Disappearance of two Madison airmen in 1953 remains a mystery

Marine During the Korean War Accounted For
September 14, 2018

Army Cpl. Morris Meshulam, 19,

Army Cpl. Morris Meshulam, 19, of Indianapolis, Indiana, accounted for on June 4, 2018, will be buried Sept. 23 in his hometown. In late November 1950, Meshulam was a member of Battery D, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion (Automatic Weapons,) 2nd Infantry Division. The Division suffered heavy losses to units of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) between the towns of Kunu-ri and Sunchon, North Korea. Meshulam was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950. 

In February 1951, a prisoner of war returned by the CPVF reported that Meshulam died of cold weather injuries in early January 1951, but could not give a location to where Meshulam’s remains were located.

In July 1951, a Korean farmer led a U.S. Army recovery team to a grave in a field that contained the remains of a U.S. Soldier. The recovered remains were sent to the Tanggok United Nations Memorial Cemetery for possible identification. The remains, designated Unknown X-1596 were declared unidentifiable and buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

In June 2016, DPAA disinterred Unknown X-1596 from the Punchbowl and sent the remains to the lab for identification.

To identify Meshulam’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.

Today, 7,613 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War.

Marine During the Korean War Accounted For
September 14, 2018

Marine Corps Pfc. Roger Gonzales, 20,

Marine Corps Pfc. Roger Gonzales, 20, of San Pedro, California, accounted for on June 4, 2018, will be buried Sept. 21 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. In late November, 1950, Gonzales was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. The U.S. X Corps began earnest operations in the northeast of the Korean Peninsula against enemy units of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPFV), which were thought to be soldiers of the Korean People’s Army (KPA). The X Corps began its offensive, spearheaded by the 1st Marine Division and the U.S. Army’s 31st Regimental Combat Team, in the area of the Chosin Reservoir. On Nov. 27, 1950, Gonzales’ unit moved northwest from Hagru-ri to Fox Hill at the Toktong Pass. In the early hours of November 28, the CPVF attacked and Gonzales’ company sustained heavy casualties. Gonzales was reported to have been killed in action on Nov. 29, 1950, and was buried at the base of Fox Hill.

On Sept. 10, 1954, the KPA returned a shipment of 25 sets of remains that had reportedly been recovered from the west side of the Chosin Reservoir. The remains were shipped to the Central Identification Unit Kokura in Japan, for identification. One set of remains, designated X-15010 was declared unidentifiable and was interred as an “Unknown” in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

In June 2016, after further analysis of historical and biological information relating to X-15010 DPAA disinterred the unknown X-file from the Punchbowl and sent the remains to the lab for identification.

To identify Gonzales’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA), DNA analysis, dental, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence.

Army Sgt. 1st Lt. Seymour P. Drovis, killed during World War II, was accounted for on September 4.

In July 1944, Drovis was a member of Company A, 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division, engaged against enemy forces in Achugao Village, Saipan Island, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The division sustained heavy casualties during one of the largest Japanese “banzai” attacks of WWII. A soldier reported seeing Drovis fatally shot on July 7, 1944. 

DPAA is grateful to the Japanese non-governmental organization, Kuenti, working in conjunction with the Japanese government, and in cooperation with a local archeological firm, Swift and Harper Archaeological Research and Consulting, and the Japanese Historic Preservation Office for their partnerships in this recovery.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Drovis’ name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, in Honolulu, along with the others missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Soldier Killed From World War II Accounted For
September 13, 2018

Army Pfc. Fred W. Ashley,

Army Pfc. Fred W. Ashley, of Filley, Nebraska  killed during World War II. was accounted for.

His family believed his remains were buried in a cemetery in the southeast town of Filley, Nebraska  and they visited his grave on Memorial Day for seven decades. But the remains buried under Lane's tombstone were recently discovered to be those of another man. The Army had mistakenly sent the wrong remains to Nebraska. Lane had been buried in a military cemetery in Belgium in a grave marked "Unknown.

"Lane's family didn't learn of the mistake until a family in Idaho discovered the two soldiers' remains were switched."

In May 1945, Ashley was a member of Troop C, 2nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Group, on a reconnaissance in the town of Paseka, in the former Czechoslovakia. On 4 May, as many as three hundred German soldiers attacked Ashley’s platoon. He was mortally wounded and was last seen being taken away by German troops. Ashley’s unit reported him missing in action as of May 4, 1945. Following the war, when Ashley was not among the American prisoners liberated from German captivity, the War Department amended his status to killed in action. His remains were not recovered following the battle.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Ashley’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Epinal American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Dinoze, France, along with the other MIAs from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Army Sgt. Eugene G. McBride, 20

Army Sgt. Eugene G. McBride, 20, Lancaster County, Nebraska killed during World War II, was accounted for.

In January 1945, McBride was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 311th Infantry Regiment, 78th Infantry Division. On Jan. 30, 1945, while engaged in an attack against enemy forces near Huppenbroich, Germany, McBride was killed by a blast from an enemy artillery shell. His remains were not identified by American forces after the battle.

Sgt. Eugene C. McBride, 20, has been missing in action in Germany since Jan. 30, the war department has informed his parents. Sergeant McBride entered the service in March, 1943, and took his basic training at Camp Butner, N. C., and was also stationed at Camp Pickett, Va., before leaving for overseas duty in October, 1944. He attended Lincoln high school and worked at Lincoln Army Air Field before joining the army.

"Mrs. Eileen Abker McBride, 2538 South Ninth Street, has received word of the death of her husband, Sgt. Eugene McBride, in action in Germany, January 30. Mrs. McBride received word February 13 that he was missing in action, and a telegram Sunday notified her that he had been killed the same day."

DPAA is grateful the American Battle Monuments Commission for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

McBride’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Hombourg, Belgium, an American Battle Monuments Commission site along with the other MIAs from WWII. Although interred as an Unknown, McBride’s grave was meticulously cared for by ABMC for 70 years. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Navy Chief Machinist’s Mate Dean S. Sanders, 38,

Navy Chief Machinist’s Mate Dean S. Sanders, 38, of Lima, Ohio, and accounted for on March 26, will be buried September 19 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. On Dec. 7, 1941, Sanders 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 Sanders. 

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 Sanders.

In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl for identification.

