SOME HIGHLIGHTS NOTE
DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN HEADLINES ("captured") AND KNOWN
("MIA") STATUS.
We
asked why so many of these are being
re-announced 2-3 times increasing news forwards and confusion.
03/22/19
These are being published with the full information, while the initial
notification only contains basic information. The updates are providing
information on the loss, recovery and identification, as well as funeral
information if it is available at the time.
I hope this helps,
SFC Kristen Duus
Chief of External Communications
Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
From the desk of Colonel Gary Clark, US Air Force,
(Retired), Task Force Alpha, Thailand (Vietnam War), US Central Command
during Dessert Storm and Dessert Shied, Chairman Polk County Veterans
Council, and so much more.
WO1 Randall Edwards US Navy (Retired), WW II, Prisoner
of War, Mukden, Manchuria, 6 May 1942 – 1 August 1845
From: veterans-council-i-ii-iii@googlegroups.com
<veterans-council-i-ii-iii@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of GARY
CLARK Sent: 6 October, 2020 14:55 To: Gary Clark Subject: Randall Edwards--WW II POW Hero--Has Departed
It is with great sadness that Randy Edwards, friend
to many, Patriot to all, passed this morning at 1138 hours. He fought
to the end just as he fought for 3.5 years in a Japanese slave labor
camp.
Rest well my friend. You serve now with the
angels.
--
Gary Clark
Colonel
USAF(Ret)
Chairman
Polk County Veterans Council
Box 3911
Lakeland, Florida 33802
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 2 October, 2020 12:51
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: California Marine Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Oct. 2, 2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Marine Corps
Reserve Pvt. Jacob
Cruz, 18, of Los Angeles, killed during
World War II, was
accounted for on April 14, 2020.
In November
1943, Cruz was a
member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine
Regiment, 2nd Marine
Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed against
stiff Japanese
resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll
of the Gilbert
Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several
days of intense
fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors
were killed and more
than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were
virtually
annihilated. Cruz died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22, 1943.
He was
reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery,
later
renamed Cemetery 33.
In 1946, the
604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company centralized all
of the
American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery for later
repatriation. However, almost half of the known casualties were never found.
No recovered
remains could be associated with Cruz, and, in October 1949, a
Board of
Review declared him "non-recoverable."
In 2009,
History Flight, Inc.,
a nonprofit organization, discovered a burial
site on Betio Island
believed to be Cemetery 33, which has been the site of
numerous excavations
ever since. In March 2019, excavations west of Cemetery
33 revealed a
previously undiscovered burial site that has since been
identified as Row D.
The remains recovered at this site were transferred to
the DPAA
Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify
Cruz's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR), and autosomal DNA
(auSTR)
analysis.
Cruz's name
is recorded in the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific along with the others still missing from
World War
II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been
accounted for.
Cruz will be buried Nov.
13, 2020, in
his hometown.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Marine Corps Casualty Office
at (800)
847-1597.
DPAA is
grateful to the Republic of Kiribati and appreciative of History
Flight,
Inc., for their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 September, 2020 09:55
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Iowa Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Sept. 30,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Hospital Apprentice
1st Class John M. Mulick, 21, of Elma, Iowa, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on Nov. 18, 2019.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Mulick was
assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford
Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly
capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429
crewmen, including Mulick.
From
December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased
crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September
1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in
the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration
Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two
cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory
at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the
identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS
subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In
October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be
identified as non-recoverable, including Mulick.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Mulick's remains, scientists from DPAA dental and
anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces
Medical
Examiner System used Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Mulick's
name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with
the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his
name to indicate he has been accounted for.
The date and location
for Mulick's burial have yet to be decided by the
family.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 30 September, 2020 09:06
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Nebraska Accounted For >From World War II
Dear Editor,
Sept. 30,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Fireman 1st Class
Louis J. Tushla, 25, of Atkinson, Nebraska, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on March 27, 2020.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Tushla was
assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford
Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly
capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429
crewmen, including Tushla.
From
December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased
crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September
1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in
the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration
Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two
cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory
at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the
identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS
subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In
October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be
identified as non-recoverable, including Tushla.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Tushla's remains, scientists from DPAA dental and
anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces
Medical
Examiner System used Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Tushla's
name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with
the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his
name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Tushla will
be buried July 17, 2021,
in his hometown.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 29 September, 2020 15:40
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: California Marine Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Sept. 29,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Marine Corps
Reserve Pvt. Howard
E. Miller, 22, of San Mateo, California,
killed during World
War II, was accounted for on April 20, 2020.
In November
1943, Miller was a
member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th
Marine Regiment, 2nd
Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed
against stiff
Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa
Atoll of the Gilbert
Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over
several days
of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and
Sailors were
killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese
were
virtually annihilated. Miller died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22,
1943. He was
reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division
Cemetery,
later renamed Cemetery 33.
In 1946, the
604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company centralized all
of the
American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery for later
repatriation. However, almost half of the known casualties were never found.
No recovered
remains could be associated with Miller, and, in October 1949,
a Board of
Review declared him "non-recoverable."
In 2009,History Flight, Inc.,
a nonprofit organization, discovered a burial
site on Betio Island
believed to be Cemetery 33, which has been the site of
numerous excavations
ever since. In March 2019, excavations west of Cemetery
33 revealed
a previously undiscovered burial site that has since been
identified
as Row D. The remains recovered at this site were transferred to
the DPAA
Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify
Miller's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Miller's
name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific along with the others still missing from
World War
II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been
accounted for.
Miller will be
buried Nov. 6, 2020,in his hometown.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Marine Corps Casualty Office
at (800)
847-1597.
DPAA is
grateful to the Republic of Kiribati and appreciative to History
Flight,
Inc., for their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 29 September, 2020 13:08
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Washington Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Sept. 29,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
U.S. Navy
Electrician's Mate
3rd Class Alton W. Whitson, 22, of Seattle,
killed during World
War II, was accounted for Jan. 23, 2020.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Whitson was
assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford
Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly
capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429
crewmen, including Whitson.
From
December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased
crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September
1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in
the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration
Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two
cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory
at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the
identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS
subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In
October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be
identified as non-recoverable, including Whitson.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Whitson's remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological
analysis.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner
System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR), and
autosomal
DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Whitson's
name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with
the others who are still missing from WWII. A rosette will be
placed next
to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Whitson will be buried
at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington,
Virginia, in
October2021.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Casualty Office at
(800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
Harrison, who was the keynote speaker at Rogersville's
American Legion Post 21 annual POW/MIA
remembrance ceremony, spent 27 months in ...
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 28 September, 2020 14:01
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Michigan Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Dear Editor,
Sept. 28,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army
Sgt. Jesse "Johnnie"
D. Hill, 20, of Highland Park, Michigan, killed
during the Korean
War, was accounted for May 19, 2020.
In late 1950, Hill
was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry
Regiment, 7th
Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec.
2, 1950, when his
unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin
Reservoir, North
Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be
recovered.
On July 27,
2018, following the summit between President Donald Trump and
North Korean
Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un in June 2018, North Korea turned
over 55
boxes, purported to contain the remains of American service members
killed
during the Korean War. The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl
Harbor-Hickam,
Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018, and were subsequently accessioned
into the
DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify
Hill's remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological
analysis, as
well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from
the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
analysis.
Hill's name
is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are
still
missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name
to indicate
he has been accounted for.
Hill will be buried in
Holly, Michigan.
The date has yet to be determined.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at
(800)
892-2490.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
The remains will be transferred
to the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency's
laboratory in Hawaii for further tests. The search for missing
U.S. ...
A marker in memory of
Pattillo sits above an empty grave at the Hartselle City
Cemetery. Sept. 18, on National POW/MIA
Recognition Day, the country ...
