned to a rightful heir in August 2018 — 74
years after it was presented to Mary Bridget Moore
Forbes who lost her son, William ...
From: Ann Mills Griffiths <powmiafam@aol.com>
Sent: 11 November, 2020 09:14 To:
Subject: POW/MIA Flag Restored to Top of the
White House
I
was just informed that our POW/MIA Flag has been restored to its
rightful position on top of the White House. My son, Stephen
Mills, and I will be representing the National League of POW/MIA
families at the Wreath-laying Ceremony at Arlington National
Cemetery!
We deeply appreciate the recognition of our UNRETURNED VETERANS
from the Vietnam War and earlier wars and conflicts that the
POW/MIA Flag represents. We are grateful to President Trump,
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Wilke and members of the White
House staff who worked to make this happen. This action helps
to reinforce America's priority on accounting as fully as
possible for our Veterans who served and have yet to return to
our country and their families.
We honor and remember all our Veterans who served and sacrificed
for our Nation and the freedoms and principles the United States
of America represents to all Americans and people around the
world. Have a meaningful Veterans Day!
I reached out directly to
SFC Sean Everette at Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency Public Affairs Office (this lead came
from your article!!!!!). SFC ...
For Debbie
Sullivan, the pain of losing her son,
Navy Lt. Chris Saunders, never goes
away. “It changes you. It's like a piece of
you is gone,” Sullivan ...
... who wear their POW/MIA
memorial bracelets. As the film looks for additional
funding, Martin Sheen and Dan Rather have signed on as
narrator and ...
A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for
by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
More than 7,600 ...
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 20 October, 2020 09:04
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: California Pilot Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Oct. 20,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
U.S. Army
Air Forces 2nd Lt.
Earl W. Smith, 22, of Oakland, California,
killed during World
War II, was accounted for March 23, 2020.
In the
summer of 1943, Smith
was a pilot assigned to the 80th Fighter
Squadron, 8th Fighter
Group, 5th Air Force. On Aug. 20, Smith was piloting a
P-38 Lightning
fighter on a test flight near Port Moresby, Australian
Territory of Papua
(current day Papua New Guinea), when he crashed into the
harbor off of Paga
Point. Smith did not bail out and his body was not
recovered.
Following
the war, the American Graves Registration Command, the
organization
that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel,
searched the
area around Port Moresby several times, concluding their final
search on
Dec. 18, 1948. Investigators could not find any evidence that
Smith's
remains had ever washed ashore. He was declared non-recoverable Aug.
17, 1949.
In 2002,
recreational divers discovered aircraft wreckage with a legible
radio call
sign data plate matching Smith's P-38 off of Paga Point. In 2014,
the Joint
POW/MIA Accounting Agency (a predecessor organization to DPAA)
evaluated
the evidence and approved a recovery mission, but didn't set a
date. DPAA
sent a team to Papua New Guinea at the end of 2018. The team
recovered
possible human remains and material evidence that identified the
wreckage as
the aircraft piloted by Smith.
To identify
Smith's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Smith's name
is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American
Cemetery and
Memorial in Philippines, along with others still missing from
WWII. A
rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted
for.
Smith will be buried Aug. 20, 2021,
at a location yet to be determined.
For family
and funeral 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
7, 1941, is finally
accounted for, the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency announced Monday. Navy Seaman 2nd
Class James M. Flanagan was ...
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 19 October, 2020 10:25
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Florida Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Oct. 19,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Seaman 2nd Class
James M. Flanagan, 22, of Jacksonville, Florida,
killed during World
War II, was accounted for on Nov. 19, 2019.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Flanagan 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 Flanagan.
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 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 Flanagan.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Flanagan's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces
Medical
Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y chromosomal DNA
(Y-STR) and
autosomal STR DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Flanagan'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.
Flanagan will be
buried on Nov. 6, 2020, at the NMCP.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 19 October, 2020 09:30
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Oklahoma Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Oct. 19,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Seaman 2nd Class D.T.
Kyser, 18, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, killed during
World War II, was
accounted for on Aug. 9, 2019.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Kyser 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 Kyser.
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 Kyser.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Kyser's remains, scientists from DPAA dental and anthropological
analysis.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner
System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Kyser'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.
The date and location
for Kyser's burial have yet to be decided by the
family.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
First District
Congressman Bryan Steil of Janesville reaffirms his
commitment to make sure that every soldier missing in
action and prisoner of war is ...
Kelly McKeague, the head
of the U.S. Defense Pow/MIA Accounting
Agency, which excavates and identifies the remains of
war veterans. "McKeague ...
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 14 October, 2020 10:12
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Kentucky Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Oct. 14,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Fireman 2nd Class
Martin D. Young, 21, of Hawesville, Kentucky, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on Aug. 19, 2019.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Young 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 Young.
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 Young.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Young's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces
Medical
Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome DNA
(Y-STR)
analysis.
Young'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.
Young will be buried on
May 15, 2021, in Lewisport,
Kentucky.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 14 October, 2020 10:59
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Ohio Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Oct. 14,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Seaman 1st Class
Maurice V. Spangler, 20, of Defiance, Ohio, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on March 27, 2020.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Spangler 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 Spangler.
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 Spangler.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Spangler's remains, scientists from DPAA anthropological
analysis.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner
System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Spangler'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.
Spangler will be buried Sept. 12, 2021 at the
Punchbowl.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
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
Prisoner of War/MIA Accounting Agency's
mission is to ... Wiesehan was honored the next
day—on National POW/MIA Recognition ...
From the desk of Colonel Gary Clark, US Air Force,
(Retired), Task Force Alpha, Thailand (Vietnam War), US Central Command
during Dessert Storm and Dessert Shied, Chairman Polk County Veterans
Council, and so much more.
WO1 Randall Edwards US Navy (Retired), WW II, Prisoner
of War, Mukden, Manchuria, 6 May 1942 – 1 August 1845
From: veterans-council-i-ii-iii@googlegroups.com
<veterans-council-i-ii-iii@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of GARY
CLARK Sent: 6 October, 2020 14:55 To: Gary Clark Subject: Randall Edwards--WW II POW Hero--Has Departed
It is with great sadness that Randy Edwards, friend
to many, Patriot to all, passed this morning at 1138 hours. He fought
to the end just as he fought for 3.5 years in a Japanese slave labor
camp.
