“HONOR THE DEAD BY HELPING THE LIVING”
Vietnam War POWs Gather,
Remember at Nixon Library Reunion
POW Mike McGrath
demonstrated how prisoners tapped on the wall to communicate
as he stands in a replica of cells at the Hanoi Hilton camp while touring the
CAPTURED:
Shot Down in Vietnam exhibit at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library as they
celebrate
the 50th anniversary of the return of the Vietnam POWs in Yorba Linda, CA,
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.
Congressional funding gap slows hunt for remains
of Vietnam War dead.
By WYATT
OLSON
STARS AND
STRIPES February
28, 2024
About
81,000 Americans are still missing from World War II, the Korean War, the
Vietnam War,
the Cold War and Gulf Wars, according to DPAA. Almost 90% of those are from
World War II.
About 41,000 are presumed lost at sea, making the recovery of many of them unlikely, if not impossible.
The 1,577 service members still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, however, are the toughest cases, Byrd said.
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Joshua Alexander, left, and Navy Petty Officer 1st Class
Joshua Weber,
of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, take part in an excavation in Quang
Binh Province, Vietnam, Feb. 26, 2023.
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Joshua Alexander, left, and Navy Petty Officer 1st Class
Joshua Weber, of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency,
take part in an excavation in Quang Binh Province, Vietnam, Feb. 26, 2023.
More than 2,700 prisoners were buried on the site, some of whom were identified
and reburied by the U.S. soon after the war.
U.S. service members assigned to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency carry out
a disinterment ceremony
at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, Jan. 29,
2023.
“Time is our enemy,” he said. “The footprints of battlefields have been
destroyed by progress.
The acidic soil is eating away at the remains.
Many of the veterans are passing on, along with their memories of the
battlefield.”
KHAMMOUANE, Laos --
With
1,586 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,
Recovery Team Three executed excavation operations in
search of two missing U.S. Air Force pilots who crashed while on a visual
reconnaissance mission during the Vietnam War over 48 years ago. DPAA’s mission
is to provide the fullest possible accounting
for our missing personnel to their families and the nation.
Members of
the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency dig units during excavation operations as
part of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s
mission in the Khammouane Province, Laos. Recovery Team Three
executed excavation operations in search of two missing
U.S. Air Force pilots who crashed while on a visual reconnaissance mission
during the Vietnam War over 48 years ago. DPAA’s mission is to provide the
fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the
nation.
Jack Kenkeo,
life support investigator, shovels dirt from the screening stations during
excavation operations as part of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s
mission in the Khammouane Province, Laos. Recovery Team Three
executed excavation operations in search of two missing U.S. Air Force pilots
who crashed while on a visual reconnaissance mission during the Vietnam War over
48 years ago.
DPAA’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing
personnel to their families and the nation.
U.S. Army
Staff Sgt. Francis Sangiamvongse, linguist, screens soil with local villagers
during excavation operations as part of the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency’s mission in the Khammouane Province, Laos.
Recovery Team Three executed excavation operations in search
of two missing U.S. Air Force pilots who crashed while on a visual
reconnaissance mission during the Vietnam War over 48 years ago.
DPAA’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing
personnel to their families and the nation.
Lynn Rakos,
scientific recovery expert, waters hard soil to help with excavation operations
as part of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s mission
in the Khammovan Province, Laos. Recovery Team three executed
excavation operations in search of two missing U.S. Air Force pilots
who crashed while on a visual reconnaissance mission during the Vietnam War over
48 years ago.
DPAA’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing
personnel to their families and the nation.
Making the effort to thank the troops for what they do out in the field
means everything.
With a DPAA recovery team in Quang Nam Province, two hours west of Da Nang,
Vietnam.
The UW-Madison
story involved
a group of six students and staff members who were part of a team that unearthed
a World War II U.S. fighter aircraft—
and possibly remains of its pilot—in the ground under a farm field in France
this summer.
The team used ground-penetrating radar and a photo taken by a
British reconnaissance plane two days after the May, 1944
crash of the P-47 Thunderbolt flown by 1st Lt. Frank Fazekas.
Search underway for Lakewood, Ohio airman of World War II
Search underway for Lakewood, Ohio airman of World War II.
Divers of the U.S. Defense
POW/MIA
Accounting Agency and Civil Defense of Grado, Italy,
prepare for an exploratory dive on the sunken B-24 bomber.
This B-24 Liberator is the same type of airplane that
Lakewood, Ohio airman Thomas McGraw was flying in when it was shot down and
crashed off the coast of Italy during World War II.
A Missing Air Crew Report details the last flight of the B-24 and nose gunner
Thomas McGraw of Lakewood, Ohio.
B-24 located in Adriatic; Crewmanis bones sought Ught Lakewood Manis remains
crewman Omber crew,am2-2k-28 bold Header from A1.
A skull fragment was recovered at the site of a wrecked B-24 bomber
off the coast of Italy that may contain the remains of
Thomas McGraw,
of Lakewood, Ohio.
An underwater view of the crash site of a B-24 off Grado, Italy.
FINDING ENSIGN HAROLD P. DeMOSS IN THE MUCK AND MIRE
“Seeing
those photos was so overwhelming that I cried like a baby”
said DeMoss’ niece, Judy Ivey. “To see this actually taking place
is not anything I ever really expected.”
Anine-person military team
has been digging up mud four days a week
in the Koolau range in search of a missing World War II pilot whose
fighter crashed in cloud cover during a night training flight.
A bucket-and-pulley system
was set up to move excavated
material to a spot where it can be bundled in tarps for
helicopter transport to Wheeler Army Airfield.
NOTE: The Navy’s Bureau of Medicine and Surgery said in a 1948 letter
to the family that “an attempt to recover the remains was
considered impracticable” because the site was 7 miles
from a traveled highway in the mountains.
On Feb. 25, 1944, Duran wasn’t supposed to be on the doomed B-24H
Liberator, nicknamed “Knock it Off.”
Normally a nose turret gunner, Duran was the substitute tail turret gunner on
the flight, replacing the usual tail gunner who had frostbite.
The earth by the headstone next to the church in this tiny mountain village was full of rocks.
Two days of digging under a hot sun had yielded buckets of
gravel, stones the size of men’s fists and many piles of dirt – but no bones.
After 73 years, Sgt. Alfonso O. Duran was still missing.
The family feels a sense of closure regardless of the outcome,
Duran said.
“What a difference it would have made to my father and to my aunt,”
she said, “to know he had died and somebody had buried him and tended the
grave.”
Members of
the recovery team attach a POW flag to the wreckage of the
Tulsamerican, a B-24 Liberator piloted by, Lt. Eugene P. Ford, a Derry Township,
Pa. native,
when it crashed into the Adriatic Sea in 1944.