To identify Sanders’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which matched his family, anthropological analysis, which matched his records, along with circumstantial evidence. 

Killed During the Korean War Accounted For
September 13, 2018

Army Master Sgt. Leonard K. Chinn, 34,

Army Master Sgt. Leonard K. Chinn, 34, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, accounted for on July 12, will be buried Sept. 19, 2018 in Silver Creek, Nebraska. In late 1950, Chinn was a member of Company D, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, when his unit was fighting off persistent Chinese attacks in North Korea. Chinn was reportedly captured by enemy forces on Dec. 1, 1950, and was held at several temporary prisoner of war camps before being marched northwest to POW Camp 5 Complex, North Korea. 

Several repatriated American prisoners of war reported that Chinn died April 5, 1951 in Camp 5.

On Dec. 14, 1993, North Korea turned over to the U.S. 33 boxes of remains of servicemen who had died during the Korean War. North Korean documents, turned over with some of the boxes, indicated that some of the remains were recovered from the vicinity where POWs from Chinn’s unit were believed to have died.

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

Soldier Killed From World War II Accounted For
September 11, 2018

Army Tech. Sgt. Robert J. Fitzgerrell, 32,

Army Tech. Sgt. Robert J. Fitzgerrell, 32, born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was accounted for on September 4.

In January 1945, Fitzgerrell was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 311th Infantry Regiment, 78th Infantry Division. On Jan. 30, 1945, while engaged in an attack against enemy forces near Huppenbroich, Germany, Fitzgerrell stepped on an anti-personnel mine and was killed. His remains were not identified by American forces after the battle.

After the war, the American Graves Registration Command traveled to Huppenbroich and extensively searched the Hürtgen Forest, to locate Fitzgerrell’s remains. Unable to make a correlation with any remains found in the area, he was declared non-recoverable on Dec. 15, 1951.

In 2016, a historian from DPAA analyzed documentation of X-6998 Neuville, an unidentified set of remains recovered from a shallow burial near Huppenbroich in 1947. The remains, unable to be identified in 1947, were subsequently interred at Neuville, present-day Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium.

Based upon the original recovery location and evidence from the personal effects associated with X-6998, the DPAA historian determined that there was a possible association between the remains and Fitzgerrell. Following a comparison of the X-6998 skeletal documentation to Fitzgerrell’s physical characteristics, a DPAA anthropologist concurred, and DPAA officials recommended disinterment. In June 2017, the Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission disinterred X-6998 and accessioned the remains to the laboratory for identification

To identify Fitzgerrell’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis, as well as anthropological analysis, and circumstantial and material evidence.

USS Oklahoma Sailor killed From World War II Accounted For
September 11, 2018

Navy Radioman 3rd Class Bruce H. Ellison, 21,

Navy Radioman 3rd Class Bruce H. Ellison, 21, born in Poulsbo, Washington, was accounted for on August 27.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Ellison 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 Ellison. 

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 Ellison.

In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl for analysis.
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To identify Ellison’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. 

USS Oklahoma Marine Killed From World War II Accounted For
September 7, 2018

Water Tender 2nd Class Edgar D. Gross, 39,

Water Tender 2nd Class Edgar D. Gross, 39, born in Athens, Alabama, was accounted for on September 5.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Gross 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 Gross. 

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 Gross.

In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl for analysis.
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To identify Gross’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. 

 Killed During the Korean War Accounted For
September 6, 2018

Army Sgt. 1st Class James S. Streetman, Jr. 23,

 Army Sgt. 1st Class James S. Streetman, Jr. 23, born in Columbus, Georgia, was accounted for on August 31.

In July 1950, Streetman was a member of Company B, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, participating in the defense of the 24th ID’s Kum River Line against the Korean People’s Army (KPA), near the town of Taejon, South Korea. The KPA outmaneuvered and overwhelmed Streetman’s regiment, forcing units into a fighting withdrawal through enemy lines. Streetman was initially reported to have been killed in action on Aug. 14, 1950, however historical records determined he had been killed July 22, 1950. 

After the war, the American Graves Registration Services (AGRS) processed remains from South Korean battlefields for possible identification. Remains that could not be identified were buried as “Unknowns” in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. Because no remains could be associated with Streetman, he was declared non-recoverable. 

On Oct. 6, 1950, unidentified remains recovered from north of Taejon designated as Unknown X-162, were interred by the U.S. Army in the former American Cemetery No. 1, renamed to United States Military Cemetery Taejon. After attempts to identify the remains were unsuccessful, Unknown X-162 were declared unidentifiable and were subsequently interred at the National Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

In 2017, ten sets of remains were disinterred from NMCP, including Unknown X-162, and sent to the laboratory for analysis.

To identify Streetman’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.

 Navy Seaman 1st Class Joseph K. Maule, 18, born in Bloomfield, Nebraska, was accounted for on August 8.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Maule 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 Maule. 

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 Maule.

In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl for analysis.
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To identify Maule’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome (Y-STR) DNA analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.

Navy Seaman 1st Class George E. Naegle, 22, born in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, was accounted for on August 27.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Naegle 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 Naegle. 

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 Naegle.

In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl for analysis.
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To identify Naegle’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. 

Airman Killed From World War II Accounted For
September 5, 2018

Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Herbert W. Harms.  28,

Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Herbert W. Harms, 28, born in Rutland, Illinois, was accounted for on August 31.

In August 1944, Harms served as a B-17 tail gunner with the 569th Bombardment Squadron, 390th Bombardment Group, 13th Combat Bombardment Wing, 3rd Air Division, 8th Air Force. On Aug. 16, 1944, Harms’ aircraft was struck by anti-aircraft artillery during a bombardment mission to Zeitz, Germany. The aircraft crashed just outside the village of Cauerwitz, Germany. Eight of the nine crewmembers of the “Dottie III/Green Banana” safely bailed out of the aircraft, were captured and held as prisoners of war before being returned to duty. None of the surviving crewmembers reported seeing Harms leave the aircraft, though most believed he jumped before the crash. A German report listed Harms as having died in the crash.

