2019
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stories and Press Releases below chart

Research sites: 

www.kpows.com

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

List posted 07/31/19

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

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

-----Original Message-----
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 18 October, 2019 09:07
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Massachusetts Airman Accounted For From World War II

Dear Editor,

Oct. 18, 2019

WASHINGTON- The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today

that U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Joseph E. Finneran, 22, of Jamaica Plain,

Massachusetts, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 9, 2019.

(This identification was initially published Aug. 13, 2019.)

In the summer of 1943, Finneran was a bombardier assigned to the 345th

Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), known as the

Pyramidiers. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24D aircraft on which Finneran served

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. Of the Americans killed, only 27

could be identified, not including Finneran.  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) was the

organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel.  The

teams disinterred all American remains from the Bolovan Cemetery for

identification.  One set that could not be identified was designated Unknown

X-5300 Neuville, and reinterred into the American Military Cemetery at

Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium.

In 2017, DPAA began exhuming unknowns believed to be associated with

unaccounted-for airmen from Operation Tidal Wave losses.  On Aug. 28, 2017,

Unknown X-5300 Neuville was disinterred and sent to the laboratory for

analysis.

To identify Finneran's remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological

analysis.  Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner

System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.

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 family information, contact the Army Service Casualty Office at (800)

892-2490.

Finneran will be buried Nov. 9, 2019, in West Roxbury, Massachusetts.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000

died during the war.  Currently there are 72,652 service members still

unaccounted for from World War II, of which approximately 30,000 are

assessed as possibly recoverable. Finneran's name is recorded on the Tablets

of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery, an American Battle

Monuments Commission site in Impruneta, Italy, along with the others missing

from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been

accounted for.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account

for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA

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

or call (703) 699-1420.

//////

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

From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 18 October, 2019 08:16
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Georgia Soldier Accounted For From the Korea War

Dear Editor,

Oct. 18, 2019

WASHINGTON- The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today

that Army Sgt. Billy J. Maxwell, 19, of Hogansville, Georgia, killed during

the Korean War, was accounted for Aug. 7, 2019.

(This identification was initially released Aug. 9, 2019.)

In late 1950, Maxell was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 31st Infantry

Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. His unit was engaged in intense fighting

with the Chinese People's Volunteer Forces at near the Chosin Reservoir,

North Korea.  He was reported missing in action Nov. 30, 1950.  Following

the war, 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 Maxwell'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.

Today, 7,608 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using

modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that

were previously returned by Korean officials, recovered from Korea by

American recovery teams or disinterred from unknown graves.  Maxwell's name

is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery

of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are missing from the

Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has

been accounted for.

For family information, contact the Army Casualty office at (800) 892-2490.

Maxwell will be buried Nov. 9, 2019, in his hometown of Hogansville Georgia

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account

for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA

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

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Maxwell's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt00000001VFXEA2

//////

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

From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 17 October, 2019 16:08
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Correction: Kentucky Sailor Accounted For From World War II

Dear Editor,

Oct. 17, 2019

WASHINGTON— The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today

that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted for from World War II are

being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

(This identification was initially published Aug. 15, 2019.)

Navy Seaman 2nd Class Hubert P. Hall, 20, of Floyd County, Kentucky,

accounted for on Aug. 14, 2019, will be buried in the spring of 2020 at the

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in

Honolulu. On Dec. 7, 1941, Hall 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 Hall. 

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

Punchbowl. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not

be identified as non-recoverable, including Hall.

In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum

directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On

June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl

for analysis.

¬

To identify Hall’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces

Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental and

anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. 

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership

in this mission.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000

died during the war.  Currently there are 72,652 still unaccounted for from

World War II with approximately 30,000 assessed as possibly recoverable.

Hall’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along

with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to

his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account

for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA

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

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Hall’s personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000XeLVEA0

//////

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

From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 17 October, 2019 11:00
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: South Dakota Soldier Accounted For From World War II

Dear Editor,

Oct. 17, 2019

WASHINGTON- The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today

that Army Pfc. Donald E. Mangan, 26, of Elkton, South Dakota, killed during

World War II, was accounted for on July 30, 2019.

(This identification was initially published on Aug. 7, 2019.)

In 1944, Mangan was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry

Regiment, 28th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Sept.