FIELD OPERATIONS IN LAOS AND CAMBODIA
US Ambassador to
Cambodia Patrick Murphy,
prepares to screen dirt during a DPAA recovery mission in Ratanakiri Province,
Cambodia, February 1, 2020.
Mr. Alexander
Garcia-Putnam, right, a senior recovery expert assigned to DPAA,
speaks to US service members and Lao officials during a joint field activity
(JFA) in Khammouan Province, Laos, February 2, 2020
SG Carter Caraker,
USA, a DPAA supply non-commissioned officer,
passes buckets to local workers during a JFA in Khammouan Province, Laos,
February 10, 2020.
During the JFA, a group of more than 70 personnel, assigned to DPAA and
augmented from military units around the globe,
worked together to help fulfill our nation's promise to provide the fullest
possible accounting of our missing personnel.
Recoveries
Underwater Recovery Mission - Vietnam:
U.S. Coast Guard underwater recovery mission in
Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, May 27 2021.
Vietnam Recovery Mission:
U.S. Army DPAA recovery team member, swings a pick axe to loosen dirt during
a recovery mission in Quang Binh province, Vietnam, July 3, 2021.
Vietnam Repatriation Ceremony:
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Detachment 2 and the Vietnam Office for
Seeking
Missing Persons (VNOSMP) held the 155th Repatriation
Ceremony on 9 July 2021 at Gia Lam Airport outside Hanoi, Vietnam.
Repatriation Ceremony – Laos:
Detachment Three-Laos, pause for a photo during the signing of remains turnover
documents
at a Repatriation Ceremony June 22, 2021 in Vientiane, Laos.
Honorable Carry from Laos:
DPAA members conducted an Honorable Carry ceremony on Joint Base Pearl Harbor
Hickam, June 23, 2021.
The remains were recently repatriated to the U.S. during a ceremony in
Vientiane, Laos.
USS Arizona was
a Pennsylvania-class battleship built
for and by the United
States Navy in
the mid-1910s. Named in honor of the 48th
state's
recent admission into the union, the ship was the second and last of the Pennsylvania class
of "super-dreadnought"
battleships. Although commissioned in
1916, the ship remained stateside during World
War I.
Shortly after the end of the war, Arizona was
one of a number of American ships that briefly escorted President Woodrow
Wilson to
the Paris
Peace Conference.
The ship was sent to Turkey in 1919 at the beginning of the Greco-Turkish
War to
represent American interests for several months. Several years later, she was
transferred to the Pacific
Fleet and
remained there for the rest of her career.
Aside from a comprehensive modernization in 1929–31, Arizona was
regularly used for training exercises between the wars, including the annual Fleet
Problems
(training exercises). When an earthquake struck
Long Beach, California,
in 1933, Arizona's
crew provided aid to the survivors. Two years later, the ship was featured in a Jimmy
Cagney film, Here
Comes the Navy,
about the romantic troubles of a sailor. In April 1940, she and the rest of the
Pacific Fleet were transferred from California to Pearl
Harbor,
Hawaii, as a deterrent to Japanese
imperialism.
During the Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor on
7 December 1941, Arizona was
bombed. After a bomb detonated in a powder magazine, the battleship exploded
violently and sank, killing 1,177 officers and crewmen. Unlike many of the other
ships sunk or damaged that day, Arizona was
irreparably damaged by the force of the magazine explosion, though the Navy
removed parts of the ship for reuse. The wreck still
lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial,
dedicated on 30 May 1962 to all those who died during the attack, straddles the
ship's hull.
A number of other boats were sunk in the attack, but later
recovered and repaired.
The USS California (BB-44)
lost 100 crew members that morning, after the ship suffered extensive flooding
damage when hit by two torpedoes on the port side.
Both torpedoes detonated below the armor belt causing virtually identical damage
each time.
A 250 kg bomb also entered the starboard upper deck level, which passed through
the main deck and exploded on the armored second deck,
setting off an anti-aircraft ammunition magazine and killing about 50 men.
After three days of flooding, the California settled
into the mud with only her superstructure remaining above the surface.
She was later re-floated and dry-docked at Pearl Harbor for repairs. USS California served
many missions throughout the war,
and was eventually decommissioned in February, 1947.
On the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese bombs fell and
torpedoes slashed through the waters of Pearl Harbor,
causing a devastating amount of damage to the vessels lined up in Battleship Row
in in the dry docks nearby.
Each of the seven battleships moored there suffered some degree of damage, some
far worse than others.
The USS Arizona (BB-39)
and the USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
were completely destroyed. Though the Maryland (BB-46)
was believed by Japan to also have been sunk, she ultimately survived and became
one of the first ships to return to the war.
During the attack on Pearl Harbor, ships like the USS Cassin (DD-372),
a Mahan-class
destroyer, suffered what was originally thought to be fatal damage.
While she was extensively damaged during the attack, she was resurrected and
went on to return to service during the remainder of World War II.
The sunken battleship USS West Virginia (BB-48) at Pearl Harbor after her fires
were out, possibly on 8 December 1941.
USS Tennessee (BB-43) is inboard. A Vought OS2U Kingfisher floatplane (marked
“4-O-3”) is upside down on West Virginia’s main deck.
A second OS2U is partially burned out atop the Turret No. 3 catapult.
In the aftermath of the attacks on Pearl Harbor during World War Two stories emerged of sailors who were trapped in the sunken battleships, some even survived for weeks.
Those who were trapped underwater banged continuously on the side of the ship so
that anyone would hear them and come to their rescue.
When the noises were first heard many thought it was just loose wreckage or part
of the clean-up operation for the destroyed harbor.
However the day after the attack, crewmen realized that there was an eerie banging noise coming from the forward hull of the USS West Virginia, which had sunk in the harbor.
t didn’t take long for the crew and Marines based at the harbor to realize that
there was nothing they could do. They could not get to these trapped sailors in
time.
Months later rescue and salvage men who raised the USS West Virginia found the
bodies of three men who had found an airlock in a storeroom but had eventually
run out of air.
Survivors say that no one wanted to go on guard duty anywhere near the USS West
Virginia since they would hear the banging of trapped survivors all night long,
but with nothing that could be done.
When salvage crews raised the battleship West Virginia six months after the
Pearl Harbor attacks,
they found the bodies of three sailors huddled in an airtight storeroom —
and a calendar on which 16 days had been crossed off in
red pencil.
The USS Oklahoma was on Battleship Row in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. That was the morning that the Japanese Empire attacked the United States by surprise.
The Japanese
used dive–bombers, fighter–bombers, and torpedo planes to sink nine ships,
including five battleships, and severely damage 21 ships.
There were 2,402 US deaths from the attack. 1,177 of
those deaths were from the USS Arizona,
while 429 of the deaths were from the USS Oklahoma.