Rest well my friend. You serve now with the
angels.
--
Gary Clark
Colonel
USAF(Ret)
Chairman
Polk County Veterans Council
Box 3911
Lakeland, Florida 33802
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 2 October, 2020 12:51
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: California Marine Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Oct. 2, 2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Marine Corps
Reserve Pvt. Jacob
Cruz, 18, of Los Angeles, killed during
World War II, was
accounted for on April 14, 2020.
In November
1943, Cruz was a
member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 6th 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, while the Japanese were
virtually
annihilated. Cruz died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22, 1943.
He was
reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery,
later
renamed Cemetery 33.
In 1946, the
604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company centralized all
of the
American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery for later
repatriation. However, almost half of the known casualties were never found.
No recovered
remains could be associated with Cruz, and, in October 1949, a
Board of
Review declared him "non-recoverable."
In 2009,
History Flight, Inc.,
a nonprofit organization, discovered a burial
site on Betio Island
believed to be Cemetery 33, which has been the site of
numerous excavations
ever since. In March 2019, excavations west of Cemetery
33 revealed a
previously undiscovered burial site that has since been
identified as Row D.
The remains recovered at this site were transferred to
the DPAA
Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify
Cruz's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR), and autosomal DNA
(auSTR)
analysis.
Cruz's name
is recorded in the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific along with the others still missing from
World War
II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been
accounted for.
Cruz will be buried Nov.
13, 2020, in
his hometown.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Marine Corps Casualty Office
at (800)
847-1597.
DPAA is
grateful to the Republic of Kiribati and appreciative of History
Flight,
Inc., for their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 September, 2020 09:55
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Iowa Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Sept. 30,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Hospital Apprentice
1st Class John M. Mulick, 21, of Elma, Iowa, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on Nov. 18, 2019.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Mulick 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 Mulick.
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 Mulick.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Mulick's remains, scientists from DPAA dental and
anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces
Medical
Examiner System used Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Mulick'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.
The date and location
for Mulick's burial have yet to be decided by the
family.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 September, 2020 09:06
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Nebraska Accounted For >From World War II
Dear Editor,
Sept. 30,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Fireman 1st Class
Louis J. Tushla, 25, of Atkinson, Nebraska, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on March 27, 2020.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Tushla 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 Tushla.
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 Tushla.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Tushla's remains, scientists from DPAA dental and
anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces
Medical
Examiner System used Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Tushla'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.
Tushla will
be buried July 17, 2021,
in his hometown.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 29 September, 2020 15:40
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: California Marine Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Sept. 29,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Marine Corps
Reserve Pvt. Howard
E. Miller, 22, of San Mateo, California,
killed during World
War II, was accounted for on April 20, 2020.
In November
1943, Miller was a
member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th
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, while the Japanese
were
virtually annihilated. Miller died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22,
1943. He was
reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division
Cemetery,
later renamed Cemetery 33.
In 1946, the
604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company centralized all
of the
American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery for later
repatriation. However, almost half of the known casualties were never found.
No recovered
remains could be associated with Miller, and, in October 1949,
a Board of
Review declared him "non-recoverable."
In 2009,History Flight, Inc.,
a nonprofit organization, discovered a burial
site on Betio Island
believed to be Cemetery 33, which has been the site of
numerous excavations
ever since. In March 2019, excavations west of Cemetery
33 revealed
a previously undiscovered burial site that has since been
identified
as Row D. The remains recovered at this site were transferred to
the DPAA
Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify
Miller's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Miller's
name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific along with the others still missing from
World War
II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been
accounted for.
Miller will be
buried Nov. 6, 2020,in his hometown.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Marine Corps Casualty Office
at (800)
847-1597.
DPAA is
grateful to the Republic of Kiribati and appreciative to History
Flight,
Inc., for their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 29 September, 2020 09:52
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Nebraska Marine Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Sept. 29,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Marine Corps
Reserve Pfc. John P.
Langan, 18, of Columbus, Nebraska, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on July 7, 2020.
In November
1943, Langan was a
member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 6th
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, while the Japanese
were
virtually annihilated. Langan died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22,
1943. He was
reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division
Cemetery,
later renamed Cemetery 33.
In 1946, the
604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company centralized all
of the
American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery for later
repatriation. However, almost half of the known casualties were never found.
No recovered
remains could be associated with Langan, and, in October 1949,
a Board of
Review declared him "non-recoverable."
In 2009, History
Flight, Inc., a nonprofit organization, discovered a burial
site on Betio Island
believed to be Cemetery 33, which has been the site of
numerous excavations
ever since. In March 2019, excavations west of Cemetery
33 revealed
a previously undiscovered burial site that has since been
identified
as Row D. The remains recovered at this site were transferred to
the DPAA
Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify
Langan's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR), and autosomal DNA
(auSTR)
analysis.
Langan's
name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific along with the others still missing from
World War
II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been
accounted for.
Langan will be buried in Platte Center, Nebraska.
The date has
yet to be
determined.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Marine Corps Casualty Office
at (800)
847-1597.
DPAA is
grateful to the Republic of Kiribati and appreciative to History
Flight,
Inc., for their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 29 September, 2020 13:08
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Washington Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Sept. 29,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
U.S. Navy
Electrician's Mate
3rd Class Alton W. Whitson, 22, of Seattle,
killed during World
War II, was accounted for Jan. 23, 2020.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Whitson 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 Whitson.
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 Whitson.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Whitson's remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological
analysis.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner
System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR), and
autosomal
DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Whitson's
name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with
the others who are still missing from WWII. A rosette will be
placed next
to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Whitson will be buried
at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington,
Virginia, in
October2021.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Casualty Office at
(800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
Harrison, who was the keynote speaker at Rogersville's
American Legion Post 21 annual POW/MIA
remembrance ceremony, spent 27 months in ...
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 28 September, 2020 14:01
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Michigan Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Dear Editor,
Sept. 28,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army
Sgt. Jesse "Johnnie"
D. Hill, 20, of Highland Park, Michigan, killed
during the Korean
War, was accounted for May 19, 2020.
In late 1950, Hill
was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry
Regiment, 7th
Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec.