17, 1944, after his unit was attacked by enemy forces near Wettlingen,

Germany. His remains could not be recovered after the attack.

After the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), U.S. Army

Quartermaster Corps, was the unit tasked with investigation and recovery of

missing American personnel.  The AGRC collected thousands of unknown remains

from across northern Europe.  A mass grave of several 112th Infantry

Soldiers was found near Wettlingen, and most were identified through

identification tags or personal effects.  However two sets, designated X-70

Hamm and X-71 Hamm, were declared unidentifiable, and subsequently buried in

the Luxembourg American Cemetery as Unknowns.

In 2017, while studying American losses and unidentified remains recovered

from combat around Wettlingen, Germany, a DPAA historian reviewed documents

of X-70 Hamm, and determined that there were five unresolved American

casualties who were last known to have been lost in combat near Wettlingen,

including Mangan.

In April 2019, the Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments

Commission disinterred X-70 Hamm and accessioned the remains to the DPAA

laboratory.

To identify Mangan's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental,

anthropological analysis and chest radiograph comparison analysis, as well

as circumstantial evidence. 

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.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000

died during the war.  Currently, there are 72,652 service members still

unaccounted for from World War II with approximately 30,000 assessed as

possibly recoverable. Mangan's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing

at Luxembourg American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission

site in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, along with others missing from WWII.

Although interred as an Unknown, Mangan's grave was meticulously cared for

by ABMC for 70 years.  A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate

he has been accounted for.

For family information, contact the Army Service Casualty office at (800)

892-2490.

Mangan will be buried in Gig Harbor, Washington, on Oct. 22, 2019.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account

for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA

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

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Mangan's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000001Ol8RGEAZ

//////

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

From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA)
<sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 16 October, 2019 14:10
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Michigan Soldier Accounted for from the Korean War


Dear Editor,

Oct. 16, 2019

WASHINGTON- The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today
that Army Sgt. David A. Feriend, 23, of Fife Lake, Michigan, killed during
the Korean War, was accounted for Aug. 7, 2019.

(This identification was initially published on Aug. 12, 2019.)


In late 1950, Feriend was a member of Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion,
31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in
action on Dec. 6, 1950, in the vicinity of 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 Feriend's remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological
analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.  Additionally,
scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial
DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.

Today, 7,608 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using
modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that
were previously returned by Korean officials, recovered from Korea by
American recovery teams or disinterred from unknown graves.  Feriend's name
is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery
of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are missing from the
Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been accounted for.

For family information, contact the Army Casualty office at (800) 892-2490.

Feriend will be buried Oct. 13, 2019, in Kingsley, Michigan.


For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil , find us on
social media at  http://www.facebook.com/dodpaa 
or call (703) 699-1420/1169.


Feriend's personnel profile can be viewed at
https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000000hAgs7EAC

 

//////

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

From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (USA) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 4 October, 2019 09:14
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: New York Coast Guardsman Accounted For From World War II

Dear Editor,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Coast

Guard Lt. Thomas J.E. Crotty, 30, of Buffalo, New York, killed during World

War II, was accounted for Sept. 10, 2019.

(This identification was initially published on Sept. 17, 2019.)

In 1942, Crotty served aboard the USS Quail in the Philippines as part of

the 16th Naval District-in-Shore Patrol Headquarters, in Cavite Navy Yard on

the Philippine Islands.

Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were taken prisoner and sent

to prisoner of war camps. Crotty 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, Crotty died July 19, 1942, and was

buried along with fellow prisoners in the Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery, in grave

number 312.

Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel

exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and 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 January 2018, the "unknown" remains associated with Common Grave 312 were

disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis, including one set,

designated X-2858 Manila #2.

To identify Crotty'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.

DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission and the United

States Coast Guard for their partnership in this mission.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000

died during the war. Currently there are 72,657 service members still

unaccounted for from World War II, of which approximately 30,000 are

assessed as possibly-recoverable. Crotty's name is recorded on the Walls of

the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, an American Battle

Monuments Commission site along with others missing from WWII. Although

interred as an "unknown" in Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Crotty's

grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American

Battle Monuments Commission.  A rosette will be placed next to his name to

indicate he has been accounted for.

For family information, contact the Coast Guard Service Casualty Office at

(202) 795-6637.

