“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.
A number of other boats were sunk in the attack, but later
recovered and repaired.
The USS California (BB-44)
lost 100 crew members that morning, after the ship suffered extensive flooding
damage when hit by two torpedoes on the port side.
Both torpedoes detonated below the armor belt causing virtually identical damage
each time.
A 250 kg bomb also entered the starboard upper deck level, which passed through
the main deck and exploded on the armored second deck,
setting off an anti-aircraft ammunition magazine and killing about 50 men.
After three days of flooding, the California settled
into the mud with only her superstructure remaining above the surface.
She was later re-floated and dry-docked at Pearl Harbor for repairs. USS California served
many missions throughout the war,
and was eventually decommissioned in February, 1947.
On the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese bombs fell and
torpedoes slashed through the waters of Pearl Harbor,
causing a devastating amount of damage to the vessels lined up in Battleship Row
in in the dry docks nearby.
Each of the seven battleships moored there suffered some degree of damage, some
far worse than others.
The USS Arizona (BB-39)
and the USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
were completely destroyed. Though the Maryland (BB-46)
was believed by Japan to also have been sunk, she ultimately survived and became
one of the first ships to return to the war.
During the attack on Pearl Harbor, ships like the USS Cassin (DD-372),
a Mahan-class
destroyer, suffered what was originally thought to be fatal damage.
While she was extensively damaged during the attack, she was resurrected and
went on to return to service during the remainder of World War II.
The sunken battleship USS West Virginia (BB-48) at Pearl Harbor after her fires
were out, possibly on 8 December 1941.
USS Tennessee (BB-43) is inboard. A Vought OS2U Kingfisher floatplane (marked
“4-O-3”) is upside down on West Virginia’s main deck.
A second OS2U is partially burned out atop the Turret No. 3 catapult.
In the aftermath of the attacks on Pearl Harbor during World War Two stories emerged of sailors who were trapped in the sunken battleships, some even survived for weeks.
Those who were trapped underwater banged continuously on the side of the ship so
that anyone would hear them and come to their rescue.
When the noises were first heard many thought it was just loose wreckage or part
of the clean-up operation for the destroyed harbor.
However the day after the attack, crewmen realized that there was an eerie banging noise coming from the forward hull of the USS West Virginia, which had sunk in the harbor.
t didn’t take long for the crew and Marines based at the harbor to realize that
there was nothing they could do. They could not get to these trapped sailors in
time.
Months later rescue and salvage men who raised the USS West Virginia found the
bodies of three men who had found an airlock in a storeroom but had eventually
run out of air.
Survivors say that no one wanted to go on guard duty anywhere near the USS West
Virginia since they would hear the banging of trapped survivors all night long,
but with nothing that could be done.
When salvage crews raised the battleship West Virginia six months after the
Pearl Harbor attacks,
they found the bodies of three sailors huddled in an airtight storeroom —
and a calendar on which 16 days had been crossed off in
red pencil.
The USS Oklahoma was on Battleship Row in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. That was the morning that the Japanese Empire attacked the United States by surprise.
The Japanese
used dive–bombers, fighter–bombers, and torpedo planes to sink nine ships,
including five battleships, and severely damage 21 ships.
There were 2,402 US deaths from the attack. 1,177 of
those deaths were from the USS Arizona,
while 429 of the deaths were from the USS Oklahoma.
The crew of the USS Oklahoma did everything they could to fight back. In the first ten minutes of the battle, though, eight torpedoes hit the Oklahoma, and she began to capsize. A ninth torpedo would hit her as she sunk in the mud. 14 Marines, and 415 sailors would give their lives. 32 men were cut out through the hull while the others were beneath the waterline. Banging could be heard for over 3 days and then there was silence.
After the battle, the Navy decided that they could not salvage the Oklahoma due to how much damage she had received. The difficult savage job began in March 1943, and Oklahoma entered dry dock 28 December. Decommissioning September 1, 1944, Oklahoma was stripped of guns and superstructure, and sold December 5, 1946 to Moore Drydock Co., Oakland, Calif. Oklahoma parted her tow line and sank May 17, 1947. 540 miles out, bound from Pearl Harbor to San Francisco. Today, there is a memorial to the USS Oklahoma and the 429 sailors and marines lost on December 7, 1941, located on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The minelayer Oglala technically
didn't suffer a hit on December 7, but a torpedo passed under it and hit the USS
Helena.
The blast from that crippled the old Oglala which
had been built as a civilian vessel in 1906.
The crewmembers took their guns to the Navy Yard Dock and set them up to provide
more defenses.
They also set up a first aid station that saved the lives of West Virginia
crewmembers.
The ship suffered horribly, eventually capsizing and sinking
until just a few feet of the ship's starboard side remained above water.
It was declared lost, and the Navy even considered blowing it up with dynamite
to clear the dock it had sunk next to.
But the decision was made that it could destroy the dock, so the Navy had to
refloat it. At that point, it made sense to dry dock and repair it.
None of the crew of Oglala were killed in the attack, although three received injuries.
Sean Patterson, Armed Forces Medical Examiner System Department
of Defense DNA Quality Management Section DNA Analyst,
replaces U. S. Navy Fireman 1st Class Billy James Johnson's picture background,
signifying him as an identified service member who was previously missing in
action.
Johnson marks the 200th service member to be identified following the December
7, 1941 Pearl Harbor
attack where 429 U.S. Sailors and Marines were killed on the USS Oklahoma
(BB-37).
A
series of large posters hang in the conference room of the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency laboratory located at Offutt Air Base, Nebraska.
The heading on each of the posters states “USS OKLAHOMA.” Underneath the
headings are neat rows of printed rectangular frames.
Each one represents a person who was unaccounted for when the USS Oklahoma was
sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Thanks
to the work of Dr. Brown’s team, the remains of 200 previously unknown crewmen
from the USS Oklahoma
have now been returned to their families for proper burial and their families
have those long-awaited answers.
The story of the USS Oklahoma’s lost crewmen is
an evolving history lesson that began on what
President Franklin D. Roosevelt called
“a date that will live in infamy.”
LIST OF USS OKLAHOMA IDENTIFICATIONS FROM MICHIGAN:
(Please note that in some USS Oklahoma identifications,
the primary next of kin has yet to be notified,
and therefore the names will not be released at this time.)
*Ensign William M. Finnegan, 44, of Bessmer, Mich.