The crew of the USS Oklahoma did everything they could to fight back. In the first ten minutes of the battle, though, eight torpedoes hit the Oklahoma, and she began to capsize. A ninth torpedo would hit her as she sunk in the mud. 14 Marines, and 415 sailors would give their lives. 32 men were cut out through the hull while the others were beneath the waterline. Banging could be heard for over 3 days and then there was silence.
After the battle, the Navy decided that they could not salvage the Oklahoma due to how much damage she had received. The difficult savage job began in March 1943, and Oklahoma entered dry dock 28 December. Decommissioning September 1, 1944, Oklahoma was stripped of guns and superstructure, and sold December 5, 1946 to Moore Drydock Co., Oakland, Calif. Oklahoma parted her tow line and sank May 17, 1947. 540 miles out, bound from Pearl Harbor to San Francisco. Today, there is a memorial to the USS Oklahoma and the 429 sailors and marines lost on December 7, 1941, located on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The minelayer Oglala technically
didn't suffer a hit on December 7, but a torpedo passed under it and hit the USS
Helena.
The blast from that crippled the old Oglala which
had been built as a civilian vessel in 1906.
The crewmembers took their guns to the Navy Yard Dock and set them up to provide
more defenses.
They also set up a first aid station that saved the lives of West Virginia
crewmembers.
The ship suffered horribly, eventually capsizing and sinking
until just a few feet of the ship's starboard side remained above water.
It was declared lost, and the Navy even considered blowing it up with dynamite
to clear the dock it had sunk next to.
But the decision was made that it could destroy the dock, so the Navy had to
refloat it. At that point, it made sense to dry dock and repair it.
None of the crew of Oglala were killed in the attack, although three received injuries.
Sean Patterson, Armed Forces Medical Examiner System Department
of Defense DNA Quality Management Section DNA Analyst,
replaces U. S. Navy Fireman 1st Class Billy James Johnson's picture background,
signifying him as an identified service member who was previously missing in
action.
Johnson marks the 200th service member to be identified following the December
7, 1941 Pearl Harbor
attack where 429 U.S. Sailors and Marines were killed on the USS Oklahoma
(BB-37).
A
series of large posters hang in the conference room of the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency laboratory located at Offutt Air Base, Nebraska.
The heading on each of the posters states “USS OKLAHOMA.” Underneath the
headings are neat rows of printed rectangular frames.
Each one represents a person who was unaccounted for when the USS Oklahoma was
sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Thanks
to the work of Dr. Brown’s team, the remains of 200 previously unknown crewmen
from the USS Oklahoma
have now been returned to their families for proper burial and their families
have those long-awaited answers.
The story of the USS Oklahoma’s lost crewmen is
an evolving history lesson that began on what
President Franklin D. Roosevelt called
“a date that will live in infamy.”
LIST OF USS OKLAHOMA IDENTIFICATIONS FROM MICHIGAN:
(Please note that in some USS Oklahoma identifications,
the primary next of kin has yet to be notified,
and therefore the names will not be released at this time.)
Seaman Second Class Warren P. Hickok of Kalamazoo, Mich.
Staff Sgt. Joseph M. King, of Detroit, Mich.
Fireman Third Class Gerald G. Lehman, of Hancock, Mich.
Machinist Mate First Class Fred M. Jones, 30 of Port Huron, Michigan
Navy Fireman 2nd Class Lowell E. Valley, 19, of Ontonagon, Michigan,
Navy Seaman 1st Class Robert W. Headington, 19, Bay City, Michigan
Navy Seaman 2nd Class John C. Auld, 23, Grosse Park, Michigan,
Navy Ensign William M. Finnegan, 44, of Bessemer, Michigan,
Navy Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Fred M. Jones, 31, of Otter Lake, Michigan,
Navy Seaman 1st Class Robert W. Headington, 19, of Bay City, Michigan,
Navy Seaman 1st Class Edward Wasielewski, Plymouth, MI
U.S. Naval Reserve Ensign Frances
C. Flaherty, 22, of
Navy Seaman 1st Class Joe R. Nightingale, 20, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Navy Seaman 1st Class Edward Wasielewski, 21, of Detroit,
U.S. Naval Reserve Ensign Francis C. Flaherty, 22, of Charlotte, Michigan,
Navy Seaman 2nd Class Raymond D. Boynton, 19, Grand Rapids, MI
Navy Seaman 1st Class Wilbur F. Ballance, 20, Paw Paw, Michigan
It is through this effort that the accounting community
has been able to honor the sacrifices of the USS Oklahoma Sailors and Marines
and their families who pushed for the fullest possible accounting of their loved
ones.
Ford Island
is seen in this aerial view during the Japanese attack on Pearl harbor December
7, 1941 in Hawaii.
(The photo was taken from a Japanese plane.)
Remember
the fallen: In all, 429 people on board the
battleship were killed in the attack.
Only 35 were identified in the years immediately after.
Battleship
USS Oklahoma unturned hull at the bottom of Pearl Harbor
after the devastating Japanese bombing attack on Dec. 7, 1941.
The USS
Oklahoma, moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, was sunk by
Japanese aircraft during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
A total of 429 crewmen aboard the USS Oklahoma were killed in the early morning hours of Dec.
7, 1941,
after the ship quickly capsized from the numerous torpedo hits.
Breakdown by War - Still Unaccounted for/Unreturned Veterans:
WW I 4,422
WW II 71,970
Korea 7,438
Vietnam 1,573
Cold War 126
Gulf/Other 6
Total 85,535
*As of June 2025
Service Personnel Not Recovered Following
WWII
from MICHIGAN - 2437
Service Personnel Not Recovered Following
Korea
from MICHIGAN - 325
Service Personnel Not Recovered Following
Cold War
from MICHIGAN - 4
Service Personnel Not Recovered Following
Viet Nam
from MICHIGAN - 48
RECENTLY
FOUND
HEROES in 2025
U.S. Army Pfc. William A. Wheeler, 18, of Hazel Park, Michigan, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Wheeler’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In September 1950, Wheeler was a member of H Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action after his unit engaged in combat actions with the North Korean People's Army along the Naktong River in the vicinity of Yongsan, South Korea, on Sept. 1.
The exact circumstances of Wheeler's death were unknown, but the U.S. Army later determined he was killed in action on Oct. 25, 1950.
In the fall of 1953, during Operation Glory, Chinese Communist Forces unilaterally turned over remains to the United Nations Command, including one set, designated as Unknown X-181. Those remains were reportedly recovered from prisoner of war camps, United Nations cemeteries and isolated burial sites. None of the remains could be conclusively identified as Wheeler. Those unidentified remains were subsequently buried as an Unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In October 2017, DPAA personnel disinterred Unknown X-181 as part of the Korean War Disinterment Project and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Wheeler’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.
Wheeler will be buried in Troy, Michigan in 2025.