In June 1947, American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) personnel disinterred the remains of one unknown American from a corner of the civilian cemetery in Thierbach, Germany. According to the Narrative of Investigation, the AGRC team had learned from the cemetery caretaker that a plane had crashed and local residents had found remains. Following the exhumation, the remains, which could not be identified, were buried at U.S. Military Cemetery at Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium, as X-5882 Neuville. In 1948, the remains were disinterred for reprocessing, and were again declared unidentifiable. They were subsequently reburied.

In September 1947, an AGRC team visited Cauerwitz, Saxony-Anhalt to investigate Harms’ loss. The team examined the crash site with the local Burgermeister (mayor) who told investigators that the aircraft had come from the direction of Zeitz and some crewmembers parachuted from the aircraft. The team did not learn about any burials of American casualties in nearby towns. The AGRC compared previously collected X-file remains to Harms’ medical records, but a positive match could not be made. Based on a lack of information regarding the location of Harms’ remains, he was declared non-recoverable on May 10, 1950.

In 2016, based on a request from independent researcher Mr. Christopher Unitt, a DPAA historian reviewed documents of remains recovered from the area near Thierbach, including X-5882 Neuville. Historical documents indicated that Harms was likely associated with X-5882.

Based on the historical analysis, X-5882 was recommended for disinterment. On Sept. 5, 2017, a team from U.S. Army Regional Mortuary-Europe/Africa exhumed the remains from Neuville American Cemetery and accessioned the remains to the laboratory for identification.

To identify Harms’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.

Marine Corps Sgt. Millard Odom, 26, born in Batesville, Arkansas, was accounted for on August 20.

In November 1943, Odom was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 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, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated. Odom died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943, during the first waves of the assault.

The battle of Tarawa was a significant victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.

In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. Odom was reportedly buried in Cemetery #33. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but Odom’s remains were not identified. All of the remains found on Tarawa were sent to the Schofield Barracks Central Identification Laboratory for identification in 1947. By 1949, the remains that had not been identified were interred in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) in Honolulu.

On Feb. 27, 2017, DPAA disinterred Tarawa Unknown X-273 from the NMCP, and sent the remains to the laboratory.

To identify Odom’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental, anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.

USS Oklahoma Marine Killed From World War II Accounted For
September 4, 2018

Marine Corps Pfc. Alva J. Cremean, 21,

Marine Corps Pfc. Alva J. Cremean  21, born in Pueblo, Colorado, was accounted for on August 14.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Cremean 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 Cremean.

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 Cremean.

In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl for analysis.

To identify Cremean’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis, anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.

 Killed During the Korean War Accounted For
September 4, 2018

Army 1st Lt. Herman L. Falk, 22,

Army 1st Lt. Herman L. Falk, 22, of New York, New York, was accounted for on August 14.

In February 1951, Falk was a member of Company B, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, supporting Republic of Korea Army attacks against units of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) in an the vicinity of Changbong-ni, South Korea. Falk, and half of his platoon, were reported missing in action on Feb. 12, 1951.

Following the war, returning American prisoners of war reported that Falk died in either April or May of 1951, while being held as a prisoner of war at the Suan Bean Camp in North Korea.

Between 1990 and 1994, North Korea returned to the United States 208 boxes of commingled human remains, which were later determined to contain the remains of at least 400 U.S. servicemen who died during the war. First Lieutenant Falk’s remains were included in this turnover

To identify Falk’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.

DPAA remains fully prepared to resume recovery operations in the Democratic Republic of Korea, and looks forward to the continued fulfillment of the commitment made by President Trump and Chairman Kim on the return and recovery of U.S. service members in North Korea.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed From World War II Accounted For
August 29, 2018

Navy Seaman 1st Class Richard L. Watson, 20,

Navy Seaman 1st Class Richard L. Watson, 20, born in Crossett, Arkansas, was accounted for on August 14.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Watson 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 Watson. 

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 Watson.

In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl for analysis.
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To identify Watson’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.

Navy Seaman 2nd Class Myron K. Lehman, 20, born in Gann Valley, South Dakota, was accounted for on August 9.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Lehman 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 Lehman. 

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 Lehman.

In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl for analysis.

To identify Lehman’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.

Marine Corps Reserve Staff Sgt. Richard J. Murphy, killed during World War II, was accounted for on July 25.

On June 15, 1944, Murphy was a member of 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which landed at Red Beach, Saipan, when American forces participated in the battle for the island of Saipan, part of a larger operation to secure the Mariana Islands. Reports provide little information of what happened to Murphy after landing on Saipan, and he was declared missing in action as of June 15, 1944. On May 22, 1945, his status was amended to killed in action.

DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Murphy’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, in Honolulu, along with the others missing from WWII. Although interred as an Unknown in Manila American Cemetery, Murphy’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the ABMC. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed From World War II Accounted For
August 28, 2018

Navy Fire Controlman Edward J. Shelden, 29

Navy Fire Controlman Edward J. Shelden, 29, Hamilton,  Illinois, killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on July 26, 2018.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Shelden was assigned to the 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 Shelden.

In 2015, DPAA disinterred remains from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Shelden's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Marine killed From World War II Accounted For
August 28, 2018

Marine Corps Capt. Lester A. Schade, 26

Marine Corps Capt. Lester A. Schade, 26, Abbotsford, WI killed during World War II, was accounted for on July 26.

In April 1942, Schade, a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, when he was captured by enemy forces and held as a prisoner of war in the Philippine Islands. On Dec. 14, 1944, more than 1,600 Allied prisoners were loaded aboard a Japanese transport en route to Japan. The ship was attacked by American carrier planes, killing a number of American prisoners. Survivors were transported aboard two other ships to Formosa, present day Taiwan, where they were loaded onto another ship, Enoura Maru, which was also attacked by American carrier planes. According to records Schade was aboard the Enoura Maru when it was attacked Jan. 9, 1945, and was listed as missing, presumed dead as a result of the incident.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Schade’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in the Philippines, along with the other MIAs from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed From World War II Accounted For
August 28, 2018

Navy Seaman 1st Class Wesley V. Jordan,

Navy Seaman 1st Class Wesley V. Jordan, killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on July 8, 2018.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Jordan was assigned to the 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 Jordan.

In 2015, DPAA disinterred remains from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Jordan's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Marine killed From World War II Accounted For
August 28, 2018

Marine Corps Reserve Tech Sgt. Harry A. Carlsen, 32

Marine Corps Reserve Tech Sgt. Harry A. Carlsen, 32, Los Angeles, Ca. killed during World War II, was accounted for on June 4, 2018.