*Seaman 1st Class Robert W. Headington, 19, of Bay City, Michigan
*Machinist's Mate 1st Class Fred M. Jones, 31, of North Lake, Michigan
*Fireman 3rd Class Gerald G. Lehman, 18, of Hancock, Michigan
*Fireman 2nd Class Lowell E. Valley, 19, of Ontonagon, Michigan
It is through this effort that the accounting community
has been able to honor the sacrifices of the USS Oklahoma Sailors and Marines
and their families who pushed for the fullest possible accounting of their loved
ones.
Ford Island
is seen in this aerial view during the Japanese attack on Pearl harbor December
7, 1941 in Hawaii.
(The photo was taken from a Japanese plane.)
Remember
the fallen: In all, 429 people on board the
battleship were killed in the attack.
Only 35 were identified in the years immediately after.
Battleship
USS Oklahoma unturned hull at the bottom of Pearl Harbor
after the devastating Japanese bombing attack on Dec. 7, 1941.
Breakdown by War - Still Unaccounted for/Unreturned Veterans:
WW II 72,579
Korea 7,578
Vietnam 1,586
Cold War 126
Gulf/Other 6
Total 81,775
Service Personnel Not Recovered Following
WWII
from MICHIGAN - 2457
Service Personnel Not Recovered Following
Korea
from MICHIGAN - 334
Service Personnel Not Recovered Following
Cold War
from MICHIGAN - 4
Service Personnel Not Recovered Following
Viet Nam
from MICHIGAN - 48
RECENTLY
FOUND
HEROES in 2020
Army Pvt. Warren G.H. DeVault, 24, Rhea County, Tennessee killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1944, DeVault was assigned to Company F, 2nd
Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division.
His unit was engaged in battle with German forces near Hürtgen, Germany, when he was reportedly killed in action on Nov. 20.
DeVault could not be recovered because of the on-going fighting, and his remains were not recovered or identified.
Warren G H De Vault is buried or memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands.
Navy Mess Attendant 3rd Class Isaac Parker, 17, St. Louis County, Missouri was killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Parker 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 Parker.
He has a grave at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in Section MA, site 35 in Lemay, Missouri.
Navy Musician 1st Class Joseph W. Hoffman, 24, Lyndon, Ohio was killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Hoffman 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 Hoffman.
Navy Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Harold L.
Dick, 22, of Tipton, Missouri, killed during World War II, was
accounted for.
On July 24, 1944, Dick was aboard the battleship USS Colorado,
which was moored approximately 3,200 yards from the shore of Tinian Island,
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Early in the morning, the USS
Colorado, along with the light cruiser USS Cleveland and destroyers USS Remey
and USS Norman Scott, commenced firing toward the island. Within two hours, a
concealed Japanese shore battery opened fire on the USS Colorado and the USS
Norman Scott. The first hit on the USS Colorado resulted in a heavy explosion,
and the ship sustained extensive fragmentation damage. From the attack, four
crewmen were declared missing in action, and 39 personnel were killed, including
Dick. Dick and the other casualties were subsequently interred in the 4th Marine
Division Cemetery on Saipan.
In February 1948, under the direction of the American Graves
Registration Service’s 9105th Technical Service Unit, three battlefield
cemeteries, including the 4th Marine Division Cemetery, were disinterred. While
the majority of identifications that had been tentatively made following the
attack were upheld, nine sets were reclassified as “unknown.” Of those, five
were eventually identified. The remaining four were interred at the Manila
American Memorial and Cemetery in the Philippines.
To identify Dick’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Dick’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
Dick will be buried Oct. 10, 2020, in his
hometown.
Navy Shipfitter 3rd Class Patrick L.
Chess, 24, of Yakima, Washington, killed during World War II, was
accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Chess was assigned to the battleship USS
Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was
attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits,
which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the
deaths of 429 crewmen, including Chess.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the
remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and
Nu’uanu Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen
U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the
two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at
Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the
identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS
subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In
October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as
non-recoverable, including Chess.
Chess’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
Chess will be buried Oct. 22, 2020, in his
hometown.
September 10
U.S. Naval Reserve Ensign Francis C.
Flaherty, 22, of Charlotte, Michigan, killed during World War II, was
accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Flaherty was assigned to the battleship USS
Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was
attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits,
which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the
deaths of 429 crewmen, including Flaherty. Flaherty was posthumously awarded the
Medal of Honor for saving several crew members at the cost of his own life.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the
remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and
Nu’uanu Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen
U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the
two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at
Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the
identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS
subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In
October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as
non-recoverable, including Flaherty.
Flaherty’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
Flaherty will be buried in his hometown. The date
has yet to be determined.
September 8
Athon died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22, 1943.
August 31
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Thomas F.
Johnson, 18, of San Jose, California, killed during World War II, was
accounted for.
In November 1943, Johnson was a member of Company B, 1st
Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which
landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the
Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over
several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and
Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were
virtually annihilated.
In 1946, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company
centralized all of the American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery
for later repatriation. However, almost half of the known casualties were never
found. No recovered remains could be associated with Johnson, and, in October
1949, a Board of Review declared him “non-recoverable.”
In 2009, History Flight, Inc., a nonprofit organization,
discovered a burial site on Betio Island believed to be Cemetery 33, which has
been the site of numerous excavations ever since. In March 2019, excavations
west of Cemetery 33 revealed a previously undiscovered burial site that has
since been identified as Row D. The remains recovered at this site were
transferred to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
Johnson’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific along with the others still missing
from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been accounted for.
Johnson will be buried in Igo, California. The date has yet to be
determined.
Navy Coxswain Layton T. Banks, 20, of
Dallas, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Banks was assigned to the battleship USS
Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was
attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits,
which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the
deaths of 429 crewmen, including Banks.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the
remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and
Nu’uanu Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen
U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the
two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at
Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the
identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS
subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In
October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as
non-recoverable, including Banks.
Banks’ name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
Banks will be buried Oct. 24, 2020, in Plano,
Texas.
Navy Fireman 1st Class Frank E. Nicoles,
24, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, killed during World War II, was
accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Nicoles was assigned to the battleship USS
Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was
attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits,
which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the
deaths of 429 crewmen, including Nicoles.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the
remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and
Nu’uanu Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen
U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the
two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at
Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the
identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS
subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In
October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as
non-recoverable, including Nicoles.
Nicoles’ name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
Nicoles’ family has yet to decide on a funeral
date or location.
Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class George Gilbert, 20, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Gilbert 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 Gilbert.
Navy Seaman 1st Class Carl S. Johnson, 20, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Johnson 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 Johnson.