Pilot
U.S. Army Air Force 1st Lt. Wylie W. Leverett, 28, of Wortham, Texas, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Leverett’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In late 1944, Leverett was assigned to the 708th Bombardment Squadron, 447th Bombardment Group, 4th Combat Bomb Wing, 3rd Air Division, 8th Air Force, in the European Theater. On Dec. 30, Leverett, the pilot onboard a B-17G “Flying Fortress” Fuddy Duddy, was lost when his aircraft collided with another American aircraft while on a bombing mission to Mannheim, Germany.
As the formation of bombers neared their attack location, a bomber in the low position of the lead squadron suddenly lost altitude. At the same time, Fuddy Duddy rose in altitude. It’s not known why these two aircraft unexpectedly changed their altitude simultaneously, but witnesses suspected the prop-wash from the formation created turbulence around the bombers. Surviving aircrew reported seeing the first Flying Fortresses’ propellers slicing through Fuddy Duddy’s thin aluminum skin cutting the aircraft fuselage in two.
Fuddy Duddy then rolled over and went into an uncontrolled spin downwards. The other aircraft, also badly damaged, careened downward, falling through the clouds.
Of the 18 personnel serving aboard the two aircraft, only two Fuddy Duddy crewmen survived the incident. In the immediate aftermath of the crash, local farmers from Mudau, Germany, found 13 of the remaining 16 crew members. The civilians brought the remains to the Catholic church at Steinbach where they were laid out and examined and eventually buried in a single mass grave.
In Jan. 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, sent a team to Steinbach, Germany, to investigate. They interviewed witnesses to the crash, the residents who collected the remains of the crew, and the cemetery personnel. Eventually the remains were exhumed, examined, and brought to the U.S. Military Cemetery at St. Avold, France, where they were interred in February 1946.In May 2019, DPAA contracted History Flight, Inc., to excavate the crash site believed to be that of Fuddy Duddy.
The History Flight team described the site as “severely scavenged,” but was able to recover possible material evidence and osseous materials, which were transferred to the DPAA laboratory for analysis and identification. Between June and July 2022, through a cooperative agreement with DPAA partner the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, further investigation took place using ground-penetrating radar to scan and identify areas to excavate at the Fuddy Duddy crash site. The IUP team also recovered items which were transferred to the DPAA lab.
Finally, in June 2023, the IUP team returned to the site, where they recovered an identification tag belonging to one of the missing aircrew, which confirmed the site as Fuddy Duddy’s final resting place.
Leverett’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Leverett will be buried in Dallas, Texas, in 2025.
Pilot
Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Frank A. Johnstone, 20, of Beaumont, Texas, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Johnstone’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In the winter of 1945, Johnstone was assigned to the 721st Bombardment Squadron, 450th Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force. On Feb. 25, he served as a navigator aboard a B-24J on a bombardment mission to Linz, Austria. During the mission, his aircraft was shot down by enemy fire and crashed near Groβraming, Austria. Nine of the twelve crewmembers bailed out of the aircraft while the remaining three, including Johnstone, went down with the plane. His remains were not recovered after the war.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in Europe. During their area investigations, teams of AGRC investigators interviewed local residents and officials for information about missing American servicemen, including reported burials that could be associated with American losses or downed aircraft.
In June 1950, AGRC investigators visited the area of Großraming where they discovered that the remains of nine airmen from three different American aircraft crashes were reportedly buried in the Großraming cemetery by a local gravedigger. However, in the summer of 1946, the 535th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company has already visited Großraming and recovered the nine sets of remains and transferred them to St. Avold Cemetery in France.
The 1950 investigation found a discrepancy in that it only had evidence for seven sets of remains being recovered. At the end of the investigation, all but two of the nine sets were identified, with the final two being designated Unknowns X-6568 and X-6404 St. Avold.
In August 2013, an investigation team from one of DPAA's predecessor organizations traveled to Groβraming to investigate the loss of Johnstone's B-24. They found enough to correlate the site with the aircraft. In July and August 2017, DPAA partner teams from the University of Maryland and University of Vienna began excavation on the crash site and returned the following year to continue excavation in June and July 2018. The team recovered aircraft wreckage, pieces of material evidence, and possible human remains which were all accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for scientific analysis.
Johnstone’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at Epinal American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Dinoze, France, 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.
Johnstone will be buried on a date yet to be determined.
U.S. Army Capt. Paul E. Pearson, 38
U.S. Army Capt. Paul E. Pearson, 38, Riley County, Kansas died as a POW during World War II, was accounted for.
Pearson’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In April 1942, Pearson was assigned to II Philippine Corps on the Bataan Peninsula, in the Philippines. He was held as a prisoner of war by the Empire of Japan in the Philippines from 1942 to 1944 when the Japanese military moved POWs to Manila for transport to Japan aboard the transport ship Oryoku Maru.
Unaware the allied POWs were on board, a U.S. carrier-borne aircraft attacked the Oryoku Maru, which eventually sank in Subic Bay. Pearson was then transported to Takao, Formosa, known today as Taiwan, aboard the Enoura Maru.
The Japanese reported that Pearson was killed on Jan. 9, 1945, when U.S. forces sank the Enoura Maru. Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel.
In May 1946, AGRC Search and Recovery Team #9 exhumed a mass grave on a beach at Takao, Formosa, recovering 311 bodies. Following unsuccessful attempts to identify the remains, they were declared unidentifiable and buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
Between October 2022 and July 2023, DPAA disinterred Unknowns from the NMCP linked to the Enoura Maru.
The remains were accessioned into the DPAA Laboratory for further analysis.
Pearson’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in the Philippines, 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.
Pearson will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, in March 2026.
U.S. Army Sgt. Ray Johnson, 20, from
Beckham, Oklahoma
died
In the fall of 1950, Johnson was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on Sept. 1 after the enemy attacked his unit’s position near Changyong, South Korea.
Ray Johnson was captured during the Korean War and interned as a Prisoner of War, and subsequent searches of the battlefield failed to recover his remains.
With no evidence of his continued survival, the Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Feb. 23, 1954.
He was declared non-recoverable on Jan. 16, 1956
Sergeant Johnson is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
U.S. Army Cpl. George C. Hagie, 18, Sullivan County, Tennessee killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In the winter of 1950, Hagie was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported killed in action on Dec. 12 after a major battle near the Jangjin (Chosin) Reservoir, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea).
Lacking any evidence that he was held a prisoner of war, Hagie was declared killed in action on Nov. 28, 1950
George Clarence Hagie is memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
George is remembered at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington.
U.S. Army Cpl. Donald E. Nickel, 20, Grand Rapids, Michigan killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In
late 1950, Nickel was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion,
32nd Infantry
Regiment, 7th Infantry
Division.
Corporal Nickel was a member of Headquarters Battery, 57th Field
Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division.
He was listed as Missing in Action while fighting the enemy near Hagaru, North Korea on December 6, 1950.
He was presumed dead on December 31, 1953.