This past Friday marked the 41st
annual Prisoner of War and Missing in Action (MIA)
Recognition Day, which was established by President Jimmy Carter ...
Carole was
integral in the birth of the POW/MIA
memorial bracelets, and put the first
bracelet with her husband's name on
it on the wrist of John Wayne ...
National POW/MIA
Recognition Day was established in
1979, and is observed on every third
Friday of September. Still, Trump's
renewed pledge to work ...
Proclamation on National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2020
Throughout
our Nation’s history, America’s sons and daughters have
heroically safeguarded our precious freedoms and
defended the cause of liberty both at home and abroad.
On National POW/MIA Recognition Day, we remember the
more than 500,000 prisoners of war who have endured
incredible suffering and brutality under conditions of
extraordinary privation, and the tens of thousands of
our patriots who are still missing in action. Although
our Nation will never be able to fully repay our debt to
those who have given so much on our behalf, we
commemorate their bravery and recommit to working for
their long-suffering families who deserve answers and
solace for their missing loved ones.
Today, I join a grateful Nation in honoring those POWs
who faithfully served through extreme hardship and
unimaginable physical and emotional trauma. Their lives
and resilience reflect the best of the American Spirit,
and their immeasurable sacrifices have ensured the
blessings of freedom for future generations. On this
day, we also reaffirm our unceasing global efforts to
obtain the fullest possible accounting of our MIA
personnel. The search, recovery, and repatriation of
MIA remains help bring closure to families bearing the
burden of the unresolved fate of their loved ones. That
is why in 2018, I worked to secure the historic
repatriation of remains from North Korea, and why we are
continually working to bring more home from around the
world. My Administration will never waver in fulfilling
our country’s obligation to leave no service member
behind.
This year, as we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the
end of World War II and reflect upon both the 70th
anniversary of the start of the Korean War and the 45th
anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, we pause to
recognize the men and women who were held as POWs or
deemed MIA in these conflicts against repressive
ideologies. These service members and civilians, many
from the Greatest Generation, deserve a special place of
honor in the hearts of all Americans because of their
selfless devotion, unflinching courage, and unsurpassed
dedication to our cherished American values.
On September 18, 2020, our Nation’s citizens will look
to the iconic black and white flag as a powerful
reminder of the service of America’s POWs and service
members who have gone MIA. This flag, especially when
flying high above our military installations abroad,
conveys the powerful message of American devotion to the
cause of human liberty and our commitment to never
forget the brave Americans lost defending that liberty.
On this National POW/MIA Recognition Day, our Nation
takes a special moment to pay tribute to those who
endured the horrors of enemy captivity and those lost in
service to our country. Our Nation will continue to be
resolute in our relentless pursuit of those remains of
service members who have yet to return home from war and
our steadfast promise to their families that their loved
ones will never be forgotten.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim September 18, 2020, as
National POW/MIA Recognition Day. Together with the
people of the United States, I salute all American POWs
who, in the presence of great dangers and uncertainties,
valiantly honored their duty to this great country. Let
this day also serve as a reminder for our Nation to
strengthen our resolve to account for those who are
still missing and provide their families long-sought
answers. I call upon Federal, State, and local
government officials and private organizations to
observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and
activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and
forty-fifth.
"We owe a debt of gratitude to you
and the other POWs
and the MIA
who are out there that we will never be able to
repay," Fazenbaker said to Smith. ' ...
Remarkable details have emerged of
how four CIA operatives died in September 2008, while
attempting to place a listening device disguised as a
rock to eavesdrop on Chinese vessels. The four men -
Stephen Stanek (left, in red), Michael Perich (right, in
white), Jamie McCormick and Daniel Meeks - were working
undercover, posing as a crew chartered to sail a boat
from Malaysia to Japan. In reality they were working for
the CIA. Their boat sunk during Tropical Storm Higos,
which was forecast to turn away from them but hit them
and sank their boat....
From the desk of Patrick J. Hughes, US Marine Corps,
POW/MIA Advocate, Veteran Advocate and Photographer Extraordinaire.
moe note: In the video clip below it was Patrick the
supplied the Pictorial display for the Philadelphia Phillies tribute to
National POW/MIA Recognition Day in the second game of a double header with
the Florida Marlins. Great educational clip on primetime television.
Education is the Key!
Four Former Prisoners of War (POW) tell their Story in
PRISONERS OF WAR: Stolen Freedom - 09/18/2020
http://www.floridastoriesofservice.org/prisoners-of-war-stolen-freedom
The stories of four American
servicemen through their time as prisoners of war in three major 20th
century conflicts; World War II, Korea and the Vietnam war. Their stories
are supported by archival motion pictures and photographs obtained at the US
National Archives as well as through sketches and memorabilia collected by
each of the men. Their stories are less about atrocity than they are about
the survival of the human spirit and the camaraderie that helped each man
survive years of incarceration. Each story is followed by spectacular
recounts of their days of release.
Produced by Michael Rothfeld, Bill Dudley and the Veterans
Council of St. Johns County, directed by Eric Flagg"
Divers have found what they believe is the wreck of a
U.S. Navy submarine lost 77 years ago in Southeast Asia,
providing a coda to a stirring but little-known tale
from World War II.
For those who haven't had
access to Rockford Chapter's 25th Annual POW/MIA
Remembrance Ceremony, here it is on YouTube!
YouTube was produced by teacher
Nick Stange and Harlem High students participating in
the Harlem Veteran Project. We Honor and Remember
America's POW/MIAs from all Eras, those returned and
those still missing. We also remember and support their
families. A really special video taped live.
Click on site below to view.
Thanks to all who participated. Also thanks to all who
take the time to view and pay homage to America's
Missing from All Wars and support the families who still
wait.
From:
Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 22 September, 2020 11:39
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Tennessee Soldier Accounted For From World War II
Dear
Editor,
Sept.
22, 2020
WASHINGTON—The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today
that
Army
Pfc. Oliver
Jeffers, 31, of Huntsville, Tennessee, killed during World
War II, was
accounted for April 23, 2020.
In
November 1944,
Jeffers was assigned to Company L, 3rd Battalion, 12th
Infantry
Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. His unit was engaged in battle
with German
forces near Germeter, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest, when he
was killed in
action on Nov. 10. Jeffers could not be recovered because
of
the
on-going fighting.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command
was
tasked
with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in
Europe.
They conducted several investigations in the Hürtgen area between
1946 and
1950, but were unable to recover or identify Jeffers’ remains. He
was
declared non-recoverable in 1951.
While
studying unresolved American losses in the Hürtgen area, a DPAA
historian determined that one set of unidentified remains, designated
X-2735
Neuville,
recovered from a minefield near Germeter in 1946 possibly belonged
to
Jeffers. The remains, which had been buried in Ardennes American
Cemetery
in 1950,
were disinterred in April 2018 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at
Offutt
Air Force Base, Nebraska, for identification.
To
identify Jeffers’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
Additionally,
scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial
DNA (mtDNA)
analysis.
Jeffers’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands
American
Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in
Margarten, Netherlands, along with the others still missing from World
War
II. A
rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
Jeffers will be
buried Oct. 7, 2020, in his hometown.
For
family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at
(800)
892-2490.
DPAA is
grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission and to the U.S.
Army
Regional Mortuary-Europe/Africa for their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
Peace and prayers for the thousands of POW/MIA families,
and the thousands yet accounted for in non-combat losses....
Friday, Sept 18National POW/MIA Recognition Day
... in-ground and
above-ground burials if they have served in combat and
received one of the following decorations: the Medal of
Honor, Distinguished ...
18, is National
POW/MIA Recognition Day, when Americans
are asked to pause and reflect on the sacrifices
made by the military men and women ...
September POW/MIA Report - 2020
Coalition of Families:
* Family Members - The Coalition supports family members with their cases
wherever we can.