In November 1943, Carlsen was assigned to Company A, 2nd Amphibian Tractor Battalion, 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, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated. Carlsen died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943, during the first waves of the assault.

DPAA is grateful to History Flight, Inc., and the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Carlsen’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed From World War II Accounted For
August 28, 2018

Navy Seaman 1st Class Hale McKissack, 34

Navy Seaman 1st Class Hale McKissack, 34, Talpa, Texas killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on July 26, 2018.

On Dec. 7, 1941, McKissack was assigned to the 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 McKissack.

In 2015, DPAA disinterred remains from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

McKissack's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed From World War II Accounted For
August 28, 2018

Navy Fireman 2nd Class Carl D. Dorr,

Navy Fireman 2nd Class Carl D. Dorr, killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on July 25, 2018.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Dorr was assigned to the 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 Dorr.

In 2015, DPAA disinterred remains from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Dorr's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed From World War II Accounted For
August 27, 2018

Navy Machinist's Mate 2nd Class Archie T. Miles, 22

Navy Machinist's Mate 2nd Class Archie T. Miles, 22, Elmwood, Illinois, killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on July 26, 2018.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Miles was assigned to the 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 Miles.

In 2015, DPAA disinterred remains from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Miles' name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Navy Reserve Pharmacist's Mate 3rd Class William H. Blancheri, Los Angeles killed during World War II, was accounted for on Aug. 14, 2018.

In November 1943, Blancheri was a member of Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 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, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated. Blancheri died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943, during the first waves of the assault.

DPAA is grateful to the Department for Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Blancheri's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed From World War II Accounted For
August 23, 2018

Navy Machinist's Mate 1st Class Eugene K. Eberhardt, 28

Navy Machinist's Mate 1st Class Eugene K. Eberhardt, 28, New Jersey, killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on July 3, 2018.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Eberhardt was assigned to the 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 Eberhardt.

In 2015, DPAA disinterred remains from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Eberhartd's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Army Pvt. William A. Boegli, from Park County, Montana killed during World War II, was accounted for on August 14.

In September 1944, Boegli was a member of Company L, 332nd Infantry Regiment, 81st Infantry Division, invading Angaur Island in the Palau Island chain. After Boegli’s regiment successfully captured Red Beach on the northeastern shore, they pushed westward across the island. On Sept. 30, 1944, Boegli was killed while attempting to lead a group of litter bearers to evacuate wounded servicemen. His remains were not recovered following the war.

There may be other awards received we do not have records of.★ Silver Star ★ Bronze Star ★ Purple Heart ★ Combat Infantryman Badge ★ American Campaign Medal ★World War II Victory Medal

Interment services are pending; a formal notification will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

DPAA is appreciative to the American Battle Monuments Commission and the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial for their partnership in this mission.

Boegli's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery site along with the other MIAs from WWII. Although interred as an Unknown, Boegli’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the ABMC. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for. 

Soldier Captured and Killed During the Korean War Accounted For
August 21, 2018

Army Pfc. Kenneth B. Williams,

Army Pfc. Kenneth B. Williams, captured and killed during the Korean War, was accounted for on August 13. 

In late November 1950, Williams was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Approximately 2,500 U.S. and 700 South Korean soldiers assembled into the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), which was deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea, when it was attacked by overwhelming numbers of Chinese forces. As the Chinese attacks continued, American forces withdrew south. By December 6, the U.S. Army evacuated approximately 1,500 service members; the remaining soldiers had been either captured, killed or missing in enemy territory. Williams was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, after he was last seen near the Chosin Reservoir.

DPAA is grateful to the government and people of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and looks forward to the continued fulfillment of the commitment made by President Trump and Chairman Kim on the return and recovery of U.S. service members in North Korea.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Williams' name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Air Forces Sgt. Alfonso O. Duran, 22, of El Rito, New Mexico, accounted for on May 22, will be buried August 22 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In February 1944, Duran was a nose gunner on a B-24H Liberator, assigned to the 724th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 451st Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force. On February 25, 1944, the final day of Operation Argument, Duran’s aircraft came under attack by German fighters and anti-aircraft fire, while he was on a bombing mission targeting Regensburg, Germany. The tail gunner in another aircraft witnessed a direct hit on Duran’s aircraft, which tore off a section of the right wing. Nine of the ten crew members were able to bail from the aircraft before it crashed. The tail gunner from Duran’s aircraft reported he had last seen Duran alive in the aircraft, but believed Duran did not bail out. All nine of Duran’s crewmates survived the bail out and were captured and interrogated in Verona, Italy, where they were told that one body had been found in the aircraft wreckage. The crash site was reported to be located near Ljubljana, Slovenia, an area then under Axis control.

Following the war, the American Graves Registration Service, Mediterranean Zone, of the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps, searched for the remains of U.S. service personnel in Europe, as part of the global effort to identify and return them for honored burial. No remains could be associated with Duran, and he was declared deceased as of Feb. 25, 1944.

In 2006, analysts began research on Duran’s loss after receiving information concerning a B-24 Liberator that had reportedly crashed near the village of Pokojišče, municipality of Vrhnika, Slovenia. A team from the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office, a predecessor of DPAA, visited the alleged crash site in 2012 and interviewed residents who reported the remains of an unidentified Allied airman from that crash site were initially buried along the side wall of Saint Stephens Church in Pokojišče, and that the grave was regularly tended to by Mrs. Tončka Dragar, who cordoned it off with stones and regularly laid flowers on the mound. 

The team was then shown a headstone erected in 1962 at the back of Saint Stephens Church, indicating that the unidentified Allied airman, by then portrayed as an Australian airman, had been reburied together with four Partisan soldiers, two of whom were also unidentified. 

In 2016, with information provided by several private Slovenain researchers, DPAA concluded that the remains were likely those of Duran. Because there was a possibility that the remains were of an Australian, DPAA invited the collaboration of the Office of Australian War Graves Commission (OAWG) and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Directorate of History and Heritage. 