His family knew him as "Don" and "Donnie." Reported DOD last known home of record - Oakland, originally from Michigan.
U.S. Navy Carpenter’s Mate Second Class William R. Burns, 25, from North Carolina killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On June 8, 1944, Burns was assigned to the destroyer USS Glennon, which struck a mine off the coast of Quinnéville, France, forcing 16 sailors overboard.
Ultimately, the majority of the crew had abandoned the vessel, but a few remained on board for salvage operations, including Burns.
Two days later, on June 10, the Glennon was struck by multiple artillery barrages from German forces on shore, eventually causing the ship to sink late in the evening.
Following the attack, 38 sailors had been wounded and 25 were missing, including Burns.
Other than the rescued sailors thrown overboard from the initial mine strike, there is not report of any recovery of other missing sailors.
The remains of Burns were not accounted for, and he was deemed non-recoverable on April 14, 1949.
Carpenter's Mate Second Class
U.S. Army Pvt. Kenneth L. Kramer, 20, from Snohomish County, Washington who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In the Summer of 1942, Kramer was a member of 19th Air Base Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Kramer was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.
They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Kramer died June 29, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 407.
Private
U.S. Army Pvt. Ira Warren, 26, from Boone County, West Virginia who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1942, Warren was a member of Headquarters Company, 194th Tank Battalion, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Warren was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.
They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Warren died July 19, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 312.
Today, Private
U.S. Army Pfc. John R. Stovall, 22, from Scott Field, Illinois who was killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In 1950, Stovall was a member of Company K, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on July 7 while fighting the enemy near Ch’onan, South Korea.
He was never reported as a prisoner of war and subsequent searches of the battlefield failed to recover his remains.
With no evidence of his continued survival, the Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953.
He was declared non-recoverable on Jan 16, 1956.
Private First Class
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces Pvt. Bennett H. Waters, 26, from Pierce County, Georgia killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In 1945, Waters was assigned to 17th Bombardment Squadron, 27th Bombardment Group on the Bataan Peninsula, in the Philippines.
He was captured on April 9 and held as a prisoner of war by the Empire of Japan in the Philippines until 1944 when the Japanese military moved POWs to Manila for transport to Japan aboard the transport ship Oryoku Maru.
Unaware the allied POWs were on board, a U.S. carrier-borne aircraft attacked the Oryoku Maru, which eventually sank in Subic Bay.
Waters was then transported to Takao, Formosa, known today as Taiwan, aboard the Enoura Maru.
The Japanese reported that Waters died on Jan. 9, 1945, when U.S. forces attacked and sank the Enoura Maru.
Private
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces Tech. Sgt. John M. Larkins, 26, from Dickson County, Tennessee, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the summer of 1944, Larkins was assigned to the 678th Bombardment Squadron, 444th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), Bomber Command.
On June 26, Larkins was a crew member on a B-29 Superfortress when it crashed into a rice paddy in the village of Sapekhati, India after a bombing raid on Imperial iron and steel works at Yawata, Kyushu Island, Japan.
All 11 crew members were killed instantly in the crash.
Technical Sergeant Larkins is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
U.S. Army Pfc. Harold B. Dulyea, 23,
from Muskegon County, Michigan
killed as a
In July 1950, Dulyea was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division.
He was reported missing in action on July 25 after the Battle of Yongdong in the vicinity of Yongdong, Republic of Korea (South Korea).
Based on testimonies from returning prisoners of war, it was determined that Dulyea was a prisoner of war but was not among the POWs repatriated after the armistice agreement was signed on July 27, 1953.
Private First Class Dulyea was taken prisoner at some point during this action and was marched north to Seoul, where he and other prisoners merged with a larger NKPA supply convoy destined for Pyongyang.
The Army determined that he had died in captivity and on Feb. 25, 1954, issued a presumptive finding of death.
Private
First Class
U.S. Army Air Forces Cpl. Lester H. Libolt, 21, Gregory, South Dakota, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
During World War II, Libolt was assigned to 431st Bombardment Squadron, 11th Bombardment Group at Hickam Airfield on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.
On. Dec. 7th, 1941, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese aircraft expanded to Hickam Field, targeting U.S. aircrafts and ships, barracks, supply buildings and the base chapel.
The attack lasted four hours. Libolt was reportedly killed during this time.
Lester H Libolt is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii.
U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Dwight M. Holmes, 27,
from California,
killed
In 1945, Holmes was assigned to 30th Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group, V Bomber Command on the Bataan Peninsula, in the Philippines.
He was captured on April 9 and held as a prisoner of war by the Empire of Japan in the Philippines until 1944 when the Japanese military moved POWs to Manila for transport to Japan aboard the transport ship Oryoku Maru.
Unaware the allied POWs were on board, a U.S. carrier-borne aircraft attacked the Oryoku Maru, which eventually sank in Subic Bay.
Holmes was then transported to Takao, Formosa, known today as Taiwan, aboard the Enoura Maru.
The Japanese reported that Holmes died on Jan. 9, 1945, when U.S. forces attacked and sank the Enoura Maru
Second Lieutenant
U.S. Army Pfc. Jack M. Cash, 19, of Broken Bow, Nebraska killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Cash's family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In September 1950, Cash was a member of A Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing in action after his unit engaged in combat actions with the North Korean People's Army along the Naktong River in the vicinity of Yongsan, South Korea, on Sept. 1. The exact circumstances of his death were unknown, and the U.S. Army determined him to be nonrecoverable on Dec. 31, 1953.
In September 1950, members from the 565th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company recovered X-2005 near Masan-ni, South Korea. Local villagers interviewed during the recovery reported discovering the remains near the Naktong Bulge area.
In May 2021, DPAA personnel disinterred Unknown X-2005 as part of Phase 3 of the Korean War Disinterment Project and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Cash’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as other circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Cash’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.
Cash's funeral service will be in Calimesa, California in July 2025
Soldier
U.S. Army Tech. Sgt. Joseph R. Moore, 28, of Richmond, Virginia, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Moore’s family recently received their full briefing on his
identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be
shared.
In December 1944, Moore was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry
Regiment, 8th Infantry Division, in Europe. His regiment had recently captured
Hürtgen, Germany, during the Hürtgen Forest offensive.
Beginning Dec. 1, Moore’s unit was part of the push east from the town. He was reported missing in action as of Dec. 11 while his unit occupied the woods between Brandenberg and Kleinhau, though there is no clear indication of what happened to him.
The Germans never reported Moore as a German prisoner of war, and
Army investigators found no evidence he survived the fighting around Brandenberg
and Kleinhau. The War Department issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec.
12, 1945.
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 and recoveries in the Hürtgen Forest
between 1946 and 1950 but were unable to find and identify Moore. He was
declared Non-Recoverable on Dec. 12, 1951.
DPAA historians are in the midst of an extensive research and recovery project focused American Soldiers missing from ground combat in the Hürtgen Forest. They determined that two sets of unknown remains previously recovered by the AGRC, designated X-2751 and X-2754B, buried at Ardennes American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Neupré, Belgium, were likely associated to unresolved soldiers missing north of Kleinhau. X-2751 was disinterred in April 2019 and X-2754B was disinterred in June 2021. Both were sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis. After scientific analysis of the two sets of remains, it was determined they were parts of the same person, and the two sets were consolidated.
Moore’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Hombourg, Belgium, 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.
Moore will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date to be determined
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces Pfc. Norman R. Thomas, 20, of Clanton, Alabama, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
Thomas's family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In late 1941, Thomas was a member of 48th Material Squadron, 5th Air Base Group, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Thomas was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.
They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Thomas died on July 19, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 312.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and recovered 37 sets of remains from Common Grave 312. 12 individual graveside identifications were made with the use of identification tags, leaving 25 unidentified, including Thomas.
He was declared non recoverable on Oct. 5, 1949, and buried as an Unknown at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM).In August 2014, the remains associated with Common Grave 312 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Thomas's grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Thomas will be buried in Verbena, Alabama, in July 2025
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces Pfc. Lee I. Clendenning, 23, of Rib Lake, Wisconsin, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Clendenning's family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be World War II, Clendenning was assigned to 23rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 5th Bombardment Group at Hickam Airfield on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.
On. Dec. 7th, 1941, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese aircraft expanded to Hickam Field, targeting U.S. aircrafts and ships, barracks, supply buildings, and the base chapel. The attack lasted four hours. Clendenning was reportedly killed during this time.
In the days following the attack, Navy personnel recovered the remains of U.S. Army and U.S. Army Air Forces casualties, which were subsequently interred in the Schofield Barracks Cemetery.
In August 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel from World War II, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the Schofield Cemetery and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks.
The laboratory staff was unable to confirm the identifications of 12 men from the Hickam Field attack at that time, including one set of remains designated X-199. The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In June 2019, DPAA personnel began exhuming the 12 Schofield Barracks Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis. X-199 was disinterred in 2020 and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory.
Clendenning’s name is recorded in 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.
Clendenning will be buried in Rib Lake, Wisconsin in September 2025
Soldier
U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Leon R. Karwacki, 27, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Karwacki's family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In late 1944, Karwacki was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 36th Armored Infantry Regiment, 3rd Armored Division. In mid-September 1944, his battalion advanced against enemy forces around Stolberg, Germany, between Aachen and the Hürtgen Forest.
He was killed on Sept. 17, during an attack near the village of Mausbach.
Karwacki’s body could not be recovered due to the intensity of enemy fire.
In late 1945, American graves registration personnel recovered a set of American remains between Mausbach and the town of Werth. Unable to identify the remains, officials designated them X-2192 and the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) subsequently interred them at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium.
In June 2024, the Department of Defense and the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) exhumed unidentified remains X-2192. DPAA historians and analysts researching the battles near Mausbach believed these remains could belong to Karwacki.
To identify Karwacki’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological evidence, as well as circumstantial evidence.
Karwacki’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, along with the others still missing from World War II.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Karwacki will be buried in Milwaukee, Wiscosin in September 2025
U.S. Army Cpl. Howard A. Troup, 29, of Ford City, Pennsylvania, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Troup’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In the fall of 1950, Troup was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing in action during a battle in the vicinity of Hill 409, near Am-sin, South Korea, when enemy forces attacked and overran his company's defensive positions on Sept. 1. A statement from a member of his unit said he was likely killed by a grenade during an all-out “banzai” attack.
The Army issued a presumptive finding of death in December 1953.In August 1951, remains were recovered by the American Graves Registration Service Group (AGRSG), the unit tasked with finding and identifying those missing during the war, near the village of Tae-Dong. Further analysis determined there was actually two sets of remains.
One set of remains was identified in 1953, but the other, designated Unknown X-1924-A, could not be identified and was ultimately buried as an Unknown at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu in 1956.
In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. On May 3, 2021, DPAA disinterred Unknown X-1924-A as part of Phase Three of the Korean War Disinterment Project and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Troup’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.
Troup will be buried in Ford City, Pennsylvania in June 2025
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Nathaniel L. Hightower Jr., 27, of Bluffton, Georgia, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Hightower's family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared In the summer of 1943, Hightower was a member of 22nd Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), 10th Air Force during World War II.
On Aug. 3, while serving as the co-pilot of a B-25C “Mitchell” bomber on a low-altitude bombing raid in Meiktila, Burma, his aircraft crashed. Of the six individuals aboard the aircraft, two survived and were captured by Japanese forces, while the remaining four, including Hightower, were killed.
His remains were not recovered after the war, and he was declared missing in action.
In 1947, the American Grave Registration Service (AGRS) recovered four sets of remains, later designated X-282A-D, from a common grave near the village of Kyunpobin, Burma. According to local witnesses, the remains came from an “American crash.” The remains could not be identified at the time and were interred as Unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
Hightower’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in the Philippines, along with the others missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Hightower will be buried in Montevallo, Alabama, on a date yet to be determined
U.S. Army Sgt. Elwyn D. Nordyke, 22, of Tacoma,
Washington,
Nordyke's family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
Late November 1950, Nordyke was assigned to Medical Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 28 in the vicinity Of Chosin Reservoir, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, when his convoy was ambushed by opposing forces.
It was later determined that Nordyke was held at Camp 1 in Changsong, North
Korea, where he died in captivity in the summer of 1951.
In September and October 1954, during Operation GLORY, Chinese Communist Forces
turned over remains to the United Nations Command, including numerous sets of
remains purportedly from Camp 1.
One set of remains, designated Unknown X-14168, could not be positivity identified as any unaccounted-for Soldier. Unknown X-14168 was subsequently buried as an Unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, also known as the Punchbowl.
In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. In February 2020, DPAA personnel disinterred Unknown X-14168 as part of Phase Two of the Korean War Disinterment Plan and accessioned the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Nordyke’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.
Nordyke will be buried in Lakewood, Washington on a date yet to be determined
U.S. Army Cpl. Paul Eugene Hoots, 25, of Galesburg, Illinois, killed during the Korean War, was accounted-for.
Hoots' family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In July 1950, Hoots was assigned to K Company, 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He went missing in action after his unit engaged the North Korean People's Army in the vicinity of Ch’onan, South Korea, on July 7. At the time, the circumstances for his loss were not immediately recorded, and there was no evidence that he was a prisoner of war.
His unit
reported Hoots missing in action on July 8, 1950.
In October 1950, remains were recovered by the American Graves Registration
Service Group (AGRSG) near Suwon. As those remains could not be associated with
an unaccounted-for Soldier, they were designated Unknown X-16 Taejon. Unknown
X-16 was interred at the temporary United Nations Military Cemetery Taejon.
In 1952, the AGRSG searched the battlefield where Hoots was lost but was unable to locate remains that could be identified as Hoots and the U.S. Army issued a presumptive finding of Dec. 31, 1953.
Starting in December 1950, all identification efforts were moved to Kokura, Japan. Unable to associate Unknown X-16 Taejon with a Korean War loss, those remains were transferred to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu on 8 Feb 1956.
In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. On June 10, 2019, DPAA disinterred Unknown X-16 Taejon as part of Phase Two of the Korean War Disinterment Project and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Hoots’ 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.
Hoots will be buried in Galesburg, Illinois in July 2025
Soldier
U.S. Army Pvt. Erwin H. Schopp, 30, of Plymouth, Nebraska, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1941, Schopp was a member of Headquarters Battery, 59th Coastal 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Schopp was among those reported captured when U.S. forces on Corregidor surrendered to the Japanese. He was subsequently held at the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Schopp died on Jan. 1, 1943, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 822.Schopp's family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and recovered four sets of remains from Common Grave 822. Due to complications in the burial and recovery process, Schopp was unable to be identified following the war.
He was declared non recoverable on Dec. 2, 1949, and buried as an Unknown at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM).
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Schopp will be buried in Plymouth, Nebraska, on a date yet to be determined
U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Morton Sher, 22, Greenville County, South Carolina killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the summer of 1943, Sher was a fighter pilot
assigned to 76th Fighter Squadron, 23rd Fighter Group, 14th Air Force.
On Aug. 20, while intercepting an Imperial Japanese aircraft enroute to attack Hengyang, China, where the 76th was stationed, Sher’s aircraft reportedly crashed in Hengshan County, Hunan Province.
Although the crash site was located by U.S. forces, Sher’s remains were not recovered or identified after the war.
Morton Sher is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
U.S. Air Force Col. Walter A. Renelt, 40, from Wilmot, South Dakota who was killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for.
In 1969, Renelt served with the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron. On Nov. 20, he was an instructor pilot aboard an O-2A Skymaster aircraft with another crew member on a visual reconnaissance mission over the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
During the mission, the plane was hit by enemy fire and crashed.
Bad weather and enemy activity around the crash site prevented ground rescue attempts and subsequent searches for both crew members were unsuccessful.
The Air Force made a presumptive finding of death on July 12, 1973.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Henry G. Gish, 25, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania who was killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for.
In 1968, Gish and 18 other men were assigned to Lima Site 85, a tactical air navigation radar site on a remote, 5,600-foot mountain peak known as Phou Pha Thi in Houaphan Province, Laos.
In the early morning of March 11, the site was overrun by Vietnamese commandos, causing the Americans to seek safety on a narrow ledge of the steep mountain.
A few hours later, under the protective cover of A-1 Skyraider aircraft, U.S. helicopters were able to rescue eight of the men.
Gish and 10 other Americans were killed in action and unable to be recovered.
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Willis R. Hall, 40, Broward County, Florida who was killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for.
In the early morning of March 11, the site was overrun by Vietnamese commandos, causing the Americans to seek safety on a narrow ledge of the steep mountain.
A few hours later, under the protective cover of A-1 Skyraider aircraft, U.S. helicopters were able to rescue eight of the men.
Hall and 10 other Americans were killed in action and unable to be recovered.
Willis Rozelle Hall is memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
Willis is honored on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington DC.
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald K. Springsteadah, 35, Millville, New Jersey who was killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for.
In 1968, Springsteadah and 18 other men were assigned to Lima Site 85, a tactical air navigation radar site on a remote, 5,600-foot mountain peak known as Phou Pha Thi in Houaphan Province, Laos.
In the early morning of March 11, the site was overrun by Vietnamese commandos, causing the Americans to seek safety on a narrow ledge of the steep mountain.
A few hours later, under the protective cover of A-1 Skyraider aircraft, U.S. helicopters were able to rescue eight of the men.
Springsteadah and 10 other Americans were killed in action and unable to be recovered.
U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Raymond A. Kaudelky, 30, Hudson County, New Jersey killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the spring of 1944, Kaudelky was assigned to the 724th Bombardment Squadron, 451st Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force.
On March 11, Kaudelky served as the tail gunner aboard a B-24H Liberator that was struck by anti-aircraft fire after a bombing raid on the German submarine pens and repair sheds at the harbor of Toulon, France.
Other air crews on the mission reported Kaudelky’s aircraft crashed on the Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer peninsula, south of Toulon harbor, and did not see any parachutes emerge from the aircraft.
Raymond A Kaudelky is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Rhone American Cemetery, Draguignan, France.
U.S. Army Master Sgt. Donald P. Gervais, 24, Clarksville, TN. killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for.
In the spring of 1968, Gervais was assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division.
On May 1, he was the door gunner on an OH-6A Cayuse helicopter on a reconnaissance mission over the A Shau Valley, Republic of Vietnam.
A nearby aircraft reportedly witnessed the helicopter hit a dead tree and crash into a ravine. Due to enemy ground fire and dense vegetation over the rough terrain, the aircraft was unable to conduct a visual reconnaissance of the crash site.
A nearby infantry platoon attempted to investigate the area but were forced to withdraw when they encountered enemy fire.
On July 25, 1978, the U.S. Army changed Gervais’ status from Missing in Action to Killed in Action and posthumously promoted him to the rank of Master Sgt.
U.S. Army Cpl. Oscar L. Sprague, 22, Washington County, Maine who was killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In 1950, Sprague was a member of Company H, 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on Sept. 3 in the vicinity of Yongsan, Republic of Korea (South Korea).
He was never reported as a prisoner of war and subsequent searches of the battlefield failed to recover his remains.
With no evidence of his continued survival, the Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953.
He was declared non-recoverable on Jan 16, 1956.
Oscar L Sprague is memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
Oscar is remembered at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington.
“Footnote: Oscar Sprague lied about his age and
served three months in World War II as a 15-year-old before being sent home with
an honorable discharge.
He re-enlisted in the Regular Army before the Korean War. He is therefore
credited with both wars.”
June 25
U.S. Army Pfc. Elijah Trannon Jr., 17, Cook County, Illinois who was killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In 1950, Trannon was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Sept. 15, in the vicinity of Haman, Republic of Korea (South Korea), after an attack on enemy positions.
He was never reported as a prisoner of war and subsequent searches of the battlefield failed to recover his remains.
With no evidence of his continued survival, the Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953.
He was declared non-recoverable on Jan 16, 1956.
Elijah Trannon Jr is memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
Elijah is remembered at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington.
U.S. Army Air Forces Sgt. Arthur B. Van Kleeck, 20, of Brooklyn, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the summer of 1943, Sgt. Van Kleeck was assigned to the 344th Bombardment Squadron "Waist Gunner" (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator aircraft on which Van Kleeck was serving as the armorer gunner was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire and crashed 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 by Romanian citizens 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.