2, 1950, when his
unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin
Reservoir, North
Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be
recovered.
On July 27,
2018, following the summit between President Donald Trump and
North Korean
Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un in June 2018, North Korea turned
over 55
boxes, purported to contain the remains of American service members
killed
during the Korean War. The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl
Harbor-Hickam,
Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018, and were subsequently accessioned
into the
DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify
Hill's remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological
analysis, as
well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from
the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
analysis.
Hill'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
still
missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name
to indicate
he has been accounted for.
Hill will be buried in
Holly, Michigan.
The date has yet to be determined.
For family
and funeral 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
The remains will be transferred
to the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency's
laboratory in Hawaii for further tests. The search for missing
U.S. ...
A marker in memory of
Pattillo sits above an empty grave at the Hartselle City
Cemetery. Sept. 18, on National POW/MIA
Recognition Day, the country ...
This past Friday marked the 41st
annual Prisoner of War and Missing in Action (MIA)
Recognition Day, which was established by President Jimmy Carter ...
Carole was
integral in the birth of the POW/MIA
memorial bracelets, and put the first
bracelet with her husband's name on
it on the wrist of John Wayne ...
National POW/MIA
Recognition Day was established in
1979, and is observed on every third
Friday of September. Still, Trump's
renewed pledge to work ...
Proclamation on National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2020
Throughout
our Nation’s history, America’s sons and daughters have
heroically safeguarded our precious freedoms and
defended the cause of liberty both at home and abroad.
On National POW/MIA Recognition Day, we remember the
more than 500,000 prisoners of war who have endured
incredible suffering and brutality under conditions of
extraordinary privation, and the tens of thousands of
our patriots who are still missing in action. Although
our Nation will never be able to fully repay our debt to
those who have given so much on our behalf, we
commemorate their bravery and recommit to working for
their long-suffering families who deserve answers and
solace for their missing loved ones.
Today, I join a grateful Nation in honoring those POWs
who faithfully served through extreme hardship and
unimaginable physical and emotional trauma. Their lives
and resilience reflect the best of the American Spirit,
and their immeasurable sacrifices have ensured the
blessings of freedom for future generations. On this
day, we also reaffirm our unceasing global efforts to
obtain the fullest possible accounting of our MIA
personnel. The search, recovery, and repatriation of
MIA remains help bring closure to families bearing the
burden of the unresolved fate of their loved ones. That
is why in 2018, I worked to secure the historic
repatriation of remains from North Korea, and why we are
continually working to bring more home from around the
world. My Administration will never waver in fulfilling
our country’s obligation to leave no service member
behind.
This year, as we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the
end of World War II and reflect upon both the 70th
anniversary of the start of the Korean War and the 45th
anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, we pause to
recognize the men and women who were held as POWs or
deemed MIA in these conflicts against repressive
ideologies. These service members and civilians, many
from the Greatest Generation, deserve a special place of
honor in the hearts of all Americans because of their
selfless devotion, unflinching courage, and unsurpassed
dedication to our cherished American values.
On September 18, 2020, our Nation’s citizens will look
to the iconic black and white flag as a powerful
reminder of the service of America’s POWs and service
members who have gone MIA. This flag, especially when
flying high above our military installations abroad,
conveys the powerful message of American devotion to the
cause of human liberty and our commitment to never
forget the brave Americans lost defending that liberty.
On this National POW/MIA Recognition Day, our Nation
takes a special moment to pay tribute to those who
endured the horrors of enemy captivity and those lost in
service to our country. Our Nation will continue to be
resolute in our relentless pursuit of those remains of
service members who have yet to return home from war and
our steadfast promise to their families that their loved
ones will never be forgotten.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim September 18, 2020, as
National POW/MIA Recognition Day. Together with the
people of the United States, I salute all American POWs
who, in the presence of great dangers and uncertainties,
valiantly honored their duty to this great country. Let
this day also serve as a reminder for our Nation to
strengthen our resolve to account for those who are
still missing and provide their families long-sought
answers. I call upon Federal, State, and local
government officials and private organizations to
observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and
activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and
forty-fifth.
"We owe a debt of gratitude to you
and the other POWs
and the MIA
who are out there that we will never be able to
repay," Fazenbaker said to Smith. ' ...
Remarkable details have emerged of
how four CIA operatives died in September 2008, while
attempting to place a listening device disguised as a
rock to eavesdrop on Chinese vessels. The four men -
Stephen Stanek (left, in red), Michael Perich (right, in
white), Jamie McCormick and Daniel Meeks - were working
undercover, posing as a crew chartered to sail a boat
from Malaysia to Japan. In reality they were working for
the CIA. Their boat sunk during Tropical Storm Higos,
which was forecast to turn away from them but hit them
and sank their boat....
From the desk of Patrick J. Hughes, US Marine Corps,
POW/MIA Advocate, Veteran Advocate and Photographer Extraordinaire.
moe note: In the video clip below it was Patrick the
supplied the Pictorial display for the Philadelphia Phillies tribute to
National POW/MIA Recognition Day in the second game of a double header with
the Florida Marlins. Great educational clip on primetime television.
Education is the Key!
Four Former Prisoners of War (POW) tell their Story in
PRISONERS OF WAR: Stolen Freedom - 09/18/2020
http://www.floridastoriesofservice.org/prisoners-of-war-stolen-freedom
The stories of four American
servicemen through their time as prisoners of war in three major 20th
century conflicts; World War II, Korea and the Vietnam war. Their stories
are supported by archival motion pictures and photographs obtained at the US
National Archives as well as through sketches and memorabilia collected by
each of the men. Their stories are less about atrocity than they are about
the survival of the human spirit and the camaraderie that helped each man
survive years of incarceration. Each story is followed by spectacular
recounts of their days of release.
Produced by Michael Rothfeld, Bill Dudley and the Veterans
Council of St. Johns County, directed by Eric Flagg"
Divers have found what they believe is the wreck of a
U.S. Navy submarine lost 77 years ago in Southeast Asia,
providing a coda to a stirring but little-known tale
from World War II.
For those who haven't had
access to Rockford Chapter's 25th Annual POW/MIA
Remembrance Ceremony, here it is on YouTube!