Upon concurrence from the OAWG and RAAF, and with the gracious permission of Father Janez Šiler, the Parish Priest of St. Stephens, the families of the Partisan soldiers believed to have been buried in the alleged mass grave, the Slovenian Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Affairs, and Equal Opportunities, and the Institute for Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, in July 2017 a DPAA recovery team excavated several alleged burial sites adjacent to the church in Pokojišče, recovering possible osseous remains. 

To identify Duran’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence.

Soldier killed From World War II Accounted For
August 17, 2018

Army Pfc. Morris R. Worrell,

Army Pfc. Morris R. Worrell, captured and killed during World War II, was accounted for on August 13. 

On Dec. 8, 1941, Worrell was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of the Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942. Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were taken prisoner; including many who were forced to endure the Bataan Death March, en route to Japanese prisoner of war (POW) camps, including the POW camp at Cabanatuan on the island of Luzon, Philippines. Worrell was among those reported captured after the surrender of Corregidor and who were eventually moved to the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the remaining years of the war. 

Interment services are pending; a formal notification will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

DPAA is appreciative to the American Battle Monuments Commission for their partnership in this mission.

Worrell's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery site along with the other MIAs from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Marine killed From World War II Accounted For
August 16, 2018

Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Herman W. Mulligan, Jr., 21

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Herman W. Mulligan, Jr., 21, of West Greenville, South Carolina, accounted for on February 20, will be buried August 21 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C. On May 30, 1945, Mulligan was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 22nd Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division, engaged in heavy fighting against Japanese forces on Hill 27, on the northern bank of the Kokuba Estuary, Okinawa, Japan. A large crypt loaded with ammunition exploded, wounding dozens and killing Mulligan.

The remains of most Americans killed during the fighting in Okinawa were transported to six cemeteries that had been established shortly after American forces landed on the island. The American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) attempted to bury fallen service members in the cemetery of their division, but due to the large number of casualties, deceased were often sent to various unit cemeteries. The disposition of Pfc. Mulligan’s remains was initially unknown.

Following the war, the AGRS searched for and disinterred the remains of U.S. servicemen in the Pacific area as part of a global effort to identify and return fallen servicemen. Investigators at the time could not associate Mulligan’s medical or dental records with any unidentified remains found in Okinawa. Additionally, there was no record of his burial.

By August 1948, more than 10,000 remains were disinterred from Okinawa and shipped to Saipan prior to being shipped to Manila. In September 1949, one set of unidentified remains, X-35, was classified as unidentifiable and interred in the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.

In May 2017, following thorough historical research and analysis of unit records and AGRS recovery reports, X-35 was disinterred and accessioned to DPAA for scientific testing.

To identify Mulligan’s remains, DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA), as well as anthropological analysis, and circumstantial evidence.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed From World War II Accounted For
August 16, 2018

Navy Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Arthur Glenn, 43,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Navy Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Arthur Glenn, 43, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, accounted for on Nov. 17, 2017, will be buried August 21 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. On Dec. 7, 1941, Glenn’s 43rd birthday, he was assigned to the 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 Glenn. 

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 Glenn.

In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl for analysis.

To identify Glenn’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used Y-chromosome (Y-STR) DNA analysis, which matched his family, as well as dental and anthropological analysis, along with circumstantial evidence. Glenn was the 100th identification made by DPAA of the USS Oklahoma casualties.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted for from World War II are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Marine Corps Pfc. Robert K. Holmes, 19, of Wichita, Kansas, accounted for on May 9, will be buried August 20 in Salt Lake City Utah. On Dec. 7, 1941, Holmes 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 Holmes.

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 Holmes.

In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl for identification.

To identify Holmes’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome (Y-STR) DNA analysis, anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.

Soldier Killed from Korean War Accounted For
August 15, 2018

Army Pfc. Mathis O. Ball, Jr. 20

Army Pfc. Mathis O. Ball, Jr., 20, from Texas, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for on August 14.

In July 1950, Ball was a member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, engaged in combat operations against North Korean forces near Choch’iwon, South Korea. Ball could not be accounted-for and was declared missing in action on July 12, 1950.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Ball's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Sailor killed From World War II Accounted For
August 15, 2018

Navy Aviation Chief Ordnanceman Otis E. Ingram, 28

Navy Aviation Chief Ordnanceman Otis E. Ingram, 28, Pensacola, Florida, killed during World War II, was accounted for on June 25, 2018.

On July 27, 1944, Ingram was a turret gunner aboard a torpedo bomber from U.S. Navy Torpedo Squadron Fifty One (VT-51). Ingram’s aircraft was the lead of four Avengers on a mission targeting the Japanese base at Malakal Harbor. The aircraft was last observed three to five miles ahead of the other aircraft, at the beginning of the attack. Witnesses observed an object, believed to be an aircraft, on fire in Malakal Harbor. All three servicemen on board, including Ingram, were reported missing in action and subsequently presumed dead on Feb. 4, 1946.

DPAA is grateful to the government of Palau and Bent Prop for their partnership in this recovery.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Ingram’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site, along with the other MIAs from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Soldier Killed from Korean War Accounted For
August 10, 2018

Army Pfc. Joe S. Elmore, 20,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted for from the Korean War, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Pfc. Joe S. Elmore, 20, of Seminary, Kentucky, accounted for on July 3, will be buried August 18 in Albany, Kentucky. In late November, 1950, Elmore was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Approximately 2,500 U.S. and 700 South Korean soldiers assembled into the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), which was deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea, when it was attacked by overwhelming numbers of Chinese forces. As the Chinese attacks continued, American forces withdrew south. By December 6, the U.S. Army evacuated approximately 1,500 service members; the remaining soldiers had been either captured, killed or missing in enemy territory. Because Elmore could not be accounted for by his unit, he was reported missing in action as of Dec. 2, 1950.

Elmore’s name did not appear on any prisoner of war lists and no returning Americans reported him as a prisoner of war. Due to the prolonged lack of evidence, the U.S. Army declared him deceased as of May 1, 1953.

On Oct. 19, 1995, during a United Nations Command/Korean People’s Army meeting at Panmunjom, the KPA offered to repatriate the remains of a British soldier killed during the Korean War. The KPA identified the remains to be Pvt. J. Edmunds, who was reportedly found by a KPA work crew in July 1995, near Wangsan, Rimkangni, Kaesong City. The remains were handed over on Oct. 30, 1995, and the British government asked DPAA’s predecessors to identify the remains.

