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
DPAA says White will be buried in his
hometown. A date has not yet been determined. White was
posthumously presented the Silver Star. His
personnel ...
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
announced on Friday that the remains of a soldier that was killed
during the Korean War was accounted for ...
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC
(USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil> Sent: 30 July, 2021 10:04 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: DPAA Release - New York Soldier Accounted For From World
War II
Greetings,
Pvt. Andrews was accounted for in May 2020, but his
family only recently received their full briefing of his identification,
which is why this release is going out now.
July 30, 2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Pvt. Charles
Andrews, 25, of Rochester, New York, killed during World War II, was
accounted for May 6, 2020.
In December 1944, Andrews
was assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 28th
Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division. His unit was engaged in
battle with German forces near Brandenburg, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest,
when he was declared missing in action on Dec. 4. Andrews could not be
recovered because of the on-going fighting, and his status was changed to
killed in action on Jan. 29, 1945.
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 Andrews’ 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-5463 Neuville, recovered just
southwest of Brandenberg in 1947 possibly belonged to Andrews. The remains,
which had been buried in Ardennes American Cemetery in 1950, were
disinterred in May 2019 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force
Base, Nebraska, for identification.
To identify Andrews’
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.
Andrews’ 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.
Andrews will be buried Aug.
28, 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 and to the U.S. Army Regional
Mortuary-Europe/Africa for their partnership in this mission.
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC
(USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil> Sent: 30 July, 2021 14:40 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: DPAA Release - USS Oklahoma Sailor From California
Accounted For From World War II
Greetings,
July 30, 2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
announced today that Navy Fireman 2nd Class William K. Shafer,
20, of Alhambra, California, killed during World War II, was accounted for
on Dec. 16, 2020.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Shafer 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 Shafer.
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 Shafer.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed
the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify Shafer’s remains, scientists from DPAA used
anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Shafer’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.
Shafer will be buried on Oct. 14, 2021, in Marana,
Arizona.
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.
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC
(USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil> Sent: 30 July, 2021 15:30 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: DPAA Release - Texas Airman Accounted For From World War
II
Greetings,
Tech. Sgt. Norris was accounted for back in January,
but his family only recently received their full briefing on his
identification, which is why this release is going out now.
July 30, 2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces
Tech. Sgt. Frank A. Norris, 23, of Quinlan, Texas, killed during World War
II, was accounted for Jan. 19, 2021.
In the summer of 1943,
Norris was a pilot assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron, 98th
Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the
B-24 Liberator aircraft on which Norris was serving as an engineer crashed
as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation TIDAL WAVE, the
largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti,
north of Bucharest, Romania. His remains were not identified following the
war. The remains that could not be identified were buried as Unknowns in the
Hero Section of the Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan, Ploiesti,
Prahova, Romania.
Following the war, the
American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched
for and recovered fallen American personnel, disinterred all American
remains from the Bolovan Cemetery for identification. The AGRC was unable to
identify more than 80 unknowns from Bolovan Cemetery, and those remains were
permanently interred at Ardennes American Cemetery and Henri-Chapelle
American Cemetery, both in Belgium.
In 2017, DPAA began exhuming
unknowns believed to be associated with unaccounted for airmen from
Operation TIDAL WAVE losses. These remains were sent to the DPAA Laboratory
at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for examination and identification.
To identify Norris’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.
Norris’s name is recorded on
the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery, an
American Battle
Monuments Commission site in Impruneta, Italy, along with others
still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to
indicate he has been accounted for.
Norris will be buried in his hometown. The date
has yet to be determined.
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.
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC
(USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil> Sent: 30 July, 2021 09:30 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: DPAA Release - Michigan Soldier Accounted For From
Korean War
Greetings,
Sgt. Cavender was accounted for in May 2020, but his
family only recently received their full briefing on his identification,
which is why this release is going out now.
July 30, 2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army Sgt. William E. Cavender, 20, of
Leslie, Michigan, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for May 19,
2020.
In late 1950, Cavender was a
member of Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st
Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing
in action on Nov. 28, 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 Cavender’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.
Cavender’s name is recorded in 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.
Cavender will be buried in his hometown. The date has yet to be determined.
For family and funeral
information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
To see the most up-to-date
statistics on DPAA recovery efforts for those unaccounted for from the
Korean War, go to the Korean War fact sheet on the DPAA website at:
... been identified as a Marine from
California's Central Coast, the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency announced Thursday. Pfc. Royal L.
Waltz, 20, ...
To identify his body, scientists from
the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as
circumstantial and ...
17, the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency said in a statement.
Redgate, a member of Battery A, 48th
Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry
Division, ...
This is the legion of valor for the
United States of America. Those fellows that have
won the Medal of Honor presented by the
president. We are home ...
The award, South Korea's
highest decoration for outstanding military service,
was given to the “Jesus of the Korean War,” as
Father Kapaun is known, ...
According to the Defense POW /
MIA Treasurer, Hudson was accounted for in December, but the
announcement was not made until Friday as his family ...
From:
Richard Downes<coalitionoffamilies@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Jul 29, 2021 at 9:05 AM
Subject: DPAA’s Annual Korean/Cold War Family DC Update - Online Only!
To: Coalition of Families of Korean and Cold War POW/MIAs <coalitionoffamilies@gmail.com>
Hello Everyone,
Another year will need to go by before we gather again. Rising Covid
issues and the hotel's inability to provide adequate spacing for the
unexpectedly high number of people attending, caused DPAA to cancel
the in-person part of the meeting. For those who were planning to be
there, DPAA and/or your casualty office should be contacting
everyone soon.
The briefing will still be online. DPAA will provide information on
that soon.
Another unfortunate outcome of these unpredictable times.
Rick
Richard
Downes,
President
Coalition of
Families of Korean &
Cold War POW/MIAs
Join us! The Coalition
pursues answers to
the stories of
missing American
servicemen from the
Korean and Cold
Wars.
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC
(USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil> Sent: 29 July, 2021 09:39 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: DPAA Release - California Marine Accounted For From
World War II
Greetings,
Pfc. Waltz was accounted for back in May 2019, but his
family only recently received their full briefing of his identification,
which is why this release is going out now.
July 29, 2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Marine Corps Pfc.
Royal L. Waltz, 20, of Cambria, California, killed during World War II, was
accounted for on May 15, 2019.
In November 1943,
Waltz was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 18th 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. Waltz died between
the first and second day of the battle, Nov. 20-21.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting
on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a
number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. The 604th Quartermaster
Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio
between 1946 and 1947, but Waltz’s remains were not identified. All of the
remains found on Tarawa were sent to the Schofield Barracks Central
Identification Laboratory for identification in 1947. By 1949, the remains
that had not been identified were interred as unknowns in the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu,
including one set, designated as Tarawa Unknown X-228.
On March 27, 2017, DPAA disinterred Tarawa
Unknown X-228 from the Punchbowl for identification.
To identify Waltz’s remains,
scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the
Armed Forces Medical Examiner System
used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Waltz’s name is recorded in
the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl along with the others missing
from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
Waltz will be buried in Armona, 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 Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership
in this mission.
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC
(USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil> Sent: 28 July, 2021 07:29 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: DPAA Release - Massachusetts Soldier Accounted For From
Korean War
Greetings,
1LT Redgate was accounted for in April 2020, but his
family only recently received their full briefing of his identification,
which is why this release is going out now.
July 28, 2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army 1st
Lt. Thomas J. Redgate, 24, of Brighton, Massachusetts, killed during the
Korean War, was accounted for April 16, 2020.
In late 1950, Redgate was a
member of Battery A, 48th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th
Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 11, 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 Redgate’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), Y chromosome (Y-STR), and autosomal DNA
(auSTR) analysis.
Redgate’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.
Redgate will be buried Sept.
17, 2021, in Bourne, Massachusetts.
For family and funeral
information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
To see the most up-to-date
statistics on DPAA recovery efforts for those unaccounted for from the
Korean War, go to the Korean War fact sheet on the DPAA website at:
Because of a backlog, it was a 9
year wait for DNA results in my family. When I returned to Idaho
I saw a post on a POW-MIA website and it said we
could ...
... dozens of
bikers made their way up America's Mountain on
Saturday to honor the nation's missing in action and
prisoners of war from the Vietnam ...
... but his
family only recently received a full briefing on his
identification, the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency said. The radar navigator
assigned ...
... accounted for in
late 2020, but his family only recently received a
full briefing on his identification, the Defense
POW /MIA Accounting Agency said.
1, 2018, and were
sent to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting
Agency ... in action or prisoners of war during the
Korean War in a Wall of Remembrance ...
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 23 July, 2021 15:39 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Wisconsin Accounted For From
World War II
Greetings,
July 23, 2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Fireman 1st
Class Kenneth E. Doernenburg, 23, of Antigo, Wisconsin, killed during World
War II, was accounted for on March 25, 2021.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Doernenburg 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 Doernenburg.
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 Doernenburg.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify Doernenburg’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.
Doernenburg’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.
Doernenburg will be
buried on Sept. 25, 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.
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 23 July, 2021 12:42 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From South Dakota Accounted For From
World War II
Greetings,
EM2 Dill was
accounted for back in January, but his family only just received their full
briefing about his identification, which is why this release is going out
now.
July 23, 2021
WASHINGTON—The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
announced today that Navy Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Leaman R. Dill, 25,
of Huron, South Dakota, killed during World War II, was accounted for on
Jan. 4, 2021.
On Dec. 7, 1941, resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Dill.
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.
Dill 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
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 Dill.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify Dill’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological
analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y
chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Dill’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.
Dill will be buried
on Aug. 23, 2021, in Sturgis, South Dakota.
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.
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 23 July, 2021 13:15 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From California Accounted For From
World War II
Greetings,
Petty Officer
1st
Class Hudson was accounted for last December, but his family only recently
received their full briefing on his identification, which is why this
release is going out now.
July 23, 2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy Water Tender 1st Class Charles E. Hudson, 39, of Stockton,
California, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Dec. 22, 2020.
On Dec. 7, 1941,
Hudson 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 Hudson.
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 Hudson.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify Hudson’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological
analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y
chromosome (Y-STR), and autosomal (auSTR) analysis.
Hudson’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.
Hudson will be buried
on Sept. 10, 2021, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in
Honolulu.
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.
“A lot of
veterans, when they get out, miss being part of
a mission that matters and the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency mission of returning the ...
Hometown Heroes and
the VVTTF invites members of the public to discuss
topics relating to veterans in the community and to
participate in a POW-MIA ...
The
BA 747 was destroyed by US fighter planes at the request of the
British. Was this to hide the embarrassment of an 'own goal' or was
it to cover up something else? All the tools in the London and
Washington governments' arsenal have been used to suppress the truth
- from non-denial denials to the obscuring of dates and timelines.