Crotty will be buried Nov. 3, 2019, in Buffalo, New York.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account

for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA

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

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Crotty's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000XeNPEA0

/////

SFC Kristen Duus

Chief of External Communications

Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

2300 Defense Pentagon

Washington, D.C 20301-2300

(703) 699-1420

From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (USA) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 1 October, 2019 09:03
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: New York Soldier Accounted For From Korean War

Dear Editor,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Sgt.

Gerald B. Raeymacker, 21, of Dunkirk, New York, killed during the Korean

War, was accounted for Aug. 9, 2019.

(This identification was initially published Aug. 22, 2019.)

In late 1950, Raeymacker was a member of Battery B, 57th Field Artillery

Battalion, 7th Infantry Division, 31st Regimental Combat Team. He was

reported missing in action on Dec. 6, 1950, in the vicinity of the Chosin

Reservoir, North Korea, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces.

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 Raeymacker's remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological

analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.  Additionally,

scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial

DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.

Today, 7,609 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using

modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that

were previously returned by Korean officials, recovered from Korea by

American recovery teams or disinterred from unknown graves.  Raeymacker's

name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial

Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are missing

from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate

he has been accounted for.

For family information, contact the Army Casualty office at (800) 892-2490

Raeymacker will be buried Oct. 19, 2019, in his hometown of Dunkirk, New York.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account

for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA

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

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Raeymacker's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000000ffRJAEA2

/////

SFC Kristen Duus

Chief of External Communications

Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

2300 Defense Pentagon

Washington, D.C 20301-2300

(703) 699-1420

From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (USA) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 September, 2019 13:28
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Michigan Airman Accounted for from World War II

Dear Editor,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army

Air Forces Cpl. Walter J. Kellett, 22, of Ironwood, Michigan, killed during

World War II, was accounted for July 23, 2019.

(This identification was initially published on Aug. 1, 2019.)

In 1942, Kellett was a member of the 17th Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit

Group when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands.  Intense fighting

continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and

of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.

Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at

prisoner of war camps.  Kellett 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, Kellett died July 19,

1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local

Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery, in grave number 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 May 2018, 23 "unknown" remains associated with Common Grave 312 were

disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis, including one set,

designated X-2843 Manila Cemetery #2.

To identify Kellett'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.

DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission and the

Department of the Army for their partnership in this mission.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000

died during the war. Currently there are 72,657 service members still

unaccounted for from World War II, of which approximately 30,000 are

assessed as possibly-recoverable.  Kellett's name is recorded on the Walls

of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, an American

Battle Monuments Commission site, along with others missing from WWII.

Although interred as an "unknown" in Manila American Cemetery and Memorial,

Kellett's grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the

American Battle Monuments Commission.  A rosette will be placed next to his

name to indicate he has been accounted for.

For family information, contact the Army Service Casualty Office at (800)

892-2490.

Kellett will be buried Oct. 5, 2019, in his hometown.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account

for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA

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

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Kellett's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt00000004qbqEAA

SFC Kristen Duus

Chief of External Communications

Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

2300 Defense Pentagon

Washington, D.C 20301-2300

(703) 699-1420

From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (USA) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 September, 2019 12:53
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: New Mexico Sailor Accounted For From World War II

Dear Editor,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today Navy Reserve

Seaman 2nd Class Moyses A. Martinez, 19, of Dulce, New Mexico, killed during

World War II, was accounted for June 10, 2019.

(This identification was initially published June 17, 2019.)

On July 24, 1944, Martinez was aboard the battleship USS Colorado, which was

moored approximately 3,200 yards from the shore of Tinian Island,

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.  Early in the morning, the USS

Colorado, along with the light cruiser Cleveland and destroyers Remey and

Norman Scott, commenced firing toward the island.  Within two hours, a

concealed Japanese shore battery opened fire on the USS Colorado and the USS

Norman Scott.  The first hit on the USS Colorado resulted in a heavy

explosion, and the ship sustained extensive fragmentation damage.  From the

attack, four crewmen were declared missing in action, and 39 personnel were

killed, including Martinez.  Martinez and the other casualties were

subsequently interred in the 4th Marine Division Cemetery on Saipan.