On Feb. 28, 1996, the remains were declared unidentifiable. 

On Sept. 1, 1997, the British Army Headquarters Adjutant General, Personnel and Training Command, sent a request to the Adjutant General, U.S. Army Personnel Command, requesting the remains be returned for burial in Busan, South Korea, during the visit of the British Korean Veterans Association to Korea in April 1998. The remains were transferred to the custody of British authorities and were buried in a grave marked as “British Unknown.”

Following the institution of the Korean War Project, DPAA was able to associate the unknown remains with two missing U.S. service members. 

In November 2017, the remains were disinterred by the 8th Army Mortuary, U.S. Forces Korea and transported to DPAA.

To identify Elmore’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA and autosomal (auSTR) DNA analysis, as well as anthropological analysis and circumstantial evidence.

Soldier Killed from Korean War Accounted For
August 8, 2018

Army Pfc. Leo J. Duquette,

Army Pfc. Leo J. Duquette, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for on Aug. 8, 2018.

In July 1950, Duquette was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, engaged in combat operations against North Korean forces near Choch’iwon, South Korea. Duquette could not be accounted-for and was declared missing in action on July 11, 1950.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Duquette’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Soldier Killed from Korean War Accounted For
August 8, 2018

Army Pfc. John A. Taylor,

Army Pfc. John A. Taylor, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for May 9, 2018.

In August 1950, Taylor was a member of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division in South Korea. On Aug. 11, his regiment encountered a Korean People’s Army unit near the village of Haman. Taylor’s company was ordered to move southwest, where they were ambushed and forced to disperse. In the days following, the battalions of 24th Infantry Regiment consolidated their positions, reorganized and began accounting for their Soldiers. After several days of checking adjoining units, aid stations and field hospitals, Taylor was reported as killed in action on Aug. 12, 1950, but his remains were not recovered.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Taylor’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Martin F. O’Callaghan, Jr., killed during World War II, was accounted for on April 24, 2018.

In February 1945, O’Callaghan was a pilot with the 96th Fighter Squadron, 82nd Fighter Group, on a mission to strafe targets near Maribor, Yugoslavia, now Slovenia. While attacking locomotives near a railway station, O’Callaghan’s P-38 Lightning aircraft was struck by anti-aircraft fire. He radioed his squadron-mates to say that he might attempt to bail out of the aircraft, however, according to witnesses, he attempted to land the aircraft in a field southeast of Maribor. As he was attempting to land, the aircraft inverted, crashed and burst into flames. Because Yugoslavia was an occupied territory at the time, no immediate search for his remains could be conducted.
DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

O’Callaghan’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Impruneta, Italy, along with the other MIAs from WWII. Although interred as an "unknown”, his grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission.

Soldier Killed from Korean War Accounted For
August 8, 2018

Army Master Sgt. Carl H. Lindquist, 33

Army Master Sgt. Carl H. Lindquist, 33, Kandiyohi, Minnesota, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for June 4, 2018.

In late November 1950, Lindquist was a member of Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. The unit, designated the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), engaged with forces of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) in a battle on the east side of the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Lindquist was reported missing in action during the battle, on Nov. 29, 1950.

Other information:    ENTERED ON 10 SEPTEMBER 1941.  SERVED THE DURATION OF WORLD WAR II AND WAS DISCHARGED ON 11 NOVEMBER 1945.  RE-ENLISTED FOR KOREA AND WAS A MEMBER OF COMPANY H, 31st INFANTRY REGIMENT, 7th INFANTRY DIVISION.  BECAME MISSING IN ACTION ON 29 NOVEMBER 1950 AS A PART OF TASK FORCE MACLEAN IN THE CHOSIN RESEVOIR.  
WAS PRESUMED AND DECLARED DEAD ON 31 DECEMBER 1953.  BODY WAS NEVER RECOVERED.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Lindquist’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Air Forces Flight Officer Richard W. Lane, 21, of Beatrice, Nebraska, accounted for on April 23, will be buried Aug. 9 in Gage, Nebraska. In December 1944, Lane served with the 815th Bombardment Squadron, 483rd Bombardment Group (Heavy), 15th Air Force. He was killed on Dec. 27, 1944 when the B-17G aircraft he co-piloted was shot down on a bombardment mission over Austria. As Allied aircraft neared the target at Linz, Austria, they encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire. Lane’s aircraft took a direct hit over Linz and reportedly crashed near St. Florian, Austria. 

Lane and three other crew members were listed as buried in St. Florian Cemetery on Dec. 29, 1944.

In May 1945, the American Graves Registration Command, in an effort to investigate unresolved casualties that occurred in Europe, concluded that one of the Airmen in Lane’s aircraft was the only unresolved Airman killed in close proximity to the recovery locationW of X-239. Based on this information, X-239 was disinterred but dental analysis was unable to make a positive association with the Airman. The remains were then reinterred in the United States Military Cemetery Henri-Chapelle, Belgium, on Aug. 2, 1950.

In June 1945, the AGRC recovered four sets of remains from a single grave near the cathedral in the St. Florian Cemetery. The AGRC was able to identify one set of remains, designating the others as Unknowns X-59, X-60 and X-61. The unidentified remains were transferred to the temporary cemetery in Nurnberg, Germany. 

In August 1945, unknown remains were disinterred from the Nurnberg cemetery for reprocessing and moved to the U.S. military Cemetery at St. Avold, France, where they were redesignated as X-239, X-240, X-241 and X-242 St. Avold. 

In January 1946, the Quartermaster General identified the remains designated X-240 to be Lane, subsequently burying them in the Filley Cemetery in Gage County, Nebraska.

Based on DPAA’s analysis of historical documents, it is likely that the remains designated X-239 and X-240 became exchanged during or immediately after the August 1945 movement to St. Avold. 

On June 8, 2017, a team from the U.S. Army Regional Mortuary-Europe/Africa, working with the American Battle Monuments Commission, exhumed X-239 from the Henri-Chapelle Cemetery. The remains were transferred to DPAA for analysis.

To identify Lane’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, as well as dental and anthropological analysis, and circumstantial evidence.

