“HONOR THE DEAD BY HELPING THE LIVING”

Today, the DPAA is focused on the research, investigation, recovery, and identification
of the approximately 34,000 (out of approximately 83,000 missing DoD personnel)
believed to be recoverable, who were lost in conflicts from World War II to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

KHAMMOUANE, Laos --

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Ameil Fredeluces, edic, and U.S. Marine Corps. Staff Sgt. Eddie Ludwig, explosive ordinance disposal technician,
remove dirt from units during excavation operations as part of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s mission in the Khammouane Province, Laos,
  Recovery Team Three executed excavation operations in search of two missing U.S. Air Force pilots who crashed while on a visual
reconnaissance mission during the Vietnam War over 48 years ago. DPAA’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting
for our missing personnel to their families and the nation.

Members of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency dig units during excavation operations as part of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s
mission in the Khammouane Province, Laos. Recovery Team Three executed excavation operations in search of two missing
U.S. Air Force pilots who crashed while on a visual reconnaissance mission during the Vietnam War over 48 years ago. DPAA’s mission is to provide the
fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation.

Jack Kenkeo, life support investigator, shovels dirt from the screening stations during excavation operations as part of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s
mission in the Khammouane Province, Laos. Recovery Team Three executed excavation operations in search of two missing U.S. Air Force pilots
who crashed while on a visual reconnaissance mission during the Vietnam War over 48 years ago.
DPAA’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Francis Sangiamvongse, linguist, screens soil with local villagers during excavation operations as part of the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency’s mission in the Khammouane Province, Laos. Recovery Team Three executed excavation operations in search
of two missing U.S. Air Force pilots who crashed while on a visual reconnaissance mission during the Vietnam War over 48 years ago.
DPAA’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation.

Lynn Rakos, scientific recovery expert, waters hard soil to help with excavation operations as part of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s mission
in the Khammovan Province, Laos. Recovery Team three executed excavation operations in search of two missing U.S. Air Force pilots
who crashed while on a visual reconnaissance mission during the Vietnam War over 48 years ago.
DPAA’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation.

 Making the effort to thank the troops for what they do out in the field means everything.
With a DPAA recovery team in Quang Nam Province, two hours west of Da Nang, Vietnam.

Disappearance of two Madison airmen in 1953 remains a mystery

The unsolved case called "one of the most enduring mysteries of the Great Lakes"
has been the subject of numerous articles and a film on Canadian television.

The UW-Madison story involved a group of six students and staff members who were part of a team that unearthed a World War II U.S. fighter aircraft—
and possibly remains of its pilot—in the ground under a farm field in France this summer.

The team used ground-penetrating radar and a photo taken by a British reconnaissance plane two days after the May, 1944
crash of the P-47 Thunderbolt flown by 1st Lt. Frank Fazekas.

Search underway for Lakewood, Ohio airman of World War II

Search underway for Lakewood, Ohio airman of World War II.
Divers of the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and Civil Defense of Grado, Italy,
prepare for an exploratory dive on the sunken B-24 bomber. 

This B-24 Liberator is the same type of airplane that
Lakewood, Ohio airman Thomas McGraw was flying in when it was shot down and crashed off the coast of Italy during World War II.

A Missing Air Crew Report details the last flight of the B-24 and nose gunner Thomas McGraw of Lakewood, Ohio.
B-24 located in Adriatic; Crewmanis bones sought Ught Lakewood Manis remains crewman Omber crew,am2-2k-28 bold Header from A1.
 

A skull fragment was recovered at the site of a wrecked B-24 bomber
off the coast of Italy that may contain the remains of Thomas McGraw, of Lakewood, Ohio.

An underwater view of the crash site of a B-24 off Grado, Italy.

FINDING ENSIGN HAROLD P. DeMOSS IN THE MUCK AND MIRE

“Seeing those photos was so overwhelming that I cried like a baby”
said DeMoss’ niece, Judy Ivey. “To see this actually taking place
is not anything I ever really expected.”

Anine-person military team has been digging up mud four days a week
in the Koolau range in search of a missing World War II pilot whose
fighter crashed in cloud cover during a night training flight.

A bucket-and-pulley system was set up to move excavated
material to a spot where it can be bundled in tarps for
helicopter transport to Wheeler Army Airfield.