But the cover-up has always rested on shaky foundations and, one by
one, the planks have been knocked down. The world of 1990 was one in
which it was easier to hide the truth. There were no mobile phones
to photograph or live-stream events, no social media to contradict
official statements. It was a world before Putin and Trump, in which
it was still possible to believe that Western democracies would not
go to war on the basis of misused intelligence, or that leaders
would not lie to their citizens.
“It is an honored and privileged
thing for us to do,” Gilg said. ... He was
awarded, posthumously, the Congressional
Medal of Honor for his brave action ...
White was accounted for
by the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency (DPAA) on Jan. 29,
2020 after his remains were identified
using dental, ...
Four NAM POW
stories in this new book....
In
Vietnam 101: A Class Like No Other,
weaves a rich tapestry of the stories of 12 Vietnam
Veterans - four of them were NAM POWs (Tom Moe, Bill
Bailey, Dan Glenn, and John Clark) - and the impact of
their journey on College of the Ozarks students.
The harrowing and
life-changing struggle that is war left an indelible
mark on the Veterans – and now, through the Patriotic
Education Travel Program, college students receive an
unforgettable education that forever changes their
perspective on the meaning of war, sacrifice, and
freedom.
All book proceeds go to support The Patriotic Education
Travel Program. College of the Ozarks' unique Patriotic
Education Travel Program sends Veterans and students
back to the battlefields where the Veterans fought,
which becomes a classroom like no other.
Well, buckle up. The
U.S. Army and its team of scientists in the Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency were
studying the remains of unresolved American ...
... process
that involved laboratory tests, historical research
and anthropological analysis, according to the U.S.
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency ...
Other family members
spoke about how they had submitted their DNA for
testing to help the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency identify the ...
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC
(USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil> Sent: 8 July, 2021 12:14 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Alabama Accounted For From
World War II
Greetings,
July 8,
2021
WASHINGTON—The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Fireman 2nd
Class Ralph C. Battles, 25, of Boaz, Alabama, killed during World War II,
was accounted for on Feb. 12, 2021.
On Dec. 7, 1941,
Battles 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 Battles.
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 Battles.
Between
June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To
identify Battles’ remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological
analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y
chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Battles’ 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.
Battles will be buried
on Aug. 28, 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.
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC
(USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil> Sent: 8 July, 2021 15:50 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: Tennessee Soldier Accounted For From World War II
Greetings,
Pvt.
DeVault was accounted for back in Sept. 2020, but his family only recently
received the full briefing on his identification, which is why this is going
out now.
July 8,
2021
WASHINGTON—The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Pvt.
Warren G.H. DeVault, 24, of Rhea, Tennessee, killed during World War II, was
accounted for Sept. 14, 2020.
In November 1944, DeVault was assigned to Company F, 2nd
Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry
Division. His unit was engaged in battle with German forces near Hürtgen,
Germany, when he was reportedly killed in action on Nov. 20. DeVault could
not be recovered because of the on-going fighting, and his remains were not
recovered or identified.
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 DeVault’s remains. He
was declared non-recoverable in January 1952.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Hürtgen area, a DPAA
historian determined that one set of unidentified remains, designated X-5429
Neuville, recovered from the Hürtgen Forest in 1947 possibly belonged to
DeVault. The remains, which had been buried in Ardennes American Cemetery in
1951, were disinterred in April 2019 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at
Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for identification.
To identify DeVault’ 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) and Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
DeVault’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.
DeVault will be buried
Aug. 14, 2021, in Dayton, Tennessee.
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.
Officials with the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency say that Army Pfc. Louis N. Crosby, 18, of
Orangeburg, South Carolina, killed during the Korean ...
... d'Affaires of the
U.S. Embassy in Hanoi Christopher Klein, and
representatives from the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency, an agency within the ...
The memorial will be
a 7-foot-tall replica of a POW-MIA
bracelet. Worn by millions of Americans during
and after the Vietnam War, the bracelets
each ...
Much like the POW/MIA
flag that honors prisoners of war and those missing
in action, now is the time for the Purple Heart flag
to be flown to honor ...
Mayor William E. Cooper,
right, and veteran Travis Parker show their pride in
honoring the men and women of the military service who
remain missing ...
Defense POW / MIA
Accounting Office (DPAA) today is a Navy Firefighter 1st
Class Robert J. Har, 25, in Dallas City, Illinois, who was
killed during ...
The Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
announced in June that Navy Seaman 1st Class Russell
C. Roach, 22, of Zanesville, Ohio, killed ...
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 7 July, 2021 08:50 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: West Virginia Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Greetings,
Cpl.
Conley was accounted for in June 2020,
but his family only recently received their
full briefing on his identification, which is why this release is being sent
out now.
July 7,
2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army Cpl. Pete Conley, 19, of Chapmanville, West Virginia, killed during the
Korean War, was accounted for June 5, 2020.
In late 1950,
Conley was a member of Company K,
3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was
reported missing in action on Dec. 12, 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 Conley’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) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Conley’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.
Conley will be buried in
Pecks Hill, West Virginia. The date has yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at
(800) 892-2490.
To see the most up-to-date statistics on DPAA recovery efforts for those
unaccounted for from the Korean War, go to the Korean War fact sheet on the
DPAA website at:
"The blast ignited the fuel cell on the vehicle
causing fuel to spew everywhere," according to the
citation for Cashe's Silver Star. "The
vehicle came to a ...
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – James J. Cansler
fought died in the Battle of Hürtgen Forest in Vossenack,
Germany. 77 years after his death, he will be laid to
eternal rest in Springfield. Cansler – known as Junior –
died at 21-years-old. Back in December 1944, Cansler and
other soldiers were working to secure ...
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 1 July, 2021 16:03 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Illinois Accounted For From
World War II
Greetings,
July 1, 2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy Fireman 1st Class Robert J. Harr, 25, of Dallas City,
Illinois, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Feb. 12, 2021.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Harr 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 Harr.
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 Harr.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify Harr’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological
analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y
chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Harr’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along
with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to
his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Harr will be buried on Aug. 14, 2021, in Rutledge,
Missouri.
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.
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC
(USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil> Sent: 1 July, 2021 08:34 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Missouri Accounted For From
World War II
Greetings,
July 1, 2021
WASHINGTON—The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy
Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class George M. Gooch, 22, of Laclede, Missouri,
killed during World War II, was accounted for on Sept. 14, 2020.
On Dec.
7, 1941, Gooch 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 Gooch.
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 Gooch.
Between
June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To
identify Gooch’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the
Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Gooch’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.
Gooch will
be buried Oct. 9, 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.
Scout Who Played Taps Every Night for Veterans
Continues Support: ‘I Wanted to Show Them People Cared’
When veterans began dying of the coronavirus at the New
Jersey Veterans Home in Paramus, Alex Saldana, a Scout with Oradell’s Troop
36, wanted to offer his support.
In 2020, each evening for a
month the teenager played taps
on his trumpet outside the home to honor those who passed away and comfort
the other residents, NorthJersey.com reported Saturday...
_________________________________
From "ZoomiEnews," The Association of
Graduates newsletter:
The 2021 reunion of
former prisoners of war (POWs) was conducted in Colorado Springs last
week. Approximately a dozen former POWs from the Vietnam era were on
hand for a tour of the United States Air Force Academy on June 17.
... were both posthumously
awarded the Medal of Honor. Gordon and Shughart,
Delta snipers, were providing suppressive fire at the second
crash site ...
Fifty-eight
awards were upgraded to Silver Stars and two
were upgraded to ... The Silver Star Medal is
the third-highest military combat award and
is ...
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 June, 2021 10:10 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: New York Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Greetings,
June 30, 2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army Cpl. Walter A. Smead, 24, of Hadley, New York, killed during the Korean
War, was accounted for March 16, 2021.
In late 1950, Smead was a member of Battery A, 57th Field
Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported
missing in action on Dec. 6, 1950, after his unit was attacked by enemy
forces as they attempted to withdraw 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 Smead’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), Y chromosome (Y-STR), and autosomal DNA (auSTR)
analysis.
Smead’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.
Smead will be buried Sept. 20, 2021, in Schuylerville, New York.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at
(800) 892-2490.
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 June, 2021 12:13 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: CORRECTION: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Kentucky Accounted
For From World War II
Greetings,
CORRECTION: The Sailor’s hometown has been updated from the version sent out
recently.
June 30, 2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Electrician’s Mate 3rd
Class Alphard S. Owsley, 23, of Paris, Kentucky, killed during World War II,
was accounted for on Sept. 14, 2020.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Owsley 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 Owsley.
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 Owsley.
Between June and November
2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl
for analysis.
To identify Owsley’s remains,
scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally,
scientists from the
Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Owsley’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.
Owsley will be buried Aug. 5,
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.
A B-24 Liberator
was shot up by anti-aircraft fire during a bombing raid on a German
airfield near Versailles on June 22, 1944, and managed to limp back
across the Channel before it crashed.
... help identify the body, but Christian died in 2017, two
years before Ashby's body was reliably identified by the Federal
POW / MIA Accounting Office...
He was then told that the bracelet would be delivered to
the family of the soldier with a police escort, as well
as a group POW/MIA bikers that wanted
to ...
Fort Hood solider goes missing, his family says something's
not right
...Officials say Salas, who is
from El Paso, may be driving a white Dodge Dart with a Texas license plate
NFP-2796 and may be in the San Antonio area.
Military Police are asking for
information on Salas. If you see Salas or have information regarding his
whereabouts, contact the Fort Hood military police desk at (254) 288-1131...
MOSCOW (AP) — A Moscow court on Monday
rejected an imprisoned American’s appeal against his nine-year
sentence for assaulting police officers.
The Moscow City Court upheld the sentence
issued last year by a lower court, which convicted Trevor Reed
for an altercation in August 2019 in Moscow, where he was
studying Russian and visiting his girlfriend.
“I regret that the appellate court has not
corrected this gross injustice, but it does not in any way
affect the seriousness with which I and the U.S. government will
continue to pursue this matter for Trevor to get him released so
that he can go home and be with his family,” U.S. Ambassador
John Sullivan told reporters outside the court after attending
the hearing....
POW
MIA ...
because it's important for us not to forget about the ones we
lost. The bald eagle as a representation of our country and how
strong we are, ...
Here's a look at US
POW/MIA's in Iraq and Afghanistan from
1991 to present. January 17, 1991 – During the first
night of Operation Desert Storm, Navy ...
In November, the
Defense POW / MIA Accounting Office
announced that it had identified the body. “When I
got the call, I broke down and cried, crying ...
While
Keninger's remains were soon recovered from the
ship, they could not be individually identified at
the time, according to the Defense POW/MIA ...