YouTube was produced by teacher
Nick Stange and Harlem High students participating in
the Harlem Veteran Project. We Honor and Remember
America's POW/MIAs from all Eras, those returned and
those still missing. We also remember and support their
families. A really special video taped live.
Click on site below to view.
Thanks to all who participated. Also thanks to all who
take the time to view and pay homage to America's
Missing from All Wars and support the families who still
wait.
From:
Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 22 September, 2020 11:39
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Tennessee Soldier Accounted For From World War II
Dear
Editor,
Sept.
22, 2020
WASHINGTON—The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today
that
Army
Pfc. Oliver
Jeffers, 31, of Huntsville, Tennessee, killed during World
War II, was
accounted for April 23, 2020.
In
November 1944,
Jeffers was assigned to Company L, 3rd Battalion, 12th
Infantry
Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. His unit was engaged in battle
with German
forces near Germeter, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest, when he
was killed in
action on Nov. 10. Jeffers could not be recovered because
of
the
on-going fighting.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command
was
tasked
with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in
Europe.
They conducted several investigations in the Hürtgen area between
1946 and
1950, but were unable to recover or identify Jeffers’ remains. He
was
declared non-recoverable in 1951.
While
studying unresolved American losses in the Hürtgen area, a DPAA
historian determined that one set of unidentified remains, designated
X-2735
Neuville,
recovered from a minefield near Germeter in 1946 possibly belonged
to
Jeffers. The remains, which had been buried in Ardennes American
Cemetery
in 1950,
were disinterred in April 2018 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at
Offutt
Air Force Base, Nebraska, for identification.
To
identify Jeffers’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
Additionally,
scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial
DNA (mtDNA)
analysis.
Jeffers’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands
American
Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in
Margarten, Netherlands, along with the others still missing from World
War
II. A
rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
Jeffers will be
buried Oct. 7, 2020, in his hometown.
For
family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at
(800)
892-2490.
DPAA is
grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission and to the U.S.
Army
Regional Mortuary-Europe/Africa for their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
Peace and prayers for the thousands of POW/MIA families,
and the thousands yet accounted for in non-combat losses....
Friday, Sept 18National POW/MIA Recognition Day
... in-ground and
above-ground burials if they have served in combat and
received one of the following decorations: the Medal of
Honor, Distinguished ...
18, is National
POW/MIA Recognition Day, when Americans
are asked to pause and reflect on the sacrifices
made by the military men and women ...
September POW/MIA Report - 2020
Coalition of Families:
* Family Members - The Coalition supports family members with their cases
wherever we can.
* A recent effort involves a family who thought they had
buried their brother following the Korean War, only to be told that he was
seen as a P.O.W. The government stayed with the identification, but doubt
has lingered on for the family. The Coalition is working with them in hopes
that independent DNA analysis using the latest NGS tech-nology will bring an
answer. If there is a match, the family will have closure. If there is no
match, DPAA will reopen the case, presenting the possibility that two
identifications may be made.
* The Coalition is connected with a family organization of Australia’s
Korean War MIAs.
* The first great grandchild of a Korean War MIA has reached out. The
mission continues through the generations.
Through a most unusual set of circumstances, I have been
made aware of information that is mostly new to me and
may be new to others involved in the quest to release
information on our Unaccounted For Americans who have
been left in the hands of Communist governments since
World War I.
I
refer to AN
EXAMINATION OF U.S. POLICY TOWARD POW/MIAs By the U.S.
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Republican Staff, PREPARED
BY THE MINORITY STAFF OF THE U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE ON
FOREIGN RELATIONS, Thursday, May 23, 1991.
From
the introductory letter to that report Senator Jesse
Helms offers the following observations:
"Of course, this
fundamental historical research required a massive
undertaking to find the original documents, most of them
formerly classified, in the National Archives and in the
issuing agencies. Accordingly, readers will find in this
report something which has never before been attempted:
An historical analysis of the fate of U.S. POW/MIAs in
the hands of the Bolshevik regime after World War I, the
Soviet regime after World War II, the North Korean
regime after the Korean War, and the Vietnamese regime
after the Vietnam War.
In each case, the same
dismaying scenario appears: On the Communist side, the
regimes denied holding U.S. prisoners, contrary to many
credible reports, while in fact they were holding the
U.S. POW/MIAs as slave laborers and as reserve
bargaining chips to get diplomatic recognition and
financial assistance. On the U.S. side, our government
downplayed or denied the report of POW/MIAs, and failed
to take adequate steps to prove or disprove the reports,
while elements in our government pursue policies
intended to make diplomatic recognition and financial
support of the revolutionary regimes possible."
Senator Helms also took care to acknowledge the efforts
of several individuals who contributed to the effort to
produce the report:
"This report has
required many hundreds of hours of work, not only from
the Minority Staff, but from many dedicated persons who
shared their experiences and research with the Minority
Staff. I would be especially remiss were I not to
mention Dr. Harvey Andrews, Thomas Ashworth, John M.G.
Brown, and Mark Sauter of CBS affiliate, KIRO-TV,
Seattle, Washington. Needless to say, the conclusions
are those of the Minority Staff, and not necessarily of
those of Messrs. Andrews, Ashworth, Brown, and Sauter."
The report of the full committee chaired by Senator John
Kerry, Senate Report 103-1, POW / MIA'S REPORT OF
THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON POW / MIA AFFAIRS, UNITED STATES
SENATE, January 13, 1993, can be found on the internet
at https://fas.org/irp/congress/1993_rpt/pow-exec.html.
While my resources and capabilities for evaluation are
severely limited, my preliminary suggestion is that the
report of the minority is more valuable to understanding
the issue than the report of the full committee.
Of particular interest is the Col. Millard A Peck letter
of resignation (attached below) as
Chief of the Special Office for Prisoners of War and
Missing in Action (POW-MIA) dated 12 February 1991 which
was included in its entirety with the report. I am under
the impression that the issues Col. Peck describes are
still very much a part of the Defense POW-MIA Accounting
Agency (DPAA).
While reports of high-level government committees are
important and highly relevant, even though excessively
verbose and politically driven, the real relevance comes
up to the impact these issues have on individuals and
families who diligently, seriously, and
consistently work to find out about their loved ones.
One such individual is Jeanie Hasenbeck, devoted sister
of Palu Hasenbeck, who disappeared into the hands of
Communist forces in South Vietnam on April 21, 1967.