In February 1948, under the direction of the American Graves Registration

Service's 9105th Technical Service Unit, three battlefield cemeteries,

including the 4th Marine Division Cemetery, were disinterred.  While the

majority of identifications that had been tentatively made following the

attack were upheld, nine sets were reclassified as "unknown."  Of those,

five were eventually identified and four were declared as unknown and were

interred at the Manila American Memorial and Cemetery in the Philippines.

On Oct. 18, 2017, personnel from DPAA, in partnership with the American

Battle Monuments Commission, exhumed Unknown X-74 from the Manila American

Memorial and Cemetery and accessioned the remains to the DPAA laboratory for

analysis.

To identify Martinez' 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.

DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission and the

Department of the Navy for their partnership in this mission.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000

died during the war.  Currently there are 72,657 service members still

unaccounted for from WWII, of which approximately 30,000 are assessed as

possibly recoverable.  Martinez' name is recorded on the Courts of the

Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, in Honolulu, along

with the others missing from WWII.  Although interred as an Unknown,

Martinez' grave was meticulously cared for by ABMC for 70 years.  A rosette

will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

For family information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office at (800)

443-9298.

Martinez will be buried Oct. 8, 2019, in Las Vegas.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account

for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA

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

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Martinez' personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000XfszEAC

/////

SFC Kristen Duus

Chief of External Communications

Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

2300 Defense Pentagon

Washington, D.C 20301-2300

(703) 699-1420

moe note:

this link is an Op-Ed in the Oregon Market. It is also a classic case of ignorance of the POW/MIA issue and the Congressionally approved Ensign, that the author refers to, that is a National symbol not a State symbol. She Speaks only to POW’s which indicates she may not know about the 82,000 American Families that STILL Wait for their Soldier to come home. Opportunity for an POW/MIA Advocate to Educate their fellow American.
 

From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (USA) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 24 September, 2019 17:58
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: North Dakota Sailor Accounted For From World War II

Dear Editor,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy

Radioman 2nd Class Floyd A. Wells, 24, of Cavalier, North Dakota, killed

during World War II, was accounted for June 17, 2019.

(This identification was initially published July 8, 2019.)

On Dec. 7, 1941, Wells was assigned to the battleship USS Arizona, which was

moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese

aircraft. The USS Arizona sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused a

cataclysmic explosion, and ignited a fire that burned for two days. The

attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 1,177 crewmen.  The majority of

these remains were never recovered from the wreckage and are entombed in the

USS Arizona Memorial.    

For several years following the attack, Navy personnel recovered the remains

of the deceased from other ships that were hit by the attack, including the

USS Oklahoma, on which 429 crewmen perished.  Unable to be identified, most

of these remains were interred as Unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery

of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.  After Deputy

Secretary of Defense Robert O. Work approved the disinterment, between June

and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknown remains

from the Punchbowl for analysis.

A casket that was originally designated as X-97 and buried at Nu'uanu Naval

Cemetery was among those disinterred for DPAA's USS Oklahoma Project. When

identification analysis of the remains in that casket did not match any of

the missing personnel associated with the USS Oklahoma, the DPAA staff

widened the scope of the analysis to include all personnel missing from the

Pearl Harbor attack.  

Using a variety of information, the DPAA was able to determine that in the

chaotic days just after the attack the remains had been recovered, but

erroneously labelled as being collected from the USS Oklahoma. Subsequent

attempts to identify the remains immediately after the war were unsuccessful

and the remains were buried at the Punchbowl with the other Unknowns from

the USS Oklahoma.

To identify Wells' remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological

analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.  Additionally,

scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial

DNA (mtDNA) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis to aid in the identification.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of the Navy and the Department of

Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000

died during the war.  Currently there are 72,660 still unaccounted-for from

World War II, of which approximately 30,000 are assessed as possibly

recoverable.  Wells' name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the

Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII.  A rosette will

be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

For family information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office at (800)

443-9298.