* A recent effort involves a family who thought they had
buried their brother following the Korean War, only to be told that he was
seen as a P.O.W. The government stayed with the identification, but doubt
has lingered on for the family. The Coalition is working with them in hopes
that independent DNA analysis using the latest NGS tech-nology will bring an
answer. If there is a match, the family will have closure. If there is no
match, DPAA will reopen the case, presenting the possibility that two
identifications may be made.
* The Coalition is connected with a family organization of Australia’s
Korean War MIAs.
* The first great grandchild of a Korean War MIA has reached out. The
mission continues through the generations.
... left to serve in WWII, according
to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. ... At its
peak, it held 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war and ...
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 11 September, 2020 11:21
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Colorado Sailor From Missouri Accounted For >From World War II
Dear Editor,
Sept. 11,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today Navy
Gunner's Mate 2nd
Class Harold L. Dick, 22, of Tipton, Missouri, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on Nov. 26, 2018.
On July 24,
1944, Dick was aboard
the battleship USS Colorado, which was
moored approximately
3,200 yards from the shore of Tinian Island,
Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands. Early in the morning, the USS
Colorado,
along with the light cruiser USS Cleveland and destroyers USS
Remey and
USS Norman Scott, commenced firing toward the island. Within two
hours, a
concealed Japanese shore battery opened fire on the USS Colorado
and the USS
Norman Scott. The first hit on the USS Colorado resulted in a
heavy
explosion, and the ship sustained extensive fragmentation damage. From
the attack,
four crewmen were declared missing in action, and 39 personnel
were killed,
including Dick. Dick and the other casualties were subsequently
interred in
the 4th Marine Division Cemetery on Saipan.
In February
1948, under the direction of the American Graves Registration
Service's
9105th Technical Service Unit, three battlefield cemeteries,
including
the 4th Marine Division Cemetery, were disinterred. While the
majority of
identifications that had been tentatively made following the
attack were
upheld, nine sets were reclassified as "unknown." Of those, five
were
eventually identified. The remaining four were interred at the Manila
American
Memorial and Cemetery in the Philippines.
On Oct. 18,
2017, DPAA personnel, in partnership with the American Battle
Monuments
Commission, exhumed Unknown X-39 from the Manila American Memorial
and Cemetery
and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify
Dick's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Dick's name
is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along
with the
others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to
his name to
indicate he has been accounted for.
Dick will be buried
Oct. 10, 2020, in his hometown. (Tipton, Missouri)
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission for their
partnership
in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 10 September, 2020 13:38
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor from Washington Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Sept. 10,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Shipfitter 3rd Class
Patrick L. Chess, 24, of Yakima, Washington,
killed during World
War II, was accounted for Jan. 9, 2020.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Chess was
assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford
Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly
capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen,
including Chess.
From
December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased
crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September
1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in
the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration
Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two
cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory
at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the
identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS
subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In
October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be
identified as non-recoverable, including Chess.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Chess's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces
Medical
Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Chess's name
is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along
with the
others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to
his name to
indicate he has been accounted for.
Chess will be buried
Oct. 22, 2020, in his hometown. (Yakima, Washington)
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 10 September, 2020 10:52
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Michigan Accounted For >From World War II
Dear Editor,
Sept. 10,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
U.S. Naval
Reserve Ensign
Francis C. Flaherty, 22, of Charlotte, Michigan,
killed during World
War II, was accounted for Sept. 30, 2019.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Flaherty was
assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford
Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly
capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen,
including Flaherty. Flaherty was
posthumously awarded the
Medal of Honor
for saving several crew members at the cost of his own life.
From
December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased
crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September
1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in
the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration
Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two
cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory
at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the
identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS
subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In
October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be
identified as non-recoverable, including Flaherty.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Flaherty's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces
Medical
Examiner System used Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Flaherty's
name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with
the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his
name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Flaherty will be
buried in his hometown. The date has yet to be determined.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From the desk of SGM Sortillo, US Army, Korean War Combat
Veteran, POW – 30 November 1950 – 11 August 1953.
09/09/2020
moe note:
LADY
TIGERS
Beginning on 29 June, 1950 there were 23 women arrested
in South Korea by the advancing North Korean Army. These women along
with 58 civilian men were held with American Prisoners of War who were
mostly from the 24th Infantry Division who were the first Americans to
fight in the Korean War.
Sadly I
report the passing to Glory of Saida Hanmore, of St. Pete Beach, FL
on August 22, 2020. She was 85 years old and was stricken with a
stroke.
Saida,
the only daughter of the Salahutdin family that was with the Tiger
Survivors in captivity, survived and came to America after her
release by the North Koreans on March 1, 1954. The entire family was
living in Seoul South Korea and were all arrested on July 28th,
1950, when the North Koreans overran South Korea. Arrested was her
mom and father, her 5 brothers, her mothers sister and brother.
Saida was a most beautiful young woman. They were Tatars and
stateless and had no country of their own so were held until 1 March
1954, long after military POWs were released. Her brother, Sagid,
made a deal with Russian Intel to cause that group to be released to
South Korea. His book, Stateless, is now available on Amazon. That
book is most interesting.
Those
of you with us in captivity will remember the 81 civilians who were
with us.
Saida
will suffer no more and will be long missed by her family and
friends.
The ceremony occurred
onboard the flight deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth II,
the Royal Navy's brand new aircraft carrier
and largest vessel in the British ...
The Victoria Cross
is now in the custody of Australia's Chief of
Navy, Vice Admiral Michael Noonan. “Teddy
Sheean's Victoria Cross is worthy
recognition ...
The son of a World War II veteran has
released photographs secretly taken at a Japanese surrender
ceremony nine days after Japan formally surrendered to
allies marking the end of years of devastation. One of three
pictures from September 11, 1945 shows the Japanese arriving
on a boat. A second shows an officer signing surrender
papers (left) to Australia and a third shows him handing
over his sword (right). Dave Reyes first stumbled across the
black-and-white images in a scrapbook when he was seven
years old and his father Filbert Reyes (inset), who was U.S.
Navy sailor on a destroyer part of the U.S.S. Missouri
battleship group, revealed how he took the snaps despite a
ban.
Francisco Aguilar, 48, vanished more than
two weeks ago after he travelled to his condo near Rosarito, Mexico.
Police fear her was kidnapped after his property was found ransacked....
...Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin
Jr. said in a tweet Monday that Duterte had “granted an absolute pardon”
to Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton. Duterte spokesman Harry Roque said
Monday that the pardn “erased the punishment” but not his conviction,
the Associated Press reported....
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 9 September, 2020 15:21
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Ohio Marine Accounted For From World War II -
CORRECTION
Dear Editor,
There has been a correction to the original story
sent out Sept. 8. Pfc.
Athon
will be buried in his hometown of Cincinnati.
//////
From:
Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 8 September, 2020 13:14
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Ohio Marine Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Sept. 8,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Marine Corps
Reserve Pfc. Frank L.
Athon, Jr., 29, of Cincinnati, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on July 27, 2020.
In November
1943, Athon was a
member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine
Regiment, 2nd Marine
Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed against
stiff Japanese
resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll
of the Gilbert
Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several
days of
intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors
were killed
and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were
virtually
annihilated. Athon died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22, 1943.
He was
reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery,
later
renamed Cemetery 33.
In 1946, the
604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company centralized all
of the
American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery for later
repatriation. However, almost half of the known casualties were never found.
No recovered
remains could be associated with Athon, and, in October 1949, a
Board of
Review declared him "non-recoverable."
In 2009, History
Flight, Inc., a nonprofit organization, discovered a burial
site on Betio Island
believed to be Cemetery 33, which has been the site of
numerous excavations
ever since. In March 2019, excavations west of Cemetery
33 revealed a
previously undiscovered burial site that has since been
identified as Row D.
The remains recovered at this site were transferred to
the DPAA Laboratory
at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify
Athon's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Athon's name
is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific along with the others still missing from
World War
II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been
accounted for.