Here is a comment from Jeanie in response to a DPMO
reply to an inquiry:
Ms. Hasenbeck forwarded a copy
of the DPMO response to the National Alliance of
Families, along with a cover note venting her
frustration. "... I simply cannot comprehend how the
rule of "credibility" is applied. Without confirmation,
it sometimes is creditable and it sometimes is hearsay.
Just how does that work? When it doesn't confirm their
determination of fate, it becomes hearsay, when it does
confirm their determination it is creditable. This is
truly an ART as any rule of SCIENCE is thrown out the
window.... It truly is an amazing logic they apply -
most unique and never experienced anywhere else in my
world."
There can be no legitimate excuse for withholding
information from loved ones who are desperately looking
for it after fifty-three years. Congress and the
Administration should Act to facilitate and force the
release of information and BRING OUR HEROES HOME. Our
Missouri delegation should cosponsor and help lead these
efforts on behalf of their constituents.
... left to serve in WWII, according to the
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. ... At its
peak, it held 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war
and ...
... left to serve in WWII, according
to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. ... At its
peak, it held 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war and ...
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 11 September, 2020 11:21
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Colorado Sailor From Missouri Accounted For >From World War II
Dear Editor,
Sept. 11,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today Navy
Gunner's Mate 2nd
Class Harold L. Dick, 22, of Tipton, Missouri, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on Nov. 26, 2018.
On July 24,
1944, Dick was aboard
the battleship USS Colorado, which was
moored approximately
3,200 yards from the shore of Tinian Island,
Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands. Early in the morning, the USS
Colorado,
along with the light cruiser USS Cleveland and destroyers USS
Remey and
USS Norman Scott, commenced firing toward the island. Within two
hours, a
concealed Japanese shore battery opened fire on the USS Colorado
and the USS
Norman Scott. The first hit on the USS Colorado resulted in a
heavy
explosion, and the ship sustained extensive fragmentation damage. From
the attack,
four crewmen were declared missing in action, and 39 personnel
were killed,
including Dick. Dick and the other casualties were subsequently
interred in
the 4th Marine Division Cemetery on Saipan.
In February
1948, under the direction of the American Graves Registration
Service's
9105th Technical Service Unit, three battlefield cemeteries,
including
the 4th Marine Division Cemetery, were disinterred. While the
majority of
identifications that had been tentatively made following the
attack were
upheld, nine sets were reclassified as "unknown." Of those, five
were
eventually identified. The remaining four were interred at the Manila
American
Memorial and Cemetery in the Philippines.
On Oct. 18,
2017, DPAA personnel, in partnership with the American Battle
Monuments
Commission, exhumed Unknown X-39 from the Manila American Memorial
and Cemetery
and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify
Dick's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Dick'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.
Dick will be buried
Oct. 10, 2020, in his hometown. (Tipton, Missouri)
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission for their
partnership
in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 10 September, 2020 13:38
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor from Washington Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Sept. 10,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Shipfitter 3rd Class
Patrick L. Chess, 24, of Yakima, Washington,
killed during World
War II, was accounted for Jan. 9, 2020.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Chess 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 Chess.
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 Chess.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Chess's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces
Medical
Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Chess'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.
Chess will be buried
Oct. 22, 2020, in his hometown. (Yakima, Washington)
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 10 September, 2020 10:52
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Michigan Accounted For >From World War II
Dear Editor,
Sept. 10,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
U.S. Naval
Reserve Ensign
Francis C. Flaherty, 22, of Charlotte, Michigan,
killed during World
War II, was accounted for Sept. 30, 2019.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Flaherty 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 Flaherty. Flaherty was
posthumously awarded the
Medal of Honor
for saving several crew members at the cost of his own life.
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 Flaherty.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Flaherty's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces
Medical
Examiner System used Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Flaherty'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.
Flaherty will be
buried in his hometown. The date has yet to be determined.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From the desk of SGM Sortillo, US Army, Korean War Combat
Veteran, POW – 30 November 1950 – 11 August 1953.
09/09/2020
moe note:
LADY
TIGERS
Beginning on 29 June, 1950 there were 23 women arrested
in South Korea by the advancing North Korean Army. These women along
with 58 civilian men were held with American Prisoners of War who were
mostly from the 24th Infantry Division who were the first Americans to
fight in the Korean War.
Sadly I
report the passing to Glory of Saida Hanmore, of St. Pete Beach, FL
on August 22, 2020. She was 85 years old and was stricken with a
stroke.
Saida,
the only daughter of the Salahutdin family that was with the Tiger
Survivors in captivity, survived and came to America after her
release by the North Koreans on March 1, 1954. The entire family was
living in Seoul South Korea and were all arrested on July 28th,
1950, when the North Koreans overran South Korea. Arrested was her
mom and father, her 5 brothers, her mothers sister and brother.
Saida was a most beautiful young woman. They were Tatars and
stateless and had no country of their own so were held until 1 March
1954, long after military POWs were released. Her brother, Sagid,
made a deal with Russian Intel to cause that group to be released to
South Korea. His book, Stateless, is now available on Amazon. That
book is most interesting.
Those
of you with us in captivity will remember the 81 civilians who were
with us.
Saida
will suffer no more and will be long missed by her family and
friends.
The ceremony occurred
onboard the flight deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth II,
the Royal Navy's brand new aircraft carrier
and largest vessel in the British ...
The Victoria Cross
is now in the custody of Australia's Chief of
Navy, Vice Admiral Michael Noonan. “Teddy
Sheean's Victoria Cross is worthy
recognition ...
The son of a World War II veteran has
released photographs secretly taken at a Japanese surrender
ceremony nine days after Japan formally surrendered to
allies marking the end of years of devastation. One of three
pictures from September 11, 1945 shows the Japanese arriving
on a boat. A second shows an officer signing surrender
papers (left) to Australia and a third shows him handing
over his sword (right). Dave Reyes first stumbled across the
black-and-white images in a scrapbook when he was seven
years old and his father Filbert Reyes (inset), who was U.S.
Navy sailor on a destroyer part of the U.S.S. Missouri
battleship group, revealed how he took the snaps despite a
ban.