They said that
until the end of last year, after the POW / MIA
Treasurer excavated the body from a general graveyard, her
uncle was identified using ...
(KLKN) – In 2015, the
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
started the difficult task of identifying the
remains of 388 Sailors and Marines who ...
It marked the
official conclusion of a six-year effort by the
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency to
assemble and identify the skeletal remains of 388 ...
On Thursday 22 June 1944, Consolidated
Liberator B-24H '42-94826' took off from its base at Halesworth in
Suffolk, UK to take part in a tactical bombing mission (8th Air
Force mission 432) along with 42 other aircraft of the 2nd Bomb
division attacking the airfield at St-Cyr to the SW of Paris.
The aircraft sustained severe damage caused by anti-aircraft fire
whilst attacking the target. The only operable controls were one
rudder and elevator. The pilots and crew managed to nurse the
aircraft back to the British Coast. Unfortunately, for reasons
unknown, the aircraft crashed at Park Farm near Arundel in West
Sussex. Seven of the crew of ten managed to successfully bail out of
the aircraft. Three were killed as a result of the aircraft
crashing. Two members of the crew who were killed are still listed
as missing in action (MIA)
42-94826 Crew
● Pilot: 2ⁿd. Lieutenant William B. Montgomery (MIA) 0-693305
● Co-pilot: Flight Officer John j. Crowther (KIA) T-61828
● Engineer: T/Sergeant John Holoka Jnr (MIA) 2020757
● Navigator: 2ⁿd Lieutenant Herbert K. King 0-703753
● Radio Operator: Sergeant Joseph A. Foley 15342155
● Bombardier: 2ⁿd Lieutenant D. M. Henderson 0-698556
● Tail Gunner: Staff Sergeant Edwin j. Sumner 34118576
● Ball turret gunner: Staff Sergeant Pearl Toothman Jnr 6991895
● Waist Gunner: Staff Sergeant Richard M. Rodriguez 39280404
● Waist Gunner: Staff Sergeant Aaron D. Roper
2ⁿd Lieutenant D. M. Henderson positively identified front row
second from left. Flight Officer John j. Crowther front row far
right. 2ⁿd. Lieutenant William B. Montgomery front row second from
right. 2ⁿd Lieutenant Herbert K. King front row first left. Staff
Sergeant Richard M. Rodriguez (believed) second row far right.
Others as yet remain unidentified. Courtesy Kenneth Whitehead
Killed In Action (remains were repatriated and interred in the USA)
F/O John J. Crowther
Missing in Action
2nd, Lt, William B. Montgomery
T/Sgt. John Holoka, Jr.
A new “new myth-shattering book”
on POWs in Vietnam (Covert Action Magazine
reviews “Dissenting POWs”)
...Bringing Back Forgotten Dissenters
Wilber and Lembcke’s book helps restore these forgotten
POW dissenters to their rightful—and honored—place among
the large and diverse Vietnam generation of dissidents,
draft resisters, oppositional GIs, veteran activists,
deserters, and all those who supported them....
In this undated photo, former Japanese
Prime Minister Gen. Hideki Tojo
is shown with medals outside of the Diet. (Charles Gorry/AP)
14 Jun 2021
Associated Press|By
Mari Yamaguchi
TOKYO — Until recently, the location of executed wartime
Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo's remains was one of
World War II's biggest mysteries in the nation he once
led.
Now, a Japanese university professor has revealed
declassified U.S. military documents that appear to hold
the answer.....
On Friday, June 11, the
POW / MIA Accounting Office of the
Pentagon officially identified the bodies of 22-year-old
Malcolm Barber, 21-year-old Leroy ...
”It represents again,
the POW's, MIA's and the killed in
action in this country that have all sacrificed and
the families have sacrificed, time and energy, ...
In 1997, he authored a book, Korea
P.O.W-A Thousand Days of Torment which told of some of his Korea
experiences. ... years, with the most recent being when he spoke at
the Clemson University ROTC POW/MIA day ceremonies.
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 22 June, 2021 12:36 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: Michigan Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Greetings,
June 22, 2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army Pfc. Philip T. Hoogacker, 23, of Detroit, killed during the Korean War,
was accounted for April 16, 2021.
In July 1950, Hoogacker was a member of Company D, 1st
Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment. He was reported missing in
action on July 27 after his unit was attacked near Anui, South Korea. He was
last seen after receiving first aid for a minor shrapnel wound. DPAA
historians believe Hoogacker was captured
by the Korean People’s Army and forcibly marched to Seoul and then on to
Pyongyang, where he died as a prisoner of war.
In the fall of 1954, United Nations Command struck a deal with North Korea
and China regarding the recovery and return of war dead to their rightful
nations. This agreement, known as Operation GLORY, took place between Sept.
1 and Oct. 30, 1954. A set of remains, later labeled Unknown X-16833, was
returned with three other sets of remains from a group burial. Two of the
sets of remains were identified by the Central Identification Unit in
Kokura, Japan, but the other two, including X-16833, couldn’t be identified.
They were sent to Hawaii and interred with the rest of the Korean War
recovered but unidentified remains as Unknowns at the National Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In April 2018, during Phase 1 of the Korean War Disinterment Project,
X-16833 was disinterred from the Punchbowl and transferred to the DPAA
Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii for analysis.
To identify Hoogacker’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the
Armed Forces Medical Examiner System
used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Hoogacker’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.
Hoogacker will be buried July
23, 2021, in Livonia, Michigan.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at
(800) 892-2490.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Army for their partnership in this mission.
To see the most up-to-date statistics on DPAA recovery efforts for those
unaccounted for from the Korean War, go to the Korean War fact sheet on the
DPAA website at:
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 22 June, 2021 15:22 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: Connecticut Soldier Accounted For From World War II
Greetings,
The below service member was accounted for in August 2020, but his family
just had their full briefing on his accounting, which is why this release is
going out now.
June 22, 2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army Sgt. John
E. Hurlburt, 26, of Madison, Connecticut, killed during World War II, was
accounted for Aug. 19, 2020.
In July 1944, Hurlburt 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.
Remains labeled as Unknown X-20 were first reported as buried in the 27th
Infantry Division Cemetery. The remains were initially disinterred in March
1948, and officials found Hurlburt’s identification tags in the grave.
However, the American Graves Registration Service later concluded that X-20
was not Hurlburt, and the remains were buried at the Manila American
Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines on June 15, 1950.
After thorough research, DPAA historians concluded X-20 was possibly
associated one of eight service members, including Hurlburt. On Dec. 6,
2018, Unknown X-20 was disinterred and sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint
Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
To identify Hurlburt’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.
Hurlburt’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.
Hurlburt will
be buried Aug. 14, 2021, in New Haven, Connecticut.
For family and
funeral information, contact the Army Casualty office at (800) 892-2490.
We'll still have our
POW/MIA vigil in September and still
do our (motorcycle) Ride for Freedom." Post 52 has
about 150 members with its membership is ...
A naval air station
in Japan has raised the ire of at atheist activists
and several sailors after a Bible was placed on the
POW/MIA table at the Naval Air ...
In the POW/MIA
display at NAF Atsugi, Japan, the Bible is the only
religious object among a significant number of secular
objects. (Although POW/MIA ...
A Navy SEAL is
also known to have lost his pistol during a fight in
a restaurant in Lebanon. Stolen military guns have
made their way into street gangs ...
He enlisted at age 17
with dreams of becoming a Navy SEAL. But he
was forced out of SEAL training in May 2017 after
breaking his leg – an injury his ...
The Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency said the
21-year-old White was killed in action in July 1944
while a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, ...
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC
(USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil> Sent: 15 June, 2021 14:53 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From West Virginia Accounted For
From World War II
Greetings,
June 15, 2021
WASHINGTON—The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy
Patternmaker 1st Class Stanislaw F. Drwall, 25, of Thomas, West
Virginia, killed during World War II, was accounted for on March 25, 2021.
On Dec. 7, 1941,
Drwall 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 Drwall.
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 Drwall.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed
the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify Drwall’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.
Drwall’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing
at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette
will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Drwall will be buried on Aug.
5, 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.
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC
(USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil> Sent: 15 June, 2021 12:13 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Missouri Accounted For From
World War II
Greetings,
June 15, 2021
WASHINGTON—The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Seaman 2nd
Class Russell O. Ufford, 17, of Kansas City, Missouri, killed during World
War II, was accounted for on Feb. 11, 2021.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Ufford 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 Ufford.
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 Ufford.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed
the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify Ufford’s remains, scientists from DPAA used
dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Ufford’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing
at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette
will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Ufford will be buried on July 16, 2021, in Salisbury, North Carolina.
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.
In order to identify
the Iowan's remains, scientists from the U.S.
Department of Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency used anthropological analysis
as ...
The Defense POW / MIA
Accounting Office (DPAA) has been working for several years to
identify the bodies of 429 seafarers who died in Oklahoma.
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC
(USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil> Sent: 11 June, 2021 14:21 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Montana Accounted For From
World War II
Greetings,
June
11, 2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy Fireman 1st
Class Wesley J. Brown, 25, of Helena, Montana, killed during World War II,
was accounted for on Dec. 22, 2020.
On
Dec. 7, 1941, Brown
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 Brown.
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 Brown.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To
identify Brown’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 (Y-STR) analysis.
Brown’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Brown will be buried on Aug. 28, 2021, in Smithland, Iowa.
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.
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC
(USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil> Sent: 11 June, 2021 13:07 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Oregon Accounted For From World
War II
Greetings,
The following service member was accounted for by our lab in 2019, but this
release is going out now because the family just recently received the full
details of his accounting.
//////
June
11, 2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy Seaman 1st
Class Warren C. Gillette, 21, of Klamath Falls, Oregon, killed during World
War II, was accounted for on Jan. 17, 2019.
On
Dec. 7, 1941,
Gillette 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 Gillette.
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 Gillette.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To
identify Gillette’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological
analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used
Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Gillette’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Gillette will be buried on July 12, 2021, in Eagle Point, Oregon.
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.
The Navy Casualty POW/MIA
office is dedicated to the mission, and passionate about
bringing sailors home to their families and final
resting place, ...
The Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that
Navy Fireman 1st Class Neal K. Todd was accounted
for after being killed in the Pearl ...
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC
(USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil> Sent: 9 June, 2021 08:51 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: Virginia Soldier Accounted For From World War II
Greetings,
June 9, 2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
announced today that Army Staff Sgt. Raymond C. Blanton, 19, of Richmond,
Virginia, killed during World War II, was accounted for April 23, 2020.
In October 1944,
Blanton was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 60th
Infantry Regiment, 9th 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 Oct. 14. Blanton 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
Blanton’ remains. He was declared non-recoverable in 1951.
While studying unresolved American losses in the
Hürtgen area, a DPAA historian determined that one of two sets of
unidentified remains, designated X-4491 Neuville and X-4492 Neuville,
recovered comingled from Raffelsbrand sector of the Hürtgen Forest near
Germeter in 1946, possibly belonged to Blanton. The remains, which had been
buried in Ardennes American Cemetery in 1950, were disinterred in September
2017 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for
identification.
To identify Blanton’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.
Blanton’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.
Blanton will be buried July 1, 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 and to the U.S. Army Regional Mortuary-Europe/Africa for their
partnership in this mission.
Beek was accounted
for by Defense POW/MIA Accounting
Agency on Apr. 14, 2020. His remains were identified
using circumstantial evidence and ...
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC
(USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil> Sent: 7 June, 2021 10:11 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: Missouri Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Greetings,
June
7, 2021
WASHINGTON—The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Sgt.
Lloyd A. Alumbaugh, 21, of Jasper, Missouri, killed during the Korean War,
was accounted for April 21, 2020.
In
late 1950, Alumbaugh was a member of Ambulance Company, 7th
Medical Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing
in action on Nov. 28, 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 Alumbaugh’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.
Alumbaugh’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.
Alumbaugh will be buried June 25, 2021, in Reeds, Missouri.
For
family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800)
892-2490.
To see
the most up-to-date statistics on DPAA recovery efforts for those
unaccounted for from the Korean War, go to the Korean War fact sheet on the
DPAA website at:
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC
(USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil> Sent: 7 June, 2021 11:13 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: West Virginia Soldier Accounted For From World War II
Greetings,
June
7, 2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army Pfc. John J. Sitarz,
19, of Weirton, West Virginia, killed during World War II, was accounted for
May 27, 2020.
In November 1944, Sitarz was assigned to Company L, 3rd
Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry
Division. His unit was engaged in battle with German forces near Germeter,
Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest, when he was declared missing in action on
Nov. 2. Sitarz could
not be recovered because of the on-going fighting, and his status was
changed to killed in action on Nov. 3, 1945.
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 Sitarz’ 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-2785
Neuville, recovered from a minefield west of Germeter in 1946 possibly
belonged to Sitarz. The remains, which had been buried in Ardennes American
Cemetery in 1949, were disinterred in 2018 and sent to the DPAA laboratory
at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for identification.
To
identify Sitarz’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), Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR), and autosomal DNA
(auSTR) analysis.
Sitarz’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle
American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission
(ABMC) site in Hombourg, Belgium, 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.
Sitarz will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia,
at a date yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at
(800) 892-2490.
DPAA
is grateful to the ABMC
and to the U.S. Army Regional Mortuary-Europe/Africa for their partnership
in this mission.
Ashby's body
died two years before it was reliably identified by
the Federal POW / MIA Accounting
Office. .. Navy Fireman 3rd Class Welborn L.
Ashby ...
But while other
awards such as the Medal of Honor, the
Distinguished ServiceCross, the Navy
Cross, the Air Force Cross and the Silver Star
have ...
ØOur
book: Korean War Project Remembrance 1950-1953"
The
book is the product of 25 years of research into the women and men who
perished during the Korean War while serving in USA forces. It is 528 pages,
library quality, stitched binding, hard cover. 500 copies for the first
printing.
Comparisons with all the legacy DOD data files as well as hundreds of
documents sent by our website visitors led us to correct, emend, add or
remove names. Thousands of our visitors have sent in corrections with
documents when needed.
We have added over 525 women and men who were not on any US DOD listings in
the past.
ØIf
you are interested in the book and/or wish to reserve a copy prior to our
announcing delivery of the books to our doorstep, let Ted know by email,
call or letter.
... at last can be laid to rest thanks to DNA testing
and the remarkable efforts of a team of investigators
from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting
Agency.
Robert Bailey had been listed as missing until this past
January. His remains were identified through DNA testing
as part of a federal Defense POW/MIA ...
Most are military veterans, but it is not a
prerequisite for membership. Raising the POW/MIA
flag at every elementary, middle and high school in
the ...
The cabinet will be installed in the POW/MIA
Museum under development at Jefferson Barracks.
Chase, who lives in Arnold, said the primary reason
he ...
“For all POWs to have a proper burial.” According to the
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), the
remains of almost 82,000 Americans are still ...
... attended the burial ceremony on Wednesday, according to
the accounting agency. Mills, a Ball High School graduate,
was awarded the Silver Star, ...
"It means everything to me," Vietnam veteran Jim
Bruchert said. "I lost a lot of buddies." Bruchert
wore a POW MIA pin on his cap to honor those
lost in ...
... 21, of St. Charles, Illinois, who was killed
during World War II, was accounted for on Feb. 12,
according to the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency.
Still the primary purpose of the Rolling Thunder
Motorcycle Rides is to demonstrate the need to
account for the POW-MIA. An additional
goal is to help ...
But it was just four months ago that the Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that
it had finally identified the remains of one of the
sailors ...
"I'm still fighting the fight. The hope is that
maybe I can redeem their honor." The next memorial
ceremony for the POW/MIA veterans is
at 12:00 p.m. ...
In 2014, Franken was the first director of
Pentagon's POW/MIA accounting agency.
Franken mentioned next month's burial of William
Tucker of Bedford ...
... Pacific Wrecks for their insight into the crash
area and the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency for the recovery of Sgt. Domer's
remains and their ...
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
has used DNA technology and other modern methods to
identify the remains that were sent to Offutt
after ...
From:
Richard Downes<coalitionoffamilies@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Jun 2, 2021 at 5:23 PM
Subject: Spring 2021 Newsletter - Coalition of Families of Korean & Cold War
POW/MIAs
To: Coalition of Families of Korean and Cold War POW/MIAs <coalitionoffamilies@gmail.com>
Hello Everyone,
The Coalition’s Spring 2021
newsletter is attached. This edition features articles on where the
mission stands today, a discussion of the new administration’s policy
towards North Korea, and the first in a series of articles by Donna Knox
on longstanding reports that American P.O.W.s were taken to the former
Soviet Union. All this is in addition to regular features covering the
accounting message worldwide, the President’s Corner, and Coalition
news.
* Mailing Address Update
The Coalition’s mailing address is once again:
PO Box 4194
Portsmouth, NH 03802
We are happy being back at the old box number.
* Amazon Smile
Thank you to those who make
the Coalition your nonprofit charity of choice on
Amazon Smile. Your purchases help support our role in learning what
happened to the missing men.
* Washington, DC, Travel Fund Donations
The Coalition
relies on memberships and broader donations to pursue issues
that help learn what happened to the missing
men. Much of this work is done in Washington, DC. Multiple trips each
year incur expenses beyond the Coalition’s regular operation.
Please add to your membership donation and support these important
travel expenses. The more often we are able to be in the nation’s
capital, the more we can advocate on the men’s behalf. (A membership
application is on page 10.)
* DPAA -
Korean/Cold War Family
August Briefing
DPAA will host the annual meeting in
person this year, August 5-6, at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel,
in Arlington, Virginia. DPAA’s invitation letters are being mailed in
June. For more info contact your casualty office - see page six of the
newsletter. (This is not a Coalition event.)
We are looking forward to joining you in
August. All the best, as always.
Rick
Richard Downes, President
Coalition of Families of
Korean & Cold War
POW/MIAs
Join us! The Coalition
pursues answers to the
stories of missing
American servicemen from
the Korean and Cold
Wars.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
says Magers' remains were recovered, but they could
not be identified at the time. To identify him,
scientists ...
He's a deputy director at the Defense POW-MIA
Accounting Agency, which has forensic facilities in Hawaii.
It's the largest forensic skeletal laboratory ...
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III told the
civilian and military personnel at the Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency that their
mission not only ...
The army field band also holds a ceremony in
Arlington for prisoners of war and those
missing in action. They set a round table for their
never ending ...
During the ruck march, people can carry POW,
MIA, and, of course, U.S flags. “We're going
to step off at 9 o'clock,” Michael said. “I'll take
an easy pace ...
... or possession; a departmental; the
flag of U.S. military forces; or the
POW/MIA flag. “The
Administration's directive is an insult
to those who made the ...
Get it straight: The difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day
"Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868,
the head of an organization of Union veterans -- the Grand Army of the
Republic (GAR) -- established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to
decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan
declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed
that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the
country."
The passage of the National Holiday Act of 1971 by
Congress made it an official holiday.
Veterans Day:
This federal holiday falls on November 11 and is designated
as a day to honor all who have served in the military. According to
Military.com, Veterans Day began as Armistice Day to honor the end of World
War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918.
"In 1954, after having been through both World War II
and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress -- at the urging of the veterans
service organizations -- amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word
"Armistice" and inserting the word "Veterans,"
the site says. "With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954,
November 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars."
Just for good measure, we will also throw in some
information about Labor Day because, believe it or not, we've seen folks
thanking troops on that holiday. Labor Day, the first Monday in September,
honors the contributions of American workers, not the military.
In the last several days, people have begun to
wish me "Happy Memorial Day." Well intentioned as they were, “Happy” is
a serious mistake.
Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, is a federal holiday established to
remember those who died while members of the United States of
America's armed forces (unlike Veterans' Day, which celebrates all those who
served).
With its genesis in Decoration Day -- when years ago volunteers decorated
the graves of the fallen with flowers -- Memorial Day is not a day for
tailgate barbecues, baseball games, or garage sales. It's a day for all
Americans -- those of us who wore our Nation's uniform, and those who were
not so privileged -- to memorialize by thought and deed the heavy price the
dead veterans have paid . . . and how much we owe them for what they lost
in every American war, spanning the Revolution two centuries ago to the
everyday worldwide firefights around the world we never hear about.
Memorial Day is very different from America's
birthday. Independence Day -- not the "Fourth of July" --
should be celebrated with fireworks, patriotic songs, and loud band
concerts.
But not Memorial Day, a time of remembrance too
solemn an occasion to be "happy."
It's what we fight for is to bring these POW MIA's
home,” said Todd Matonich, President of Rolling Thunder
Chapter 5. Many of its members are veterans ...
Christopher Ahn,
40, faces his final extradition hearing in federal court in Los Angeles
on Tuesday. Two years ago, he was freed on $1.3million bail but was
forced to serve home confinement....
The Biden administration is trying to extradite former U.S. Marine officer
Christopher Ahn, 39, to what his supporters say is certain assassination by
Kim Jong Un's regime for his anti-regime activities....
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 May, 2021 15:27
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPPA News Release - Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From Korean War
Greetings,
May 27, 2021
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army Pfc. Bill F.
Hobbs, 20, of South Coffeyville, Oklahoma, killed during
the Korean War, was
accounted for April 20, 2020.
In late
1950, Hobbs was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 31st Infantry
Regiment,
7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Nov.
30, 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
Hobbs'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.
Hobbs'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.
Hobbs will be buried
June 26, 2021 in Coffeyville, Kansas.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at
(800)
892-2490.
To see the
most up-to-date statistics on DPAA recovery efforts for those
unaccounted
for from the Korean War, go to the Korean War fact sheet on the
Left-wing writer gets
skewered for saying 'white men' have been acting like 'victims' ever
since the Vietnam War
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mission Matters Newsletter: friend of Wreaths
Across America
On Saturday, May 15, Wreaths Across
America in partnership with the Worcester Family, unveiled a
monument memorializing the soldiers and crew aboard
Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 that disappeared without a
trace on March 16, 1962.
For nearly 60 years, the families
of the men and women on board this flight have waited for
answers, and just as important, they’ve waited to see their
loved ones Remembered and Honored with their names in stone.
Stories of this fateful flight as
told by loved ones of those lost have now reached all corners of
the United States. Our hope is that the names of the 93 Army
Soldiers and 11 flight crew members (many of whom were veterans
themselves) are continued to be said out loud and their stories
be told.
The 31st Regimental Combat lost 1,392 of its 1,777
Soldiers – missing in action, unrecovered killed, or
prisoners of war. Johnson's name did not
appear ...
The 31st Regimental Combat lost 1,392 of its 1,777
Soldiers missing in action, unrecovered killed or
prisoners of war. Johnson's name did not appear
on ...
The Magers and more than 400 other men on board were buried in the
Punchbowl Mass Cemetery in Honolulu. In 2015, the Defense POW
/ MIA ...
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 24 May, 2021 11:31
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release - Montana Soldier Accounted For From World War II
Greetings,
May 24, 2021
WASHINGTON-The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army Pvt. Wayne M.
Evans, 21, of Hamilton, Montana, who was
captured and
died as a prisoner of war
during World War II, was accounted for March 30,
2020.
In late
1941, Evans was a member of Battery G, 59th Coast Artillery
Regiment,
when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December.
Intense
fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on
April 9,
1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.
Thousands of
U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at
POW camps.
Evans was among those reported captured after the surrender of
Corregidor
and held at the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs
perished in
this camp during the war.
According to
prison camp and other historical records, Evans died July 19,
1942, and
was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local
Cabanatuan
Camp Cemetery, in Common Grave 312.
Following
the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel
exhumed
those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to
a temporary
U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In late 1947, the AGRS
examined the
remains in an attempt to identify them. Due to the
circumstances of the POW deaths and burials, the extensive commingling, and
the limited
identification technologies of the time, all of the remains
could not be
individually identified. The unidentified remains were interred
as
"unknowns" in the present-day Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.
In January
2018, remains associated with Common Grave 312 were disinterred
and sent to
the DPAA laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii,
for
analysis.
To identify
Evans' 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.
Evans' name
is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American
Cemetery and
Memorial, an American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) site,
along with
others missing from WWII. Although interred as an "unknown" in
Manila
American Cemetery and Memorial, Evans' grave was meticulously cared
for over the
past 70 years by the ABMC. A rosette will be placed next to his
name to
indicate he has been accounted for.
Evans will be buried in
his hometown at a date yet to be determined.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at
(800)
892-2490.
DPAA is
grateful to the ABMC and the United States Army 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
They perform pall bearing, flag folding,
bugling, three-volley rifle fire, presenting or
posting the colors, POW/MIA
ceremonies and more. “In the Base ...
Make sure to join or watch in tribute as the
POW/MIA Freedom Ride tours Lakeside
Avenue in Weirs Beach at 6 PM en route to
Meredith's Hesky Park ...
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 20 May, 2021 10:11
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release - Kentucky Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Greetings,
May 20, 2021
WASHINGTON-The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army Cpl. Burl
Mullins, 23, of Dorton, Kentucky, killed during the Korean
War, was accounted
for April 23, 2020.
In late 1950,
Mullins, who also served during World War II, was a member of
Heavy Mortar Company,
3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry
Division. He was
reported missing in action on Nov. 30, 1950, when his unit
was attacked by enemy
forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
Following the battle,
his remains could not be recovered. It was later
learned he had been
taken as a prisoner of war.
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
Mullins' 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.
Mullins'
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.
Mullins will be buried
in his hometown. The date has yet to be decided.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at
(800)
892-2490.
To see the
most up-to-date statistics on DPAA recovery efforts for those
unaccounted
for from the Korean War, go to the Korean War fact sheet on the
6 USS Oklahoma sailors killed at Pearl Harbor accounted for
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting
Agency (DPAA) announced six sailors killed during World War II had been
accounted for.
The sailors were assigned to the
battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when
the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft on December 7, 1941. The USS
Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly
capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 sailors and
Marines....
According to the
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency,
"Fireman 2nd Class Young entered the U.S. Navy from
Kentucky and served aboard the USS ...
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 14 May, 2021 16:00
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release - USS Oklahoma Sailor From Idaho
Accounted For From World War II (Bradley, C.)
Greetings,
May
14, 2021
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting
Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy Fireman
2nd Class Carl M. Bradley, 19, of Shelley, Idaho, killed during
World War II,
was accounted for on Feb. 5, 2021.
On
Dec. 7, 1941,
Bradley 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 Bradley.
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 Bradley.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS
Oklahoma
Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To
identify Bradley's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed
Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and autosomal
DNA
(auSTR)
analysis.
Bradley'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.
Bradley will be
buried on June 26, 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
They include the
American flag, state flags, military service flags,
the POW/MIA flag, flags of partner or
allied countries, and ceremonial, command, unit, ...
His remains were
accounted for April 14th, 2020, according to the
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).
Scientists from DPAA used ...
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 11 May, 2021 12:39
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release - Ohio Soldier Accounted For From World
War II
Greetings,
May
11, 2021
WASHINGTON-The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
announced today that
Army Pfc.
James W. White, 21, of Chester, Ohio, killed during World War II,
was accounted
for on Jan. 29, 2020.
In the spring
and summer of 1944, White, an infantryman, was a member of
Company E,
2nd Battalion, 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), also known as
Merrill's
Marauders. After taking the airfield in Myitkyina, Burma, from the
Japanese on
May 17, White's battalion was tasked with holding the airfield
and taking
part in the siege of Myitkyina. White was reported to have been
killed during
fighting on July 2.
The
remains of servicemen killed during the battle were buried in at
least
eight different temporary cemeteries and numerous isolated burial
locations.
Eventually, all known burials were concentrated into the U.S.
Military
Cemetery at Myitkyina, including the remains of those who were not
identified. In January and February 1946, all of the remains at the
U.S.
Military Cemetery were disinterred and transferred to the U.S.
Military
Cemetery at Kalaikunda, India. The exhumation of the U.S. Military
Cemetery
at
Kalaikunda was conducted in September and October 1947.
One
set of remains, designated Unknown X-52 Kalaikunda, was unable to be
identified and was subsequently buried in the National Memorial
Cemetery of
the
Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, in March 1949.
On
July 16, 2018, DPAA disinterred Unknown X-52 Kalaikunda from the
Punchbowl and transferred the remains to the DPAA laboratory at
Joint Base
Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To
identify White's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
Additionally,
the
Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
analysis.
White's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila
American
Cemetery and Memorial in Taguig City, Philippines, along with the
others
missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to
indicate he
has
been accounted for.
DPAA
is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their
partnership
in
this mission.
White will be
buried June 12, 2021, in Long Bottom, Ohio.
For family and
funeral information, call the Army Casualty Office at (800)
892-2490.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to
account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at
www.dpaa.milor find us
on social media at
The Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency announced Army Cpl. Asa E. Vance,
18, of Decatur, was accounted for Sept. 10, 2019.
Vance was assigned ...
The DPAA Korean/Cold War Annual government briefing is scheduled for August
5-6, 2021 in Washington, DC. DPAA is reaching out for family member thoughts
on holding the in-person Korean/Cold War Annual government briefing this
August in Washington DC.
The agency is contacting families who left email addresses at previous
meetings. If you have not attended a meeting or did not leave an email
address, they may not have been able to reach you. As
you recall, last year’s annual DC briefing was cancelled due to COVID-19
Pandemic concerns. Please pass along this message to other Korean/Cold War
family members as you see fit.
Below is the DPAA’s
message:
* * * * *
Greetings from DPAA,
We are fast approaching
the window to make our decision to host an in person 2021 annual
briefing. And to this, I wanted to reach out to you to hopefully gauge
your interest in attending this year's August 5-6, 2021 annual briefing.
In our planning, we are
fully prepared to adhere to all safety protocols to ensure we keep
everyone safe and healthy. Our COVID-19 safety protocols will include
enforcing mask wearing, taking temperatures of attendees before they
enter the main briefing room, providing hand sanitizer and following
strict social distancing requirements.
Further, it is our hope
that the majority of all attending will have been afforded the
opportunity to be fully vaccinated by August.
Please feel free to reply
to Mr. Gregory Hayes with any comments, questions or concerns.
Six decades after their loved ones vanished into thin
air, relatives of the victims of Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 — 93
soldiers aboard a secret-mission flight chartered by the US Army in the
buildup to the Vietnam War — want answers....
In 2011, I introduced legislation
to bestow Father Kapaun with the Presidential Medal of Honor,
which was awarded in 2013. In 1993, Pope John Paul II ...
A vigil and funeral date have been set for
Father Emil Kapaun, who died in a Korean War prison camp roughly 70
years ago.
Kapaun, who is on a path toward possible
sainthood, is expected to draw a crowd larger than what can be held
in the
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita, where Kapaun will
eventually be interred, according to the Catholic
Diocese of Wichita Director of Communications Matthew Vainer....
A prisoner of war bracelet,
kept by a Norfolk family for seven decades, has been
reunited with the relatives of its original owner - thanks
to the power of ...
Secretary of Defense
Lloyd J. Austin III tours the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency (DPAA) facility on Joint Base
Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, April ...
The Hall of Valor website, run by
Pueblo's Doug Sterner, is the most ... the 2013 Stolen Valor Act,
a federal law cowritten by Pam that makes it illegal to ...
Secretary of
Defense Lloyd J. Austin III told the civilian
and military personnel at the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency that their mission not
only ...
The POW-MIA
flag along with the American and South
Vietnamese flags was raised. “I'm so proud they
decided to fly the flag today,” he said.
The Ride Home FaceBook page:
It is with deep regret that we must
cancel The Ride Home for 2021.
As many of you
know, Jim “Moe” Moyer, National Director, is currently
addressing major health issues requiring an undetermined amount
of time away and extensive rehabilitation. Please respect his
privacy as he and Ginny work through these difficult times.
Although best efforts continued toward our 2021 goals, the Board
of Directors have been forced to make this very difficult
decision to cancel The Ride Home.
We thank you for your prayers and continued support.
Until They All Come Home!
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 April, 2021 09:19
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release - Alabama Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Greetings,
April 30,
2021
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
(DPAA) announced
today that
Army Cpl. Henry L.
Helms, 24, of Collbran, Alabama, killed during the Korean
War, was accounted
for April 16, 2020.
Helms was a member of
Company D, 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
Helms' remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological
analysis, as
well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from
the
In late
1950, Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y
chromosome
(Y-STR), and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Helms' 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.
Helms will be buried May
22, 2021, in Ringgold, Georgia.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at
(800)
892-2490.
To see the
most up-to-date statistics on DPAA recovery efforts for those
unaccounted
for from the Korean War, go to the Korean War fact sheet on the
The Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency, an office that investigates ...
Johnson was never reported to be a prisoner of war and
he was not identified ...
The POW/MIA
flag was born in January of that year, the
brainchild of a group called the National League of
Families of American Prisoners and Missing ...
Sean Everette, a
public affairs spokesperson for the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency. Parker was declared missing in
action after an unsuccessful ...
Mark Frerichs, a
contractor from Lombard, Illinois, believed held for more than a year by the
Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network, was not mentioned in President Joe
Biden's address on Afghanistan last week. Nor was the troop withdrawal,
scheduled to be complete by Sept. 11, conditioned on his release from
custody, fueling concerns that the U.S. could lose bargaining power to get
Frerichs home once its military presence is removed from the country....
...“We are all familiar with AMBER and
Silver Alerts and how effective they are, and it makes sense to have a
system to help locate at-risk veterans during a time of need,”
Miller-Meeks said....
A new monument honoring the U.S. Army soldiers who lost their lives in a
mysterious 1962 plane crash in the Pacific Ocean will be unveiled next
month at the Wreaths Across America headquarters in Columbia Falls....
No trace of wreckage or debris was ever found, even after one of the
largest search and rescue missions in U.S military history, with 48
military aircraft and eight ships covering 144,000 square miles
of Pacific Ocean territory. To this day, the military says it does not
know what caused the crash — a mechanical or pilot error, an explosion
in the cargo hold, sabotage or an attack....
This is having to do with
the POW/MIA flag that was again recently
placed atop the White House whenever the American Flag
is flying. I know now that ...
... United States
flag or the POW/MIA flags, or foreign
service flags where required. “Posts should support
efforts to repeal [criminalization] legislation, ...
... Aide for Illinois
State Senator Neil Anderson, is pushing for Vietnam
War Veteran Bill Albracht, to have his Silver Star
upgraded to a Medal of Honor.
The memorial is a
7-foot-tall stainless steel replica of the POW
MIA bracelet first worn during the Vietnam War
as a non-political show of support for ...
The memorial is a
7-foot-tall stainless steel replica of the POW
MIA bracelet first worn during the Vietnam
War as a non-political show of support for ...
The memorial
is a 7-foot-tall stainless steel replica of
the POW MIA bracelet first worn
during the Vietnam War as a non-political
show of support for ...
....New federal bipartisan legislation aims to prohibit the U.S. Department
of Defense from clawing back or recouping some final retirement payments
from veterans after they die.
U.S. Reps. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, and John Garamendi, D-California,
reintroduced the bill, called “Military Retiree Survivor Comfort Act,” late
last week.....
The Department of Defense is exloring the
possibility of taking DNA samples from the bones of unknown soldiers and
running them through public databases....
.....DoD won’t release the current DCAS list it provided to KWVMF, so the
best glimpse into the data comes from an archived, publicly available
version of the list available through the National
Archives and Records Administration website.
Korean War veterans advocates are alarmed at the inaccuracies they are
finding there.....
The Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency says its
mission is to provide the fullest possible
accounting for missing personnel to their
families and the ...
... according to U.S. Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency statistics published
in February. Stars and Stripes reporter Yoo Kyong Chang
contributed to ...
But thanks to a book the
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency created
that collected everything they knew about Blanchard, the
family was able to ...
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY
DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 22 March, 2021 11:13
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From California Accounted For From World War II
Greetings,
March 22, 2021
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Marine Corps
Pfc. John F. Middleswart, 19, of San Diego,
killed during World
War II, was accounted for on Jan. 28, 2021,
as the 300th identification from
the USS Oklahoma Project.
On Dec. 7, 1941,
Middleswart 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 Middleswart.
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 Middleswart.
Between June and November 2015,
DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns from the Punchbowl for
analysis.
To identify Middleswart'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.
Middleswart's name is recorded on
the Courts of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others
who are missing from WWII. A rosette will
be placed next to his name to
indicate he has been accounted for.
Middleswart will be
buried on June 8, 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
website at
www.dpaa.mil, or find us on social media at
-----Original Message-----
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 22 March, 2021 10:35
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Nebraska Soldier Accounted For From World War II
Greetings,
March 22, 2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army
Pvt. Lyle W. Reab, 22, of Phillips,
Nebraska, killed during World War
II, was accounted for Feb. 24, 2021.
In November 1944,
Reab was assigned to
Company F, 2nd Battalion, 112th
Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action
as of Nov. 9, after his unit engaged German
forces at Vossenack, Germany, in
the Hürtgen Forest. His body was not
recovered.
Following the end of the war, the
American Graves Registration Command
(AGRC) was tasked with
investigating and recovering missing American
personnel in Europe. Several AGRC
investigation teams searched for and
recovered remains in the Hürtgen
Forest following World War II, but none
were identified as Reab. He was
declared non-recoverable in December 1950.
While studying unresolved American
losses in the Vossenack area, a DPAA
historian determined that one set
of unidentified remains, designated X-7388
Neuville, recovered from a foxhole
on the southeastern end of town in March
1948 possibly belonged to Reab.
The remains, which had been buried as an
unknown soldier in Ardennes
American Cemetery in 1949, were disinterred in
June 2018 and sent to the DPAA
laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base,
Nebraska, for identification.
To identify Reab’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 Y chromosome
DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Reab’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.
Reab will be buried June
8, 2021, in Aurora, Nebraska.
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.
You can visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at
Arlington National Cemetery again
The public can once again visit the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
The move is part of a gradual reopening of the
cemetery due to improving COVID-19 conditions and is an important element of
the yearlong centennial commemoration for the tomb, which culminates this
Nov. 11, an ANC release states.
The tomb reopened March 9, after being closed for
11 months due to COVID-19 restrictions and renovation work. The public may
visit the tomb during ANC’s regular operating hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
daily....
Cruz, a private, was
posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and a Silver Star,
according to U.S. military records. He served in Company D,
1st Battalion ...
This stirring and
patriotic display of about 200 American and POW/MIA
flags and 50 state flags can be viewed until April
14. Park grounds, including ...
There are still a
estimated 1,585 POW/MIA still not
accounted for. During the war ... Here is this
week's prisoner of war and missing in action
update:.
From the desk of NPS Ranger Jody Mays,
Chief, Interpretation and Resource Management.
GREAT NEWS!
From: Mays, Jody L
<Jody_Mays@nps.gov> Sent: 21 March, 2021 14:03 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: Andersonville NHS reopens museum and
recognizes National Former POW Recognition Day
Andersonville National Historic Site reopens museum and
recognizes National Former POW Recognition Day
ANDERSONVILLE, Ga. – Andersonville National Historic Site is pleased
to announce two upcoming special events, recognizing the
sacrifice of former prisoners of war (POWs) and highlighting
our mission of serving as a national memorial for all
American POWs.
On April 1, the National Prisoner of War Museum
will reopen to the public at a reduced capacity. Hours of
operation will be 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Restrooms
will be open but the theater will remain closed, so no park
films will be shown.
On April 2, park staff and volunteers from local
motorcycle club Robins Riders will raise the Avenue of Flags
at the park in honor of National Former POW Recognition Day,
which coincides with the start of the Bataan Death March on
April 9. This stirring and patriotic display of about 200
American and POW/MIA flags and 50 state flags can be viewed
until April 14.
Park grounds, including Andersonville National
Cemetery, remain open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Committal
services for eligible veterans and their families continue
to be offered at a reduced capacity as scheduled.
The health and safety of our visitors,
employees, volunteers, and partners is our number one
priority. If you are coming to the park, please allow for
adequate social distancing. Visitors are also required to
wear face masks in federal buildings including visitor
centers, historic structures, and museums. When outdoors,
face masks are required on NPS-managed lands when physical
distance cannot be maintained.
Andersonville National Historic Site is located
10 miles south of Oglethorpe, GA and 10 miles northeast of
Americus, GA on Georgia Highway 49. The national park
features the National Prisoner of War Museum, Andersonville
National Cemetery, and the site of the historic Camp Sumter
Civil War prison. Andersonville National Historic Site is
the only unit of the National Park System to serve as a
memorial to all American prisoners of war. Admission to the
park is free. For more information about the park call 229
924-0343, visit our
website, or check us out on
Facebook,
Twitter, or
YouTube..
In the aftermath of this
assault, 30 US Marines were killed, but left behind
during the hasty retreat. In 1999, the precursor to the
Defense POW/MIA ...
He was returning to
begin the process of resolving the POW/MIA
issue. The League of Wives exhibit was at our local
museum because Coronado is ...
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 15 March, 2021 09:53
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Alaska Airman Accounted For From World War II
Greetings,
March 15,
2021
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
U.S. Army
Air Forces Tech. Sgt.
Alfred F. Turgeon, 23, of Ketchikan, Alaska,
killed during World
War II, was accounted for Jan. 13, 2021.
In the
summer of 1943,
Turgeon was a pilot assigned to the 344th Bombardment
Squadron, 98th
Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943,
the B-24 Liberator
aircraft on which Turgeon was serving as a radio operator
crashed as a result
of enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation TIDAL WAVE,
the largest bombing
mission against the oil fields and refineries at
Ploiesti, north of
Bucharest, Romania. His remains were not identified
following the war.
The remains that could not be identified were buried as
Unknowns in the Hero
Section of the Civilian and Military Cemetery of
Bolovan, Ploiesti,
Prahova, Romania.
Following
the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the
organization
that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel,
disinterred
all American remains from the Bolovan Cemetery for
identification. The AGRC was unable to identify more than 80 unknowns from
Bolovan
Cemetery, and those remains were permanently interred at Ardennes
American
Cemetery and Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, both in Belgium.
In 2017, DPAA began
exhuming unknowns believed to be associated with
unaccounted for
airmen from Operation TIDAL WAVE losses. These remains were
sent to the DPAA
Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for
examination and
identification.
To identify
Turgeon's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces
Medical
Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and autosomal DNA
(auSTR)
analysis.
Turgeon's
name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence
American
Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in
Impruneta,
Italy, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will
be placed
next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Turgeon will
be buried in Shoreline, Washington.
The date has yet to be
determined.
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
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 15 March, 2021 11:29
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Washington Accounted For From World War II
Greetings,
March 15,
2021
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Seaman 1st Class
Gerald J. Bailey, 24, of Seattle, killed during World
War II, was accounted
for on Nov. 30, 2020.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Bailey 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 Bailey.
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 Bailey.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Bailey'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.
Bailey'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.
Bailey will be buried on
June 29, 2021, in Kent, 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
Paul's remains were
identified by the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting ... is tasked with recovering military
personnel designated as prisoners of war or ...
“During World War 2, our Dad was stationed at Fort Shafter in
Hawaii shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was a radio operator in
the Army to help make sure that such an attack never happened again,” they
say on the website. “We are hoping that if enough people see the photos,
many of them will recognize their grandfather, grandmother, father, mother,
aunt, uncle, or some other relative or friend.”
Paul's remains were
identified by the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting ... with recovering military personnel
designated as prisoners of war or missing in ...
They were disinterred and
identified as part of DPAA's [Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency] seven-phase project, which began in
2018, to disinter all ...
The POW-MIA
Accounting Agency operates a laboratory in Hawaii in
its efforts to identify soldiers. “It was a joyful
and exciting surprise for the Diocese ...
What a slap in the face to everyone who
has served,” Allen Lynch, a Medal ofHonor
recipient, said during the press conference. “It's not
conducive to a ...
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 4 March, 2021 10:17
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Texas Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Greetings,
March 4,
2021
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army
Master Sgt. James
Hart, Jr., 25, of Hopkins, Texas, killed during the
Korean War, was
accounted for May 28, 2020.
In late
1950, Hart 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
Hart'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), Y
chromosome
DNA (Y-STR), and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Hart'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.
Hart will be buried June
8, 2021, in Winterfield, Texas.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at
(800)
892-2490.
To see the
most up-to-date statistics on DPAA recovery efforts for those
unaccounted
for from the Korean War, go to the Korean War fact sheet on the
The Catholic Diocese of
Wichita said the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency identified Kapaun's remains,
concluding after a lot of research that he ...
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 1 March, 2021 11:18
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: South Carolina Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Greetings,
March 1, 2021
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army
Cpl. Ralph S. Boughman, 21, of Union, South
Carolina, killed during the
Korean War, was accounted for April 20, 2020.
In late 1950,
Boughman was a member
of Company B, 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 Boughman'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.
Boughman'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.
Boughman will be buried
May 15, 2021, in his hometown.
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: 1 March, 2021 10:52
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Illinois Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Greetings,
March 1, 2021
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army
Cpl. David B. Milano, 17, of Chicago,
killed during the Korean War, was
accounted for April 14, 2020.
In late 1950,
Milano was a member
of Company D, 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 Milano'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) and
Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR)
analysis.
Milano'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.
Milano will be
buried in Ogden, Utah. 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
1st Class Sean
Everette, of the Defense POW / MIA
accounting agency. This is the job of the …
From:
Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 25 February, 2021 10:04
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Indiana Accounted For From World War II
Greetings,
Feb. 25, 2021
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Bandmaster James B. Booe, 42, of
Veedersburg, Indiana, killed during
World War II, was accounted for on Sept. 29, 2020.
On Dec. 7, 1941,
Booe 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 Booe.
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 Booe.
Between June and November 2015,
DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns from the Punchbowl for
analysis.
To identify Booe'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.
Booe'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.
Booe will be buried on June 1, 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
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA)
<sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 19 February, 2021 12:40
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Release - DPAA Releases First Videos in New World War II
Series
Greetings,
Feb. 19, 2021
WASHINGTON—The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced the
release of the first videos in a series covering World War II Battles and
Operations on Feb. 19, 2021.
These first three videos highlight and give historical perspective on DPAA’s
Hürtgen Forest Project, Enoura Maru Project, and World War II
European-Mediterranean Disinterments. They are meant to facilitate
conversations with families as well as help them understand what is being
done to locate and identify their missing loved one.
Sean P. Everette
SFC, USA
Public Affairs NCOIC
Outreach and Communications
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
241 18th St. South, Suite 800
Arlington, VA 22202
(703) 699-1420
19, 2021, the Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
identified the remains of Shipfitter Third Class
Robert Edward Bailey, missing from World ...
-----Original
Message-----
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 11 February, 2021 10:32
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Pennsylvania Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Dear Editor,
Feb. 11,
2021
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army
Cpl. Paul W. Wilkins,
19, of Bellwood, Pennsylvania, killed during the
Korean War, was
accounted for Oct. 30, 2020.
In July
1950, Wilkins was a
member of B Company, 1st Battalion, 21st
Infantry Regiment,
24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action
on July 11 when his
unit was fighting enemy forces near Choch'iwan, South
Korea. He was never
found, nor were any remains recovered that could be
identified as
Wilkins. The Army declared a presumptive finding of death for
Wilkins on Dec. 31,
1953, and he was declared non-recoverable on Jan. 16,
1956.
On Oct. 4,
1950, U.S. forces buried an unidentified set of remains,
designated
Unknown X-113 Taejon, in United Nations Military Cemetery Taejon.
There was no
record or information as to the recovery location or identity
of these
remains. After multiple attempts to identify X-113, the remains
were deemed
unidentifiable, and were sent to Hawaii where they were buried
at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl.
In July 2018, DPAA
historians and anthropologists proposed a plan to
disinter and identify
the 652 Korean War unknown burials from the Punchbowl,
including 53
recovered from the Taejon area. X-113 was disinterred July 1,
2019, as part of the
Korean War Identification Project, and transferred to
the DPAA Laboratory
at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify
Wilkins' remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as chest radiograph comparison.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Wilkins'
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.
Wilkins will be buried in his hometown. The date is 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
WASHINGTON—The Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced
the 300th identification of a previously unaccounted-for
service ...
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA)
<sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 5 February, 2021 09:12
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Story - 300th USS Oklahoma Service Member Identified
Good morning,
Below and attached is the DPAA news story about our 300th USS Oklahoma
identification. Also attached is an audio file of Carrie LeGarde, the USS
Oklahoma Project lead, talking about the 300th ID and her feelings on it.
------
Feb. 4, 2021
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced the 300th
identification of a previously unaccounted-for service member from the USS
Oklahoma was made at the DPAA Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska
on Jan. 28.
Marine Pfc. John F. Middleswart was the milestone identification for an
effort that began 18 years earlier in 2003, but has seen the majority of its
work in the past five and a half years with the USS Oklahoma Project.
"When his identification came through, it was really exciting because I knew
this was number 300," said Carrie LeGarde, the USS Oklahoma Project lead.
"It shows everyone's hard work and I knew everyone would be really excited
about it, because this is a really huge milestone for the project."
Hattie Johnson, the head of the Repatriation branch of the Marine Corps
Casualty Office, said her office was also excited, but that they were not
the only ones.
"When I notified the nephew, who is 80 years old, he was not only excited
that his uncle had been identified, he was also excited that he was the
300th service member of 429 unaccounted-for Sailors and Marines to be
identified," said Johnson. "He stated that his mother, he, and his brother
provided DNA in 2009 to assist in the identification of his uncle if remains
were recovered, although he was skeptical that an identification would
happen in his lifetime. His mother always hoped that her brother would be
recovered and identified. She passed away in 2015 at 98 years old. The
Marine Corps is very excited and looking forward to working with the family
to bring Pfc. Middleswart home!"
In 2015, Department of Defense officials approved the phased disinterment of
all the USS Oklahoma caskets from the National Memorial Cemetery of the
Pacific in Honolulu, where 394 unidentified Sailors and Marines had been
buried as Unknowns since being consolidated there from other Hawaiian
cemeteries in the 1950s. Since then, only six USS Oklahoma crewmen had been
accounted for, leaving 388 left to identify.
On November 10, 2015, the last caskets were removed from the cemetery thanks
to a partnership between DPAA, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the
Department of the Navy. All of the USS Oklahoma remains were transferred to
the Offutt lab.
While this accomplishment signifies that the project will soon end, LeGarde
said her team isn't finished yet. She expects a conservative estimate of 42
more identifications will be made, but is pushing for more.
"I am very optimistic that we will hit 350," she said. "We're really
shooting for that next milestone."
For additional information on the USS Oklahoma Project or the Defense
Department's mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving
our country, visit the DPAA website at
www.dpaa.mil
or find us on social
media at
www.facebook.com/dodpaa.
------
Respectfully,
Sean P. Everette
SFC, USA
Public Affairs NCOIC
Outreach and Communications
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
241 18th St. South, Suite 800
Arlington, VA 22202
(703) 699-1420
US Rangers, Filipino guerillas rescued 500+
American POWs in ‘Great Raid’ 76 years ago On Jan. 30, 1945, 134 U.S. Army Rangers and Alamo Scouts, working
with around 280 Filipino guerilla fighters, successfully executed a raid of
a Japanese prisoner of war (POW) camp near Cabanatuan City, Philippines,
freeing more than 500 allied prisoners. The World War II rescue mission came
to be known as “The Great Raid.”...
The Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency has identified six sailors killed
when the USS Oklahoma was sunk during the Dec. 7,
1941 attack on Pearl ...
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 25 January, 2021 14:58
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA News Article: Trying to Bring Home WWII Soldiers of the 92nd
Infantry Division
Dear Editor,
...below is a DPAA article about the 92nd Infantry Division, the
only African-American infantry division in Europe during World War II. The
photos attached are public domain and courtesy of the National Archive.
//////
Trying to Bring Home WWII Soldiers of the 92nd Infantry Division
By Sgt. 1st Class Sean Everette
Jan. 25, 2021
WASHINGTON-The 92nd Infantry Division, "Buffalo Soldiers," began to deploy
to Italy in July 1944. They had spent more than a year training together at
Fort Huachuca, Arizona, and were deemed ready to enter World War II. What
made them unique was that they were only African American infantry unit
operating in Europe at that time.
The segregated division, made up of primarily white officers and African
American enlisted, was sent to the Gothic Line in the northern Apennine
Mountains in Italy, Germany's last major line of defense against the Allied
forces pushing north. They remained there throughout the winter with their
one major operation - Operation FOURTH TERM - taking place in February 1945.
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) historians estimate the 92nd lost
approximately 700 men during their time on the Line.
After the war, 53 men from the 92nd were still unaccounted for. In an effort
to account for them, DPAA started the 92nd Infantry Project in 2014, but up
to this point, have only been able to account for three of those men.
The greatest challenge in accounting for these men isn't lack of information
or the ability to correlate remains buried as unknowns with the
unaccounted-for, but not having the necessary DNA family reference samples
(FRS) for comparison in order to make an identification.
"This is primarily a disinterment project," said Dr. Sarah Barksdale, a DPAA
European-Mediterranean Directorate historian. "There are 51 unknowns buried
in Florence American Cemetery that are most likely associated with
casualties of the 92nd Infantry Division. We're trying to piece together the
details of battle to make associations between those members of the division
that are missing and the unknowns."
Barksdale is working with Dr. Traci Van Deest, the DPAA Laboratory 92nd
Infantry Division Project Lead and forensic anthropologist, to review the
records of the unknowns to create short lists of likely matches with the
92nd unaccounted-for to be able to propose disinterment and to compare to
remains already in the laboratory.
"We know how many unaccounted-for or unresolved cases there are from the
92nd," said Army Col. Jon Lust, the DPAA European-Mediterranean Director.
"We suspect all but two of them are unknowns in a cemetery. The problem we
have is, by the rules we have to follow, if we don't have enough FRS, we're
going to run the risk of knowing they're there, but we're not going to be
able to either A) get the approval for the disinterment because we don't
meet the threshold of FRS needed, or B) we will get the approval and the
remains will end up in the lab and we won't be able to make the
identification."
DNA analysis is one of the primary tools used by DPAA scientists to account
for missing Americans. However, DPAA doesn't perform the analysis of
collected DNA samples. That's handled by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner
System's (AFMES) Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory located at Dover
Air Force Base, Delaware.
"DNA testing performed by AFMES is one of the primary tools used in the
identification of our fallen heroes from World War II, the Korean War, and
the Vietnam War, and, although AFMES is highly successful in generating
mitochondrial and nuclear DNA results, those results mean nothing without an
appropriate Family Member DNA Reference to compare it to," said Dr. Tim
McMahon, AFMES Director of DNA Operations.
The Army Casualty Office is the organization charged with connecting with
the families of the 92nd and asking them to submit DNA, but tracking down
families of World War II-era service members can be difficult.
"There was a lot of relocation in the African American community after the
war," said Lust.
Lust also said records are limited when it comes to family and individual
movement.
Even when families are found, there can sometimes be a distrust of what the
government is going to do with the DNA given because of past issues.
However, there are now laws in place to prevent any kind of misconduct, and
AFMES can only use DNA for the purpose intended by the donor.
"Family references collected and submitted to AFMES are protected under the
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Privacy
Act, and the donor informed consent form," said McMahon. "The DNA profile
that is added to the secure AFMES database can only be utilized to assist in
the identification of our fallen heroes and is only accessible by AFMES
forensic scientists."
Family DNA was a vital part of accounting for Army Pfc. William H. Jones, an
African American Soldier who was reported missing in action during the
Korean War and whose remains were part of the 55 boxes turned over to the
U.S. by North Korea in 2018. Jones' brother and sister gave reference
samples.
"My mother, Mrs. Elizabeth J. Ohree, always believed that it was very vital
that we had a DNA sample to help identify the remains of her brother so he
could be returned to the family," said Gregory Ohree, Jones' nephew.
Ohree said his mother started the process when she saw in the news how
missing service members were being identified with DNA.
"It's important that families keep in contact with the military to get this
information," he said. "I would strongly encourage family members,
specifically African American families, to make the effort to give a DNA
sample."
Ohree hopes other families can find the same kind of closure his family
found.
"My mother never gave up hope because she knew that, after almost 70 years,
one day her brother would be coming home."
Ultimately, DPAA's goal with the 92nd Infantry Project is the same as it is
with all unaccounted-for Americans, to provide the fullest possible
accounting of our missing personnel to their families and the nation.
"This is an outfit that faced the enemy in Italy, but also faced segregation
from the War Department and their own countrymen," said Barksdale. "Bringing
them home and honoring their service doesn't correct those injustices.
However, the opportunity to return them to their families and tell their
stories in an honest and open way I think is a really important part of our
mission."
If you are family of someone unaccounted for from the 92nd Infantry
Division, please contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490 to
arrange giving a DNA sample. If you know of such a family, please pass on
the Army Casualty phone number and encourage them to help DPAA account for
their loved one.
"The 92nd Infantry, along with all the other missing, are not forgotten,"
said Van Deest. "We're still working on the cases already received at the
laboratory. We're still looking for FRS. We're still looking for ways to
bring these remains into the laboratory in order to do the scientific work
to identify them and bring them home."
//////
Respectfully,
Sean P. Everette
SFC, USA
Public Affairs NCOIC
Outreach and Communications
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
241 18th St. South, Suite 800
Arlington, VA 22202
(703) 699-1420
"We ask you to ensure
that the White House displays the POW/MIA
flag in accordance with federal law to appropriately
honor all American prisoners of ...
A photo of the U.S.
flag and POW-MIA flag flying upside
down and at half-mast at the Kihei post office went
viral on social media. The post sparked ...
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 22 January, 2021 13:53
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS West Virginia Sailor from Kentucky Accounted For From World War
II
Jan. 22,
2021
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Fireman 3rd Class
Welborn L. Ashby, 24, of Centertown, Kentucky, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on Nov. 4, 2019.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Ashby 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 Ashby.
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 Ashby, were interred as
unknowns at
the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the
Punchbowl,
in Honolulu.
From June
through October 2017, DPAA, 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 DPAA
laboratory
at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify
Ashby'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)
and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Ashby'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.
Ashby will be buried May
31, 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: 22 January, 2021 15:19
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor from Ohio Accounted For From World War II
Jan. 22,
2021
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Radioman 3rd Class
Thomas E. Griffith, 20, of Dayton, Ohio, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on April 21, 2020.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Griffith 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 Griffith.
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 Griffith.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Griffith's remains, scientists from DPAA anthropological
analysis.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner
System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Griffith'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.
Griffith will be buried
May 22, 2021 at Arlington National Cemetery in
Arlington, Virginia.
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 January, 2021 11:23
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Ohio Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Jan. 19,
2021
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today
that
Navy
Chief Machinist's
Mate Class Lada Smisek, 42, of Cleveland, Ohio,
killed during
World War II, was accounted for Aug. 19, 2019.
In 1942,
Smisek served at
the Naval Ammunition Depot and Submarine Base in
Cavite,
Philippine Islands, when Japanese forces invaded. Intense fighting
continued until
the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and
of Corregidor
Island on May 6, 1942.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were taken prisoner and
sent
to
prisoner of war camps. Smisek was among those reported captured after
the
surrender of Corregidor and held at the Cabanatuan POW camp.
More than
2,500 POWs
perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records,
Smisek died Sept.
28,
1942, and was
buried along with fellow prisoners in the local Cabanatuan
Camp Cemetery, in
grave number 437.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel
exhumed
those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery examined the remains in an
attempt
to identify them. Due to the circumstances of the deaths and
burials,
the extensive commingling, and the limited identification
technologies of the time, all of the remains could not be identified.
The
unidentified remains were interred as "unknowns" in the present-day
Manila
American
Cemetery and Memorial.
In 2016,
the "unknown" remains associated with Common Grave 437 were
disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis, including one
set,
designated X-1473 Manila #2.
To
identify Smisek'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.
Smisek's
name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American
Cemetery
and Memorial, an American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) site,
along
with others missing from World War II. Although interred as an
"unknown" in Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Smisek's grave was
meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the ABMC. A rosette
will
be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Smisek will be
buried on Jan. 29, 2021, at the National Memorial Cemetery of
the Pacific in
Honolulu.
For
family and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the ABMC 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
Saw this link while reading the article on the WWII MOH
recipient. I found the above article very emblematic of the issues with DPAA
and the predecessor organizations. B
He was given a hasty burial and
subsequently became the war's first service member
to receive the Medal of Honor in the early
days of the conflict when ...
Lt. Salisah Labonte is with the
Navy's Casualty POW/MIA branch, and
it's her job to work with families once a soldier's
remains are identified and return ...
Earlier today I shared a STARS and
STRIPE’s story by Wyatt Olson which I received from Jed
Henry, with all of You. Not long after the share was
distributed, Jed Henry, received a memo from the Acting DOD
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Anthony Tata. For those
who don’t know, Mr. Tata has oversight of the world renown DPAA,
which is under the Direction of Mr. Kelly McKeague.
Not specifically noted in either the
story or the memo (below) is Mr. Henry’s ‘never say die’
persistence to get this Family’s story in front of the right
person, aka – Mr. Tata.
The reason I share both pieces with you
tonight is two-fold;
Great News, that needs to be shared ( if
you know Mr. Henry – consider congratulatory communication)
A Reminder – that by engaging and
communicating ‘persistently’ YOU , too,
can make a difference in the “end date” of this
Mission.
Until they ALL come
home……….
moe
Mr. Henry,
Thank you for your
emails. I returned from international government travel late
last night and reviewed your email yesterday and the full case
summary for 1LT Nininger this morning.
We have no more sacred
duty than caring for our fallen and their families. I have
directed DPAA to immediately generate the necessary exception to
policy in order to expeditiously execute scientific analysis of
the remains to confirm or deny identification.
Mr. McKeague remains my
primary point of contact for this action.
John McCain visited for a
while until his congressional duties became too
time-consuming, as did Medal of Honor recipient Brig.
Gen. Bud Day, who is ...
WASHINGTON — The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
(DPAA) announced Jan. 5 that Navy Fireman 3rd
Class William L. Barnett, 21, of Fort ...
From: Everette,
SWean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 5 January, 2021 14:23
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS West Virginia Sailor From Kansas Accounted For From World War
II
Dear Editor,
Jan. 5, 2021
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Fireman 3rd Class
William L. Barnett, 21, of Fort Scott, Kansas, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on Sept. 14, 2020.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Barnett 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 Barnett.
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 Barnett, were interred as
unknowns at
the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the
Punchbowl,
in Honolulu.
From June
through October 2017, DPAA, 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 DPAA
laboratory.
To identify
Barnett'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.
Barnett'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.
Barnett will be buried
May 29, 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
he
BA 747 was destroyed by US fighter planes at the request of the
British. Was this to hide the embarrassment of an 'own goal' or was
it to cover up something else? All the tools in the London and
Washington governments' arsenal have been used to suppress the truth
- from non-denial denials to the obscuring of dates and timelines.
But the cover-up has always rested on shaky foundations and, one by
one, the planks have been knocked down. The world of 1990 was one in
which it was easier to hide the truth. There were no mobile phones
to photograph or live-stream events, no social media to contradict
official statements. It was a world before Putin and Trump, in which
it was still possible to believe that Western democracies would not
go to war on the basis of misused intelligence, or that leaders
would not lie to their citizens.