Athon will be buried
Nov. 21, 2020, in Philadelphia.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Marine Corps Casualty Office
at (800)
847-1597.
DPAA is
grateful to the Republic of Kiribati and appreciative to History
Flight,
Inc., for their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency241 18th St. South, Suite 800
Arlington,
VA 22202
(703)
699-1420
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 3 September, 2020 09:43
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: DPAA Media Advisory - DPAA to Conduct Honorable Carry Ceremony for
Unaccounted-for World War II Service Members Sept. 4
Good
morning,
Sept. 3,
2020
OFFUTT AIR
FORCE BASE- The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) will
hold an
Honorable Carry Ceremony at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, 5:30
p.m. CST,
Friday, September 4.
The ceremony
will honor fallen service members who fought in the European
theatre
during World War II.
The remains are primarily from disinterments
associated with
Operation Tidal Wave, an August 1943 bomber operation over
German-controlled oil
fields at Ploesti, Romania. Seventy-seven air crew
remain unaccounted
for from this operation.
"The work to
identify and properly bury the remains of those lost to war is
a solemn
commitment of our nation," said U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of
Nebraska.
"These service members who served in WWII are finally coming home
and their
remains will be capably and respectfully identified by the Defense
POW/MIA
Accounting Agency facility at Offutt Air Force Base. I am grateful
for the
meticulous efforts of the DPAA and the professional staff who treat
our war dead
with the utmost dignity."
Following
the ceremony, the remains will be transferred to the DPAA Offutt
Laboratory
for analysis and identification.
This
ceremony is the second honorable carry since the Novel Coronavirus
(COVID-19)
curtailed DPAA operations in March. The U.S. last received the
remains of
28 service members from the European theatre on July 21, 2020,
during an
honorable carry ceremony at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.
BASE ACCESS
INSTRUCTIONS:
Instructions: All media must arrive at the Offutt Air Force Base Visitor
Control
Center (SAC Gate) from 4:30-5:00 p.m. Media members who arrive
after 5:00
p.m. will not be permitted access to the base. Media will park
their
vehicles at the Visitor Control Center lot and take a shuttle to the
ceremony
location.
Coverage: No
power, workspace, or wireless internet will be available.
COVID-19
Considerations: To help control the spread of COVID-19, DPAA will
be ensuring
the proper safety protocols are in place for the ceremony in its
entirety.
Attendees and participants have been instructed to ensure social
distancing
of at least six feet apart and will be required to wear a mask
per CDC
guidance.
For
additional information, call Offutt AFB Public Affairs at (402) 294-3663
Kaing Guek Eav, known as Comrade
Duch ..., had been serving a life prison term for war crimes and crimes
against humanity having locked up and abused thousands of men, women and
children seen as enemies of the regime or who disobeyed its orders.
Under his rule, torturers beat and whipped prisoners and shocked them
with electrical devices, before their children were then also killed to
stop any fears of the next generation taking revenge (pictured right,
commemoration of the victims at the Tuol Sleng Museum and pictured
inset, some of the human remains). When he finally faced a trial over
the regime's crimes, some 30 years on from the atrocities, he called
himself 'criminally responsible' for babies' deaths, with many infants
having their young bodies battered against trees. Duch died at Cambodian
Soviet Friendship Hospital on Wednesday, having developed breathing
difficulties at the Kandal provincial prison he was being held two days
earlier.
On August 27th, 2020 the The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
announced that Navy Fireman 1st Class Frank E. Nicoles, 24, of Eau
Claire, Wisconsin, killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
during WWII, was accounted for on May 5, 2016.
From:
Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 31 August, 2020 09:41
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: California Marine Accounted For From World War II
Dear
Editor,
Aug. 31,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today
that
Marine
Corps Reserve Pfc. Thomas F. Johnson,
18, of San Jose, California,
killed during World War II, was
accounted for on May 6, 2020.
In
November 1943, Johnson was a member of
Company B, 1st Battalion, 6th
Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division,
Fleet Marine Force, which landed
against stiff Japanese resistance on
the small island of Betio in the Tarawa
Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an
attempt to secure the island. Over
several
days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and
Sailors
were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese
were
virtually annihilated. Johnson died on the fourth day of battle, Nov.
23,
1943. He was reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division
Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33.
In 1946,
the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company centralized all
of the
American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery for later
repatriation. However, almost half of the known casualties were never
found.
No
recovered remains could be associated with Johnson, and, in October
1949,
a Board
of Review declared him "non-recoverable."
In 2009,
History Flight, Inc., a nonprofit organization, discovered a burial
site on Betio
Island believed to be Cemetery 33, which has been the site of
numerous
excavations ever since. In March 2019, excavations west of Cemetery
33 revealed a
previously undiscovered burial site that has since been
identified as Row
D. The remains recovered at this site were transferred to
the DPAA
Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To
identify Johnson's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material
evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System
used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome (Y-STR) analysis.
Johnson's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific along with the others still missing from
World
War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been
accounted for.
Johnson will be
buried in Igo, California. The date has yet to be
determined.
For
family and funeral information, contact the Marine Corps Casualty Office
at (800)
847-1597.
DPAA is
grateful to the Republic of Kiribati and appreciative to History
Flight,
Inc., for their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 August, 2020 10:20
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Wisconsin Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Aug. 27,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Fireman 1st Class
Frank E. Nicoles, 24, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin,
killed during World
War II, was accounted for on May 5, 2016.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Nicoles was
assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford
Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly
capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen,
including Nicoles.
From
December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased
crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September
1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in
the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration
Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two
cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory
at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the
identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS
subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In
October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be
identified as non-recoverable, including Nicoles.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Nicoles' remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces
Medical
Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Nicoles'
name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with
the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed
next to his
name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Nicoles' family has yet
to decide on a funeral date or location.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 August, 2020 10:54
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: USS Oklahoma Sailor From Texas Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Aug. 27,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Navy
Coxswain Layton T.
Banks, 20, of Dallas, killed during World War II,
was accounted for on
Oct. 8, 2019.
On Dec. 7,
1941, Banks was
assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford
Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly
capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen,
including Banks.
From
December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the
deceased
crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu
Cemeteries.
In September
1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S.
personnel in
the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration
Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from
the two
cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory
at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to
confirm the
identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS
subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the
National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu. In
October 1949, a military board classified those who could not
be
identified as non-recoverable, including Banks.
Between June
and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma
Unknowns
from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify
Banks' remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological
analysis.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner
System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Banks' name
is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along
with the
others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to
his name to
indicate he has been accounted for.
Banks will be buried
Oct. 24, 2020, in Plano, Texas.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office
at (800)
443-9298.
DPAA is
grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
the Navy for
their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
German tyre-maker Continental used prisoners from
the Sachsenhausen concentration camp (pictured) as slave labour during
World War Two by forcing them to test shoe soles, the firm admitted....
They are
referred to as POWs and MIAs. ... 27, 1985,
simply calls for the designation of a POW/MIA
Empty Chair at official meetings “as a
continual ...
According to the Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Pfc. Charles Miller,
19, of Albany, Indiana, was killed while fighting on the
island of Betio in ...
In a final "honorable
carry," each casket was moved by a Marine or Navy pallbearer
from a hearse to the awaiting plane during a private gathering
at Marine Corps Air Station Mirimar. The vehicles arrived at the
flight line one by one....
Then, in 2017, the
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency hired
her firm to staff its labs and field operations. This
agency's mission is to identify every ...
He said a Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency team aided by
Giampaolo Clerico, commandant of the Carabinieri
Station in the territory near the ...
-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject:
FW: Indiana Marine
Accounted For From World War II
Date:
Wed, 12 Aug 2020 08:46:44
-0400
From:
moehog@verizon.net
To:
'Moe Hog' <moehog@verizon.net>
Welcome HOME Private First Class Miller!