Francisco Aguilar, 48, vanished more than
two weeks ago after he travelled to his condo near Rosarito, Mexico.
Police fear her was kidnapped after his property was found ransacked....
...Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin
Jr. said in a tweet Monday that Duterte had “granted an absolute pardon”
to Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton. Duterte spokesman Harry Roque said
Monday that the pardn “erased the punishment” but not his conviction,
the Associated Press reported....
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 9 September, 2020 15:21
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Ohio Marine Accounted For From World War II -
CORRECTION
Dear Editor,
There has been a correction to the original story
sent out Sept. 8. Pfc.
Athon
will be buried in his hometown of Cincinnati.
//////
From:
Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 8 September, 2020 13:14
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Ohio Marine Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Sept. 8,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Marine Corps
Reserve Pfc. Frank L.
Athon, Jr., 29, of Cincinnati, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on July 27, 2020.
In November
1943, Athon was a
member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th 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, while the Japanese were
virtually
annihilated. Athon died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22, 1943.
He was
reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery,
later
renamed Cemetery 33.
In 1946, the
604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company centralized all
of the
American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery for later
repatriation. However, almost half of the known casualties were never found.
No recovered
remains could be associated with Athon, and, in October 1949, a
Board of
Review declared him "non-recoverable."
In 2009, History
Flight, Inc., a nonprofit organization, discovered a burial
site on Betio Island
believed to be Cemetery 33, which has been the site of
numerous excavations
ever since. In March 2019, excavations west of Cemetery
33 revealed a
previously undiscovered burial site that has since been
identified as Row D.
The remains recovered at this site were transferred to
the DPAA Laboratory
at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify
Athon's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Athon's name
is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific along with the others still missing from
World War
II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been
accounted for.
Athon will be buried
Nov. 21, 2020, in Philadelphia.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Marine Corps Casualty Office
at (800)
847-1597.
DPAA is
grateful to the Republic of Kiribati and appreciative to History
Flight,
Inc., for their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency241 18th St. South, Suite 800
Arlington,
VA 22202
(703)
699-1420
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 3 September, 2020 09:43
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA Media Advisory - DPAA to Conduct Honorable Carry Ceremony for
Unaccounted-for World War II Service Members Sept. 4
Good
morning,
Sept. 3,
2020
OFFUTT AIR
FORCE BASE- The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) will
hold an
Honorable Carry Ceremony at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, 5:30
p.m. CST,
Friday, September 4.
The ceremony
will honor fallen service members who fought in the European
theatre
during World War II.
The remains are primarily from disinterments
associated with
Operation Tidal Wave, an August 1943 bomber operation over
German-controlled oil
fields at Ploesti, Romania. Seventy-seven air crew
remain unaccounted
for from this operation.
"The work to
identify and properly bury the remains of those lost to war is
a solemn
commitment of our nation," said U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of
Nebraska.
"These service members who served in WWII are finally coming home
and their
remains will be capably and respectfully identified by the Defense
POW/MIA
Accounting Agency facility at Offutt Air Force Base. I am grateful
for the
meticulous efforts of the DPAA and the professional staff who treat
our war dead
with the utmost dignity."
Following
the ceremony, the remains will be transferred to the DPAA Offutt
Laboratory
for analysis and identification.
This
ceremony is the second honorable carry since the Novel Coronavirus
(COVID-19)
curtailed DPAA operations in March. The U.S. last received the
remains of
28 service members from the European theatre on July 21, 2020,
during an
honorable carry ceremony at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.
BASE ACCESS
INSTRUCTIONS:
Instructions: All media must arrive at the Offutt Air Force Base Visitor
Control
Center (SAC Gate) from 4:30-5:00 p.m. Media members who arrive
after 5:00
p.m. will not be permitted access to the base. Media will park
their
vehicles at the Visitor Control Center lot and take a shuttle to the
ceremony
location.
Coverage: No
power, workspace, or wireless internet will be available.
COVID-19
Considerations: To help control the spread of COVID-19, DPAA will
be ensuring
the proper safety protocols are in place for the ceremony in its
entirety.
Attendees and participants have been instructed to ensure social
distancing
of at least six feet apart and will be required to wear a mask
per CDC
guidance.
For
additional information, call Offutt AFB Public Affairs at (402) 294-3663
Kaing Guek Eav, known as Comrade
Duch ..., had been serving a life prison term for war crimes and crimes
against humanity having locked up and abused thousands of men, women and
children seen as enemies of the regime or who disobeyed its orders.
Under his rule, torturers beat and whipped prisoners and shocked them
with electrical devices, before their children were then also killed to
stop any fears of the next generation taking revenge (pictured right,
commemoration of the victims at the Tuol Sleng Museum and pictured
inset, some of the human remains). When he finally faced a trial over
the regime's crimes, some 30 years on from the atrocities, he called
himself 'criminally responsible' for babies' deaths, with many infants
having their young bodies battered against trees. Duch died at Cambodian
Soviet Friendship Hospital on Wednesday, having developed breathing
difficulties at the Kandal provincial prison he was being held two days
earlier.
On August 27th, 2020 the The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
announced that Navy Fireman 1st Class Frank E. Nicoles, 24, of Eau
Claire, Wisconsin, killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
during WWII, was accounted for on May 5, 2016.
From:
Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 31 August, 2020 09:41
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: California Marine Accounted For From World War II
Dear
Editor,
Aug. 31,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today
that
Marine
Corps Reserve Pfc. Thomas F. Johnson,
18, of San Jose, California,
killed during World War II, was
accounted for on May 6, 2020.
In
November 1943, Johnson was a member of
Company B, 1st Battalion, 6th
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, while the Japanese
were
virtually annihilated. Johnson died on the fourth day of battle, Nov.
23,
1943. He was reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division
Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33.
In 1946,
the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company centralized all
of the
American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery for later
repatriation. However, almost half of the known casualties were never
found.
No
recovered remains could be associated with Johnson, and, in October
1949,
a Board
of Review declared him "non-recoverable."
In 2009,
History Flight, Inc., a nonprofit organization, discovered a burial
site on Betio
Island believed to be Cemetery 33, which has been the site of
numerous
excavations ever since. In March 2019, excavations west of Cemetery
33 revealed a
previously undiscovered burial site that has since been
identified as Row
D. The remains recovered at this site were transferred to
the DPAA
Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To
identify Johnson's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material
evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System
used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome (Y-STR) analysis.