Marine killed From World War II Accounted For
August 7, 2018

Marine Corps Reserve Pvt. Emil F. Ragucci, 19,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Marine Corps Reserve Pvt. Emil F. Ragucci, 19, of Philadelphia, accounted for on Nov. 13, 2017, will be buried August 14, in his hometown. In November 1943, Ragucci was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 2nd 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, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated.

Ragucci died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943.

The battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance the Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.

In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio Island, but Ragucci’s remains were not recovered. On Oct. 24, 1949, a military review board declared Ragucci’s remains non-recoverable.

In September 2013, through a partnership with History Flight, Inc., JPAC (a predecessor to DPAA) received the remains of a group that had been located in the known area of Cemetery 33. The remains were sent to the Central Identification Laboratory in Honolulu for analysis.

To identify Ragucci’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome (Y-STR) DNA analysis, anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted for from the Korean War, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Rufus L. Ketchum, 38, of Superior, Wisconsin, accounted for on April 23, will be buried August 14 in his hometown. In late November 1950, Ketchum was a member of Medical Detachment, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division. Approximately 2,500 U.S. and 700 South Korean soldiers assembled into the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), which was deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea, when it was attacked by overwhelming numbers of Chinese forces. As the Chinese attacks continued, American forces withdrew south. The U.S. Army evacuated approximately 1,500 service members; the remaining soldiers had been either captured, killed or missing in enemy territory. McKinney was reported missing in action on Dec. 6, 1950, when he could not be accounted for after the withdrawal to Hagaru-ri.

Ketchum’s name did not appear on any prisoner of war lists and no returning Americans reported Ketchum as a prisoner of war. Based on the testimony of a surviving member of his unit who witnessed Ketchum’s death, the U.S. Army declared him deceased as of Dec. 6, 1950.

In September 2001, a joint U.S. and Korean People’s Army (KPA) recovery ream conducted a Joint Recovery Operation (JRO) in the vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir, Changjin County, Chagjin District, South Hamgyong Province, North Korea, based on information provided by two Korean witnesses. During the excavation, the recovery team recovered material evidence and possible osseous remains of at least seven individuals. The remains were subsequently sent to the laboratory for identification.

To identify Ketchum’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA and Y-chromosome (Y-STR) DNA analysis, anthropological analysis, and material and circumstantial evidence.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Missing From World War II Accounted For
August 6, 2018

Navy Seaman 2nd Class Wilbur C. Barrett, 26

Navy Seaman 2nd Class Wilbur C. Barrett, 26,  El Dorado, Kansas killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on June 20, 2018.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Barrett was assigned to the 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 Barrett.

In 2015, DPAA disinterred remains from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Barrett's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Pilot Killed From Vietnam War Accounted For
August 6, 2018

U.S. Air Force Reserve Col. Frederic M. Mellor, 30

U.S. Air Force Reserve Col. Frederic M. Mellor, 30, Cranston RI,  killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for on July 13.

On Aug. 13, 1965, Mellor, who was assigned to the 20th Tactical
Reconnaissance Squadron, and on temporary duty with the 15th Reconnaissance Task Force, was flying the lead RF-101C aircraft in a flight of two on a mission to conduct photo and visual reconnaissance of a suspected surface to-air missile site in Son La Province, in the then-Democratic Republic of Vietnam. During the flight, hostile ground fire damaged the aircraft, causing it to crash. Mellor survived his ejection and attempted to evade the enemy. Initial radio contact was established, however contact was lost, and, despite a two-day search, neither Mellor nor his aircraft were found. He was subsequently listed as missing in action.

DPAA is grateful to the government and people of Vietnam, as well as the Vietnamese Office for Seeking Missing Persons, for their assistance in returning Mellor's remains to present-day DPAA.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days
prior to scheduled funeral services.

Mellor's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are missing from the Vietnam War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted for from the Korean War, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Sgt. William A. Larkins, 20, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, accounted for on May 4, 2017, will be buried Aug. 10 in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania. In late November 1950, Larkins was a member of A Battery, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, fighting off persistent Chinese attacks in the Ch’ongch’on River region of North Korea. Through a series of attacks, the Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) pressed 2ID units into local withdrawals to avoid being outflanked. On the night of Nov. 25, 1950, the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) began relentless attacks which continued until the end of the month. On Dec. 1,1950, the 503rd FA BN began their movement down the Main Supply Route under continuous enemy mortar, small arms and machine gun fire, toward the town of Sunchon, where Larkins was reported missing in action.

Following the war, one returning prisoner of war reported that Larkins had been captured and had died at an unknown prisoner of war camp in January 1951.

 Based on this information, the U.S. Army declared him deceased as of Jan. 31, 1951.

In April and May 2005, a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (now DPAA,) and KPA Recovery Team conducted the 37th Joint Field Activity in Unsan County, North Pyongan Province, North Korea. A site southeast of the Pukchin-Tarigol Prisoner of war camp cluster was found to have probable human remains and material evidence, and was completely excavated. The remains were sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis on May 27, 2005.

To identify Larkins’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA), Y-chromosome short tandem repeat (Y-SYR) and autosomal (auSTR) DNA analysis, as well as dental and anthropological analysis and circumstantial evidence.

Marine killed From World War II Accounted For
July 31, 2018

Marine Corps Cpl. Claire E. Goldtrap, 21

Marine Corps Cpl. Claire E. Goldtrap, 21, from Oklahoma, killed during World War II, was accounted for on June 1, 2018.

In November 1943, Goldtrap was assigned to Company A, 2nd Amphibian Tractor Battalion, 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, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated.

Goldtrap died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943, during the first wave of the assault.

DPAA is grateful to the Department for Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Goldtrap’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Army Pfc. Leslie Shankles, 33, Vernon County, Missouri, killed during World War II, was accounted for on July 12, 2018.

In October 1944, Shankles was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. He was killed Oct. 14, 1944 by enemy fire in the Raffelsbrand sector of the Hürtgen Forest, near Germeter, Germany. 

DPAA is grateful to the Department for Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Shankles’ name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, along with the others missing from WWII. Although interred as an Unknown in Neuville American Cemetery, Shankles’ grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the ABMC. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Marine killed From World War II Accounted For
July 31, 2018

Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Robert L. Zehetner,

Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Robert L. Zehetner, from Florida, killed during World War II, was accounted for on June 20, 2018.