Wells will be buried Oct. 1, 2019, in Mandan, North Dakota.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account

for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA

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

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Wells' personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000014EF8REAW

/////

SFC Kristen Duus

Chief of External Communications

Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

2300 Defense Pentagon

Washington, D.C 20301-2300

(703) 699-1420

From: Roger Hall <rhall8715@aol.com>

 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
______________________________________
)
ROGER HALL, et al., )
)
Plaintiffs, )
)
v. ) Civil Action No. 04-0814 (RCL) )
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY, )
)
Defendant. )
______________________________________ )
DEFENDANT’S REPLY IN SUPPORT OF ITS MOTION
FOR RECONSIDERATION OF THE ORDER DATED AUGUST 2, 2019

Defendant, the Central Intelligence Agency (“CIA” or “Agency”), respectfully submits this reply in further support of the CIA’s motion for reconsideration of the Court’s memorandum and order dated August 2, 2019. See ECF No. 342. The Court’s August 2, 2019, Order requires the CIA to search its operational files and “explain whether any additional responsive records exist and, if so, why they remain operational.” Id. at 3. In doing so, the Court concluded that Plaintiffs provided sufficient “personal knowledge or otherwise admissible evidence” regarding the improper designation of the CIA’s operational files. Id. The CIA has moved for reconsideration regarding the Court’s conclusion that Plaintiffs’ affidavits sufficiently establish the requisite personal knowledge. See ECF No. 342 at 6. Plaintiffs’ opposition makes the unsupported assertion that these affidavits were based on “mostly facts, not opinions” and fails to meaningfully address any of the bases for the CIA’s reconsideration motion. See ECF No. 343 at 2. Accordingly, the Court should grant the CIA’s motion and dispense with the requirement to conduct a search of the CIA’s operational files. Case 1:04-cv-00814-RCL Document 344 Filed 09/20/19 Page 1 of 4

2
As discussed in the CIA’s motion, under the National Security Act “if a complainant alleges that requested records were improperly withheld because of the improper exemption of operational files,” the CIA must “demonstrat[e] to the court by sworn written submission that exempted operation[al] files likely to contain responsive records currently perform the function[s] set forth in [50 U.S.C. § 3141(b)].” 50 U.S.C. § 3141(f)(4)(A). The CIA made this demonstration via the declarations of Antoinette B. Shiner, submitted on January 1, 2017 (ECF No. 271-1) and November 29, 2017 (ECF No. 295-2), respectively. Ms. Shiner’s declarations described the procedures and circumstances regarding the CIA’s decennial review of the exempt operational file designations and how the CIA identifies the exempt file series and evaluates whether the files perform the functions set forth in the statute. See ECF No. 342 at 5-6.

As this Court has already noted, Ms. Shiner’s declarations do not necessarily end the inquiry. See ECF No. 340 at 3 (noting that section 3141 “does not categorically absolve CIA from searching its operational records”). Indeed, the CIA’s demonstration, made through Ms. Shiner’s declarations, may be rebutted by a “sworn written submission based on personal knowledge or otherwise admissible evidence.” Id. § 3141(f)(4)(A). In ordering the CIA to search its operational files, this Court credited Plaintiffs with having sufficiently made such a rebuttal. ECF No. 340 at 3 (citing to the affidavit of Bob Smith, ECF No. 258-4). In addition to the affidavit by former Senator Smith filed on October 21, 2016, Plaintiffs have also relied upon affidavits by former Congressmen John LeBoutillier (ECF No. 83-15) and Bill Hendon (ECF No. 95-45), filed on September 6, 2007, and June 4, 2008, respectively, primarily to establish that potentially responsive records must exist. As discussed in the CIA’s reconsideration motion, however, these affidavits—when closely scrutinized with respect to the “personal knowledge” requirement in Section 3141(f)(4)(A)—fall short of the relevant standard. Case 1:04-cv-00814-RCL Document 344 Filed 09/20/19 Page 2 of 4