A Smart
Marine Corps Salute to the Women and Men of
History Flight -
https://historyflight.com/ - who continue to astound with
their
miraculous Mission results.
-----Original Message-----
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 12 August, 2020 08:11
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Indiana Marine Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Aug. 12,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Marine Corps
Reserve Pfc. Charles
D. Miller, 19, of Albany, Indiana, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on May 19, 2020.
In November
1943, Miller was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th
Marine
Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which landed against stiff Japanese
resistance
on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert
Islands, in
an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense
fighting at
Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and
more than
2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
Miller died
on the third day of battle, Nov. 22, 1943. He was reported to
have been
buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed
Cemetery 33.
In 1946, the
604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company centralized all
of the
American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery for later
repatriation. However, almost half of the known casualties were never found.
No recovered
remains could be associated with Miller, and, in October 1949,
a Board of
Review declared him "non-recoverable."
In 2009, History
Flight, Inc., a nonprofit organization, discovered a burial
site on Betio Island
believed to be Cemetery 33, which has been the site of
numerous excavations
ever since. In March 2019, excavations west of Cemetery
33 revealed a
previously undiscovered burial site that has since been
identified as Row D.
The remains recovered at this site were transferred to
the DPAA Laboratory
at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify
Miller's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Miller's
name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific along with the others still missing from
World War
II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been
accounted for.
Miller will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery
in Arlington, Virginia.
The date has
not yet been decided on by the family.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Marine Corps Casualty Office
at (800)
847-1597.
DPAA is
grateful to the Republic of Kiribati and appreciative to History
Flight,
Inc., for their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
Navy Seaman 1st Class Orval Austin Tranbarger was
laid to rest next to his parents in Mountain View, Missouri, nearly
eight decades after he was killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor...
On March 9, 1967, Airman First Class
Daniel Cortez Reese was a member of a crew on an EC-47 recon
aircraft when enemy fire in Vietnam shot the plane out of
the sky, killing everyone aboard.
According to a news
release from the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency on Thursday, the remains of Marine
Sgt. George R. Reeser, 25, were ...
Welcome HOME, Sgt. Reeser!
-----Original Message-----
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 6 August, 2020 16:21
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Illinois Marine Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
Aug. 6, 2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Marine Corps
Sgt. George R. Reeser, 25, of Washington, Illinois, killed
during World
War II, was accounted for on March 27, 2020.
In November
1943, Reeser was a
member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th
Marine Regiment, 2nd
Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed
against stiff
Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa
Atoll of the Gilbert
Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over
several days
of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and
Sailors were
killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese
were
virtually annihilated. Reeser died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22,
1943. He was
reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division
Cemetery,
later renamed Cemetery 33.
In 1946, the
604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company centralized all
of the
American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery for later
repatriation. However, almost half of the known casualties were never found.
No recovered
remains could be associated with Reeser, and, in October 1949,
a Board of
Review declared him "non-recoverable."
In 2009,
History Flight, Inc., a nonprofit organization,
discovered a burial
site on Betio Island
believed to be Cemetery 33, which has been the site of
numerous excavations
ever since. In March 2019, excavations west of Cemetery
33 revealed a
previously undiscovered burial site that has since been
identified as Row D.
The remains recovered at this site were transferred to
the DPAA Laboratory
at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify
Reeser's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Reeser's
name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific along with the others still missing from
World War
II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been
accounted for.
Reeser will be buried Sept. 26 in Deer Creek,
Illinois.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Marine Corps Casualty Office
at (800)
847-1597.
DPAA is
grateful to the Republic of Kiribati and appreciative to History
Flight,
Inc., for their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
The Senate has
approved a resolution designating Sept. 20-26, 2020, as “Gold Star Families
Remembrance Week” to honor the families of fallen service members.
Introduced by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., Gold
Star Families Remembrance Weekprecedes
Gold Star Mother’s Day, which is observed on the last Sunday of
September.
“With
the passage of this bipartisan resolution, I encourage everyone to commit to
doing everything they can to recognize, honor, and assist the families of
the fallen and veterans,” said Hyde-Smith, who introduced the first-ever
Gold Star families week resolution in 2018...
My home state of
Massachusetts also does this to this day by flying
the black-and-white “POW-MIA” flag of
the Vietnam War at various public places, ...
Some of the obvious
ones include, but are not limited to, official state
flags, the colors for each service branch, the
POW/MIA banner, command flags ...
... were transferred
from the European theater and will be analyzed by
the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Offutt Laboratory for identification.
Welcome HOME PFC Collins!
-----Original Message-----
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 21 July, 2020 10:43
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Arizona Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Dear Editor,
July 21,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army
Pfc. Glenn E.
Collins, 21, of Tucson, Arizona, killed during the Korean
War, was accounted
for April 23, 2020.
In late
1950, Collins, was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 1st Battalion,
32nd
Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in
action on
Dec. 2, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the
Chosin
Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not
be
recovered.
On July 27,
2018, following the summit between President Donald Trump and
North Korean
Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un in June 2018, North Korea turned
over 55
boxes, purported to contain the remains of American service members
killed
during the Korean War. The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl
Harbor-Hickam,
Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018, and were subsequently accessioned
into the
DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify
Collins' remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological
analysis, as
well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from
the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
analysis.
Collins'
name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are
still
missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name
to indicate
he has been accounted for.
Collins will be
buried in his hometown at a date yet to be decided by the
family.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at
(800)
892-2490.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
SALUTE to HISTORY FLIGHT (https://historyflight.com/)
“World’s Most Successful Private MIA Search and Recovery Organization”
-----Original Message-----
From: Everette, Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 15 July, 2020 11:18
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Illinois Marine Accounted For From World War II
Dear Editor,
July 15,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Marine Corps
Reserve Pfc. John E.
Gillen, 20, of Champaign, Illinois, killed
during World War II,
was accounted for on April 16, 2020.
In November
1943, Gillen was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 6th
Marine
Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed
against
stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa
Atoll of the
Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over
several days
of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and
Sailors were
killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese
were
virtually annihilated. Gillen died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22,
1943. He was
reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division
Cemetery,
later renamed Cemetery 33.
In 1946, the
604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company centralized all
of the
American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery for later
repatriation. However, almost half of the known casualties were never found.
No recovered
remains could be associated with Gillen, and, in October 1949,
a Board of
Review declared him "non-recoverable."
In 2009,
History Flight, Inc., a nonprofit organization, discovered a burial
site on
Betio Island believed to be Cemetery 33, which has been the site of
numerous
excavations ever since. In March 2019, excavations west of Cemetery
33 revealed
a previously undiscovered burial site that has since been
identified
as Row D. The remains recovered at this site were transferred to
the DPAA
Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify
Gillen's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Gillen's
name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific along with the others still missing from
World War
II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been
accounted for.
Gillen will be buried
Aug. 12, 2020, in his hometown. (Champaign, Illinois)
For family
and funeral information, contact the Marine Corps Casualty Office
at (800)
847-1597.
DPAA is
grateful to the Republic of Kiribati and appreciative to History
Flight,
Inc., for their partnership in this mission.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
The Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced on Thursday that the
remains of Army Cpl. Francis J. Rochon, 21, of Superior
who was
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 9 July, 2020 10:13
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Wisconsin Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Dear Editor,
July 9, 2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army
Cpl. Francis J.
Rochon, 21, of Superior, Wisconsin, reported missing in
action during the
Korean War, was accounted for June 18, 2020.
In late
1950, Rochon was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry
Regiment,
2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Sept.
1, 1950,
near Changnyeong, South Korea. The Army officially declared Rochon
deceased on
Dec. 31, 1953, and declared his remains non-recoverable Jan. 16,
1956.
In January
1951, the American Graves Registration Service Group (AGRSG)
consolidated
the remains from 12 smaller military cemeteries at the newly
established
United Nations Military Cemetery in Tanggok, South Korea,
including
one set of remains designated X-175 Tanggok, which had been
recovered
from the area where Rochon was last seen. In 1956, the remains,
including
X-175 Tanggok, were unable to be identified, and then transported
to the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the
Punchbowl,
in Honolulu where they were buried as Unknowns.
DPAA
historians and analysts were able to determine that others buried in
the same
original, small cemetery as X-175 Tanggok had been lost in the same
area as
Rochon, and put forth his name as a possible match. The family of
another
Soldier lost during the same battle as Rochon also put in a request
to have
X-175 Tanggok and one other Unknown disinterred in hopes one of them
would be
their loved one. On Nov. 5, 2018, X-175 Tanggok was disinterred and
sent to the
DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify
Rochon's remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological
analysis, as
well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from
the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
analysis.
Rochon's
name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with
the others who are still missing from the Korean War. A rosette
will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Rochon will be buried
July 25, 2020 in Foxboro, Wisconsin.
For family
and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at
(800)
892-2490.
For
additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account
for
Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
Pilot Accounted For From World War II (Melville, W.)
Release No: 20-090 July 7, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air
Forces 2nd Lt. William H. Melville, 20, killed during World War II, was
accounted for July 3, 2020.
In the fall of 1943, Melville was a pilot assigned to the 36th Fighter
Squadron, 8th Fighter Group. On Oct. 28, he was piloting a P-39Q Airacobra
fighter on a combat mission over the island of New Guinea, Australian
Territory of Papua (current day Papua New Guinea), when his aircraft and two
others disappeared after encountering severe weather. Search and recovery
efforts in the days following were unable to find any of the aircraft.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420.
According to the Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Cpl. Hash went
missing in action, and American forces did not recover
his remains. In June of ...
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Henderson, R.)
Release No: 20-089 July 2, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Cpl.
Richard L. Henderson, Jr., 18, killed during the Korean War, was accounted
for June 30, 2020.
In late 1950, Henderson was a member of Headquarters Battery, 57th Field
Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in
action on Dec. 6, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the
Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not
be recovered.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1193.
According to the Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency: “While assigned
to Headquarters Battery, 57th Field Artillery Battalion,
7th Infantry Division, ...
Entombed in Flanders Fields: World War One
tunnel system that was buried by artillery fire killing up to 300 troops is
uncovered 103 years after battle that
killed nearly 60,000
The bunker was discovered
around 20ft below ground - a depth historians say would have made it
shellproof
It is believed that artillery
fire caused timber-lined walls and ceilings to collapse, burying the
soldiers inside
Four entrances have so far been
discovered, but they remain blocked by tonnes of earth from the war
The governor has
authority over that flagpole and the north wing
pole that flies the POW-MIA flag.
The state Senate controls the remaining south
wing ...
... forensic lab
at Hawaii's Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, the
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
is hopeful to identify these individuals to
provide ...
Hong Kong (CNN)Driving
from their home in New York to Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harrison Li
had no idea it would be the last time he saw his father for more
than a decade.
It was the summer of 2016, and Li was about to resume
his studies at Harvard. After dropping him off, his father returned
to Long Island, where he was making final preparations for his own
trip to Shangha
Hal Downes, went missing
in action in January 1952. Now president of the
Coalition of Families of Korean & Cold War POW/MIAs,
Richard Downes is ...
USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Stout, R.)
Release No: 20-088 June 25, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Fire
Controlman 3rd Class Robert T. Stout, 21, killed during World War II, was
accounted for on June 18, 2020.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Stout 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 Stout.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
The remains
had been kept for nearly two years at the US
Defense POW/MIA Accounting
Agency. They were among those brought to the
US after joint ...
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Quong, J.)
Release No: 20-086 June 23, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army
Master Sgt. James L. Quong, 30, killed during the Korean War, was
accounted for June 18, 2020.
In late 1950, Quong, who was an Army Reserve captain in World War II
but gave up his commission to join the Regular Army as a master
sergeant in the Korean War, 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.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to
account for Americans who went missing while serving our country,
visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at
www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1193.
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Marine
Corps Pfc. John M. Fahy, 19, killed during World War II, was
accounted for on June 5, 2020.
In November 1943, Fahy was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 6th
Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which
landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of
Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to
secure the island. Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa,
approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than
2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
Fahy died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22, 1943. He was reported
to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later
renamed Cemetery 33.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to
account for Americans who went missing while serving our country,
visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at
www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1193.
... deputy director
for operations at the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency. "It just happens to be that it
falls on the eve of the 70th anniversary of our ...
Now president of the
Coalition of Families of Korean & Cold War POW/MIAs,
Richard Downes is not sure if his father was killed
or captured — even as ...
U.S. Prisoners of War
in North Korea are shown in this undated photo provided
by Pat Dunton, president of the Korean War-Cold War
Family Association ...
The children of those
MIAs and POWs are now in their 60s and
70s. “That's an issue, that frankly the clock is
running out for the families of U.S. service ...
Now president of the
Coalition of Families of Korean & Cold War POW/MIAs,
Richard Downes is not sure if his father was killed
or captured – even as ...
Vera Lynn, the British singer whose songs provided hope for
allied troops during World War II died Thursday at 103. She was best known
for her songs, "The White Cliffs of Dover" and "We'll Meet Again."
Billie Joe Hash, 18,
killed during the Korean War, was officially
accounted for this week, said the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency. Cpl. Hash was ...
After more
than 65 years, The Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency (DPAA) has announced that
the remains of Corbin native and former
Army ...
From: Everette,
Sean P SFC USARMY DPAA OC (USA) <sean.p.everette.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 16 June, 2020 08:32
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Kentucky Soldier Accounted For From Korean War
Dear Editor,
June 16,
2020
WASHINGTON-The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that
Army
Cpl. Billie Joe Hash,
18, of Corbin, Kentucky, killed during the Korean
War, was accounted
for May 27, 2020.
In late
1950, Hash was a member of Headquarters Battery, 57th Field
Artillery
Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in
action on
Dec. 6, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the
Chosin
Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not
be
recovered.
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
Hash'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.
Hash'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.
Hash will be buried
Aug. 29, 2020, in his hometown. (Corbin, Kentucky)
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
USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Flanagan, J.)
Release No: 20-081 June 12, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Seaman
2nd Class James M. Flanagan, 22, killed during World War II, was accounted
for on Nov. 19, 2019.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Flanagan was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Flanagan.
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.
USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Graham, W.)
Release No: 20-082 June 12, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Seaman
1st Class Wesley E. Graham, 21, killed during World War II, was accounted
for on June 5, 2020.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Graham 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 Graham.
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.
USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Rice, I.)
Release No: 20-084 June 12, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Radioman
3rd Class Irvin F. Rice, 22, killed during World War II, was accounted for
on June 5, 2020.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Rice 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 Rice.
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.
... ..resolve" by
taking steps that included a "total shutdown of the
northern nuclear test site [and] repatriation of
scores of American POW/MIA remains.".
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Rochon, F.)
Release No: 20-085 July 9, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army
Cpl. Francis J. Rochon, 21, of Superior, Wisconsin, reported missing
in action during the Korean War, was accounted for June 18, 2020.
In late 1950, Rochon was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd
Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in
action on Sept. 1, 1950, near Changnyeong, South Korea. The Army
officially declared Rochon deceased on Dec. 31, 1953, and declared
his remains non-recoverable Jan. 16, 1956.
In January 1951, the American Graves Registration Service Group (AGRSG)
consolidated the remains from 12 smaller military cemeteries at the
newly established United Nations Military Cemetery in Tanggok, South
Korea, including one set of remains designated X-175 Tanggok, which
had been recovered from the area where Rochon was last seen. In
1956, the remains, including X-175 Tanggok, were unable to be
identified, and then transported to the National Memorial Cemetery
of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu where they
were buried as Unknowns.
DPAA historians and analysts were able to determine that others
buried in the same original, small cemetery as X-175 Tanggok had
been lost in the same area as Rochon, and put forth his name as a
possible match. The family of another Soldier lost during the same
battle as Rochon also put in a request to have X-175 Tanggok and one
other Unknown disinterred in hopes one of them would be their loved
one. On Nov. 5, 2018, X-175 Tanggok was disinterred and sent to the
DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify Rochon’s remains, scientists from DPAA used
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner
System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Rochon’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from the
Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he
has been accounted for.
Rochon will be buried July 25, 2020 in Foxboro, Wisconsin.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office
at (800) 892-2490.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to
account for Americans who went missing while serving our country,
visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at
www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1193.
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Conley, P.)
Release No: 20-080 June 9, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army
Cpl. Pete Conley, 19, 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.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to
account for Americans who went missing while serving our country,
visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at
www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1193.
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (DeWitt, S.)
Release No: 20-078 June 8, 2020
WASHINGTON
—The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army
Sgt. Stanley L. DeWitt, 18, killed during the Korean War, was
accounted for June 5, 2020.
In late 1950, DeWitt was a member of Medical Detachment, 57th Field
Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing
in action on Dec. 6, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy
forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle,
his remains could not be recovered.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to
account for Americans who went missing while serving our country,
visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at
www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1193.
USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Griffith, T.)
Release No: 20-079 June 8, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy
Radioman 3rd Class Thomas E. Griffith, 20, 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.
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.
When a group of
anti-religious zealots filed a lawsuit to remove the
Bible, First Liberty Institute intervened on behalf
of the Northeast POW/MIA Network ...
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Mazzulla, A.)
Release No: 20-076 June 1, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army 1st Lt.
Anthony R. Mazzulla, 26, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for May
28, 2020.
In late 1950, Mazzulla was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 32nd
Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action
on Dec. 2, 1950, after a fighting withdrawal near the Chosin Reservoir,
North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1193.
Mazzulla’s personnel profile can be viewed at
https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000001X7K4EAK.
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Hart, J.)
Release No: 20-077 June 1, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Master
Sgt. James Hart, Jr., 25, 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.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1193.
Hart’s personnel profile can be viewed at
https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000001iW5TEAU.
In a complete reversal, the Department of Veterans Affairs
relented and announced it will begin the process to remove Nazi
gravestones of German POWs that show swastikas and references to
Hitler from two national veterans' cemeteries.
In addition, he was a member of
the American Legion NH and the NH Ex-POW Chapter
#1, Northeast POW/MIA Network, and
joined the board of the ...
Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Sitarz, J.)
Release No: 20-074 May 29, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Pfc. John
J. Sitarz, 19, 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.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1193.
Sitarz’ personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000LlUgEAK.
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Hash, B.J)
Release No: 20-075 May 29, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Cpl.
Billie Joe Hash, 18, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for May 27,
2020.
In late 1950, Hash was a member of Headquarters Battery, 57th Field
Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in
action on Dec. 6, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the
Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not
be recovered.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1193.
Hash’s personnel profile can be viewed at
https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000000g8D8cEAE.
The POW/MIA
monument is engraved with the name of Sgt. Maj. ...
I have met people I don't even know that wear a
POW-MIA bracelet with my Uncles ...
.... plans for the World War I Memorial
in Washington D.C. and the webinar series. Visit
worldwar1centennial.org
for more information, too.
Marine Accounted For From World War II (Miller, C.)
Release No: 20-073 May 26, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Marine Corps
Reserve Pfc. Charles D. Miller, 19, killed during World War II, was
accounted for on May 19, 2020.
In November 1943, Miller was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th
Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which landed against stiff Japanese
resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert
Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense
fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and
more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
Miller died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22, 1943. He was reported to
have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed
Cemetery 33.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1193.
Miller’s personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000000ECYyKEAX.
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Hill, J.)
Release No: 20-072 May 21, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Sgt.
Jesse D. Hill, 20, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for May 19,
2020.
In late 1950, Hill was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry
Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec.
2, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin
Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be
recovered.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1193.
Hill’s personnel profile can be viewed at
https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000000FBia0EAD.
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Cavender, W.)
Release No: 20-070 May 20, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Sgt.
William E. Cavender, 20, 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.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1193.
Cavender’s personnel profile can be viewed at
https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000003Pr5qEAC.
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Cherry, R.B.)
Release No: 20-071 May 20, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Cpl. R.B.
Cherry, 19, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for May 19, 2020.
In late 1950, Cherry was a member of Company G, 2nd Battalion, 24th Infantry
Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Nov.
27, 1950, near Anju, North Korea. Using information provided by returned
POWs after the war, it was determined that Cherry had been a POW in Camp 5
and died of pneumonia sometime in the winter of 1950. His remains were
reportedly buried in a cemetery near the camp and were not recovered.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1193.
Cherry’s personnel profile can be viewed at
https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000000GKLywEAH.
USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Tushla, L.)
Release No: 20-067 May 19, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Fireman
1st Class Louis J. Tushla, 25, killed during World War II, was accounted for
on March 27, 2020.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Tushla was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which
was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which
caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths
of 429 crewmen, including Tushla.
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.
Tushla’s personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000XgB7EAK.
USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Smith, L.)
Release No: 20-068 May 19, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy
Metalsmith 1st Class Leonard F. Smith, 29, killed during World War II, was
accounted for on April 16, 2020.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Smith 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 Smith.
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.
Smith’s personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000XgPaEAK.
Marine Acccounted For From World War II (Galland, M.)
Release No: 20-069 May 19, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Marine Corps
Pfc. Mervin D. Galland, 24, killed during World War II, was accounted for on
May 11, 2020.
In November 1943, Galland 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. Galland died on the third day of battle, Nov.
22, 1943. He was reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division
Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1193.
Galland’s personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000001kmS5eEAE.
USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Helton, F.)
Release No: 20-066 May 15, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Seaman
2nd Class Floyd D. Helton, 18, killed during World War II, was accounted for
on April 23, 2020.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Helton 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 Helton.
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.
Helton’s personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000XeLgEAK.
From:
Richard Downes<coalitionoffamilies@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, May 19, 2020 at 4:06 PM
Subject: DPAA's Annual Korean/Cold War Family DC Briefing - Cancelled for
this year!
To: Coalition of Families of Korean and Cold War POW/MIAs <coalitionoffamilies@gmail.com>
Hi Everyone,
This year’s annual summer briefing has officially been cancelled
by DPAA (https://www.dpaa.mil/).
Originally scheduled for July 30-31, it is now tentatively
scheduled for August 12-13, 2021. The uncertainties brought on
by the virus … including hotel availability, airline travel, the
wellbeing of so many folks being around each other … are among
reasons given for the decision.
DPAA will send a letter out to everyone, likely next month, that
will address the cancellation and include summary pages on
matters that would have been covered at the meeting. So … a mini
update by mail. There is no word on the September 12 regional
update in Colorado Springs, CO.
There is an option for folks missing the feel of the meeting.
The latest DPAA regional briefing in Portland, Oregon (and other
past briefings) can be seen in their entirety at DPAA’s link:
https://vimeo.com/dpaa.
Gather whomever you are spending these days with in isolation,
break out the popcorn, and remember past times.
We will keep in touch to help fill the summer void. Good health
and well-being to all!
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.
Virtual Event will complement non-public ceremonies held on site
ANDERSONVILLE, Georgia –
This Memorial Day, Andersonville National Historic Site will join
thirty National Park Service units across 12 states and the District
of Columbia in hosting a virtual commemoration saluting America’s
fallen soldiers.
The 2020 National Park Service Virtual Memorial Day Tribute — a
social media event spanning more than 13 hours on Monday, May 25th
— features a series of livestreams, demonstrations, historic talks,
and other activities starting at 8 am EDT/ 7 am CDT. The
commemoration covers memorials and stories from the American
Revolution to Vietnam and beyond and includes a spotlight video
tribute of park rangers from Maryland to Montana reciting the
“Gettysburg Address.”