NOTE: The Navy’s Bureau of Medicine and Surgery said in a 1948 letter
to the family that “an attempt to recover the remains was
considered impracticable” because the site was 7 miles
from a traveled highway in the mountains.

On Feb. 25, 1944, Duran wasn’t supposed to be on the doomed B-24H Liberator, nicknamed “Knock it Off.”
Normally a nose turret gunner, Duran was the substitute tail turret gunner on the flight, replacing the usual tail gunner who had frostbite.

The earth by the headstone next to the church in this tiny mountain village was full of rocks.

Two days of digging under a hot sun had yielded buckets of gravel, stones the size of men’s fists and many piles of dirt – but no bones.
After 73 years, Sgt. Alfonso O. Duran was still missing.

The family feels a sense of closure regardless of the outcome, Duran said.
“What a difference it would have made to my father and to my aunt,”
she said, “to know he had died and somebody had buried him and tended the grave.”

Members of the recovery team attach a POW flag to the wreckage of the
Tulsamerican, a B-24 Liberator piloted by, Lt. Eugene P. Ford, a Derry Township, Pa. native,
when it crashed into the Adriatic Sea in 1944.

FIELD OPERATIONS IN LAOS AND CAMBODIA, JANUARY/FEBRUARY, 2020

US Ambassador to Cambodia Patrick Murphy,
prepares to screen dirt during a DPAA recovery mission in Ratanakiri Province,
Cambodia, February 1, 2020.

Mr. Alexander Garcia-Putnam, right, a senior recovery expert assigned to DPAA,
speaks to US service members and Lao officials during a joint field activity
(JFA) in Khammouan Province, Laos, February 2, 2020

SG Carter Caraker, USA, a DPAA supply non-commissioned officer,
passes buckets to local workers during a JFA in Khammouan Province, Laos, February 10, 2020.
During the JFA, a group of more than 70 personnel, assigned to DPAA and augmented from military units around the globe,
worked together to help fulfill our nation's promise to provide the fullest possible accounting of our missing personnel.

2021 Recoveries

Underwater Recovery Mission - Vietnam:
U.S. Coast Guard underwater recovery mission in
Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, May 27 2021.

Vietnam Recovery Mission:
U.S. Army DPAA recovery team member, swings a pick axe to loosen dirt during
a recovery mission in Quang Binh province, Vietnam, July 3, 2021.

Vietnam Repatriation Ceremony:
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Detachment 2 and the Vietnam Office for Seeking
Missing Persons (VNOSMP) held the 155th Repatriation
Ceremony on 9 July 2021 at Gia Lam Airport outside Hanoi, Vietnam.

Repatriation Ceremony – Laos:
Detachment Three-Laos, pause for a photo during the signing of remains turnover documents
 at a Repatriation Ceremony June 22, 2021 in Vientiane, Laos.

Honorable Carry from Laos:
DPAA members conducted an Honorable Carry ceremony on Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, June 23, 2021.
The remains were recently repatriated to the U.S. during a ceremony in Vientiane, Laos.

USS Arizona was a Pennsylvania-class battleship built for and by the United States Navy in the mid-1910s. Named in honor of the 48th state's recent admission into the union, the ship was the second and last of the Pennsylvania class of "super-dreadnought" battleships. Although commissioned in 1916, the ship remained stateside during World War I. Shortly after the end of the war, Arizona was one of a number of American ships that briefly escorted President Woodrow Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference. The ship was sent to Turkey in 1919 at the beginning of the Greco-Turkish War to represent American interests for several months. Several years later, she was transferred to the Pacific Fleet and remained there for the rest of her career.

Aside from a comprehensive modernization in 1929–31, Arizona was regularly used for training exercises between the wars, including the annual Fleet Problems (training exercises). When an earthquake struck Long Beach, California, in 1933, Arizona's crew provided aid to the survivors. Two years later, the ship was featured in a Jimmy Cagney film, Here Comes the Navy, about the romantic troubles of a sailor. In April 1940, she and the rest of the Pacific Fleet were transferred from California to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as a deterrent to Japanese imperialism.

During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, Arizona was bombed. After a bomb detonated in a powder magazine, the battleship exploded violently and sank, killing 1,177 officers and crewmen. Unlike many of the other ships sunk or damaged that day, Arizona was irreparably damaged by the force of the magazine explosion, though the Navy removed parts of the ship for reuse. The wreck still lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial, dedicated on 30 May 1962 to all those who died during the attack, straddles the ship's hull.