Soldier
Army Sgt. John E. Hurlburt, 26, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In July 1944, Hurlburt was a member of the 105th Infantry
Regiment, 27th Infantry Division.
He was killed July 7 during a massive Japanese attack against the 105th on the island of Saipan.
His remains were not known to have been recovered.
Airmen
U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Charles
G. McMackin, 26, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the summer of 1943, McMackin was assigned to the 68th
Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 44th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 8th Air Force.
On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator aircraft on which McMackin was serving as a bombadier crashed as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation TIDAL WAVE, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania.
His remains were not identified following the war.
The remains that could not be identified were buried as Unknowns in the Hero Section of the Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan, Ploiesti, Prahova, Romania.
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Charles D.
Miller, 19, of Albany, Indiana, killed during World War II, was
accounted for.
In November 1943, Miller was a member of Company A, 1st
Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which landed against stiff
Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the
Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of
intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed
and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
In 1946, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company
centralized all of the American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery
for later repatriation. However, almost half of the known casualties were never
found. No recovered remains could be associated with Miller, and, in October
1949, a Board of Review declared him “non-recoverable.”
In 2009, History Flight, Inc., a nonprofit organization,
discovered a burial site on Betio Island believed to be Cemetery 33, which has
been the site of numerous excavations ever since. In March 2019, excavations
west of Cemetery 33 revealed a previously undiscovered burial site that has
since been identified as Row D. The remains recovered at this site were
transferred to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify Miller’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental
and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Miller’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific along with the others still missing
from World War II.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
Miller will be buried at Arlington National
Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. The date has not yet been decided on by the
family.
August 10
Army Sgt. James N. Stryker, 20,
In May 1951, Stryker was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion,
23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on May 18, when the enemy attacked his unit near Han’gye, South Korea.
His remains could not be immediately recovered, but he was not officially declared dead until after the Armistice was signed July 27, 1953.
August 6
Marine Corps Sgt. George R. Reeser, 25,
of Washington, Illinois, killed during World War II, was accounted
for.
In November 1943, Reeser was a member of Company A, 1st
Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which
landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the
Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over
several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and
Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were
virtually annihilated.
In 1946, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company
centralized all of the American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery
for later repatriation. However, almost half of the known casualties were never
found. No recovered remains could be associated with Reeser, and, in October
1949, a Board of Review declared him “non-recoverable.”
In 2009, History Flight, Inc., a nonprofit organization,
discovered a burial site on Betio Island believed to be Cemetery 33, which has
been the site of numerous excavations ever since. In March 2019, excavations
west of Cemetery 33 revealed a previously undiscovered burial site that has
since been identified as Row D. The remains recovered at this site were
transferred to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify Reeser’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental
and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Reeser’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific along with the others still missing
from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been accounted for.
Reeser will be buried Sept. 26 in Deer Creek,
Illinois.
July 21
Army Pfc. Glenn E. Collins, 21, of
Tucson, Arizona, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Collins, was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 1st
Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported
missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces
near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could
not be recovered.
North Korea turned over 55 boxes, purported to contain the
remains of American service members killed during the Korean War. The remains
arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018, and were
subsequently accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Collins’ remains, scientists from DPAA used
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally,
scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA
(mtDNA) analysis.
Collins’ name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who
are still missing from the Korean War.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
Collins will be buried in his hometown at a date
yet to be decided by the family.
Marine
July 15
Marine Corps Pfc. John P. Langan, 18,
Platte Center,
Nebraska
killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1943, Langan was a member of Company C, 1st
Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which
landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the
Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island.
Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and
Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were
virtually annihilated.
In 1946, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company centralized all of the American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery for later repatriation; however, almost half of the known casualties were never found. No recovered remains could be associated with PFC Langan and in October 1949, a Board of Review declared him “non-recoverable.”
Langan died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22, 1943.
He was reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33
Marine
July 15
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. John E.
Gillen, 20, of Champaign, Illinois, killed during World War II, was
accounted for.
In November 1943, Gillen was a member of Company D, 1st
Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which
landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the
Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island.
Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and
Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were
virtually annihilated.
In 1946, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company
centralized all of the American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery
for later repatriation. However, almost half of the known casualties were never
found. No recovered remains could be associated with Gillen, and, in October
1949, a Board of Review declared him “non-recoverable.”
In 2009, History Flight, Inc., a nonprofit organization,
discovered a burial site on Betio Island believed to be Cemetery 33, which has
been the site of numerous excavations ever since. In March 2019, excavations
west of Cemetery 33 revealed a previously undiscovered burial site that has
since been identified as Row D. The remains recovered at this site were
transferred to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify Gillen’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental
and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Gillen’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific along with the others still missing
from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has
been accounted for.
Gillen will be buried Aug. 12, 2020, in his hometown.
U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Alva R. Krogman, 25,
Worland WY.
killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for.
On Jan. 17, 1967, Krogman was a pilot assigned to the 504th
Tactical Air Support Group, 7th Air Force, on temporary duty with the 23rd
Tactical Air Support Squadron operating out of Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air
Force Base, Thailand.
That morning, he was flying an O1-F Birddog aircraft as part of a flight of two planes conducting a visual reconnaissance mission in Savannakhet Province, Laos.
At approximately 8:55 a.m. local time, Krogman’s aircraft
was hit by enemy fire in the left wing and went down.
Search and rescue operations began immediately, but were shut down within a few
hours after one of the search and rescue aircraft was also shot down.
Krogman was never recovered and was declared killed in action on Jan. 31.
Alva Ray Krogman is memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the
Honolulu Memorial
July 9
Army Cpl. Francis J. Rochon, 21, of
Superior, Wisconsin, reported missing in action during the Korean
War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Rochon was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion,
23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action
on Sept. 1, 1950, near Changnyeong, South Korea.
In January 1951, the American Graves Registration Service Group (AGRSG)
consolidated the remains from 12 smaller military cemeteries at the newly
established United Nations Military Cemetery in Tanggok, South Korea, including
one set of remains designated X-175 Tanggok, which had been recovered from the
area where Rochon was last seen. In 1956, the remains, including X-175 Tanggok,
were unable to be identified, and then transported to the National Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu where they
were buried as Unknowns.
DPAA historians and analysts were able to determine that others
buried in the same original, small cemetery as X-175 Tanggok had been lost in
the same area as Rochon, and put forth his name as a possible match. The family
of another Soldier lost during the same battle as Rochon also put in a request
to have X-175 Tanggok and one other Unknown disinterred in hopes one of them
would be their loved one. On Nov. 5, 2018, X-175 Tanggok was disinterred and
sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
To identify Rochon’s remains, scientists from DPAA used
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally,
scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System
used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Rochon’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
Rochon will be buried July 25, 2020 in Foxboro,
Wisconsin.
Pilot
July 7
U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. William H. Melville, 20,
Minneapolis, MN.
killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the fall of 1943, Melville was a pilot assigned to the 36th
Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group. On Oct. 28, he was piloting a P-39Q
Airacobra fighter on a combat mission over the island
of New Guinea, Australian Territory of Papua (current day Papua New Guinea),
when his aircraft and two others disappeared after encountering severe weather.
Search and recovery efforts in the days following were unable to find any of the aircraft.
July 2
Army Cpl. Richard L. Henderson, Jr., 18,
Barton, New York
killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Henderson was a member of Headquarters Battery,
57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division.
The Chinese attacked their positions on the evening of December 3 and again overnight on December 5-6. A general withdrawal to Hamhung began on December 6. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 6, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
He was presumed dead on December 31, 1953.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
June 25
Navy Fire Controlman 3rd Class Robert T.
Stout, 21, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Stout was assigned to the battleship USS
Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was
attacked by Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize.
The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Stout.
June 23
Marine Corps Pfc. John M. Fahy, 19,
North Sea, N.Y. killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1943, Fahy was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion,
6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed
against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa
Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island.
Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
Fahy died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22, 1943.
He was reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33.
June 23
Army Master Sgt. James L. Quong, 30,
Fort Worth, Texas
killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Quong, who was an Army Reserve captain in World War
II but gave up his commission to join the Regular Army as a master sergeant in
the Korean War, was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry
Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
He was presumed dead on December 31, 1953.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
June 16
Army Cpl. Billie Joe Hash, 18, of
Corbin, Kentucky, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Hash was a member of Headquarters Battery, 57th
Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on Dec. 6, 1950, when his unit was attacked by
enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his
remains could not be recovered.
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.
Hash’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who
are still missing from the Korean War.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Hash will be buried Aug. 29, 2020, in his
hometown.
June 12
Navy Radioman 3rd Class Irvin F. Rice,
22, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Rice was assigned to the battleship USS
Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was
attacked by Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize.
The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Rice.
June 12
Navy Seaman 1st Class Wesley E. Graham,
21, from Benton Harbor, Michigan was killed during World War II, was
accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Graham was assigned to the battleship USS
Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was
attacked by Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize.
The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Graham.
Place of Burial: USS Oklahoma Memorial Pearl Harbor Honolulu County Hawaii.
June 12
Navy Seaman 2nd Class James M. Flanagan,
22, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Flanagan was assigned to the battleship USS
Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was
attacked by Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize.
The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Flanagan.
June 9
Army Cpl. Pete Conley, 19
Army Cpl. Pete Conley, 19,
Chapmanville, West Virginia
was
killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Conley was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion,
31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on Dec. 12, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
He was presumed dead on December 31, 1953, his remains could not be recovered.
June 8
Navy Radioman 3rd Class Thomas E.
Griffith, 20, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Griffith was assigned to the battleship USS
Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was
attacked by Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize.
The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Griffith.
June 8
Army Sgt. Stanley L. DeWitt, 18,
Royal Center, Indiana was
killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, DeWitt was a member of Medical Detachment, 57th
Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division.
He was listed as Missing in Action while tending his wounded comrades in North Korea on or about December 2, 1950. He was presumed dead on December 31, 1953.
He was reported missing in action on Dec. 6, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
He was presumed dead on December 31, 1953.
June 1
Army Master Sgt. James Hart, Jr., 25, Pickton, Texas and his family lived in Como, Hopkins County, Texas was killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Hart was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 32nd
Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
June 1
Army 1st Lt. Anthony R. Mazzulla, 26,
Bronx, New York and the family later
lived in Johnston, Rhode Island was
killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Mazzulla was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion,
32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.
Chinese roadblocks from Sinhung-ni to Hagaru-ri along with the
constant enemy fire from the surrounding high ground, made the withdrawal route
extremely dangerous.
Eventually, the column was broken into separate segments, which the CCF attacked
individually.
Many men were lost or captured during the moving battle, with survivors reaching friendly lines in Hagaru-ri on December 2 and 3.
He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950,.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
Soldier
May 29
Army Pfc. John J. Sitarz, 19,
West Virginia was
killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1944, Sitarz was assigned to Company L, 3rd
Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division.
His unit was engaged in battle with German forces near Germeter, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest, when he was declared missing in action on Nov. 2.
Sitarz could not be recovered because of the on-going fighting, and his status was changed to killed in action on Nov. 3, 1945.
May 21
Army Sgt. Jesse
"Johnny "D.
Hill, 20,
Highland Park, Michigan
killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Hill was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 32nd
Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.
On the evening of November 27, 1950, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF)
launched a massive attack against the U.S. and United Nations troops stationed
in the Chosin Reservoir area in northeast North Korea,
resulting in a seventeen-day conflict that became known as the Battle of Chosin
Reservoir.
At the time of the initial CCF attack, members the U.S. Army's 31st and 32nd
Infantry Regiments were defending the area north of Sinhung-ni, on the east side
of the reservoir.
The defenders were overwhelmed by the numerically superior CCF, and on December
1, were forced to withdraw to friendly lines at Hagaru-ri.
Chinese roadblocks from Sinhung-ni to Hagaru-ri along with the constant enemy
fire from the surrounding high ground, made the withdrawal route extremely
dangerous.
Eventually, the column was broken into separate segments, which the CCF attacked
individually.
Many men were lost or captured during the moving battle, with survivors reaching
friendly lines in Hagaru-ri on December 2 and 3.
He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
Jesse Douglas Hill is buried or memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
Army Cpl. R.B. Cherry, 19,
Dallas, Texas
Died While Captured (POW)
during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Cherry was a member of Company G, 2nd Battalion,
24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division.
He was captured by enemy forces on November 27, as his unit attempted to fight their way out of enemy held territory near Unsan, North Korea.
He was marched to a temporary holding camp in the Pukchin-Tarigol Valley, and in January was marched to Camp 5 on the south bank of the Yalu River near Pyoktong.
He died on an unspecified date in 1951, and was buried near the camp.
May 20
Army Sgt. William E. Cavender, 20, Stockbridge, Michigan killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
On November 27, 1950, the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT),
tasked with replacing the 5th Marine Regiment on the east side of the Chosin
Reservoir in North Korea, arrived at the P'ungnyuri Inlet.
That night, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched a massive surprise attack
against the soldiers and Marines at the inlet.
The 31st RCT managed to repel the numerically superior CCF’s
initial attack; however, the enemy continued to attack over the next two nights.
On December 1, the 31st RCT began its withdrawal from the P'ungnyuri Inlet to
Hagaru-ri.
He was reported missing in action on Nov. 28, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
May 19
Marine Corps Pfc. Mervin D. Galland, 24,
of Eveleth, Minnesota, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1943, Galland was a member of Company B, 1st
Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which
landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio
in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island.
Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
Galland died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22, 1943.
He was reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33.
May 1
Navy Metalsmith 1st Class Leonard F. Smith, 29,
Navy Metalsmith 1st Class Leonard F. Smith, 29, Pennsylvania, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Smith was assigned to the battleship USS
Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was
attacked by Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize.
The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Smith.
May 1
Navy Fireman 1st Class Louis J. Tushla, 25, Holt, Nebraska, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Tushla was assigned to the battleship USS
Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was
attacked by Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize.
The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Tushla.
May 1
Navy Seaman 2nd Class Floyd D. Helton,
18, California killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Helton was assigned to the battleship USS
Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was
attacked by Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize.
The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Helton.
Seaman Second Class Helton is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Soldier
May 8
Army Pvt. Charles Andrews, 25, Rochester, New York killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In December 1944, Andrews was assigned to Company K, 3rd
Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division.
His unit was engaged in battle with German forces near Brandenburg, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest, when he was declared missing in action on Dec. 4.
Andrews could not be recovered because of the on-going fighting, and his status was changed to killed in action on Jan. 29, 1945.
May 5
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Robert D.
Jenks, 20,
Huron, SD
killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1943, Jenks was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion,
6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed
against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of
Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the
island.
Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
November 1943, as Jenks was helping his company fight off a banzai attack, a shell exploded overhead. The twenty-one-year-old PFC died from shrapnel wounds to his head and chest.
Jenks died on either the third or fourth day of battle, Nov. 22-23, 1943.
He was reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33.
May 1
Navy Seaman 1st Class Maurice V. Spangler, 20, Defiance County OH killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Spangler 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 Spangler.
May 1
Naval Reserve Seaman 1st Class James C. Williams, 20, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Williams 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 Williams.
May 1
Navy Fireman 1st Class Samuel C. Steiner, 20, Highmore, S.D. killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Steiner 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 Steiner.
Memorial located in Pearl Harbor on Ford Island where the USS Oklahoma was when sank.
April 30
Marine Corps Reserve Pvt. Howard E. Miller, 22,
San Mateo, California
killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1943, Miller was a member of Company A, 1st
Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which
landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio i
n the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island.
Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
He was shot in the head and killed on the third day of the battle, and buried on the island of Betio.
Miller died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22, 1943.
He was reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33.
April 28
Army Staff Sgt. Raymond C. Blanton, 19, Richmond, Virginia killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Carlyle dropped out of school at 16 years of age to help to support his family.
He worked as an Oil Man, changing oil in military vehicles at the location of
the Virginia Militia headquarters for 18 months before he joined the Militia.
He gave all the money he earned in the VA Militia to his parents before being
drafted at 18.
In October 1944, Blanton was assigned to Company C, 1st
Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division.
His unit was engaged in battle with German forces near Germeter, Germany, in the Raffelsbrand Forest, when he was killed in action on Oct. 14.
Blanton could not be recovered because of the on-going fighting. His remains were then declared “non recoverable” on December 20th, 1951.
Carlyle was memorialized on the “Wall of Missing” at the US Cemetery in Margraten, The Netherlands.
April 27
Army Pfc. Clarence W. Brotherton, 20, of
Gibson City, Illinois, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In October 1944, Brotherton was assigned to Company C, 1st
Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division.
His unit was engaged in battle with German forces near Germeter,
Germany, in the Raffelsbrand Forest.
April 27
Marine Corps Reserve 1st Lt. Hugh D.
Fricks, 22, of Memphis, Tennessee, killed during World War II, was
accounted for.
In November 1943, Fricks was a member of Company D, 1st
Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which
landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio
in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island.
Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
He was ultimately killed by grenade fragments in the early morning hours of 23 November, and was buried near where he fell.
Fricks died on the fourth day of battle, Nov. 23, 1943.
He was reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33.
April 27
Army Cpl. Burl Mullins, 23, Big Branch, Kentucky killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Mullins, who also served during World War II, was a
member of Heavy Mortar Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th
Infantry Division.
Died While Captured (POW) was reported missing in action on Nov. 30, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
April 27
Marine Corps Cpl. Raymond J. Tuhey, 24,
of
Lombard, IL,
killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1943, Tuhey was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion,
6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed
against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio
in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island.
Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
He was shot in the head and killed on the final day of the battle, 23 November 1943.
Tuhey died on the fourth day of battle, Nov. 23, 1943.
He was reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33.
April 27
Army Cpl. Dale W. Wright, 19, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Wright was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion,
32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
Marine
April 27
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Harold W. Hayden, 19,
Cincinnati, OH
killed
during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1943, Hayden was a member of Company A, 1st
Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which
landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio
in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island.
Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately
1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while
the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
Hayden
was shot and killed on the night of 22 November 1943.
He was reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33.
Soldier
April 24
Army Pfc. Oliver Jeffers, 31, Helenwood, Scott County, Tenn. killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1944, Jeffers was assigned to Company L, 3rd
Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. His unit was engaged
in battle with German forces near Germeter,
Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest.
Jeffers was killed in action on Nov. 10. Jeffers could not be recovered because of the on-going fighting.
The
Battle of Hürtgen Forest was one of a series of fierce battles fought between
American and German forces along the Western Front during the war. Located along
the Belgian-German border.
The battle was entering its third month when Jeffers was killed.
The battle was depicted by a 1998 HBO film, When Trumpets Fade.
April 23
Army Sgt. Lloyd A. Alumbaugh, 21, Jasper, Missouri killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Alumbaugh was a member of Ambulance Company, 7th
Medical Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on
Nov. 28, 1950,
when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North
Korea.
He was presumed dead on December 31, 1953.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
April 22
Army Cpl. Charles E. Hiltibran, 19, Urbana, Ohio killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Hiltibran was a member of Headquarters Company, 1st
Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported
missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950,
when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North
Korea.
He was presumed dead on December 31, 1953.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
April 22
Army Pfc. Louis N. Crosby, 18, Orangeburg, S.C. killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Crosby was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion,
32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action
on Dec. 1, 1950,
when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North
Korea.
He was presumed dead on December 31, 1953.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
April 22
Army Pfc. William "Bill" F. Hobbs, 20, South Coffeyville, Oklahoma killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Hobbs was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 31st
Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on
Nov. 30, 1950,
when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North
Korea.
He was presumed dead on December 31, 1953.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
April 21
Army Cpl. Ralph S. Boughman, 21, Union, South Carolina killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Boughman was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion,
32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action
on Dec. 2, 1950,
when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North
Korea.
He was presumed dead on December 31, 1953.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
April 21
Army Cpl. Clifford S. Johnson, 20, Valatie, New York killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Johnson was a member of Headquarters Battery, 57th
Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in
action on Dec. 6, 1950,
when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North
Korea.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
April 20
Army Sgt. 1st Class Frank G. Vejar, 19, Douglas, Arizona killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Vejar was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 31st
Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on
Nov. 30, 1950,
when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North
Korea.
He was presumed dead on December 31, 1953.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
April 20
Army Cpl. Benjamin R. Bazzell, 18, New Haven, Conn. was killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Bazzell was a member of Headquarters Battery, 57th
Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported killed in
action on Nov. 30, 1950,
when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North
Korea.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
April 17
Marine Corps Reserve Pvt. Jacob Cruz, 18,
Los Angeles, Ca.
killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1943, Cruz was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion,
6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed
against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa
Atoll
of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island.
Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
Cruz, as an ammunition carrier, risked his life
multiple times to deliver boxes of bullets to their fighting positions.
Ultimately, he was shot in the head and killed as the battle continued. For his
feats,
he would receive a posthumous Silver Star Medal.
Cruz died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22, 1943.
He was reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33.
April 17
Army 1st Lt. Thomas J. Redgate, 24, Brighton, Massachusetts was killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Redgate was a member of Battery A, 48th Field
Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on
Dec. 11, 1950, when his unit was attacked
by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
April 17
Marine Corps Sgt. Fred Farris, 19,
China Springs, China
Springs, TX
killed
during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1943, Farris was a member of Company I, 3rd
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, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
Farris was struck and killed by fragments from an exploding shell and died on the first day of battle, Nov. 20, 1943.
He was reported to have been buried in Cemetery 10.
April 17
Army Cpl. Henry L. Helms, 24, Ringgold, Georgia killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Helms was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion,
32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
April 16
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. John W. Hoffman, Jr., 21,
Houston, TX was
killed
during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1943, Hoffman was a member of Company L, 3rd
Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which
landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the
Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island.
Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
He died of gunshot wounds suffered on 23 November 1943, and was buried near where he fell, in a trench alongside some thirty other Marines.
Hoffman died of gunshot wounds suffered on the fourth day of battle, Nov. 23, 1943.
He was reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33.
April 16
Marine Corps Sgt. George R. Reeser, 25,
Washington, IL was
killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1943, Reeser was a member of Company A, 1st
Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which
landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the
Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island.
Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
Sergeant George R. Reeser served with Company A, 6th Marines
during the battle of Tarawa. He was shot and killed on the night of 22 November
1943, as his company fought off a banzai charge.
Reeser was buried near where he fell, in a trench alongside some thirty other
Marines.
Reeser died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22, 1943.
He was reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33.
April 16
Army Cpl. Eldert J. Beek, 20,
Osceola, Iowa was killed
during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Beek was a member of Headquarters Company, 1st
Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported killed in action on Dec. 1, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
April 16
Marine Corps Pfc. Elden R. Baumbach, 19,
Stockton, CA
was killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1943, Baumbach was a member of Company D, 1st
Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which
landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the
Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island.
Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
On the night of 22 November 1943, as Baumbach was helping his
company fight off a banzai attack,
he came face to face with a Japanese soldier. In the ensuing struggle, Baumbach
was stabbed in the chest
with a bayonet and died of his wounds.
Baumbach was stabbed in the chest with a bayonet and died of his wounds on the third day of battle, Nov. 22, 1943.
He was reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33.
April 16
Army Cpl. David B. Milano, 17, Chicago, Illinois killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Milano was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion,
32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action
on Dec. 2, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the
Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
April 15
Marine Corps Pvt. Jack R. Stambaugh, 20,
of Wichita Falls, Texas, killed during World War II, was accounted
for.
In November 1943, Stambaugh was a member of Company B, 1st
Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which
landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio
in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island.
Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
Stambaugh
went to the help of a wounded buddy and killed four
Japanese soldiers in hand-to-hand combat. He died of wounds suffered in this
gallant action
on the third day of battle,
Nov. 22, 1943.
The President of the United States of America
takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Private Jack R.
Stambaugh, United States Marine Corps,
for extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty while serving with Company B,
First Battalion, Sixth Marines.
He was reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33.
Soldier
April 13
Army Pfc. Anthony F. (Tony) Mendonca, 28, Waipahu/St.Louis, Mo. killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In June 1944, Mendonca was a member of Company A, 106th Infantry
Regiment, 27th Infantry Division, when American forces participated in the
battle for Saipan, part of a larger operation
to secure the Mariana Islands. Mendonca was killed during fighting on June 28.
His remains were reportedly not recovered.
April 10
Army Sgt. Billy V. Rodgers, 19, of Le Flore, Oklahoma, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Rodgers was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion,
32nd Infantry Regiment, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, when his unit was attacked by
enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his
remains could not be recovered.
Billy V Rodgers is buried or memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
April 6
Marine Corps Sgt. Donald D. Stoddard, 22, Boulder, CO killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1943, Stoddard was a member of Company B, 1st
Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which
landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the
Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island.
Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
Stoddard died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22, 1943.
He was reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33.
April 6
Army Pvt. Wayne M. Evans, 21, Mannford, Creek, Oklahoma who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1941, Evans was a member of Battery G, 59th Coast
Artillery Regiment, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in
December.
Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.
March 24
U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Earl F.
Ferguson, 26, of Philip, South Dakota, killed during World War II,
was accounted for.
In the summer of 1943, Ferguson was a pilot assigned to the 329th
Bombardment Squadron, 93rd Bombardment Group (Heavy), 8th Air Force. On Aug. 1,
1943, the B-24 aircraft on which Ferguson was the co-pilot crashed as a result
of enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation Tidal Wave, the largest bombing
mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest,
Romania. His remains were not identified following the war. The remains that
could not be identified were buried as Unknowns in the Hero Section of the
Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan, Ploiesti, Prahova, Romania.
Following the war, the American Graves Registration Command, the
organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel,
disinterred all American remains from the Bolovan Cemetery for identification.
One set that could not be identified was designated Unknown X-5300 Neuville, and
reinterred into the American Military Cemetery at Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium.
In 2017, DPAA began exhuming unknowns believed to be associated
with unaccounted for airmen from Operation Tidal Wave losses. On Aug. 28, 2017,
Unknown X-5300 Neuville was disinterred and sent to the laboratory for analysis.
To identify Ferguson’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental
and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Ferguson’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the
Florence American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in
Impruneta, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Ferguson will be buried in his hometown. The date
has yet to be decided.
March 24
U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Earl W. Smith, 22, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the summer of 1943, Smith was a pilot assigned to the 80th
Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group, 5th Air Force. On Aug. 20, Smith was
piloting a P-38 Lightning fighter on a test flight near Port Moresby,
Australian Territory of Papua (current day Papua New Guinea), when he crashed
into the harbor off of Paga Point.
Smith did not eject and his body was not recovered.
March 23
Army Maj. Harvey H. Storms, 34, of
McAllen, Texas, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Storms was a member of Headquarters Company, 3rd
Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, which was part of the
31st Regimental Combat Team. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950,
when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North
Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
North Korea turned over 55 boxes, purported to contain the
remains of American service members killed during the Korean War. The remains
arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018, and were
subsequently accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Storms’ remains, scientists from DPAA used
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) and autosomal DNA (auSTR)
analysis.
Storms’ name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who
are still missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name
to indicate he has been accounted for.
Storms will be buried June 12, 2020, at Arlington National
Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
March 23
U.S. Army Cpl. Ralph L. Cale, 19, of
Covington, Virginia, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In December 1950, Cale was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion,
32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action
on Dec. 2, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces in the vicinity of
the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. His remains could not be recovered following
the attack and he was not reported as a prisoner of war.
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 Cale’s remains, scientists from DPAA used
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) and autosomal DNA (auSTR)
analysis.
Cale’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who
are still missing from the Korean War.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Cale will be buried Aug. 14, 2020, at Arlington
National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
March 19
U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Ernest L.
Roth, 20, of Los Angeles, killed during World War II, was accounted
for.
In May 1944, Roth was assigned as a pilot with the 359th
Bombardment Squadron, 303rd Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force in Europe. On May
19, he was piloting a B-17G bomber while on a bombing run over Berlin when the
plane was hit by flak and crashed. Six of the 10
crewmembers, including Roth, were killed in the incident. They were
recovered by German forces and reportedly buried in the Döberitz cemetery.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration
Command (AGRC) was tasked with investigating and recovering missing Americans.
The AGRC did not find Roth in the grave in which he was reportedly buried, but
instead recovered two other American service members whose plane had gone down
on the same day. They did find a set of unknown remains designated X-4801
Neuville in a grave nearby that was thought to either be Roth or one other
American. However, the AGRC was unable to determine which person it definitively
was, and so concluded X-4801 Neuville was unidentifiable.
In 2016, DPAA historians began focused research on eight sets of
unknown remains recovered from Döberitz. One historian reconstructed the
cemetery plot map with data from several sources, and concluded there were four
possible casualties that could be associated with X-4801 Neuville. In June 2018,
the Department of Defense and the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC)
exhumed X-4801 and transferred the remains to the DPAA Laboratory at Offutt Air
Force Base, Nebraska.
Roth’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle
American Cemetery, an ABMC site in Hombourg, Belgium, along with others who are
still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Roth will be buried in his hometown. The date has
yet to be determined.
March 18
U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. George M.
Johnson, 23, of Seaford, Delaware, killed during World War II, was
accounted for.
On Jan. 21, 1944, Johnson was a member of the 38th Bombardment
Squadron, 30th Bombardment Group, stationed at Hawkins Field, Betio Island,
Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, when the B-24J bomber
he was co-piloting crashed into Tarawa lagoon shortly after
takeoff. Johnson and the nine other servicemen aboard the
aircraft were killed.
Rescue crews recovered the remains of five individuals. However,
Johnson was reportedly not among those recovered. The three identified sets of
remains and two unidentified sets were interred in Cemetery 33 on Betio Island,
one of several cemeteries established after the U.S. seized the island from the
Japanese in November 1943.
The U.S. Army’s 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company
conducted remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947.
They attempted to consolidate all the remains from isolated burial sites into a
single cemetery called Lone Palm Cemetery. The remains of the B-24J crew were
believed to be among those moved.
However, Johnson’s remains were not identified and he was later
declared non-recoverable.
In April 2019, DPAA identified a set of remains as U.S. Army Air
Forces Staff Sgt. Jack R. Busch, Jr. He had reportedly been accounted for in
1946 and buried near Niagara, New York. Permission was granted by Busch’s family
to exhume the remains in New York for testing. The New York remains were
determined to be associated with a set of remains from the History Flight coffin
burials. The two sets of remains were consolidated for further testing.
To identify Johnson’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental
and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally,
scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA
(mtDNA) analysis.
Johnson’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
National Cemetery of the Pacific along with others still missing from World War
II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted
for.
Johnson will be buried May 8, 2020, in his
hometown.
March 18
Navy Seaman 1st Class Orval A.
Tranbarger, 20, of Mountain View, Missouri, killed during World War
II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Tranbarger 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 Tranbarger.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the
remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and
Nu’uanu Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen
U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the
two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at
Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the
identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS
subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In
October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as
non-recoverable, including Tranbarger.
To identify Tranbarger’s remains, scientists from DPAA used
dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed
Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome
DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Tranbarger’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from WWII. A rosette will
be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Tranbarger will be buried in his hometown. The
date has yet to be decided.
March 16
Navy Fireman 3rd Class Herbert B.
Jacobson, 21, of Grayslake, Illinois, killed during World War II, was
accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Jacobson 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 Jacobson.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the
remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and
Nu’uanu Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen
U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the
two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at
Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the
identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS
subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In
October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as
non-recoverable, including Jacobson.
To identify Jacobson’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental
and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosomal (Y-STR)
analysis.
Jacobson’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from WWII. A rosette will
be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Jacobson will be buried May 15, 2020, at
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
Marine
March 16
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Jerome B. Morris,
22, of East St. Louis, Illinois, killed during World War II, was
accounted for.
In November 1943, Morris was a member of Company B, 1st
Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which landed against stiff
Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the
Gilbert Islands in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense
fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more
than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated.
In 1946, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company
centralized all of the American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery
for later repatriation; however, almost half of the known casualties were never
found. No recovered remains could be associated with Morris, and in October
1949, a Board of Review declared him “non-recoverable.”
To identify Morris’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental
and anthropological analysis, as well as material evidence.
Morris’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Morris will be buried in Jefferson Barracks,
Missouri. The date has yet to be determined.
Soldier
March 12
Army Pvt. Ballard McCurley, 34, of
Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, killed during World War II, was accounted
for.
In November 1944, McCurley was a member of Company M, 3rd
Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, during the Battle of
the Hürtgen Forest in Germany. On Nov. 29, 1944, his battalion went to a reserve
position in the woods west of the town of Hürtgen. He and other Soldiers in his
unit were ordered to clear a field of tree stumps so vehicles could drop off
rations and supplies. According to witnesses, while clearing out a tree stump,
McCurley inadvertently set off an enemy anti-personnel mine and was killed
instantly. His remains were not recovered or identified immediately after his
loss.
After the war, McCurley’s remains were still missing. The
American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) extensively searched the Hürtgen
Forest for him. Unable to make a correlation among the dozens of unknown remains
found in the area, the Army declared him non-recoverable.
While studying unresolved American losses in and unidentified
remains recovered from the Hürtgen Forest, DPAA personnel analyzed historical
documentation regarding X-7359 Neuville, a set of unidentified remains recovered
in March 1948 from District #196 of the Hürtgen Forest by the AGRC. The remains
had originally been found by a German civilian walking along a forest trail who
later led an AGRC team to the site. The AGRC team found the remains lying on the
ground, surrounded by U.S. Army infantry equipment. The remains, designated
X-7359, could not be identified, and were interred at the United States Military
Cemetery Neuville (present day Ardennes American Cemetery).
To identify McCurley’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental
and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System
used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
McCurley will be buried April 25, 2020, in his
hometown.
March 12
Navy Shipfitter 3rd Class Patrick L. Chess, 24, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Chess was assigned to the battleship USS
Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was
attacked by Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Chess.
March 11
Marine Corps Sgt. Duane O. Cole, 23, of
Niles, Michigan, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1943, Cole was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion,
8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed
against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa
Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several
days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were
killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually
annihilated. Cole was killed on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943. His
remains were reportedly buried in either Division Cemetery 5 or Central Division
Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 26.
In 1946, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company
centralized all of the American remains found on Tarawa to Lone Palm Cemetery
for later repatriation; however, almost half of the known casualties were never
found. No recovered remains could be associated with Cole, and in October 1949,
a Board of Review declared him “non-recoverable.”
To identify Cole’s remains, scientists from DPAA used
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Cole’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be
placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Cole
died of gunshot wounds suffered on 20 November 1943.
Cole’s will be buried June 20, 2020, in Spooner,
Wisconsin.
March 11
Navy Fireman 3rd Class Clarence A. Blaylock, 20, Polytechnic, Texas killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Blaylock 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 Blaylock.
March 11
Army Sgt. Kenneth E. Walker, 19, of
Madill, Oklahoma, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Walker was a member of Charlie Company, 1st
Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported
missing in action Dec. 2, 1950, in the vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir, North
Korea, after his unit was attacked by enemy forces. His remains could not be
recovered following the battle. After the war, no returned prisoners of war
reported seeing him in any camps.
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 Walker’s remains, scientists from DPAA used
anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System
used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosomal DNA (Y-STR) and autosomal DNA (auSTR)
and analysis.
Walker’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who
are still missing from the Korean War.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Walker will be buried April 18, 2020, in his
hometown.
March 11
U.S. Navy Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class Alton W. Whitson, 22, Aberdeen Grays Harbor County, Washington killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Whitson was assigned to the battleship USS
Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was
attacked by Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Whitson.
March 11
Navy Seaman 1st Class Russell C. Roach, 22, Ohio, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Roach 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 Roach.
March 3
U.S. Army Pvt. James J. Cansler, 21, of
Bolivar, Missouri, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In December 1944, Cansler was assigned to Company C, 1st
Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division. His unit was engaged
in battle with German forces near Vossenack, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest,
when he was reported as missing in action on Dec. 19. A year later, Army
officials had received no evidence he had been captured or otherwise survived
combat, and so released a presumptive finding of death.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration
Command was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel
in Europe. They conducted several investigations in the Hürtgen area between
1946 and 1950, but were unable to recover or identify Cansler’s remains. He was
declared non-recoverable in 1951.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Hürtgen area, a
DPAA historian determined that one set of unidentified remains, designated
X-2505 Neuville, recovered from a minefield north of Vossenack in 1946 possibly
belonged to Cansler. The remains, which had been buried in Ardennes American
Cemetery in 1950, were disinterred in June 2018 and sent to the DPAA laboratory
at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for identification.
To identify Cansler’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental
and anthropological analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Cansler’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at
Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in
Margarten, Netherlands, along with the others still missing from World War II. A
rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Cansler will be buried April 15, 2020 in
Springfield, Missouri.
March 2
U.S. Navy Fireman 1st Class Dan E.
Reagan, 20, of Haslet, Texas, killed during World War II, was
accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Reagan 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 Reagan.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the
remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and
Nu’uanu Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen
U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the
two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at
Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the
identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS
subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In
October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as
non-recoverable, including Reagan.
To identify Reagan’s remains, scientists from DPAA used
anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical
Examiner System used Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) and autosomal DNA (auSTR)
analysis.
Reagan’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.
Reagan will be buried April 14, 2020, in North
Little Rock, Arkansas.
U.S. Navy Fireman 1st Class Leo T.
Keninger, 20, of Ackley, Iowa, killed during World War II, was
accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Keninger 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 Keninger.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the
remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and
Nu’uanu Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen
U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves
Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the
two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at
Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the
identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS
subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In
October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as
non-recoverable, including Keninger.
To identify Keninger’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental
and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR)
analysis.
Keninger’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the
Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from WWII. A rosette will
be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
The date and location of Keninger’s funeral has
yet to be determined.
Navy Fireman 1st Class Andrew J. Schmitz, 26, of Richmond, Virginia, killed during World War II, was accounted for.