“While we are not able to hold large public ceremonies on site due
to the ongoing pandemic, we will still honor our fallen service
members with the solemn dignity and respect they have earned through
their service and sacrifice,” said Acting Superintendent Steve Theus.
“Andersonville National Historic Site preserves the location where
nearly 13,000 Union soldiers died. It serves as a memorial to all
American prisoners of war. And it includes the only national
cemetery managed by the National Park Service where American
military service members, veterans, and their families continue to
be buried. It is our privilege and duty to honor and remember those
who suffered and died in service to our nation.”
For the Virtual Memorial Day Tribute, Andersonville National
Historic Site will livestream the playing of Taps in the national
cemetery on Monday, May 25th at 3 pm EDT, followed by the
National Moment of Remembrance.
Andersonville National Historic Site’s virtual program will
complement non-public ceremonies to be conducted on site over the
Memorial Day Weekend. A small portion of the Avenue of Flags will be
on display from Tuesday May 19th through Friday May 29th.
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Dan Gillian will play “Amazing
Grace” on the bagpipes as he walks through the national cemetery. On
Sunday and Monday a large wreath will be on display at the Rostrum.
On Monday at 3 pm we will play Taps and observe the National Moment
of Remembrance. These ceremonies will not be open to the public this
year.
Individuals and families visiting Andersonville National Cemetery
may place a small American flag on a loved one’s grave beginning
Wednesday, May 20th. Flags will be removed after Memorial
Day, on Wednesday May 27th. As stated in our grave
decoration policy, posted on our website at
https://www.nps.gov/ande/planyourvisit/anc_grave_decorations.htm,
wreaths and potted plants may be placed on graves from 10 days
before to 10 days after Memorial Day.
In addition to the program from Andersonville National Historic
Site, dozens of other programs and content will be posted online by
national park sites participating in the Virtual Memorial Day
Tribute. These virtual programs will range from playing Civil War
music, to reading the names of the fallen, to virtual tours of
national cemeteries. The online event will close with livestream of
the sun setting over Vicksburg National Cemetery.
Visitors to the social media tribute are also invited to observe the
holiday by performing an act of service in honor of a fallen service
member, as part of Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park’s
Memorial Day of Service activity. Information about the volunteer
initiative, including service project ideas and a memorial
certificate, will be posted at
www.facebook.com/KMNBP
beginning May 22.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000
National Park Service employees care for America's 419 national parks
and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local
history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more
at
www.nps.gov,
and on
Facebook,
Instagram,
Twitter,
and
YouTube.
Take care and stay safe,
Jody Mays
Chief, Interpretation and Resource Management
Andersonville National Historic Site
National Prisoner of War Museum
Andersonville National Cemetery
From: Mays,
Jody L
<Jody_Mays@nps.gov> Sent: 20 May, 2020 13:37 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: Virtual Memorial Day
Hi, Andersonville National Historic Site is co-hosting an online
commemoration of Memorial Day that involves 30 parks in 12
states! Programming will include videos and other content about
military history, national cemeteries, volunteering in memory of
a fallen service member, a National Moment of Remembrance, and
more!
Here's an informational flyer about it for our partners. Please
help spread the word!
The Veterans Affairs has refused to remove
swastikas from the graves of German prisoners of war, stating they
are to 'preserve these headstones' to 'protect historic
resources'....
The Department of Veteran's Affairs has
cancelled all public Memorial Day events this year due to the
coronavirus pandemic, including the Boy Scout flag-planting
tradition....
Mike Bernskoetter's SCR
32 “urges the Missouri Congressional delegation to
support legislation for the declassification of POW/MIA
records.
From: Mays, Jody L
<Jody_Mays@nps.gov> Sent: 12 May, 2020 18:54 To: Undisclosed recipients: Subject: Andersonville National Historic Site increasing
access
Andersonville National Historic Site is beginning to increase
recreational access to park grounds
Andersonville, Georgia – Following guidance from the White
House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and
state and local public health authorities, Andersonville
National Historic Site is increasing recreational access. The
National Park Service (NPS) is working servicewide with federal,
state, and local public health authorities to closely monitor
the COVID-19 pandemic and using a phased approach to increase
access on a park-by-park basis.
Beginning May 13, 2020, Andersonville National Historic Site
will reopen access to all park grounds daily from 8:00 a.m.
to 5:00 p.m. Limited brochures and information will be
available outside in front of the visitor center doors.
Direct burial services for eligible veterans and their
families will continue with restrictions.
With public health in mind, the following facilities remain
closed at this time:
The National Prisoner of War Museum and all other park
buildings remain closed to public access.
All public restrooms remain closed.
No public programs or events will be offered or
conducted.
No committal services or rendering of military honors
will be permitted in Andersonville National Cemetery. No
more than ten (10) immediate family members may be
present to witness burials. The family may request to
conduct a proper committal service when conditions
permit.
The health and safety of our visitors, employees,
volunteers, and partners continues to be paramount. At
Andersonville National Historic Site, our operational
approach will be to examine each facility function and
service provided to ensure those operations comply with
current public health guidance, and will be regularly
monitored. We continue to work closely with the NPS Office
of Public Health using CDC guidance to ensure public and
workspaces are safe and clean for visitors, employees,
partners, and volunteers.
While these areas are accessible for visitors to enjoy, a
return to full operations will continue to be phased and
services may be limited. When recreating, the public should
follow local area health orders, practice Leave No Trace
principles, avoid crowding and avoid high-risk outdoor
activities.
The CDC has offered guidance to help people recreating in
parks and open spaces prevent the spread of infectious
diseases. We will continue to monitor all park functions to
ensure that visitors adhere to CDC guidance for mitigating
risks associated with the transmission of COVID-19, and take
any additional steps necessary to protect public health.
We have an amazing virtual tour of Andersonville National
Historic Site, done in partnership with Georgia Public
Broadcasting, so for people who are still home schooling or
not traveling at this time check out
https://www.gpb.org/education/virtual/andersonville.
Details and updates on park operations will continue to be
posted on our website (https://www.nps.gov/ande)
and social media channels. Updates about NPS operations will
be posted on
www.nps.gov/coronavirus.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National
Park Service employees care for America's 419 national parks
and work with communities across the nation to help preserve
local history and create close-to-home recreational
opportunities. Learn more at
www.nps.gov,
and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Andrews, C.)
Release No: 20-064 May 8, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Pvt.
Charles Andrews, 25, 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.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1193.
Marine Accounted For From World War II (Johnson, T.)
Release No: 20-065 May 8, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Marine Corps
Reserve Pfc. Thomas F. Johnson, 18, killed during World War II, was
accounted for on May 6, 2020.
In November 1943, Johnson was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 6th
Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed
against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa
Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over
several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and
Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese
were virtually annihilated. Johnson died on the fourth day of battle, Nov.
23, 1943. He was reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division
Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1193.
Johnson’s personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000XdjkEAC.
This information was
being collected under the POW/MIA
(Prisoner of War/Missing in Action) program of VVA. He
spent a lot of time gathering clues ...
Marine Accounted For From World War II (Jenks, R.)
Release No: 20-063 May 5, 2020
WASHINGTON —The
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Marine Corps
Reserve Pfc. Robert D. Jenks, 20, of Sutherland, Iowa, killed during World
War II, was accounted for on Feb. 4, 2020.
In November 1943, Jenks was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine
Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed against
stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll
of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several
days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors
were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were
virtually annihilated. Jenks died on either the third or fourth day of
battle, Nov. 22-23, 1943. He was reported to have been buried in Row D of
the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account
for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA
website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa
or call (703) 699-1420/1193.
Jenks’ personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000XlCHEA0.
USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Steiner, S.)