Johnson's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific along with the others still missing from
World
War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been
accounted for.
Johnson will be
buried in Igo, California. The date has yet to be
determined.
For
family and funeral information, contact the Marine Corps Casualty Office
at (800)
847-1597.
DPAA is
grateful to the Republic of Kiribati and appreciative to History
Flight,
Inc., for their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 August, 2020 10:20
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Wisconsin Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Aug. 27,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Fireman 1st Class
Frank E. Nicoles, 24, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin,
killed during World
War II, was accounted for on May 5, 2016.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Nicoles 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 Nicoles.
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 Nicoles.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Nicoles' remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces
Medical
Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Nicoles'
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.
Nicoles' family has yet
to decide on a funeral date or location.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 August, 2020 10:54
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Texas Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Aug. 27,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Coxswain Layton T.
Banks, 20, of Dallas, killed during World War II,
was accounted for on
Oct. 8, 2019.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Banks 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 Banks.
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 Banks.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Banks' remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological
analysis.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner
System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Banks' 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.
Banks will be buried
Oct. 24, 2020, in Plano, Texas.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
German tyre-maker Continental used prisoners from
the Sachsenhausen concentration camp (pictured) as slave labour during
World War Two by forcing them to test shoe soles, the firm admitted....
They are
referred to as POWs and MIAs. ... 27, 1985,
simply calls for the designation of a POW/MIA
Empty Chair at official meetings “as a
continual ...
According to the Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Pfc. Charles Miller,
19, of Albany, Indiana, was killed while fighting on the
island of Betio in ...
In a final "honorable
carry," each casket was moved by a Marine or Navy pallbearer
from a hearse to the awaiting plane during a private gathering
at Marine Corps Air Station Mirimar. The vehicles arrived at the
flight line one by one....
Then, in 2017, the
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency hired
her firm to staff its labs and field operations. This
agency's mission is to identify every ...
He said a Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency team aided by
Giampaolo Clerico, commandant of the Carabinieri
Station in the territory near the ...
-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject:
FW: Indiana Marine
Accounted For From World War II
Date:
Wed, 12 Aug 2020 08:46:44
-0400
From:
moehog@verizon.net
To:
'Moe Hog' <moehog@verizon.net>
Welcome HOME Private First Class Miller!
A Smart
Marine Corps Salute to the Women and Men of
History Flight -
https://historyflight.com/ - who continue to astound with
their
miraculous Mission results.
-----Original Message-----
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 12 August, 2020 08:11
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Indiana Marine Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Aug. 12,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Marine Corps
Reserve Pfc. Charles
D. Miller, 19, of Albany, Indiana, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on May 19, 2020.
In November
1943, Miller was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th
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, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
Miller died
on the third day of battle, Nov. 22, 1943. He was reported to
have been
buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed
Cemetery 33.
In 1946, the
604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company centralized all
of the
American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery for later
repatriation. However, almost half of the known casualties were never found.
No recovered
remains could be associated with Miller, and, in October 1949,
a Board of
Review declared him "non-recoverable."
In 2009, History
Flight, Inc., a nonprofit organization, discovered a burial
site on Betio Island
believed to be Cemetery 33, which has been the site of
numerous excavations
ever since. In March 2019, excavations west of Cemetery
33 revealed a
previously undiscovered burial site that has since been
identified as Row D.
The remains recovered at this site were transferred to
the DPAA Laboratory
at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify
Miller's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Miller's
name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific along with the others still missing from
World War
II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been
accounted for.
Miller will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery
in Arlington, Virginia.
The date has
not yet been decided on by the family.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Marine Corps Casualty Office
at (800)
847-1597.
DPAA is
grateful to the Republic of Kiribati and appreciative to History
Flight,
Inc., for their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
Navy Seaman 1st Class Orval Austin Tranbarger was
laid to rest next to his parents in Mountain View, Missouri, nearly
eight decades after he was killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor...
On March 9, 1967, Airman First Class
Daniel Cortez Reese was a member of a crew on an EC-47 recon
aircraft when enemy fire in Vietnam shot the plane out of
the sky, killing everyone aboard.
According to a news
release from the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency on Thursday, the remains of Marine
Sgt. George R. Reeser, 25, were ...
Welcome HOME, Sgt. Reeser!
-----Original Message-----
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 6 August, 2020 16:21
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Illinois Marine Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Aug. 6, 2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Marine Corps
Sgt. George R. Reeser, 25, of Washington, Illinois, killed
during World
War II, was accounted for on March 27, 2020.
In November
1943, Reeser was a
member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th
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, while the Japanese
were
virtually annihilated. Reeser died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22,
1943. He was
reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division
Cemetery,
later renamed Cemetery 33.
In 1946, the
604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company centralized all
of the
American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery for later
repatriation. However, almost half of the known casualties were never found.
No recovered
remains could be associated with Reeser, and, in October 1949,
a Board of
Review declared him "non-recoverable."
In 2009,
History Flight, Inc., a nonprofit organization,
discovered a burial
site on Betio Island
believed to be Cemetery 33, which has been the site of
numerous excavations
ever since. In March 2019, excavations west of Cemetery
33 revealed a
previously undiscovered burial site that has since been
identified as Row D.
The remains recovered at this site were transferred to
the DPAA Laboratory
at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify
Reeser's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Reeser's
name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific along with the others still missing from
World War
II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been
accounted for.
Reeser will be buried Sept. 26 in Deer Creek,
Illinois.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Marine Corps Casualty Office
at (800)
847-1597.
DPAA is
grateful to the Republic of Kiribati and appreciative to History
Flight,
Inc., for their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
The Senate has
approved a resolution designating Sept. 20-26, 2020, as “Gold Star Families
Remembrance Week” to honor the families of fallen service members.
Introduced by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., Gold
Star Families Remembrance Weekprecedes
Gold Star Mother’s Day, which is observed on the last Sunday of
September.
“With
the passage of this bipartisan resolution, I encourage everyone to commit to
doing everything they can to recognize, honor, and assist the families of
the fallen and veterans,” said Hyde-Smith, who introduced the first-ever
Gold Star families week resolution in 2018...
My home state of
Massachusetts also does this to this day by flying
the black-and-white “POW-MIA” flag of
the Vietnam War at various public places, ...
Some of the obvious
ones include, but are not limited to, official state
flags, the colors for each service branch, the
POW/MIA banner, command flags ...
... were transferred
from the European theater and will be analyzed by
the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Offutt Laboratory for identification.
Welcome HOME PFC Collins!
-----Original Message-----
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 21 July, 2020 10:43
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Arizona Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Dear Editor,
July 21,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army
Pfc. Glenn E.
Collins, 21, of Tucson, Arizona, killed during the Korean
War, was accounted
for April 23, 2020.
In late
1950, Collins, was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 1st Battalion,
32nd
Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in
action on
Dec. 2, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the
Chosin
Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not
be
recovered.
On July 27,
2018, following the summit between President Donald Trump and
North Korean
Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un in June 2018, North Korea turned
over 55
boxes, purported to contain the remains of American service members
killed
during the Korean War. The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl
Harbor-Hickam,
Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018, and were subsequently accessioned
into the
DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify
Collins' remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological
analysis, as
well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from
the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
analysis.
Collins'
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
still
missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name
to indicate
he has been accounted for.
Collins will be
buried in his hometown at a date yet to be decided by the
family.
For family
and funeral 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
SALUTE to HISTORY FLIGHT (https://historyflight.com/)
“World’s Most Successful Private MIA Search and Recovery Organization”
-----Original Message-----
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 15 July, 2020 11:18
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Illinois Marine Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
July 15,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Marine Corps
Reserve Pfc. John E.
Gillen, 20, of Champaign, Illinois, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on April 16, 2020.
In November
1943, Gillen was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 6th
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, while the Japanese
were
virtually annihilated. Gillen died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22,
1943. He was
reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division
Cemetery,
later renamed Cemetery 33.
In 1946, the
604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company centralized all
of the
American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery for later
repatriation. However, almost half of the known casualties were never found.
No recovered
remains could be associated with Gillen, and, in October 1949,
a Board of
Review declared him "non-recoverable."
In 2009,
History Flight, Inc., a nonprofit organization, discovered a burial
site on
Betio Island believed to be Cemetery 33, which has been the site of
numerous
excavations ever since. In March 2019, excavations west of Cemetery
33 revealed
a previously undiscovered burial site that has since been
identified
as Row D. The remains recovered at this site were transferred to
the DPAA
Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify
Gillen's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Gillen's
name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific along with the others still missing from
World War
II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been
accounted for.
Gillen will be buried
Aug. 12, 2020, in his hometown. (Champaign, Illinois)
For family
and funeral information, contact the Marine Corps Casualty Office
at (800)
847-1597.
DPAA is
grateful to the Republic of Kiribati and appreciative to History
Flight,
Inc., for their partnership in this mission.
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 (DPAA) announced on Thursday that the
remains of Army Cpl. Francis J. Rochon, 21, of Superior
who was
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 9 July, 2020 10:13
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Wisconsin Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Dear Editor,
July 9, 2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army
Cpl. Francis J.
Rochon, 21, of Superior, Wisconsin, reported missing in
action during the
Korean War, was accounted for June 18, 2020.
In late
1950, Rochon was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry
Regiment,
2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Sept.
1, 1950,
near Changnyeong, South Korea. The Army officially declared Rochon
deceased on
Dec. 31, 1953, and declared his remains non-recoverable Jan. 16,
1956.
In January
1951, the American Graves Registration Service Group (AGRSG)
consolidated
the remains from 12 smaller military cemeteries at the newly
established
United Nations Military Cemetery in Tanggok, South Korea,
including
one set of remains designated X-175 Tanggok, which had been
recovered
from the area where Rochon was last seen. In 1956, the remains,
including
X-175 Tanggok, were unable to be identified, and then transported
to the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the
Punchbowl,
in Honolulu where they were buried as Unknowns.
DPAA
historians and analysts were able to determine that others buried in
the same
original, small cemetery as X-175 Tanggok had been lost in the same
area as
Rochon, and put forth his name as a possible match. The family of
another
Soldier lost during the same battle as Rochon also put in a request
to have
X-175 Tanggok and one other Unknown disinterred in hopes one of them
would be
their loved one. On Nov. 5, 2018, X-175 Tanggok was disinterred and
sent to the
DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify
Rochon's remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological
analysis, as
well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from
the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
analysis.
Rochon's
name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with
the others who are still missing from the Korean War. A rosette
will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Rochon will be buried
July 25, 2020 in Foxboro, Wisconsin.
For family
and funeral 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
Pilot Accounted For From World War II (Melville, W.)
Release No: 20-090 July 7, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air
Forces 2nd Lt. William H. Melville, 20, killed during World War II, was
accounted for July 3, 2020.
In the fall of 1943, Melville was a pilot assigned to the 36th Fighter
Squadron, 8th Fighter Group. On Oct. 28, he was piloting a P-39Q Airacobra
fighter on a combat mission over the island of New Guinea, Australian
Territory of Papua (current day Papua New Guinea), when his aircraft and two
others disappeared after encountering severe weather. Search and recovery
efforts in the days following were unable to find any of the aircraft.
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.
According to the Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Cpl. Hash went
missing in action, and American forces did not recover
his remains. In June of ...
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Henderson, R.)
Release No: 20-089 July 2, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Cpl.
Richard L. Henderson, Jr., 18, killed during the Korean War, was accounted
for June 30, 2020.
In late 1950, Henderson was a member of Headquarters Battery, 57th Field
Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in
action on Dec. 6, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the
Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not
be recovered.
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) 699-1420/1193.
According to the Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency: “While assigned
to Headquarters Battery, 57th Field Artillery Battalion,
7th Infantry Division, ...
Entombed in Flanders Fields: World War One
tunnel system that was buried by artillery fire killing up to 300 troops is
uncovered 103 years after battle that
killed nearly 60,000
The bunker was discovered
around 20ft below ground - a depth historians say would have made it
shellproof
It is believed that artillery
fire caused timber-lined walls and ceilings to collapse, burying the
soldiers inside
Four entrances have so far been
discovered, but they remain blocked by tonnes of earth from the war