A number of other boats were sunk in the attack, but later recovered and repaired.
The USS California (BB-44) lost 100 crew members that morning, after the ship suffered extensive flooding damage when hit by two torpedoes on the port side.
Both torpedoes detonated below the armor belt causing virtually identical damage each time.
A 250 kg bomb also entered the starboard upper deck level, which passed through the main deck and exploded on the armored second deck,
setting off an anti-aircraft ammunition magazine and killing about 50 men.
After three days of flooding, the California settled into the mud with only her superstructure remaining above the surface.
She was later re-floated and dry-docked at Pearl Harbor for repairs. USS California served many missions throughout the war,
and was eventually decommissioned in February, 1947.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese bombs fell and torpedoes slashed through the waters of Pearl Harbor,
causing a devastating amount of damage to the vessels lined up in Battleship Row in in the dry docks nearby.
Each of the seven battleships moored there suffered some degree of damage, some far worse than others.
The USS Arizona (BB-39) and the USS Oklahoma (BB-37) were completely destroyed. Though the Maryland (BB-46) was believed by Japan to also have been sunk, she ultimately survived and became one of the first ships to return to the war.
During the attack on Pearl Harbor, ships like the USS Cassin (DD-372), a Mahan-class destroyer, suffered what was originally thought to be fatal damage.
While she was extensively damaged during the attack, she was resurrected and went on to return to service during the remainder of World War II.

The sunken battleship USS West Virginia (BB-48) at Pearl Harbor after her fires were out, possibly on 8 December 1941.
USS Tennessee (BB-43) is inboard. A Vought OS2U Kingfisher floatplane (marked “4-O-3”) is upside down on West Virginia’s main deck.
A second OS2U is partially burned out atop the Turret No. 3 catapult. 

In the aftermath of the attacks on Pearl Harbor during World War Two stories emerged of sailors who were trapped in the sunken battleships, some even survived for weeks.

Those who were trapped underwater banged continuously on the side of the ship so that anyone would hear them and come to their rescue.
When the noises were first heard many thought it was just loose wreckage or part of the clean-up operation for the destroyed harbor.

However the day after the attack, crewmen realized that there was an eerie banging noise coming from the forward hull of the USS West Virginia, which had sunk in the harbor.

t didn’t take long for the crew and Marines based at the harbor to realize that there was nothing they could do. They could not get to these trapped sailors in time.
Months later rescue and salvage men who raised the USS West Virginia found the bodies of three men who had found an airlock in a storeroom but had eventually run out of air.

Survivors say that no one wanted to go on guard duty anywhere near the USS West Virginia since they would hear the banging of trapped survivors all night long,
but with nothing that could be done.

When salvage crews raised the battleship West Virginia six months after the Pearl Harbor attacks,
they found the bodies of three sailors huddled in an airtight storeroom —
and a calendar on which 16 days had been crossed off in red pencil.

The USS Oklahoma was on Battleship Row in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. That was the morning that the Japanese Empire attacked the United States by surprise.

The Japanese used dive–bombers, fighter–bombers, and torpedo planes to sink nine ships, including five battleships, and severely damage 21 ships.
There were 2,402 US deaths from the attack. 1,177 of those deaths were from the USS Arizona, while 429 of the deaths were from the USS Oklahoma.

The crew of the USS Oklahoma did everything they could to fight back. In the first ten minutes of the battle, though, eight torpedoes hit the Oklahoma, and she began to capsize.  A ninth torpedo would hit her as she sunk in the mud.  14 Marines, and 415 sailors would give their lives. 32 men were cut out through the hull while the others were beneath the waterline.  Banging could be heard for over 3 days and then there was silence.

After the battle, the Navy decided that they could not salvage the Oklahoma due to how much damage she had received.  The difficult savage job began in March 1943, and Oklahoma entered dry dock 28 December. Decommissioning  September 1, 1944, Oklahoma was stripped of guns and superstructure, and sold December 5, 1946 to Moore Drydock Co., Oakland, Calif. Oklahoma parted her tow line and sank May 17, 1947.  540 miles out, bound from Pearl Harbor to San Francisco.  Today, there is a memorial to the USS Oklahoma and the 429 sailors and marines lost on December 7, 1941, located on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

The minelayer Oglala technically didn't suffer a hit on December 7, but a torpedo passed under it and hit the USS Helena. 
The blast from that crippled the old Oglala which had been built as a civilian vessel in 1906.
The crewmembers took their guns to the Navy Yard Dock and set them up to provide more defenses.
They also set up a first aid station that saved the lives of West Virginia crewmembers.

The ship suffered horribly, eventually capsizing and sinking until just a few feet of the ship's starboard side remained above water.
It was declared lost, and the Navy even considered blowing it up with dynamite to clear the dock it had sunk next to.
But the decision was made that it could destroy the dock, so the Navy had to refloat it. At that point, it made sense to dry dock and repair it.

None of the crew of Oglala were killed in the attack, although three received injuries. 

DPAA Makes 200th Identification from USS Oklahoma Unknown Remains.
Arlington, Virginia.

Sean Patterson, Armed Forces Medical Examiner System Department of Defense DNA Quality Management Section DNA Analyst,
replaces U. S. Navy Fireman 1st Class Billy James Johnson's picture background, signifying him as an identified service member who was previously missing in action.
Johnson marks the 200th service member to be identified following the December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor
attack where 429 U.S. Sailors and Marines were killed on the USS Oklahoma (BB-37). 

A series of large posters hang in the conference room of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency laboratory located at Offutt Air Base, Nebraska.
The heading on each of the posters states “USS OKLAHOMA.” Underneath the headings are neat rows of printed rectangular frames. 
Each one represents a person who was unaccounted for when the USS Oklahoma was sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Thanks to the work of Dr. Brown’s team, the remains of 200 previously unknown crewmen from the USS Oklahoma
have now been returned to their families for proper burial and their families have those long-awaited answers.

The story of the USS Oklahoma’s lost crewmen is an evolving history lesson that began on what
President Franklin D. Roosevelt called
“a date that will live in infamy.”

LIST OF USS OKLAHOMA IDENTIFICATIONS FROM MICHIGAN:
(Please note that in some USS Oklahoma identifications,
the primary next of kin has yet to be notified,
and therefore the names will not be released at this time.)

Seaman Second Class Warren P. Hickok of Kalamazoo, Mich.

Machinist Mate First Class Fred M. Jones, 30 of Port Huron, Michigan

Navy Fireman 2nd Class Lowell E. Valley, 19, of Ontonagon, Michigan,

Navy Seaman 1st Class Robert W. Headington, 19, Bay City, Michigan

Navy Seaman 2nd Class John C. Auld, 23, Grosse Park, Michigan,

Navy Ensign William M. Finnegan, 44, of Bessemer, Michigan,

Navy Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Fred M. Jones, 31, of Otter Lake, Michigan,

U.S. Naval Reserve Ensign Frances C. Flaherty, 22, of Charlotte, Michigan.

Navy Seaman 1st Class Joe R. Nightingale, 20, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Navy Seaman 1st Class Edward Wasielewski, 21, of Detroit,

U.S. Naval Reserve Ensign Francis C. Flaherty, 22, of Charlotte, Michigan,

Navy Seaman 2nd Class Raymond D. Boynton, 19, Grand Rapids, MI

Navy Seaman 1st Class Wilbur F. Ballance, 20, Paw Paw, Michigan

It is through this effort that the accounting community
has been able to honor the sacrifices of the USS Oklahoma Sailors and Marines
and their families who pushed for the fullest possible accounting of their loved ones.

Ford Island is seen in this aerial view during the Japanese attack on Pearl harbor December 7, 1941 in Hawaii.
(The photo was taken from a Japanese plane.)

Remember the fallen: In all, 429 people on board the battleship were killed in the attack.
Only 35 were identified in the years immediately after.

Battleship USS Oklahoma unturned hull at the bottom of Pearl Harbor
after the devastating Japanese bombing attack on Dec. 7, 1941.

Breakdown by War - Still Unaccounted for/Unreturned Veterans:

WW I         3,343
WW II     72,784
Korea        7,676
Vietnam     1,584
Cold War      126
Gulf/Other        6
Total         85,519
*As of June 2021

Service Personnel Not Recovered Following WWII from MICHIGAN - 2450
 

Service Personnel Not Recovered Following Korea from MICHIGAN - 331
 

Service Personnel Not Recovered Following Cold War from MICHIGAN - 4
 

Service Personnel Not Recovered Following Viet Nam from MICHIGAN - 48
 

The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 106 crewmen, including Melton.