In November 1943, Zehetner was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 8th 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, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated.

Zehetner died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943.

DPAA is grateful to the Department for Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Zehetner’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Missing From World War II Accounted For
July 31, 2018

Navy Fireman 1st Class Chester E. Seaton, 20,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Navy Fireman 1st Class Chester E. Seaton, 20, of Omaha, Nebraska, accounted for on Nov. 6, 2017, will be buried August 8 in Tacoma, Washington. On Dec. 7, 1941, Seaton was assigned to the 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 Seaton. 

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 Seaton.

In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl for analysis.
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To identify Seaton’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which matched his family, as well as dental and anthropological analysis, along with circumstantial evidence.

Tuskegee Airman Killed During World War II Accounted For
July 27, 2018

Lost Tuskegee Airman’s Body May Have Been Found

Members of the 1942 graduating class at Tuskegee Army Flying School:
Alwayne Dunlap, Lawrence E Dickson, Wilmeth W Sidat Singh and Elmer L Gordon.

U.S. Army Air Forces Capt. Lawrence E. Dickson,

U.S. Army Air Forces Capt. Lawrence E. Dickson, Bronx, N.Y., killed during World War II, was accounted for on July 27. 

In December 1944, Dickson was a pilot with the 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group, in the European Theater. On Dec.23, 1944, Dickson departed Ramitelli Air Base, Italy on an aerial reconnaissance mission toward Praha, Czechoslovakia. On his return, Dickson’s P-51D aircraft suffered engine failure and was seen to crash along the borders of Italy and Austria, reportedly between Malborghetto and Tarviso, Italy. According to witnesses, Dickson’s plane had rolled over with the canopy jettisoned. He was not observed ejecting from the plane. Dickson’s remains were not recovered and he was subsequently declared missing in action.

DPAA is grateful to the government and people of Austria, the University of New Orleans, the University of Innsbruck, and Mr. Roland Domanig, for their partnerships in this recovery.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Dickson’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Impruneta, Italy, along with the other MIAs from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for. 

Marine killed From World War II Accounted For
July 27, 2018

Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Merton R. Riser,

Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Merton R. Riser, Sanborn, Iowa killed during World War II, was accounted for on June 20, 2018.

In November 1943, Riser was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 8th 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, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated. Riser died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943.

DPAA is grateful to the Department for Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Riser’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Missing From World War II Accounted For
July 27, 2018

Navy Carpenter's Mate 3rd Class William L. Kvidera, 22

Navy Carpenter's Mate 3rd Class William L. Kvidera, 22, Waterloo, IA , killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on July 3, 2018.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Kvidera was assigned to the 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 Kvidera.

In 2015, DPAA disinterred remains from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Kvidera's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Airman killed From World War II Accounted For
July 26, 2018

Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Ottaway B. Cornwell,

Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Ottaway B. Cornwell, killed during World War II, has now been accounted for.

On January 27, 1944, Cornwell was a member of the 4th Fighter Squadron, 52nd Fighter Group, Twelfth (XII) Air Force, piloting a Supermarine Spitfire aircraft, which was shot down over Pierrefeu-du-Var, France. Cornwell was engaged in battle with a German Messerschmitt 109 (Me-109). Another pilot also engaged in battle witnessed two unidentified aircraft crash into the side of a mountain near Pierrefeu-du-Var. Cornwell could not be reached through radio contact. Because southern France was occupied by enemy forces, an immediate search could not be conducted. After Allied forces liberated the area, they were unable to locate Cornwell’s remains.

DPAA is grateful to Mr. Steve Leleu and the French government for their assistance in this recovery.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Cornwell’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Impruneta, Italy, along with the others missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Missing From World War II Accounted For
July 26, 2018

Marine Corps Pfc. Robert K. Holmes, 19

Marine Corps Pfc. Robert K. Holmes, 19, Salt Lake County, Utah, killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on May 9, 2018.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Holmes was assigned to the 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 Holmes.

In 2015, DPAA disinterred remains from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Holmes’ name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Sailor Missing From World War II Accounted For
July 23, 2018

Navy Aviation Radioman 3rd Class Walter E. Mintus,

Navy Aviation Radioman 3rd Class Walter E. Mintus, Portage, Pa. killed during World War II, was accounted for on June 25, 2018.

On July 27, 1944, Mintus was a radioman aboard a torpedo bomber from U.S. Navy Torpedo Squadron Fifty One (VT-51). Mintus’ aircraft was the lead of four Avengers on a mission targeting the Japanese base at Malakal Harbor. The aircraft was last observed three to five miles ahead of the other aircraft, at the beginning of the attack. Witnesses observed an object, believed to be an aircraft, on fire in Malakal Harbor. All three servicemen on board, including Mintus, were reported missing in action and subsequently presumed dead on Feb. 4, 1946.

DPAA is grateful to the government of Palau and Project Recover for their partnership in this recovery.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Mintus’ name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site, along with the other MIAs from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Missing From World War II Accounted For
July 23, 2018

Navy Fireman 1st Class Millard C. Pace, 24

Navy Fireman 1st Class Millard C. Pace, 24, Arkansas,  killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Pace was assigned to the 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 Pace.

In 2015, DPAA disinterred remains from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Pace’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Airman killed From World War II Accounted For
July 20, 2018

Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Vincent L. Politte, 19,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Vincent L. Politte, 19, of Leavenworth, Kansas, accounted for on April 11, will be buried July 30 in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In the summer of 1943, Politte served as a gunner with the 345th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. He was killed while participating in a raid on the Ploesti Oil Refinery complex north of Bucharest, Romania, during Operation Tidal Wave. The goal of the operation was to destroy the refineries in the area in order to hamper the German war effort. During the raid, Politte’s B-24 Liberator aircraft was hit by machine gun fire and crashed. Following the war, his remains could not be identified. 

Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) searched for and disinterred the remains of U.S. servicemen in Europe as part of the global effort to identify and return fallen servicemen. Remains that could not be identified were designated as unknowns and interred in U.S. overseas cemeteries. Beginning in 2010, DPAA and its predecessors digitized and began to analyze more than 8,000 files for Unknowns from WWII.

One set of unidentified remains, designated Unknown X-5056 Neuville, were historically linked to an unaccounted-for American lost during the aerial bombing raids against oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania.