“HONOR THE DEAD BY HELPING THE LIVING”
Today, the DPAA is focused on the research, investigation,
recovery, and identification
of the approximately 34,000 (out of approximately 83,000 missing DoD personnel)
believed to be recoverable, who were lost in conflicts
from World War II to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
March 03, 2017
KHAMMOUANE, Laos --
With
1,614 service members missing in action from the Vietnam War, the Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) deploys hundreds of service members,
DoD civilians, and contractors all over the world in hopes of returning our
nation’s fallen heroes.
Recently a team of 59 personnel completed DPAA’s second Laos mission of fiscal
year 2017, covering the Central East region of Laos. From rice patties to
mountainsides,
the teams excavated thousands of square meters of land recovering important
evidence relating to missing servicemen lost during the war.
“I’m
very honored to have been part of this initiative to bring our missing home,”
said U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chris Walgenbach,
recovery non-commissioned officer. “This mission has been the most unique part
of my 13 year career in the military and I know others feel the same way.”
Every
team member plays an important role in mission success. Whether that is the
recovery non-commissioned officer setting up the sites,
or the recovery leader collecting scientific data, working together ensures
nothing is overlooked and the safety of the team remains number one priority.
Due
to the efforts of the teams, Laos representatives handed over possible remains
to the U.S. to be repatriated and welcomed back on American soil after 48 years.
Upon arrival the possible remains will be transported to DPAA’s laboratory for
examination and possible identification.
“During this mission I have worked along side some of the greatest men and women
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting,
and being chosen for the repatriation ceremony was a perfect way to end such a
great mission,” said U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Andrew Brod,
recovery non-commissioned officer. “It is truly an honor to be bringing closure
to the families of our fallen service members.”
The
hard work and continued dedication of these teams makes it possible for DPAA to
fulfill our nations promise and
provide fullest possible accounting for our missing service members to their
families and the nation.
U.S. Navy
Petty Officer 1st Class Ameil Fredeluces, edic, and U.S. Marine Corps. Staff
Sgt. Eddie Ludwig, explosive ordinance disposal technician,
remove dirt from units during excavation operations as part of the Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s mission in the Khammouane Province, Laos,
January 29, 2017. Recovery Team Three executed excavation operations in
search of two missing U.S. Air Force pilots who crashed while on a visual
reconnaissance mission during the Vietnam War over 48 years ago. DPAA’s mission
is to provide the fullest possible accounting
for our missing personnel to their families and the nation.
Members of
the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency dig units during excavation operations as
part of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s
mission in the Khammouane Province, Laos, January 26, 2017. Recovery Team Three
executed excavation operations in search of two missing
U.S. Air Force pilots who crashed while on a visual reconnaissance mission
during the Vietnam War over 48 years ago. DPAA’s mission is to provide the
fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the
nation.
Jack Kenkeo,
life support investigator, shovels dirt from the screening stations during
excavation operations as part of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s
mission in the Khammouane Province, Laos, January 23, 2017. Recovery Team Three
executed excavation operations in search of two missing U.S. Air Force pilots
who crashed while on a visual reconnaissance mission during the Vietnam War over
48 years ago.
DPAA’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing
personnel to their families and the nation.
U.S. Army
Staff Sgt. Francis Sangiamvongse, linguist, screens soil with local villagers
during excavation operations as part of the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency’s mission in the Khammouane Province, Laos, January 29, 2017.
Recovery Team Three executed excavation operations in search
of two missing U.S. Air Force pilots who crashed while on a visual
reconnaissance mission during the Vietnam War over 48 years ago.
DPAA’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing
personnel to their families and the nation.
Lynn Rakos,
scientific recovery expert, waters hard soil to help with excavation operations
as part of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s mission
in the Khammovan Province, Laos, January 23, 2017. Recovery Team three executed
excavation operations in search of two missing U.S. Air Force pilots
who crashed while on a visual reconnaissance mission during the Vietnam War over
48 years ago.
DPAA’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing
personnel to their families and the nation.
In March of
2017, Making the effort to thank the troops for what they do out in the field
means everything.
With a DPAA recovery team in Quang Nam Province, two hours west of Da Nang,
Vietnam.
The UW-Madison
story involved
a group of six students and staff members who were part of a team that unearthed
a World War II U.S. fighter aircraft—
and possibly remains of its pilot—in the ground under a farm field in France
this summer.
The team used ground-penetrating radar and a photo taken by a
British reconnaissance plane two days after the May, 1944
crash of the P-47 Thunderbolt flown by 1st Lt. Frank Fazekas.
Search underway for Lakewood, Ohio airman of World War II
Search underway for Lakewood, Ohio airman of World War II.
Divers of the U.S. Defense
POW/MIA
Accounting Agency and Civil Defense of Grado, Italy,
prepare for an exploratory dive on the sunken B-24 bomber.
This B-24 Liberator is the same type of airplane that
Lakewood, Ohio airman Thomas McGraw was flying in when it was shot down and
crashed off the coast of Italy during World War II.
A Missing Air Crew Report details the last flight of the B-24 and nose gunner
Thomas McGraw of Lakewood, Ohio.
B-24 located in Adriatic; Crewmanis bones sought Ught Lakewood Manis remains
crewman Omber crew,am2-2k-28 bold Header from A1.
A skull fragment was recovered at the site of a wrecked B-24 bomber
off the coast of Italy that may contain the remains of
Thomas McGraw,
of Lakewood, Ohio.
An underwater view of the crash site of a B-24 off Grado, Italy.
FINDING ENSIGN HAROLD P. DeMOSS IN THE MUCK AND MIRE
“Seeing
those photos was so overwhelming that I cried like a baby”
said DeMoss’ niece, Judy Ivey. “To see this actually taking place
is not anything I ever really expected.”
Anine-person military team
has been digging up mud four days a week
in the Koolau range in search of a missing World War II pilot whose
fighter crashed in cloud cover during a night training flight.
A bucket-and-pulley system
was set up to move excavated
material to a spot where it can be bundled in tarps for
helicopter transport to Wheeler Army Airfield.
NOTE: The Navy’s Bureau of Medicine and Surgery said in a 1948 letter
to the family that “an attempt to recover the remains was
considered impracticable” because the site was 7 miles
from a traveled highway in the mountains.
On Feb. 25, 1944, Duran wasn’t supposed to be on the doomed B-24H
Liberator, nicknamed “Knock it Off.”
Normally a nose turret gunner, Duran was the substitute tail turret gunner on
the flight, replacing the usual tail gunner who had frostbite.
The earth by the headstone next to the church in this tiny mountain village was full of rocks.
Two days of digging under a hot sun had yielded buckets of
gravel, stones the size of men’s fists and many piles of dirt – but no bones.
After 73 years, Sgt. Alfonso O. Duran was still missing.
The family feels a sense of closure regardless of the outcome,
Duran said.
“What a difference it would have made to my father and to my aunt,”
she said, “to know he had died and somebody had buried him and tended the
grave.”
Members of
the recovery team attach a POW flag to the wreckage of the
Tulsamerican, a B-24 Liberator piloted by, Lt. Eugene P. Ford, a Derry Township,
Pa. native,
when it crashed into the Adriatic Sea in 1944.
USS Arizona was
a Pennsylvania-class battleship built
for and by the United
States Navy in
the mid-1910s. Named in honor of the 48th
state's
recent admission into the union, the ship was the second and last of the Pennsylvania class
of "super-dreadnought"
battleships. Although commissioned in
1916, the ship remained stateside during World
War I.
Shortly after the end of the war, Arizona was
one of a number of American ships that briefly escorted President Woodrow
Wilson to
the Paris
Peace Conference.
The ship was sent to Turkey in 1919 at the beginning of the Greco-Turkish
War to
represent American interests for several months. Several years later, she was
transferred to the Pacific
Fleet and
remained there for the rest of her career.
Aside from a comprehensive modernization in 1929–31, Arizona was
regularly used for training exercises between the wars, including the annual Fleet
Problems
(training exercises). When an earthquake struck
Long Beach, California,
in 1933, Arizona's
crew provided aid to the survivors. Two years later, the ship was featured in a Jimmy
Cagney film, Here
Comes the Navy,
about the romantic troubles of a sailor. In April 1940, she and the rest of the
Pacific Fleet were transferred from California to Pearl
Harbor,
Hawaii, as a deterrent to Japanese
imperialism.
During the Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor on
7 December 1941, Arizona was
bombed. After a bomb detonated in a powder magazine, the battleship exploded
violently and sank, killing 1,177 officers and crewmen. Unlike many of the other
ships sunk or damaged that day, Arizona was
irreparably damaged by the force of the magazine explosion, though the Navy
removed parts of the ship for reuse. The wreck still
lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial,
dedicated on 30 May 1962 to all those who died during the attack, straddles the
ship's hull.
The USS Oklahoma was on Battleship Row in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. That was the morning that the Japanese Empire attacked the United States by surprise.
The Japanese
used dive–bombers, fighter–bombers, and torpedo planes to sink nine ships,
including five battleships, and severely damage 21 ships.
There were 2,402 US deaths from the attack. 1,177 of
those deaths were from the USS Arizona,
while 429 of the deaths were from the USS Oklahoma.
The crew of the USS Oklahoma did everything they could to fight back. In the first ten minutes of the battle, though, eight torpedoes hit the Oklahoma, and she began to capsize. A ninth torpedo would hit her as she sunk in the mud. 14 Marines, and 415 sailors would give their lives. 32 men were cut out through the hull while the others were beneath the waterline. Banging could be heard for over 3 days and then there was silence.
After the battle, the Navy decided that they could not salvage the Oklahoma due to how much damage she had received. The difficult savage job began in March 1943, and Oklahoma entered dry dock 28 December. Decommissioning September 1, 1944, Oklahoma was stripped of guns and superstructure, and sold December 5, 1946 to Moore Drydock Co., Oakland, Calif. Oklahoma parted her tow line and sank May 17, 1947. 540 miles out, bound from Pearl Harbor to San Francisco. Today, there is a memorial to the USS Oklahoma and the 429 sailors and marines lost on December 7, 1941, located on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Ford Island
is seen in this aerial view during the Japanese attack on Pearl harbor December
7, 1941 in Hawaii.
(The photo was taken from a Japanese plane.)
Remember
the fallen: In all, 429 people on board the
battleship were killed in the attack.
Only 35 were identified in the years immediately after.
Battleship
USS Oklahoma unturned hull at the bottom of Pearl Harbor
after the devastating Japanese bombing attack on Dec. 7, 1941.
Service Personnel Not Recovered Following
WWII
from MICHIGAN - 2467
Service Personnel Not Recovered Following
Korea
from MICHIGAN - 341
Service Personnel Not Recovered Following
Cold War
from MICHIGAN - 4
Service Personnel Not Recovered Following
Viet Nam
from MICHIGAN - 48
RECENTLY
FOUND
HEROES in 2018
Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Hulen A.
Leinweber, 21, of Houston, killed during World War II, was accounted
for.
On June 10, 1945, Leinweber, a member of 40th Fighter Squadron,
35th Fighter Group, was piloting a P-51 aircraft, on a strafing mission
targeting a large convoy north of Payawan in Infugao Province, Republic of the
Philippines. The aircraft reportedly was struck by anti-aircraft fire, causing
the right wing to break off. Leinweber’s aircraft crashed just south of Ilap
village. The American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) searched the area south
of Ilap village between August 26-28, 1947, locating wreckage but recovering no
remains. In October 1947, Leinweber’s remains were declared non-recoverable.
Between March and July 2017, a Joint University of Illinois at
Chicago (UIC) and National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) Recovery Team (RT1)
excavated a site believed to be associated with Leinweber’s crash. The recovery
team found material evidence and possible osseous remains. The remains were sent
to the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Leinweber’s remains, scientists from DPAA used
laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis,
as well as material and circumstantial evidence.
December 14
Navy Seaman 2nd Class Charles C. Gomez,
Jr., 19, of Slidell, Louisiana, killed during World War II, was
accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Gomez 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 Gomez.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the
remains of the deceased crewmen, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa
and Nu’uanu Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen
U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the
two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at
Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the
identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS
subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In
October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as
non-recoverable, including Gomez.
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 Gomez’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental
and anthropological analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence.
December 14
Navy Storekeeper 2nd Class Gerald L.
Clayton, 21, Central City, Nebraska, killed during World War II, was
accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Clayton 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 Clayton.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the
remains of the deceased crewmen, 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 Clayton.
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 Clayton’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.
Army Cpl. Frederick E. Coons, 22, of
Fairview Township, Missouri, killed during the Korean War, was
accounted for.
In July 1950, Coons was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion,
34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. On July 29, 1950, Coons was
declared missing action in the vicinity of Geochang, South Gyeongsang Province,
South Korea, when he couldn’t be accounted for after a unit withdrawal action to
set up a roadblock against North Korean Forces.
On Feb. 23, 1952, the 565th Quartermaster Graves Registration
Company recovered three sets of remains from a shallow, temporary grave near the
village of Apkong-ni, South Korea. The remains, designated X-5272, X-5273 and
X-5274, were transferred to the United Nations Military Cemetery in Tanggok for
temporary burial. The remains were then sent to the Central Identification Unit
in Kokura, Japan, for identification.
One set of remains, X-8272 was declared unidentifiable and were
transferred to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the
Punchbowl, in Honolulu for burial.
On March 12, 2018, DPAA disinterred Unknown X-8272 from the
Punchbowl for identification.
To identify Coons’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental
and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Army Sgt. 1st Class James L. Boyce, 21,
of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, killed during the Korean War, was
accounted for.
In July 1950, Boyce was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion,
21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, engaged in combat operations
against the North Korean People’s Army south of Chonui, South Korea. Boyce could
not be accounted-for and was declared missing in action on July 11, 1950.
In December 1953, based on a lack of information regarding his
status, Boyce was declared deceased.
On October 7, 1950, a set of remains was recovered from an
isolated grave in the vicinity of Choch’iwon, South Korea. The remains, unable
to be identified, were designated as Unknown X-170 and were buried in the Taejon
United Nations Military Cemetery. In 1951, the graves at Taejon were exhumed and
the unknowns were transferred to the Army’s Central Identification Unit in
Kokura, Japan. Again, X-170 could not be identified and the remains were
subsequently buried as an Unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the
Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
On Oct. 16, 2017, Unknown X-170 was disinterred from the
Punchbowl and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Boyce’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 and
circumstantial and material evidence.
Airmen
Air Force Col. Richard A. Kibbey, 32, of
Delmar, New York, killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for.
On Feb. 6, 1967, Kibbey was a member of Detachment 5, 38th
Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, when he, along with three other service
members, were crew members of an HH-3E helicopter on a rescue and recovery
mission over North Vietnam. After rescuing the pilot of a downed aircraft,
Kibbey’s helicopter was hit by enemy ground fire, resulting in an internal
explosion and crash. Kibbey was subsequently reported missing in action. His
status was later amended to deceased.
In March 2017, a Vietnamese Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP)
team excavated a crash site associated with Kibbey’s loss, near Bai Dinh Hamlet,
Dan Hoa Village, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam, and recovered possible osseous
remains and material evidence. On March 31, 2017, a Joint Forensic Review team
examined the possible remains in Da Nang and recommended them for repatriation
to the United States. The remains were sent to DPAA in April 2017. A VNOSMP team
continued excavation of the site between February and April 2018, recovering
additional remains. These remains were sent to DPAA on April 16, 2018 and
consolidated with the remains received in 2017.
To identify Kibbey’s remains, DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical
Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental analysis, as
well as material and circumstantial evidence.
December 13
Army Pfc. Marvin E. Dickson, 19, of
Indianapolis, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November, 1944, Dickson was a member of Headquarters Company,
1st Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division. He was tasked
with facilitating communication among various battle elements by laying
telephone wire between headquarters and outposts in the Hürtgen Forest in
Germany. Dickson was reportedly killed in the early morning hours of Nov. 13,
1944, when he and other Soldiers moved to the front lines to reestablish broken
telephone communications. According to witnesses, one man was killed and three
were wounded. However, surviving members could not confirm Dickson’s death, nor
provide the exact location to where he was killed. He was subsequently listed as
missing in action. In Nov. 14, 1945, his status was amended to killed in
action.
After the war, the American Graves Registration Command
extensively searched the Hürtgen Forest, to locate Dickson’s remains. Unable to
make a correlation with any remains found in the area, he was declared
non-recoverable.
In April 1947, a set of remains was recovered from District #21
of the Raffelsbrand sector of the Hürtgen Forest. The remains were sent to the
central processing point at Neuville, Belgium. They were unable to be
identified, were designated X-5406, and buried at Neuville American Cemetery.
Based upon the original recovery location of X-5406, a DPAA
historian determined that there was a possible association between the remains
and Dickson. In April 2017, the Department of Defense and American Battle
Monuments Commission disinterred X-5406 and accessioned the remains to the DPAA
laboratory for identification.
To identify Dickson’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis, dental
and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
December 12
Navy Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Roman W. Sadlowski, 18,
Pittsfield, Mass.
killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was
accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Sadlowski 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 Sadlowski.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their
partnership in this recovery.
Sadlowski's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Army Pfc. Karl L. Dye, killed
during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In July 1950, Dye was a member of Battery B, 57th Field Artillery
Battalion, 24th Infantry Division, engaged in combat operations against North
Korean (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) forces, near Taejon, South Korea.
According to a witness, he was seriously wounded by an enemy mortar shell and
placed in an ambulance. The ambulance allegedly encountered an enemy roadblock.
Dye was reported missing in action on July 16, 1950.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their
partnership in this mission.
Dye's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who
are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to
indicate he has been accounted for.
Navy Capt. James R. Bauder, 35, of San
Fernando, California, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Sept. 21, 1966, Bauder was a member of Fighter Squadron Twenty
One, USS Coral Sea, in South East Asia, as the pilot of an F-4B aircraft in a
flight of two aircraft on a night reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam.
During the mission, the other aircraft lost contact with Bauder’s aircraft, and
the plane did not return to the ship. No missiles were observed in the target
area and no explosions were seen. An extensive search was conducted with
negative results. Based on this information, Bauder was declared missing in
action.
Between 2010 and 2017, Underwater Recovery Teams (URT) from DPAA
conducted excavations of a submerged aircraft crash site in the waters
immediately off Quynh Phuong Village, Quynh Luu District, Nghe An Province,
Vietnam. During the excavations, numerous pieces of aircraft wreckage,
consistent with Bauder’s aircraft, were found, as well as possible osseous
material.
To identify Bauder’s remains, DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical
Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, anthropological
analysis as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
December 11
Navy Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Fred M.
Jones, 31, of Otter Lake, Michigan, killed during World War II, was
accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Jones 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 Jones.
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 Jones.
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
NMCP for analysis.
To identify Jones’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which
matched a niece and a grand niece, as well as circumstantial evidence and
laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis,
which matched Jones’ records.
Pilot
December 11
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Allen R. Turner,
25, of Brookline, Massachusetts, killed during World War II, was
accounted for.
On July 17, 1945, Turner, a member of the 1330 Army Air Force
Base Unit, Air Transport Command, was the pilot of a C-109 aircraft, en route
from Jorhat, India, to Hsinching, China, over “The Hump,” when the aircraft
crashed in a remote area. All four passengers were declared deceased after an
extensive search effort failed to identify the crash site.
In late 2007, an independent investigator, Clayton Kuhles,
discovered aircraft wreckage in a deep ravine at a high altitude that correlated
with Turner’s aircraft. Possible osseous remains were recovered and turned over
to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (a predecessor to DPAA).
In February 2009, a contracted group traveled to the reported
crash site and confirmed the location of the aircraft wreckage. Also in 2009, a
local resident in India turned over additional bone fragments he had taken from
the crash site.
To identify Turner’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, as well
as circumstantial and material evidence.
December 11
Navy Fireman 3rd Class Kenneth L. Jayne,
26, of Patchogue, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted
for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Jayne 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 Jayne.
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 Jayne.
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
NMCP for analysis.
To identify Jayne’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental
analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
December 11
Navy Water Tender 1st Class Edwin B. McCabe, 26,
Carteret, North Carolina,
killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, McCabe 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 McCabe.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their
partnership in this recovery.
McCabe's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
December 10
Navy Ensign William M. Finnegan, 44, of
Bessemer, Michigan, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Finnegan 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 Finnegan.
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 Finnegan.
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
NMCP for analysis.
To identify Finnegan’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental
analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
December 10
Navy Seaman 1st Class Harold W. Roesch,
25, of Rockford, Illinois, killed during World War II, was accounted
for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Roesch 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 Roesch.
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 Roesch.
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
NMCP for analysis.
To identify Roesch’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 and material evidence.
December 10
Navy Seaman 2nd Class John C. Auld, 23, Grosse Park, Michigan, United States killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for.
John Cuthbert Auld and his brother Edwin were born in England,
the sons of Richard and Lillian Auld. The family emigrated after 1921 to the US.
Auld was a Seaman 2nd Class aboard the USS Oklahoma went it was attacked at
Pearl Harbor.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Auld 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 Thompson.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their
partnership in this recovery.
Auld's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
December 5
Navy Seaman 2nd Class George A.
Thompson, Great Lakes, Ill. killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Thompson 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 Thompson.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their
partnership in this recovery.
Thompson's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
December 3
Navy Fireman 1st Class Leonard R.
Geller, 21, of Garber, Oklahoma. Geller was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Geller 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 Geller.
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 Geller.
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
NMCP for analysis.
To identify Geller remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA, Y-chromosome (Y-STR)
DNA and autosomal (auSTR) DNA analysis, which matched his family, as well as
circumstantial evidence and anthropological analysis, which matched his records.
Army Pfc. John A. Taylor, 22, of
Winnsboro, Louisiana. Taylor was accounted for.
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.
On Jan. 6, 1951, an Army Graves Registration Service search and
recovery team recovered a set of unidentified remains near the village of Haman.
The remains, which could not be identified, were interred in United States
Military Cemetery Masan in South Korea, as Unknown X-213 Masan.
In February 1954, the Central Identification Unit in Kokura,
Japan, examined Unknown X-213 Masan. Unable to make an identification, the
remains were declared unidentifiable in April 1955 and buried as an Unknown in
the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in
Honolulu.
In 2016, research into unresolved losses and unknowns remains
from the Korean War led researchers to conclude that Unknown X-213 could likely
be identified. The unknown had been recovered in the area where Taylor went
missing. DPAA disinterred Unknown X-213 in June 2017 and sent the remains to the
laboratory for analysis.
To identify Taylor’s remains, scientists from DPAA used as dental
and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
Pilot
December 3
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Ottaway B.
Cornwell, 22, of Houston. Cornwell was 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 several miles northeast of Grande Bastide. 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.
In October 2016, French researcher Mr. Steve Leleu contacted DPAA
about a possible aircraft crash site near his home in the village of
Pierrefeu-du-Var, France. In a February 3, 1944 document provided by Leleu, the
Prefecture of Var reported that two American airplanes were shot down near the
aerodrome at Cuers, France. A French report from Jan. 3, 1944, also from the
Prefecture of Var, discussed the burials of two American aviators.
Leleu reported recovery of a large amount of evidence, including
aircraft parts, personnel equipment and possible remains.
In June 2017, DPAA’s Europe-Mediterranean Regional Directorate
Investigation Team conducted a field investigation, confirmed the evidence from
Leleu, and took possession of the remains.
To identify Cornwell’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 and material evidence.
December 3
Navy Reserve Musician 1st Class Henri C.
Mason, 48, of Corwith, Iowa. Mason was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Mason 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 Mason.
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 Mason.
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 Mason’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis,
anthropological and dental analysis, as well as circumstantial and material
evidence.
November 30
Navy Radioman 3rd Class Jack R.
Goldwater, 19, of San Francisco. Goldwater was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Goldwater 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 Goldwater.
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 Goldwater.
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 Goldwater’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the
Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis,
anthropological and dental analysis, as well as circumstantial and material
evidence.
November 30
Navy Shop fitter 3rd Class John M.
Donald, 28, of Ball Ground, Georgia. Donald was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Donald 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 Donald.
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 Donald.
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 Donald’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis,
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
Army Master Sgt. Carl H. Lindquist, 32,
of Willmar, Minnesota.
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.
In 1954, United Nations and communist forces exchanged the
remains of war dead in what came to be called “Operation Glory.” All remains
recovered in Operation Glory were turned over to the Army’s Central
Identification Unit for analysis. None of the recovered remains could be
associated with Lindquist and he was declared non-recoverable.
One set of remains returned during Operation Glory were
reportedly recovered from an isolated grave on the east side of the Chosin
Reservoir. The remains, designated X-15902, were determined to be unidentifiable
and were interred as an Unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
(NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In July 2013, following thorough historical analysis and
research, DPAA disinterred Unknown X-15092 from the Punchbowl and sent the
remains to the lab for identification.
To identify Lindquist’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 evidence.
Tuskegee Airman
Army Air Forces Capt. Lawrence E.
Dickson, 24, of New York, New York. Dickson was accounted for.
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.
After combat operations in the area ceased, the American Graves
Registration Command (AGRC) and American Graves Registration Service-
Mediterranean Zone U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps searched for and disinterred
remains of U.S. servicemen in Europe, as part of the global effort to identify
and return fallen servicemen.
On April 6, 1946, a search team investigated Dickson’s case, and
spoke to municipal officials, locals and priests in a number of towns along the
Italy-Austria border. While the team received information on several crashes,
none correlated to Dickson’s loss.
On May 12, 1948, an investigation, conducted by the Austrian
Detachment, First Field Command, American Graves Registration Command spoke with
the Burgermeister, a local magistrate, of Arnoldstein, Austria, as well as with
current and former police chiefs of Maglern, Austria. One witness stated the
plane exploded when it crashed. The wreckage and remains found were allegedly
taken to Klagenfurt, Austria, by German military.
With no further leads on Dickson’s case, a Board of Officers
declared him non-recoverable on Sept. 29, 1949.
In January 2012 researchers with the Defense POW/Missing
Personnel Office (a predecessor to DPAA) contacted Mr. Roland Domanig, an
Austrian researcher who had recently reported the discovery of a separate crash
site in northern Italy.
In April 2012, historians and analysts from DPMO and Joint
Personnel Accounting Command (JPAC, also a predecessor to DPAA) met with Mr.
Domanig and additional witnesses who had seen the crash and been to the crash
site. The team subsequently visited the crash site, finding wreckage matching
Dickson’s aircraft type in Austria.
From July 11 through Aug. 8, 2017, partnered with DPAA, the
University of New Orleans and University of Innsbruck conducted an excavation of
the crash site. Recovered remains were sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air
Force Base, Nebraska.
To identify Dickson’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 and material evidence.
November 29
Army Pvt. Floyd A. Fulmer,
27, South Carolina was
killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1944, Fulmer was a member of Company A, 1st
Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division. He was reported
missing in action on Nov. 14, 1944, after fierce combat in the Raffelsbrand
sector of the Hürtgen Forest, near the village of Simonskall, in Germany. Due to
ongoing combat operations and extensive land mines throughout the forest
American forces were unable to search for him. When the war ended, Fulmer was
among more than two dozen Soldiers still missing in the Raffelsbrand sector. On
Nov. 15, 1945, the War Department declared him deceased.
DPAA is grateful the American Battle Monuments Commission for
their partnership in this mission.
Fulmer's 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, Wilder’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.
November 28
Army Pvt. Harry W. Wilder,
killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1944, Wilder was a member of Company B, 1st
Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division. He was reported
missing in action on Nov. 14, 1944, after fierce combat in the Raffelsbrand
sector of the Hürtgen Forest, near the village of Simonskall, in Germany. Due to
ongoing combat operations and extensive land mines throughout the forest
American forces were unable to search for him. When the war ended, Wilder was
among more than two dozen Soldiers still missing in the Raffelsbrand sector. On
Nov. 15, 1945, the War Department declared him deceased.
DPAA is grateful the American Battle Monuments Commission for
their partnership in this mission.
Wilder’s 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, Wilder’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.
Army Cpl. DeMaret M. Kirtley, 19, of
Kaycee, Wyoming. Kirtley was accounted for.
In late November 1950, Kirtley was a member of Battery A, 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. Kirtley was reported
missing in action on Dec. 6, 1950, when he could not be accounted for after the
withdrawal. He was last seen in the vicinity of Hagaru-ri, Changjin County,
Hamgyeong Province, North Korea.
Kirtley’s name did not appear on any prisoner of war lists and no
returning Americans reported Kirtley as a prisoner of war. Due to a lack of
information regarding his status, the Army declared him deceased as of Dec. 31,
1953.
In 1954, an agreement was reached between the United Nations
Command (UNC), the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (D.P.R.K.) and the
Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) regarding the recovery and return of
each side’s dead. This agreement, known as Operation Glory, lasted from 1
September to 30 October 1954.
During the Operation Glory exchange, Chinese and Korean officials
returned the remains of more than 4,000 individuals to the UNC, of which 2,944
were determined to be American. Those remains were sent to the American Graves
Registration Service Central Identification Unit (CIU) in Kokura, Japan, for
possible identification. By the end of the CIU-Kokura identification process,
416 sets of American remains from the D.P.R.K. remained unidentified. Those 416,
along with another 451 sets of remains recovered in the Republic of Korea by the
AGRS, were sent to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) in
Honolulu, Hawaii, for burial as “Unknowns.”
One set designated as “X-15900 Operation Glory,” was among a
group of remains that North Korea unilaterally turned over after reportedly
being recovered from isolated burial sites on the east side of the Chosin
Reservoir.
On May 8, 2017, DPAA disinterred X-15900 Operation Glory and sent
the remains to the laboratory.
To identify Kirtley’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental
and anthropological analysis, and material and circumstantial evidence.
November 27
Navy Seaman 1st Class Kenneth H.
Sampson, killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War
II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Sampson 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 Sampson.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their
partnership in this recovery.
Sampson's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Marine
Marine Corps Sgt. Meredith F. Keirn, 24,
of Niagara Falls, New York. Keirn was accounted for on May 22, 2018.
In late November, 1950, Keirn was a light machinegun section
leader for Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.
He was reported to have been killed Nov. 30, 1950 while defending a hill
overlooking the Toktong Pass, a critical main supply route between the villages
of Hagaru-ri and Yudam-ni, North Korea. His remains were reportedly buried at
the base of “Fox Hill,” in the Toktong Pass, but they could not be recovered
following the war.
In August 2015, a South Korean citizen turned over remains
believed to be U.S. servicemen from the Korean War. The remains were turned over
to the U.S. Forces Korea Mortuary Affairs Office in Yongsan Garrison, Seoul,
South Korea, which were subsequently turned over to DPAA.
To identify Keirn’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used Next Generation Sequencing and mitochondrial
(mtDNA), Y-chromosome (Y-STR) and autosomal (auSTR) DNA analysis,
anthropological analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence.
November 27
Army Cpl. Joseph Akers, 23, of Kenova,
West Virginia. Akers was accounted for.
In November 1944, Akers was a member of Company C, 803rd Tank
Destroyer Battalion, participating in intense fighting in the Hürtgen Forest.
His company was deployed as direct fire support for American infantrymen
attacking the town of Grosshau. Two tank destroyers and six tanks, including the
M10 tank destroyer Akers was on, were knocked out in the fighting around
Grosshau on Nov. 25, 1944. He was killed during the battle, though his status
was initially listed as missing in action. On Dec. 21, 1944, his status was
amended to killed in action.
In 1947, an American investigation team found remains inside the
remnants of an America tank destroyer near Grosshau. The remains were later
designated X-6852 Neuville. Due to the condition of the remains, they were
declared unidentifiable and were interred at United States Military Cemetery
Draguignan, France, present-day Rhone American Cemetery.
After thorough research and historical analysis, historians from
DPAA determined that Akers was a strong candidate for association to the
remains.
In June 2017, X-6852 Neuville was disinterred and sent to DPAA.
To identify Akers’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, and
circumstantial evidence.
November 26
Navy Fireman 3rd Class Willard I. Lawson, 24,
Butler County, OH was
killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was
accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Lawson 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 Lawson.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their
partnership in this recovery.
Lawson's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Marine
Marine Corps Reserve Sgt. Johnson
McAfee, 27, of Laveen, Arizona. McAfee was accounted for.
In late November, 1950, McAfee was a member of Company F, 2nd
Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force fighting
against units of the Chinese People's Volunteer Forces (CPVF) in North Korea.
McAfee was reported to have been killed in action on Nov. 28,
1950, in the vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir at the Marine position known as
Fox Hill.
Following his death, McAfee was buried alongside others at the
base of Fox Hill prior to the evacuation of the outpost.
In September 1953, in accordance with provisions in the armistice
agreement, North Korea began the return of U.S. and United Nations Command (UNC)
dead for identification. On Sept. 10, 1954, a set of remains, "Unknown X-15012,"
was returned, which was reportedly recovered in the vicinity of
where McAfee was buried. The remains were determined to be unidentifiable and
were transferred to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu
and
interred as a Korean War Unknown.
After a thorough historical and scientific analysis indicated
that the remains could likely be identified, X-15012 were disinterred in August
2013 and sent to DPAA for analysis.
To identify McAfee's remains, scientists from DPAA used
anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, which matched his
records, as well as circumstantial evidence.
November 20
Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Harry H. Gaver,
Jr., 24, of Annapolis, Maryland. Gaver was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Gaver 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 Gaver.
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 Gaver.
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
NMCP for analysis.
To identify Gaver’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), dental analysis,
as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
November 20
Navy Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class
Charles H. Harris, 22, of Pine, Louisiana. Harris was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Harris 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 Harris.
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 Harris.
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 Harris’ 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.
November 20
Navy Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Marvin B.
Adkins, 22, of Seattle. Adkins was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Adkins 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 Adkins.
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 Adkins.
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 Adkins' remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis, dental
and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
Army Pfc. Leo J. Duquette, 19, of
Toledo, Ohio. Duquette was accounted for.
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.
In December 1953, based on a lack of information regarding his
status, Duquette was declared deceased. In January 1956, he was declared
non-recoverable.
In October 1950, the remains of 164 Americans were found in the
vicinity of the Chonui and Choch’iwon, South Korea, in an area corresponding to
where Duquette’s unit engaged in battle. One set of remains, designated X-132,
was processed for identification, but a match could not be made. The remains
were interred in American Cemetery No. 1, later renamed to United Nations
Military Cemetery Taejon.
From October 1950 to September 1954, the American Graves
Registration Service attempted to associate Unknown X-132 with a U.S. Soldier.
When a possible association could not be made, the remains were declared
unidentifiable and X-132 was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the
Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu as an Unknown.
On Oct. 16, 2017, Unknown X-132 was disinterred from the
Punchbowl and sent to the laboratory for analysis.
To identify Duquette’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the
Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, as
well as dental, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, and
circumstantial evidence.
November 19
Army Pfc. Lewis E. Price, 23, of
Rogersville, Tennessee. Price was accounted for.
In November, 1944, Price was a member of Company E, 2nd
Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, which moved into the
Hürtgen Forest in Germany, to relieve U.S. forces who had been fighting for
weeks. The fighting in and around the forest was frequently chaotic, and while
details surrounding his loss are sparse, he was reported missing in action as of
Nov. 6, 1944.
After the war, the American Graves Registration Command
extensively searched the Hürtgen Forest, to locate Price’s remains. Unable to
make a correlation with any remains found in the area, he was declared
non-recoverable.
In 2015, a historian from DPAA analyzed documentation of X-2736
Neuville, an unidentified set of remains recovered from the Hürtgen Forest in
1946. Army officials had been unable to identify the remains following the war
and subsequently interred them as an unknown Soldier at Neuville, present-day
Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium.
Based upon the original recovery location and evidence from the
personal effects associated with X-2736, the DPAA historian determined that
there was a possible association between the remains and Price. In June 2016,
the Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission disinterred
X-2736 and accessioned the remains to the laboratory for identification
To identify Price’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 and material evidence.
Army Pfc. John W. Martin, 23, of Saratoga, New
York. Martin was accounted for.
In late November 1950, Martin was a member of Medical 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.
Martin was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, after he
was last seen near the Chosin Reservoir.
Martin’s name did not appear on any prisoner of war lists, and no
returning prisoners of war reported that he had been captured. Based on this
information, he was declared deceased as of Dec. 31, 1951. In 1956, his remains
were declared non-recoverable.
In September 2001, during the 25th Joint Recovery Operation, a
burial site located at the Chosin Reservoir, in the vicinity of where Martin’s
unit fought during the war, was excavated. The remains were accessioned to the
DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Martin’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA), Y-chromosome (Y-STR)
and autosomal (auSTR) DNA analysis, anthropological analysis, as well as
circumstantial and material evidence.
November 16
Enlisted in the Navy. Entered via Reserve Military. Served during
World War II. Stern had the rank of Ensign. Occupation or specialty was Ensign
and Served with USS Oklahoma.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Stern 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 Stern.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their
partnership in this recovery.
Stern’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
November 16
Navy Machinist's Mate 1st Class Ulis C. Steely,
killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Steely 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 Steely.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their
partnership in this recovery.
Steely’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
November 15
Navy Fireman 1st Class Albert U. Kane, 26, of Fort Worth, Texas,
accounted for, will be buried December 7 in Dallas. On Dec. 7, 1941, Kane 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 Kane.
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 Kane.
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 Kane’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used Y-chromosome DNA(Y-STR) analysis,
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
Marine Corps Pfc. Clarence E. Drumheiser, 21, of Fresno, California, accounted for, will be buried December 8 in Prairie View, Texas. In November 1943, Drumheiser was assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
Drumheiser died on the third day of the battle, Nov. 22, 1943.
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military
success in 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 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. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company
conducted remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but
Drumheiser’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), known as the
Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In October 2016, DPAA disinterred Tarawa Unknown X-025 from the
NMCP for identification.
To identify Drumheiser’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the
Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) analysis,
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
November 15
Navy Fireman 2nd Class Carl D. Dorr, 27, of Anderson, South
Carolina, and accounted for, will be buried December 7 in Greenville, South
Carolina. On Dec. 7, 1941, Dorr 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 Dorr.
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 Dorr.
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 Dorr’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA), Y-chromosome (Y-STR),
and autosomal (auSTR) DNA analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well
as circumstantial evidence.
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Nicholas J. Gojmerac, killed during
World War II, was accounted for.
In July 1943, Gojmerac was a member of Company Q, 4th Raider
Battalion, 1st Marine Raider Regiment, when his unit assaulted a Japanese
stronghold at Bairoko Harbor, New Georgia Island, Solomon Islands.
He was reported missing in action on July 20, 1943, after he was
last seen crawling through heavy fire to provide medical care to an injured
Marine while he was mortally wounded himself.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their
partnership in this mission.
Gojmerac’s name is recorded on the Walls of the National Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific with the others missing from WWII. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
November 15
Navy Seaman 1st Class William G. Bruesewitz, 26, of Appleton,
Wisconsin, accounted for, will be buried December 7 in Arlington National
Cemetery, near Washington, D.C. On Dec. 7, 1941, Bruesewitz 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 Bruesewitz.
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 Bruesewitz.
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 Bruesewitz’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the
Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis,
anthropological and dental analysis, along with circumstantial evidence.
November 15
Navy Aviation Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Durell Wade, (also known
as Durrell Wade) 24, of Calhoun City, Mississippi, accounted for, will be buried
December 7 in the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery. On Dec. 7, 1941, Wade
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 Wade.
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 Wade.
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 Wade’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.
Army Pvt. Robert J. Sipes, Jr., 19, of Irvington, Kentucky,
accounted for, will be buried December 5 in his hometown. In November 1950, Sipes was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st
Cavalry Division. He was killed in action on Nov. 30, 1950, during heavy
fighting between the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) and the 7th
Cavalry Regiment near the village of Unsan, North Korea. His remains were
processed through a 7th Cavalry Regiment Collection Station on Dec. 1, 1950, and
interred at the United Nations Military Cemetery (UNMC) Pyongyang, on Dec. 2,
1950.
On Aug. 17, 1954, the United Nations Command (UNC) and North
Korea, along with the CPVF, reached an agreement regarding the recovery and
return of war dead. The agreement, known as Operation Glory, resulted in the
turnover of 4,200 sets of remains to the UNC, including more than 400 sets
reportedly disinterred from Pyongyang. One set of remains, designated N-16678
could not be identified, and were subsequently interred at the National Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu (known as the Punchbowl), as an Unknown.
In June 2017, DPAA disinterred Unknown X-16678 for
identification.
To identify Sipes’ 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.
November 14
Navy Fireman 2nd Class Martin A. Gara, 20, of Chicago, accounted
for, will be buried December 4 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. On Dec. 7, 1941, Gara
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 Gara.
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 Gara.
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
NMCP for analysis.
To identify Gara’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 and material evidence.
Pilot
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Eugene P. Ford, 21, of Latrobe,
Pennsylvania, accounted for, will be buried December 4 in Arlington National
Cemetery, near Washington, D.C. On Dec. 17, 1944, Ford was the a member of the
765th Bombardment Squadron, 461st Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force, as the
pilot of a B-24J aircraft known as The Tulsamerican. Accompanied by a crew of
nine service members, the Tulsamerican was the lead aircraft in a group of six
B-24s from the squadron to participate in a combat bombing mission targeting oil
refineries at Odertal, Germany. Coming out of a cloud bank near the target, the
aircraft were attacked by more than 40 German Me-109 and FW-190 fighters. The
unit suffered heavy losses with three of their six aircraft shot down and the
other three damaged. The Tulsamerican sustained heavy damage, forcing Ford to
abort the mission and crash land in the Adriatic Sea, near the Isle of Vis, in
present-day Croatia. Seven crewmembers of the aircraft survived and were
rescued, however three, including Ford, were killed in the crash, and their
bodies were unable to be recovered.
In 1947, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) searched
the coastline of Italy and Yugoslavia for remains. Gathering no further
information on the location of Ford, on March 23, 1949, his remains were
declared non-recoverable.
In December 2009, a diver from Korcula Island discovered aircraft
debris off the coast of the Isle of Vis. He contacted the Croatian Conservation
Institute, which sent two dive expeditions to photodocument the wreckage,
however, they were unable to identify the aircraft. On May 31, 2010, divers on a
third dive discovered a data plate with numbers matching Ford’s aircraft.
In June and July 2017, DPAA utilized a joint recovery team from
Lund University in Sweden and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in cooperation
with the Croatian Navy, conduct an underwater recovery mission at the crash
site, recovering possible osseous remains and personal equipment.
To identify Ford’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA and autosomal (auSTR)
DNA analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and
material evidence.
Navy Reserve Aviation Machinist's Mate 1st Class John O. Morris,
killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1943, Morris was a member of Carrier Aircraft Service
Unit (CASU) 17. In November 1943, American units 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. Following the battle, the majority of units withdrew from
the island, leaving only the chaplains and a defense garrison, including a
series of U.S. Navy Construction Battalion, Seabee, units.
CASU 17 was among those stationed on the island. On Dec. 16, 1943, Morris was
killed during the test-firing of a machine gun. The weapon accidentally
discharged, killing Morris. He was buried on the island, in Cemetery #33.
DPAA is grateful to History Flight, Inc., for their partnership
in this mission.
Morris’ name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the NMCP,
along with the others missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his
name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Marine Corps Reserve Staff Sgt. Richard J. Murphy, Jr., 26, of
Chevy Chase, Maryland, accounted for, will be buried December 1in Silver Spring,
Maryland. 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.
The American Graves Registration Service (AGRS), U.S. Army
Quartermaster Corps, was charged with recovery and identification of fallen U.S.
personnel in the Pacific Theater. Following the war, the island of Saipan fell
under the AGRS Mariana-Bonin Islands Command. In 1947, Saipan was chosen as the
location for the consolidation of remains from the entire sector, which included
cemeteries on Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Guam and Tinian. Divisional cemeteries on
Saipan were untouched until their official repatriation to Manila in 1948.
Remains that could not be identified were interred in the Manila American
Cemetery, as “Unknowns,” including one set, designated X-15.
After a thorough historical and scientific analysis, it was
determined that X-15 could likely be identified. On Oct. 18, 2017, X-15 was
disinterred from Manila American Cemetery and sent to the laboratory for
analysis.
To identify Murphy’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.
November 13
Navy Fireman 1st Class Bert E. McKeeman,
25, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, accounted for will be buried December 1
in his hometown. On Dec. 7, 1941, McKeeman 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 McKeeman.
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 McKeeman.
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 McKeeman’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the
Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA), Y-chromosome
(Y-STR) and autosomal (auSTR) DNA analysis, dental and anthropological analysis,
as well as circumstantial evidence.
Army Cpl. Francisco Ramos-Rivera, 33, of
Puerto Rico,
accounted for will be buried November 29 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In July 1950,
Ramos-Rivera was a member of Company H, 2nd Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment,
24th Infantry Division, engaged in combat operations against North Korean forces
near Taejon, South Korea. After U.S. forces regrouped after their evacuation of
Taejon, Ramos-Rivera could not be accounted-for and was declared missing in
action on July 20, 1950.
Sfc. Gil Ramos-Rivera was one of thousands of Puerto Ricans who have served in
the military as U.S. citizens in every conflict since World War I.
Ramos-Rivera followed in his father’s footsteps and enlisted in the Army in
October 1950, shortly after the start of the Korean War.
In December 1953, based on a lack of information regarding his
status, Ramos-Rivera was declared deceased. In January 1956, he was declared
non-recoverable.
In February 1951, several sets of remains were found in the
vicinity of the village of Kujong-ri, South Korea, in an area corresponding to
where Ramos-Rivera’s regiment withdrew from battle. One set of remains,
designated X-453 Tanggok, could not be identified. In May 1955, X-453 Tanggok
was declared unidentifiable and was buried as an Unknown at the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In August 2017, Unknown X-453 was disinterred from the Punchbowl
and sent to the laboratory for identification.
To identify Ramos-Rivera’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
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Robert L. Zehetner, 19, of Brooksville, Florida, will be buried November 30 in Bushnell, Florida. In November 1943, Zehetner was assigned to 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.
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military
success in 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 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. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company
conducted remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but
Zehetner’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), known as the
Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
On Feb. 27, 2017, DPAA disinterred Tarawa Unknown X-79 from the
NMCP and sent the remains to the laboratory for analysis.
To identify Zehetner’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the
Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) analysis, dental
and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
November 7
Navy Molder First Class Kenneth B.
Armstrong, 36, of Seattle, will be buried November 30 in the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. On Dec. 7, 1941,
Armstrong 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
Armstrong.
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 Armstrong.
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
NMCP for analysis.
To identify Armstrong’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the
Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis,
which matched family members, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory
analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis.
Army Air Forces Pfc. Joseph I. Natvik,
20, of Madison, Wisconsin, will be buried November 25 in Columbus,
Wisconsin. On July 17, 1945, Natvick, a member of the 1330 Army Air Force Base
Unit, Air Transport Command, was the engineer on board a C-109 aircraft, en
route from Jorhat, India, to Hsinching, China, over “The Hump,” when the
aircraft crashed in a remote area. All four passengers were declared deceased
after an extensive search effort failed to locate the crash site.
In late 2007, an independent investigator, Clayton Kuhles,
discovered aircraft wreckage in a deep ravine at a high altitude that correlated
with Natvik’s aircraft. Possible osseous remains were recovered and turned over
to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (a predecessor to DPAA).
In February 2009, a contracted group traveled to the reported
crash site and confirmed the location of the aircraft wreckage. Also in 2009, a
local resident in India turned over additional bone fragments he had taken from
the crash site.
One set of remains was identified on Feb. 9, 2016 as the
co-pilot, 1st Lt. Frederick W. Langhorst, 24, of Yonkers, New York. Langhorst
was buried Nov. 26, 2016, in Battle Creek, Michigan. Another set of remains was
identified Sept. 24, 2018, as Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Allen R. Turner, 25, of
Brookline, Massachusetts.
To identify Natvik’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, as
well as circumstantial and material evidence
Marine
Marine Corps Sgt. Dwight W. Randall, 22, of Fresno, California, accounted for on September 13, will be buried November 20 in his hometown. In November 1943, Randall was a member of Company C, 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.
Randall died on the first day of the
battle, Nov. 20, 1943.
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military
success in the battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because
the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. 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. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company
conducted remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but
Randall’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), known as the
Punchbowl, in Honolulu, including one set, designated as Tarawa Unknown X-162.
On March 27, 2017, DPAA disinterred Tarawa Unknown X-162 from the
NMCP for identification.
To identify Randall’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) analysis, dental,
anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, as well as
circumstantial and material evidence.
November 2
Navy Seaman 1st Class Kirby R.
Stapleton, 23, Clinton, Mo. killed during the attack on the USS
Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Stapleton 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 Stapleton.
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.
Stapleton'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. Charles G. Kaniatobe, 21, of
Idabel, Oklahoma, accounted for Sept. 13, 2018, will be buried
November 17 in his hometown. In July 1950, Kaniatobe was a member of Company A,
1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, engaged in combat
operations against the North Korean People’s Army near Chonui, South Korea.
Kaniatobe could not be accounted-for and was declared missing in action on July
10, 1950.
In December 1953, based on a lack of information regarding his
status, Kaniatobe was declared deceased. In January 1956, he was declared
non-recoverable. No list provided by the Chinese or North Koreans reported
Kaniatobe as a POW, and no returning American POWs reported him as a POW.
In early October 1950, a Graves Registration Team attached to
Kaniatobe’s regiment recovered the remains of 164 Americans from the area
between Chonui and Choch’iown. On Oct. 6, 1950, a set of unidentified remains,
designated Unknown X-173 and recovered in the vicinity of Choch’iwon were
interred by the U.S. Army in present-day United Nations Military Cemetery Taejou.
In March 1952, Unknown X-173 was exhumed and transferred to the
U.S. Army Central Identification Unit in Kokura, Japan for identification. When
an identification could not be made, the remains were reburied as Unknown X-173
in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in
Hawaii.
On Oct. 16 2017, Unknown X-173 was disinterred from the Punchbowl
and sent to the laboratory for analysis.
To identify Kaniatobe’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.
Army Cpl. Frederick E. Coons,
Buchanan County, Missouri was
killed
during the Korean War, was accounted for.
On July 29, 1950, Coons was declared missing action in the
vicinity of Geochang, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, when he couldn’t
be accounted for after a unit withdrawal action to set up a roadblock against
North Korean Forces.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their
partnership in this mission.
Coons’ name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who
are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to
indicate he has been accounted for.
Army Staff Sgt. Karl R. Loesche, 22, of
Monroeville, New Jersey, accounted for, will be buried November 17 in
Elmer, New Jersey. On Dec. 8, 1941, Loesche was a member of the 3rd Pursuit
Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine
Islands. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of Bataan on April 9,
1942, and of Corregidor 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. Loesche 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.
According to prisoner records, Loesche died on
Nov. 16, 1942, and was buried along with fellow prisoners in the Cabanatuan POW
camp cemetery.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS)
personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the
remains to a temporary U.S. military cemetery near Manila. In December 1946,
AGRS again exhumed the remains at the Manila cemetery in an attempt to identify
them. Due to the circumstances of the POW deaths and burials, the extensive
commingling, and the limited identification technologies of the time, all of the
remains could not be individually identified. One set of remains, designated
X-882, was reburied as an Unknown in the present-day Manila American Cemetery
and Memorial.
On Nov. 2, 2016, after thorough historical and scientific
analysis, X-882 was disinterred from the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.
The remains were subsequently sent to DPAA for identification.
To identify Loesche’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis,
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
November 1
Navy Fireman 1st Class Gerald H. Pirtle,
19, of El Dorado, Kansas, accounted for, will be buried November 17
in Wichita, Kansas. On Dec. 7, 1941, Pirtle 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 Pirtle.
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 Pirtle.
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
NMCP for analysis.
To identify Pirtle’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) analysis, which
matched his family, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis,
to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis, which matched his
records.
Army Pfc. Mathis O. Ball, Jr., 20, of
Collin County, Texas, accounted for Aug. 14, 2018, will be buried
November 18 in Bokchito, Oklahoma. 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.
In December 1953, based on a lack of information regarding his
status, Ball was declared deceased. In January 1956, he was declared
non-recoverable.
On Oct. 4, 1950, a set of unidentified remains was recovered from
an isolated grave in the vicinity of Choch’iwon, South Korea, in an area
corresponding to where Ball’s unit engaged in battle. The remains, designated
X-91, were processed for identification, but a match could not be made. The
remains were interred in American Cemetery No. 1, later renamed to United
Nations Military Cemetery Taejon.
From October 1950 to September 1951, the American Graves
Registration Service attempted to associate Unknown X-91 with a U.S. Soldier.
When a possible association could not be made, the remains were declared
unidentifiable and X-91 was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the
Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu as an Unknown.
On Oct. 2 2017, Unknown X-91 was disinterred from the Punchbowl
and sent to the laboratory for analysis.
To identify Ball’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, as well
as dental, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, and
circumstantial evidence.
October 30
Army Sgt. Eugene G. McBride, 20, of
Lincoln, Nebraska, accounted for, will be buried November 14 in his
hometown. 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.
On Feb. 18, 1945, Army officials at United States Military
Cemetery Margraten processed unidentified remains of a Soldier who had
reportedly been killed near Huppenbroich, Germany. The remains, designated X-90
Margraten, had no identification tags and were subsequently buried at the
cemetery as an unknown soldier.
After the war, the American Graves Registration Command traveled
to Huppenbroich and extensively searched the Hürtgen Forest, to locate McBride’s
and another soldier’s remains. In 1949, American Graves Registration Command
officials pursued the possibility of an association between X-90 Margraten and
McBride. However, a positive identification could not be made and the remains
were interred at the Rhone American Cemetery in France, on Jan. 7, 1952.
Unable to make a correlation with any remains found in the area,
he was declared non-recoverable on Jan. 7, 1952.
In 2016, based upon a comprehensive study of unresolved American
losses of the Hürtgen Forest, the original recovery location of the remains, and
evidence from the personal effects recovered with X-90 Margraten, a DPAA
historian determined that there was a likely association between the remains and
McBride.
In June 2017, the Department of Defense and American Battle
Monuments Commission disinterred X-90 and accessioned the remains to the DPAA
laboratory for identification
To identify McBride’s remains, scientists from DPAA used
anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, as well as
circumstantial and material evidence.
Army Cpl. Albert E. Mills, 20, of
Dallas, accounted for, will be buried November 12 in his hometown. In
July 1950, Mills was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion 5th Cavalry Regiment,
1st Cavalry Division, blocking the Korean People’s Army from advancing along a
corridor linking the cities of Taejon and Taegu. South Korea. On July 23, 1950,
enemy forces attacked American defenses at Yongdong. Mills was reported missing
in action on July 25, 1950, as a result of the fighting, when he could not be
accounted for by his unit.
On March 28, 1950, based in information provided by a local
witness, an American Graves Registration Search and Recovery team recovered two
sets of remains from a mountain near Yongdong. The remains, designated X-851 and
X-852, were interred in the United Nation’s Military Cemetery (UNMC) Tanggok in
April 1951.
In an effort to support identification attempts, remains
recovered throughout South Korea were sent to the Central Identification Command
in Kokura, Japan, for identification. While X-851 was positively identified,
X-852 could not be associated with any missing service members. The remains were
subsequently transferred to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known
as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu and buried as a Korean Unknown.
On April 9, 2018, DPAA disinterred “X-852 Tanggok” from the
Punchbowl and sent the remains to the laboratory for identification.
To identify Mills’ remains, scientists from DPAA used
anthropological, and chest radiograph comparison analysis which; as well as
circumstantial evidence.
Soldier
October 30
Army Pfc. Morris R. Worrell, 20, of Wisner, Nebraska, accounted for, will be buried October 10 in his hometown. 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.
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.
According to prisoner records, Worrell died on Sept. 27, 1942,
and was buried along with fellow prisoners in the local Cabanatuan camp
cemetery.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS)
personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the
remains to a temporary U.S. military cemetery near Manila. In late 1947, the
AGRS again exhumed the remains at the Manila cemetery in an attempt to identify
them. Due to the circumstances of the POW deaths and burials, the extensive
commingling, and the limited identification technologies of the time, all of the
remains could not be individually identified. The unidentified remains were
reburied as unknowns in the present-day Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.
In May 2016, the Secretary of the Army granted permission to
exhume six graves associated with the Cabanatuan Common Grave 439. On May 11,
2016, the remains were sent to DPAA for identification.
To identify Worrell’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental
analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
October 30
Marine Corps Reserve Pvt. Fred E. Freet,
17, Bartholomew, Indiana
killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1943, Freet was assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion,
8th 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.
Freet 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., their partnership in
this mission.
Freet's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the NMCP,
along with the other MIAs from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name
to indicate he has been accounted for.
October 29
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Joe Lukie, 19, of Harvey, West Virginia, accounted for on Sept. 5, 2017, was buried October 27, in Oak Hill, West Virginia. In November 1943, Lukie was assigned to Company K, 3rd 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.
Lukie died on the first day of the battle, Nov.
20, 1943.
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military
success in 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 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. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company
conducted remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but
Lukie’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.
In November 2013, a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (now DPAA)
team conducted investigations at a disturbed cemetery site on the Island of
Betio, recovering material evidence and osseous remains, which were sent to DPAA
for analysis.
On April 3, 2017, DPAA disinterred Tarawa Unknown X-201 from the
NMCP, sent them to the laboratory for analysis and consolidated them with
previously collected remains.
To identify Lukie’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental,
anthropological and chest radiograph comparisons, which matched his records, as
well as circumstantial and material evidence.
October 29
Navy Reserve Seaman 2nd Class Ira N. Slaton, killed during the
attack on the USS Colorado in World War II, was accounted for.
Navy Reserve Seaman 2nd Class Ira N.
Slaton, 22, of Marshall County, Alabama, accounted for on Sept. 24,
2018, will be buried XXXXX in XXXXX. On July 24, 1944, Slaton was aboard the
battleship USS Colorado, which was moored approximately 3,200 yards from the
shore of Tinian Island, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Early in
the morning, the USS Colorado, along with the light cruiser Cleveland and
destroyers Remey and Norman Scott, commenced firing toward the island. Within
two hours, a concealed Japanese shore battery opened fire on the USS Colorado
and the USS Norman Scott. The first hit on the USS Colorado resulted in a heavy
explosion, and the ship sustained extensive fragmentation damage. From the
attack, four crewmen were declared missing in action, and 39 personnel were
killed, including Slaton. Slaton and the other casualties were subsequently
interred in the 4th Marine Division Cemetery on Saipan.
DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission for
their partnership in this mission.
Slaton’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. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been accounted for.
October 29
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. William E.
Brandenburg, Ohio, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1943, Brandenburg was a member of Company A, 1st
Battalion, 2nd 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. Brandenburg died on the third day
of the battle, Nov. 22, 1943.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their
partnership in this mission.
Brandenburg’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at
the NMCP, along with the other MIAs from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to
his name to indicate he has been accounted for
Airman
October 26
Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Martin F.
O’Callaghan, Jr., 22, of Memphis, Tennessee, accounted for on April
24, 2018, will be buried November 5 in his hometown. 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.
In July 1947, a team from the American Graves Registration
Service office in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, traveled to the village of Cirkovce to
investigate a report that a U.S. service member had been buried there during the
war. The local government, the People’s Committee of Ptuj, told the AGRS that a
Lightning aircraft crashed near Cirkovce after being shot down. According to
locals, the pilot was killed in the crash and his remains were buried in the
cemetery at Cirkovce. The remains were designated Unknown X-36 and buried in the
U.S. Military Cemetery at Belgrade.
In 1948, based on serial number association, X-36 was recommended
for possible identification. However, the evidence was not conclusive and in
April 1949, Unknown X-36 was interred at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, in
Nettuno, Italy.
In May 2016, based on thorough research and historical analysis,
an investigation was initiated linking O’Callaghan’s remains to X-36. On March
16, 2017, the remains of Unknown X-36 Belgrade were disinterred and accessioned
to the DPAA laboratory.
To identify O’Callaghan’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the
Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, as
well as anthropological analysis and circumstantial evidence
Army Pvt. Robert J. Sipes, Jr., 19,
Breckinridge County, Kentucky, killed
during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In November 1950, Sipes was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion,
7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He was killed in action on Nov. 30,
1950, during heavy fighting between the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF)
and the 7th Cavalry Regiment near the village of Unsan, North Korea. His remains
were processed through a 7th Cavalry Regiment Collection Station on Dec. 1,
1950, and interred at the United Nations Military Cemetery (UNMC) Pyongyang, on
Dec. 2, 1950.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their
partnership in this mission.
Sipes’ name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who
are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to
indicate he has been accounted for.
October 25
Navy Fireman 1st Class Angelo M. Gabriele,
New York, NY,
killed
during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Gabriele was assigned to the battleship USS West
Virginia, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was
attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS West Virginia sustained multiple torpedo
hits, but timely counter-flooding measures taken by the crew prevented it from
capsizing, and it came to rest on the shallow harbor floor. The attack on the
ship resulted in the deaths of 106 crewmen, including Gabriele.
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.
Gabriele'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 Master Sgt. Charles H. McDaniel.
McDaniel, 32, of Vernon, Indiana, accounted for, will be buried
October 27 in Greenwood, Indiana. In November 1950, McDaniel was a medic with
the 8th Cavalry Regiment Medical Company, supporting the Regiment’s 3rd
Battalion. The unit was engaged with enemy forces of the Chinese People’s
Volunteer Forces (CPVF,) southwest of the village of Unsan, and west of
Hwaong-ri, North Korea. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 2, 1950, when
he could not be accounted-for by his unit.
Throughout the remainder of the war, the United Nations Command
regularly requested that the CPVF and Korean People’s Army (KPA) provide lists
of American and allied servicemen held in their custody. No lists provided
included his name as a prisoner of war, and no returning American prisoners
provided any information on McDaniel. Based on the lack of information, the U.S.
Army declared him deceased as of Dec. 31, 1953.
On June 12, 2018, President Donald Trump met with North Korea
Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore, in the first meeting between the
leaders of the United States and North Korea. The leaders signed a joint
statement, including a commitment to return the remains American service members
lost in North Korea.
On July 27, 2018, North Korea turned over 55 boxes, purported to
contain the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War.
The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018,
and were subsequently accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify McDaniel’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the
Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis,
dental, anthropological analysis and chest radiograph comparison analysis, as
well as circumstantial and material evidence, including a single identification
tag that was included in the July 27, turnover.
October 23
Army Sgt. James K. Park, 20, of
Beaumont, Texas, accounted for, will be buried October 27 in Barry,
Texas. In November 1944, Park was a member of Company I, 26th Infantry Regiment,
1st Infantry Division, engaged in fierce fighting within the Hürtgen Forest in
Germany. Park was reported missing in action on Nov. 23, 1944, when he was
believed to have been wounded by shrapnel. Due to continuous enemy fire,
Soldiers from Park’s company were prevented from searching for him.
Additionally, no graves registration teams reported finding his remains. Due to
no information regarding his whereabouts, his status was amended to deceased as
of Nov. 24, 1945.
After the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC)
collected thousands of unknown sets of remains from battlefields in Germany, and
labeled each set with an X-number. None of the remains that were found could be
associated with Park by AGRC technicians, and his remains were declared
non-recoverable.
In December 1946, AGRC personnel recovered an unidentified set of
remains from a civilian cemetery at Langerwehe, Germany, on the northern edge of
the Hürtgen Forest. German locals said the remains were originally found by a
local resident on Aug. 1, 1946 near the estate of Jüngersdorf in the forest.
Following the recovery, the remains were processed at the Central Identification
Point at Neuville, Belgium, and buried as an unknown, labeled X-4731 Neuville.
Following thorough research and analysis of American Soldiers
missing from ground combat within Germany’s Hürtgen Forest, a DPAA historian
concluded that there was a possible association between X-4731 and Park. The
remains were disinterred on June 28, 2017 and the remains were sent to the DPAA
for analysis.
To identify Park’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, as well
as dental and anthropological analysis.
October 23
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Paul D. Gilman, 19, of Belen, New Mexico, accounted for on May 17, 2018, will be buried October 26 in his hometown. In November 1943, Gilman was assigned to Company M, 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.
Gilman 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 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. In the case of Gilman, records indicate his remains
were recovered and were buried in Division Cemetery #3, which was later renamed
Cemetery #27. In 1946 the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company (604th
GRC) centralized all of the American remains found on Betio Island to Lone Palm
Cemetery for later repatriation; however, almost half of the known casualties
from the battle were not found., Gilman’s remains were among those not
recovered. On Oct. 14, 1949, a military review board declared Gilman’s remains
non-recoverable.
In May and June 2015, a nongovernmental organization, History
Flight, Inc., notified DPAA that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island
and recovered the remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought
during the battle in November 1943. Subsequent recoveries in November 2015 and
February 2016 resulted in additional remains. The remains were turned over to
DPAA in June 2016.
To identify Gilman’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 and material evidence.
Merchant Marine
October 23
Merchant Marine Wiper Elvis N. Spotts,
19, Kansas, Mo. was killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In February 1944, Spotts was a crew member of the SS Cape Isabel,
part of a convoy of three ships including the USS Grayson and the SS Cape Fear.
On Feb. 22, 1944, the ships were approximately 12 miles off the coast of Tarawa
Atoll. The two Merchant Marine vessels were bringing supplies to Betio Island.
Spotts was electrocuted during bilge maintenance. He was unable to be revived.
DPAA is grateful to History Flight, Inc., for their partnership
in this mission.
Marine
October 23
Marine Corps Sgt. Dwight W. Randall,
Fresno,
Ca.
killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1943, Randall was a member of Company C, 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.
Randall died on the first day of the battle, Nov.
20, 1943.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their
partnership in this mission.
Randall'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.
October 19
Navy Fireman 1st Class Grant C. Cook,
Jr., 20, Cozad, Neb. killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in
World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Cook 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 Cook.
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.
Cook'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.
October 17
Army Pfc. Leslie E. Shankles, 33, of
Arcadia, Kansas, accounted for, will be buried October 24 in Fort
Scott, Kansas. 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.
In 1947, a local German resident discovered remains in the
Raffelsbrand section of the Hürtgen Forest. The remains could not be identified,
and were buried as Unknown X-5391 in Neuville Cemetery, now Ardennes American
Cemetery, in Belgium.
Following thorough research and analysis of American Soldiers
missing from Europe, DPAA historians concluded that there was a strong
association between Neuville Unknown X-5391 and Shankles. DPAA disinterred
X-5391 in June 2017 and accessioned the remains to the DPAA laboratory.
To identify Shankles’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used Y-chromosome (Y-STR) DNA analysis,
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
October 17
Navy Buglemaster 2nd Class Lionel W. Lescault,
of Worcester Ma. was
killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was
accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Lescault 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 Lescault.
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.
Lescault'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.
October 17
Navy Seaman 1st Class John A. Karli,
Pasadena, CA was
killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was
accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Karli 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 Karli.
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.
Karli'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.
Sailor
Naval Reserve Lt. Richard C. Lannom, 27,
Union City, Tn was killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for.
On March 1, 1968, Lannom, a flight officer assigned to Attack
Squadron Three Five (ATKRON 35), USS Enterprise (CVA-65), was the
bombardier/navigator aboard an A-6A aircraft on a night strike mission over
Quang Ninh Province, North Vietnam. Radar contact with the aircraft was lost due
to the low altitude of the aircraft, and the pilot had been instructed to turn
his identification beeper off. The flight path to the target was over islands
known to have light anti-aircraft artillery. When the aircraft failed to
rendezvous with the carrier, a search and rescue effort was mounted. No evidence
of the plane could be found. Lannom and his pilot were subsequently declared
missing in action.
DPAA is grateful to the government and people of Vietnam for
their partnership in this mission.
Lannom’s name is recorded on the National Vietnam Veterans
Memorial in Washington, DC, and the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with others who are
unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War. A rosette will be placed next to his name
to indicate he has been accounted for.
U.S. Civilian
Mr. George L. Ritter,