Currently there are 72,395 service members still unaccounted for from World War II.

Today there are 1,583 American servicemen and civilians that are still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War.

USS Oklahoma Sailor killed From World War II Accounted For
December 23, 2021

Navy Seaman 1st Class Billy Turner, 20

Navy Seaman 1st Class Billy Turner, 20, Ardmore, Carter County, OK was killed during World War II, was accounted for.

(Official release will be updated following the primary next of kin briefing.)

On Dec. 7, 1941, Turner 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 Turner.

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

Billy Turner is buried or memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii. 

Soldier Killed During the Korean War Accounted For
December 21, 2021

Army Pfc. Don D. Dowler, Jr., 18

Army Pfc. Don D. Dowler, Jr., 18, of Clarinda, Iowa, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.

In late 1950, Dowler was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, after his unit was attacked by enemy forces as they attempted to withdraw near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.

 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.

Dowler’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.

Dowler will be buried Santa Maria, California. The date has yet to be determined.

Airmen killed From World War II Accounted For
December 20, 2021

Army Air Forces Capt. Nando A. Cavalieri, 24

Army Air Forces Capt. Nando A. Cavalieri, 24, of Eveleth, Minnesota, killed during World War II, was accounted for.

In February 1945, Cavalieri was assigned to 324th Bombardment Squadron, 91st Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force in the European Theater. On Feb. 3, the B-17G Flying Fortress bomber on which he was serving as bombardier was flying a mission over Berlin when it was struck by enemy anti-aircraft fire. The plane broke into two pieces in the air and crashed. Cavalieri’s bomber was one of 21 bombers to be lost during the mission. German forces reportedly recovered his body and ID tags after the crash and buried him in Döberitz, Germany, on Feb. 7.

Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in Europe. They recovered all of the American remains buried in Döberitz, but were unable to identify Cavalieri. He was declared non-recoverable on Oct. 23, 1951.

Between 2016 and 2018, DPAA historians completed a comprehensive research project focused on the eight sets of unknown remains recovered from Döberitz. As a result, one set of remains, designated X-4983 Neuville, was determined to be a strong candidate for association with Cavalieri. The remains, which had been buried in Ardennes American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission cemetery in Belgium, were disinterred in June 2018 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for examination and identification.

Cavalieri’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands,
along with the others still missing from World War II.

USS Oklahoma Sailor killed From World War II Accounted For
December 16, 2021

Navy Seaman 1st Class Wilbur F. Newton, 29

Navy Seaman 1st Class Wilbur F. Newton, 29, Washington killed during World War II, was accounted for.

(Official release will be updated following the primary next of kin briefing.)

On Dec. 7, 1941, Newton 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 Newton.

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

Wilbur L Newton is buried or memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at West Coast Memorial, Presidio, California.

Navy Seaman 2nd Class Tceollyar Simmons, 18, Geneva County, Alabama killed during World War II, was accounted for.

(Official release will be updated following the primary next of kin briefing.)

On Dec. 7, 1941, Simmons was assigned to the battleship USS California, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft.

The USS California sustained multiple torpedo and bomb hits, which caused it catch fire and slowly flood.

The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 104 crewmen, including Simmons.

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

Place of Interment Corner Creek Lower Cemetery - Hacoda, Alabama

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Hugh R. Alexander, 43

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Hugh R. Alexander, 43, of Potters Mills, Pennsylvania, killed during World War II, was accounted for.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Alexander 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 Alexander. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his actions in saving the lives of several fellow crew members.

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 Alexander.

Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.

He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his actions in saving the lives of several fellow crew members.

Alexander’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII.

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

Alexander will be buried in San Diego. The date has yet to be determined.

Soldier Killed During the Korean War Accounted For
December 10, 2021

Army Cpl. Marvin D. Actkinson, 18

Army Cpl. Marvin D. Actkinson, 18, of Sudan, Texas, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.

In late 1950, Actkinson 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 his unit was attacked by enemy forces as they attempted to withdraw near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.

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.

Actkinson’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s 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.

Actkinson will be buried in Colorado City, Texas. The date has yet to be determined.

U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Anel B. Shay, Jr., 26, of Seattle, killed during World War II, was accounted for.

In the summer of 1943, Shay was assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator aircraft on which Shay was serving as a bombardier crashed as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation TIDAL WAVE, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania. His remains were not identified following the war. The remains that could not be identified were buried as Unknowns in the Hero Section of the Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan, Ploiesti, Prahova, Romania.

Following the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel, disinterred all American remains from the Bolovan Cemetery for identification. The AGRC was unable to identify more than 80 unknowns from Bolovan Cemetery, and those remains were permanently interred at Ardennes American Cemetery and Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, both in Belgium.

In 2017, DPAA began exhuming unknowns believed to be associated with unaccounted for airmen from Operation TIDAL WAVE losses. These remains were sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for examination and identification.

Shay’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Impruneta, Italy,
along with others still missing from WWII.

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

Shay will be buried in his hometown. The date has yet to be determined.

Soldier killed From World War II Accounted For
December 8, 2021

Army Pfc. Anthony F. Mendonca, 28

Army Pfc. Anthony F. Mendonca, 28, of Waipahu, Hawaii, killed during World War II, was accounted for.

In June 1944, Mendonca was a member of Company A, 106th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division, when American forces participated in the battle for Saipan, part of a larger operation to secure the Mariana Islands. Mendonca was killed during fighting on June 28. His remains were reportedly not recovered.

Remains identified as Unknown X-10 were first reported as buried in Army Cemetery #1 on Saipan July 10, 1944. The remains were disinterred sometime later and interred in the Fort William McKinley Cemetery, now the American Battle Monuments Commission’s (ABMC) Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, in the Philippines on Feb. 5, 1952.

After thorough historical research, it was determined that X-10 could likely be identified. On Jan. 20, 2019, Unknown X-10 was disinterred and sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.

To identify Mendonca’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.

Mendonca’s name is recorded on the ABMC’s Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) in Honolulu, along with the others who are still missing
from World War II.

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

Mendonca will be buried Dec. 16, 2021, at the NMCP in Honolulu.

Army Cpl. Benjamin R. Bazzell, 18, of Seymour, Connecticut, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.

In late 1950, Bazzell was a member of Headquarters Battery, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported killed in action on Nov. 30, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.

 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 Bazzell’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y chromosome (Y-STR), and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.

Bazzell’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s 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.

Soldier killed From World War II Accounted For
December 3, 2021

U.S. Army Pfc. Morris E. Swackhammer, 20

 U.S. Army Pfc. Morris E. Swackhammer, 20, of Binghamton, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for.

In the latter half of 1944, Swackhammer was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 143rd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division. In August, his unit landed on the southern coast of France as part of Operation DRAGOON. After securing the coastal ports, the 36th ID drove north, meeting with the D-Day invasion force before turning towards Germany. On Nov. 22, Swackhammer’s unit engaged in a heavy firefight with enemy troops in a wooded area northwest of Fraize, a village in the Alsace region. He was hit by a spray of bullets from a German machine gun. His squad recovered his body, but had to leave it behind due to the strength of the enemy attack. After Fraize was liberated, Swackhammer’s body could not be found, and it is likely either German troops or residents of Fraize removed it.

The American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) was charged with recovering the remains of fallen service members in the European Theater following the war. Sometime in 1945, U.S. personnel recovered an unidentified body, designated X-756 Epinal, from a cemetery in Fraize. Though the AGRC thought that X-756 could possibly be Swackhammer, they could not confirm because of lack of identifying information in his records. X-756 was interred in the Ardennes American Cemetery in Neupré, Belgium.

Following exhaustive historical research and correlation of various U.S. military and French civilian sources, DPAA officials concluded the remains designated as X-756 were strongly associated with Swackhammer. X-756 was exhumed in July 2019 and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for analysis.

Swackhammer’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Epinal American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Dinozé, France,
along with others still missing from WWII.

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

Swackhammer will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. The date has yet to be decided.

USS Oklahoma Sailor killed From World War II Accounted For
 From (Group ID)
December 2, 2021

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that 33 Sailors from the USS Oklahoma
killed during World War II were accounted for on Oct. 18, 2021.

The Sailors included in this group accounting are:

                                                                                            
Yeoman  Harding Coolidge Blackburn, Kentucky.                 Mess Attendant Randall Walter Brewer, Virginia

                                                                 
Machinist's James Rufus Buchanan, California.                          Electrician's William McKnight Curry, Tennessee.  

                                                                
Storekeeper George Perry Foote, Iowa.                        Fireman George Edward Giesa, New York.

                                                                
Chief Electrician  William Ike Gurganus, California.                      Seaman Robert Emile Halterman, Illinois

                                                          
Musician Louis Edward Harris, Jr., Michigan.                Seaman Jimmie Lee Henrichsen, South Dakota

                                                                                                                              
Radioman Frank Samuel Hoag, Jr., Washington.              Storekeeper Chester George Hord, Missouri

                                                    
Officer's Cook Willie Jackson, California.           Seaman Charles Homer Johannes, North Dakota

                                                 
Mess Attendant Jerry Jones, Mississippi.              Radioman Warren Joseph Kempf, Missouri.

                                                    
Shipfitter Algeo Victor Malfante, California.              Electrician Walter Benjamin Manning, Georgia.

                                                 
Seaman Lloyd Elden McLaughlin, Nebraska.                Yeoman Sam Douglas Nevill, Oklahoma.

                                                  
Musician James Junior Palides, Iowa.          Storekeeper  Eldon Casper Ray, Tennessee.

                                                   
Water Tender  Leo Basil Regan, California.              Radioman Clyde Ridenour, Jr., Texas.

                                                           
Seaman William Lawrence Sellon, Montana.                 Musician Rowland Hampton Smith, California.

                                                           
Seaman Rangner Faber Tanner, Jr., Kansas.               Seaman Charles Edward Walters, Ohio.

                                                                                 
Seaman Jack Dewey White, Missouri.                      Musician Albert Luther Williams, Illinois.

                                                              
Officer’s Steward  Wilbur Slade Williams, Virginia.               Gunner's Mate John Layman Wortham, Kentucky.

Chief Signalman Thomas Zvansky,  California.

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

The names of these Sailors are recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl,
along with the others who are missing from WWII.

Soldier Killed During the Korean War Accounted For
December 2, 2021

Army Master Sgt. James L. Quong, 30

Army Master Sgt. James L. Quong, 30, of Norman, Oklahoma, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.

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.

 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.

Quong’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s 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.

Quong will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. The date has yet to be determined.

Soldier Killed During the Korean War Accounted For
December 2, 2021

Army Sgt. James N. Stryker, 20

Army Sgt. James N. Stryker, 20, of West Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.

In May 1951, Stryker was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on May 18, when the enemy attacked his unit near Han’gye, South Korea. His remains could not be immediately recovered, but he was not officially declared dead until after the Armistice was signed July 27, 1953.

During a search of Korean War battlefields later in May 1951, an unknown set of remains was recovered from the area where Stryker went missing. After a preliminary examination at Tanggok United Nations Military Cemetery, an identification could not be made and the remains were buried as Unknown X-1373 Tanggok. Further attempts were made to identify X-1373, but were unsuccessful.

The remains were later transported with all of the unidentified Korean War remains and buried as Unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

In May 2017, the family of an unresolved Soldier associated with the same area where Stryker went missing requested X-1373 be disinterred for comparison with their Soldier. Further research by a DPAA historian and forensic anthropologist determined X-1373 and the Soldier were unlikely to be associated, but that X-1373 could be associated with Stryker or five other Soldiers. X-1373 was disinterred Aug. 20, 2018, and sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor/Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.

Stryker’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s 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.

Stryker will be buried in San Antonio, Texas. The date has yet to be determined.

Navy Seaman 1st Class Buford H. Dyer, 19, of Barberton, Ohio, killed during World War II, was accounted for.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Dyer 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 Dyer.

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 Dyer.

Dyer’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII.

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

Dyer will be buried on April 11, 2022, in Seville, Ohio.

USS Oklahoma Sailor killed From World War II Accounted For
November 19, 2021

Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Lawrence J. Overley, 21

Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Lawrence J. Overley, 21, California killed during World War II, was accounted for on July 16, 2021.

(Official release will be updated following the primary next of kin briefing.)

On Dec. 7, 1941, Overley 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 Overley.