3
In their opposition, Plaintiffs note that the affidavits filed in this case relate to “reviews of records at issue” and are based on “mostly facts, not opinions.” ECF No. 343 at 2. The CIA takes no position as to whether these former lawmakers have actually seen the documents that they describe. See e.g., Hendon Decl. (ECF No. 95-45) Ά 9 (“I believe that the CIA is in possession of [certain] imagery”). Nor does the CIA doubt the sincerity of Senator Smith’s belief that some element of the Intelligence Community has documents that should be declassified. See e.g., Smith Aff. (258-4) Ά 8 (“I personally have seen hundreds of classified documents that could and should be released”). However, even taking these affidavits at face value, as noted in the CIA’s motion for reconsideration, the affiants’ statements are entirely bedside the point in this case. The statutory language in the National Security Act makes clear that the CIA’s obligation to demonstrate that its operational files perform the statutorily enumerated functions is only triggered when a plaintiff contends “that requested records were improperly withheld because of improper exemption of operational files.” 50 U.S.C. § 3141(f)(4)(A) (emphasis added); see Judicial Watch v. CIA, 310 F. Supp. 3d 34, 42 (D.D.C. 2018) (the “personal knowledge” requirement pertains to “the improper classification on the part of the CIA”). Critically, none of the affidavits submitted by Plaintiffs claim to have any personal knowledge or indeed present any evidence of the improper exemption of operational files on the part of the CIA. Nor were the affidavits submitted in rebuttal of the CIA’s demonstration that the operational files currently perform their functions, as they were submitted prior to Ms. Shiner’s relevant declarations in this case. This showing completely fails to establish the requisite “personal knowledge” under Section 3141(f)(4)(A) regarding the CIA’s exemption of operational files. Accordingly, Plaintiffs’ showing is also insufficient to compel a search of  Case 1:04-cv-00814-RCL Document 344 Filed 09/20/19 Page 3 of 4

4
those files under the National Security Act, which was intended to “relieve the CIA of an undue burden of searching and reviewing operational files.” H.R. Rep. No. 98-726 at 35 (1984).
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, the Court should grant Defendant’s motion for reconsideration, remove the requirement for the CIA to search its operational files, and issue summary judgment in favor of the CIA.
 

Dated: September 20, 2019 Respectfully submitted,
J

ESSIE K. LIU, D.C. Bar. No. 472845
United States Attorney
DANIEL F. VAN HORN, D.C. Bar No. 924092
Chief, Civil Division
By: /s/ Christopher Hair
CHRISTOPHER HAIR, PA Bar No. 306656
Assistant United States Attorney
555 Fourth Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20530
(202) 252-2541
christopher.hair@usdoj.gov
Counsel for Defendant

09/19/19

Progress on recovering missing troops, but still a daunting task ahead

Military Times

Leaders at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said the ceremony serves as a reminder to the public of the ongoing work to bring every missing ...

POW shares Vietnam experience during ceremony in Meridian

Meridian Star

POW shares Vietnam experience during ceremony in Meridian ... told the audience during a POW/MIA ceremony Wednesday at Meridian City Hall.

Local DAR members honoring POW/MIA Day

Mcalester News Capital

Following the end of the war the POW/MIA issue still demanded attention, however, Americans wanted to ...

Nearly 80 years after Pearl Harbor attack, a New Jersey sailor comes home

The Philadelphia Inquirer

... four of the sailors among the “unknowns" of the West Virginia, said Commander Daniel Colon, of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

-------- Forwarded Message --------

Compatriots,

Today is National POW-MIA Recognition Day.

On this day we remember all members of our armed forces who were, and are, prisoners of war and missing in action.

Are because tens of thousands of Americans were unreturned from Americas wars of the 20th century.  Our enemies and our erstwhile ally (ie the Soviet Union) kept American military personnel after each conflict and our government for reasons of political expedience abandoned them.  This year is the 100th Anniversary of the American Expeditionary Force sent to Archangel in to engage the Bolsheviks in what was to become the Soviet Union.  Hundreds of Americans who had participated on the Western Front and sent to Russia as a part of this force were captured and very few were returned.  Despite our government having abandoned these servicemen, we continue to hear the oft repeated propaganda that America never leaves it men behind.  

We pray that the Almighty will give comfort to those unreturned Americans most of who have now expired and whose remains are now sought by a supposedly sympathetic government. 

This administration should not be painted with the same brush as its predecessors but there are those who remain in the government bureaucracy who continue the cover up. Our enemies and friends are fully aware that American has practiced this duplicity and it comes back to haunt us in the attitude and demeanor of those hostile entities with whom we find it necessary to negotiate. America in abandoning its servicemen has lost its integrity.  Nevertheless, we remain hopeful that with strong leadership and the revelation of truth, it will be recovered along with those men who may still be alive.

Lest We Forget.

John Molloy, OSJ

Chairman

National Vietnam & Gulf War Veterans Coalition

Exec. Dir.

RELEASE Foundation, POW-MIA

From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (USA) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 20 September, 2019 11:38
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: South Carolina Soldier Accounted For From Korean War

Dear Editor,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced that Army Cpl. Harold

Pearce, 25, of Dillon, South Carolina, killed during the Korean War, was

accounted for July 20, 2019.

July 1950, Pearce was a member of 1st Platoon, 24th Military Police Company,

24th Infantry Division.  He was killed July 10, 1950, when his unit was

withdrawing from the city of Taejon, South Korea.  Because of the unit's

hasty withdrawal, his remains were not recovered.

In October 1950, three sets of unidentified remains from the vicinity of

where Pearce was killed were turned over to the U.S. Military

Cemetery-Taejon for burial.  The American Graves Registration Service Group

(AGRSG) identified two sets of remains, however the third set could not be

identified and they were buried at U.S. Military Cemetery-Taejon as Unknown

X-210 Taejon.  In 1956, the U.S. Army declared Unknown X-210 Taejon again

unidentifiable. 

In an effort to support identification attempts, remains recovered

throughout South Korea were sent to the Central Identification Command in

Kokura, Japan, for identification.  X-210 could not be associated with any

missing service members and the remains were subsequently transferred to the

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in

Honolulu and buried as a Korean Unknown.

On August 2018, DPAA disinterred "X-210 Taejon" from the Punchbowl and sent

the remains to the laboratory for identification.

To identify Pearce's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental,

anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, along with

circumstantial evidence.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership

in this mission.

Today, 7,612 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using

modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that

were previously returned by Korean officials, recovered from Korea by

American recovery teams or disinterred from American cemeteries.  Pearce's

name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial

Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are missing

from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate

he has been accounted for.

For family information, contact the Army service casualty office at (800)

892-2490.

Pearce will be buried Sept. 26, 2019, in Latta, South Carolina.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account

for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA

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

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Pearce's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000000E0to5EAB

/////

SFC Kristen Duus

Chief of External Communications

Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

2300 Defense Pentagon

Washington, D.C 20301-2300

(703) 699-1420

From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (USA) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 10 September, 2019 09:50
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Marine Accounted For From Korean War

Dear Editor,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Marine

Corps Reserve Pfc. Grady J. Crawford, 21, of Dallas, killed during the

Korean War, was accounted for May 17, 2019.

(This identification was initially published on July 11, 2019.)

In late November 1950, Crawford was a member of Battery M, 4th Battalion,

11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, serving in North Korea.  He was

last seen engaged in combat operations at Yudam-ni, West Chosin Reservoir,

North Korea, on Dec. 1, 1950.  No lists provided by the Chinese People's

Volunteer Forces or Korean People's Army showed Crawford as a prisoner of

war and no returning American prisoners reported to have any information on

his status.  Absent evidence of continued survival, the Department of the

Navy declared him deceased as of Oct. 30, 1953.

In September 1954, as part of Operation Glory, where the United Nations

Command, Chinese People's Volunteer Forces and Korean People's Army

exchanged war dead at Munsan-ni, South Korea, the United Nations received

remains reported to have been recovered from the west side  of the Chosin

Reservoir.  The remains were sent to the Central Identification Unit for

attempted identification.  One set, designated X-14896, was declared

unidentifiable.  They were then transferred to the National Memorial

Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP,) known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu and were

interred as Unknown.

In May 2012, following thorough historical and scientific analysis, X-14896

was disinterred from the Punchbowl and sent to the laboratory for analysis.

To identify Crawford's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental,

anthropological and skull photograph superimposition analysis, as well as

circumstantial and material evidence. 

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership

in this mission.

Today, 7,624 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using

modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that

were previously returned by Korean officials, recovered from North Korea by

American recovery teams or disinterred from Unknown graves.  Crawford's name

is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl along with others

who are missing from the Korean War.  A rosette will be placed next to his

name to indicate he has been accounted for.

For family contact information, contact the Marine Corps Casualty Office at

(800) 847-1597.

Crawford will be buried Sept. 28, 2019 in Hickory, North Carolina.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account

for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA

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

or call (703) 699-1420.

Crawford's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000000f0p2dEAA

/////

SFC Kristen Duus

Chief of External Communications

Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

2300 Defense Pentagon

Washington, D.C 20301-2300

(703) 699-1420

From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (USA) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 9 September, 2019 10:54
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Kentucky Soldier Accounted For From World War II

Dear Editor,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today Army Pfc. Jacob

W. Givens, 30, of Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, was accounted for on June 17,

2019.

(This identification was initially published June 20, 2019.)

In October 1944, Givens was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 60th

Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division which was engaged against enemy

forces in the Raffelsbrand sector of the Hόrtgen Forest, near Germeter,

Germany. He was reported missing in action as of Oct. 20, 1944, when his

company reorganized after a severe counterattack and he could not be

accounted for.

After the war, the American Graves Registration Command extensively searched

the Hόrtgen Forest for him. No remains found in the area were identified as

Givens, and the Army declared him non-recoverable.

While studying unresolved American losses in and unidentified remains

recovered from the Hόrtgen Forest, DPAA personnel analyzed historical

documentation regarding X-5483 Neuville, a set of unidentified remains

recovered on May 15, 1947 from District #20C of the Hόrtgen Forest by the

AGRC. The remains had originally been found by a German woodcutter who later

led an AGRC team to the site. The AGRC team found the remains lying on the

ground, surrounded by U.S. Army infantry equipment. The remains, designated

X-5483, could not be identified, and were interred at the United States

Military Cemetery Neuville (present day Ardennes American Cemetery).

Based upon the original recovery location of X-5483, a DPAA historian

determined that there was a likely association between the remains and

Givens. In June 2018, the Department of Defense and American Battle

Monuments Commission disinterred X-5483 and accessioned the remains to the

DPAA laboratory for identification.

To identify Givens’ remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and

anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.

Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used

mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.

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.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000

died during the war. Currently there are 72,669 service members still

unaccounted for from World War II, of which approximately 30,000 are

assessed as possibly-recoverable. Givens’ name is recorded on the Tablets of

the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle

Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, along with the others

missing from WWII. Although interred as an Unknown, Givens’ grave was

meticulously cared for by ABMC for 70 years. A rosette will be placed next

to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

For family information, contact the Army Service Casualty office at (800)

892-2490.

Givens will be buried Nov. 9, 2019, in Prestonburg, Kentucky

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account

for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA

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

or call (703) 699-1420.

Givens’ personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000LknDEAS

/////

SFC Kristen Duus

Chief of External Communications

Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

2300 Defense Pentagon

Washington, D.C 20301-2300

(703) 699-1420

From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (USA) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 5 September, 2019 12:38
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Michigan Marine Accounted For From World War II

Dear Editor,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Marine

Corps Reserve Pfc. Kenneth W. Likens, 20, of Mt. Clemens, Michigan, killed

during World War II, was accounted for on May 31, 2019.

(This identification was initially published July 1, 2019.)

In November 1943, Likens was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 6th

Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed

against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa

Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over

several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and

Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese

were virtually annihilated. Likens died on the third day of the battle, Nov.

22, 1943.  He was reported to have been buried in the East Division

Cemetery, which was eventually renamed to Cemetery #33.

In 1946, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company (604th GRC)

centralized all of the American remains found on Tarawa to Lone Palm

Cemetery for later repatriation; however, almost half of the known

casualties were never found. No recovered remains could be associated with

Likens, and in October 1949, a Board of Review declared him

"non-recoverable."

In 2009, History Flight, Inc., a nonprofit organization, notified DPAA that

they discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the remains of

what they believed to be missing American service members who had been

buried in Cemetery #33. In March 2019, following continued excavations, a

previously undiscovered burial trench was uncovered.  The remains were

accessioned into the DPAA laboratory.

To identify Likens' remains, scientists from DPAA used dental,

anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, as well as

circumstantial and material evidence.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000

died during the war.  Currently there are 72,671 service members still

unaccounted-for from World War II, of which approximately 30,000 are

assessed as possibly-recoverable. Likens' name is recorded on the Courts of

the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others killed or lost in WWII.

A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted

for.

For family information, contact the Marine Corps Service Casualty office at

(800) 847-1597.

Likens will be buried Oct. 25, 2019, in Holly, Michigan.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account

for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA

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

or call (703) 699-1420.

Likens' personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000XlXoEAK

/////

SFC Kristen Duus

Chief of External Communications

Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

2300 Defense Pentagon

Washington, D.C 20301-2300

(703) 699-1420

From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (USA) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 5 September, 2019 12:06
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Alabama Sailor Accounted For From World War II