The AGRC was unable to identify more than 80 unknowns from Bolovan Cemetery, and those remains were permanently interred at Ardennes American Cemetery and Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, both in Belgium.
To identify Sgt. Van Kleeck’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological and dental analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Sergeant Van Kleeck’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.
Sergeant Van Kleeck was buried in Klein, Texas on November 6, 2023.
Airman
June 24
U.S. Air Force Capt. Howard E. O’Dell, 30, of Poughkeepsie, New York, who was killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
O'Dell's family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In the summer of 1950, O’Dell was a member of 36th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 8th Fighter-Bomber Group, U.S. Fifth Air Force. He was reported missing in action on July 19, in the vicinity of Taejon, Republic of Korea (South Korea), after his aircraft crashed upon landing. He was never reported as a prisoner of war and subsequent searches of the battlefield failed to recover his remains. In January 1954, the Air Force determined that there was enough evidence to declare that O’Dell had died in combat.
He was declared non-recoverable on Jan 16, 1956.On Oct. 3, 1950, an unidentified American unit recovered several sets of remains in Taejon and sent them to the United Nations Military Cemetery at Taejon, where they were interred the next day. In March 1952, one of the sets of remains, designated Unknown X-100, were exhumed and accessioned into the Central Identification Unit (CUI) Kokura for analysis.
Due to the badly burned state of the remains, they were declared unidentifiable on Nov. 12, 1954. They were transported and interred in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
O’Dell’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.
O’Dell will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery on a ate yet to be determined.
U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. George F. Bradbury, 22, of Georgia, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Bradbury's family recently received their full briefing on is identification 1Lt. George F. Bradbury, killed in a friendly fire incident over France in 1944, may now have closure., therefore, additional details on his identification can be sharedIn the fall of 1943, Bradbury served as a navigator aboard a B-24 Liberator bomber with 858th Bombardment Squadron, 492nd Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force. The unit was engaged in Operation CARPETBAGGER, a series of secret missions in which several specially designated bomb groups dropped supplies, arms, equipment, leaflets, U.S. Office of Strategic Services and French agents to resistance groups operating in northern France.
On Sept. 16, 1944, Bradbury’s crew was scheduled to fly its final mission to drop supplies to resistance forces 40 miles east of the Moselle River. 115th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Gun Battalion, an American artillery unit stationed near Lebeuville, France, mistook Bradbury’s B-24 for an enemy aircraft and opened fire upon it, killing six of the eight crew members onboard, including Bradbury.
On the morning of Sept. 17, 1944, American soldiers recovered the remains discovered at the crash site, along with identification tags belonging to four of the crewmembers. Of the eight crewmembers aboard, two successfully parachuted to safety, while four were resolved through remains found at the crash site. Two were left unaccounted for, one of which was Bradbury.
To identify Bradbury’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA, Y chromosome, and autosomal DNA analysis.
Bradbury’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Lorraine American Cemetery, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Bradbury will be buried in Ranburne, Alabama in October 2025.
U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Clifford E. Keeney, 26, York County, Pennsylvania killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In 1944, Keeney, a top turret gunner aboard a B-17G “Flying Fortress,” was assigned to 327th Bombardment Squadron, 92d Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force.
He was on the crew of the B-17G #42-31250 "Mag the Hag II" during a mission to bomb the oil refinery at Altenburg, Germany.
He was reportedly killed in action on Sept. 13 during a bombardment mission to Merseburg, Germany after his aircraft was shot down by enemy aircraft fire anti-aircraft fire and crashed in the vicinity of Neustädt, Germany.
Eight of the nine crew members onboard were killed and buried by German forces in a cemetery in Neustaedt.
Keeney’s remains were not accounted for after the war.
Clifford E Keeney is memorialized at American War Cemetery Margraten, Walls of the Missing.
U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Charles S. Atteberry, 26, Canyon County, Idaho killed as Prisoner of War during World War II, was accounted for.
In January 1945, Atteberry was assigned to the 31st Infantry Regiment, Philippine Army on the Bataan Peninsula, in the Philippines.
He was held as a prisoner of war by the Empire of Japan in the Philippines until 1944 when the Japanese military moved POWs to Manila for transport to Japan aboard the transport ship Oryoku Maru.
Unaware the allied POWs were on board, a U.S. carrier-borne aircraft attacked the Oryoku Maru, which eventually sank in Subic Bay. Atteberry was then transported to Takao, Formosa, known today as Taiwan, aboard the Enoura Maru.
On December 13, 1944, Japanese forces in the Philippines began the transfer of 1,621 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) to Japan. The POWs were to make the journey aboard transport ships whose harsh conditions and extreme overcrowding led survivors to refer to them as "Hell Ships." U.S. forces attacked and sank the Enoura Maru, Japanese authorities reported that Atteberry was placed aboard the Brazil Maru bound for Moji, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, where he died days later.
Charles S Atteberry is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Milton L. Hymes, Jr., 22, of Savannah, Georgia, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Hymes’ family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In June 1944, Hymes was assigned to the 565th Bombardment Squadron, 389th Bombardment Group, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, in the European Theater. On June 20, Hymes, the navigator onboard a B-24J “Liberator” bomber, went missing in action when his plane crashed into the Baltic Sea off the coast of Denmark after colliding with another B-24 in the same formation.
The pilot and co-pilot of Hymes’ aircraft were able to bail out and survived, but all evidence points to the rest of the crew being killed in the crash. The U.S. War Department issued a Finding of Death for Hymes on June 21, 1945.In early 1948, the American Graves Registration Command, the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, investigated the crash, but were unable to find any of the missing crewmen.
Over the next couple of years, the AGRC also assessed unidentified remains that washed ashore in the area where Hymes’ aircraft crashed but were not able to identify any of the crew. Hymes was declared non-recoverable on May 12, 1950.In 2019, Danish divers alerted the Royal Danish Navy to a WWII-era aircraft wreck in the general area where Hymes’ aircraft crashed.
A .50 caliber machine gun with a damaged serial number that partially matched on the guns on Hymes’ aircraft was recovered. In August 2021, after the Royal Danish Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal cleared the site of unexploded ordnance, DPAA partner University of Delaware, along with the Royal Danish Navy, returned to conduct an underwater survey. The survey found possible human remains as well as enough evidence to recommend the site for an archaeological excavation.
From Sept. 21 to Oct. 11, 2022, DPAA primary partner Trident Archäologie, along with Wessex Archaeology and volunteers from Project Recover, and with stakeholders from the Royal Danish Navy and the Langelands Museum, returned to the site to conduct excavation and recovery operations. They found extensive evidence, including remains, material evidence, and the ID tags of two of the crew members, all of which was turned over to the Danish authorities and then accessioned into the DPAA laboratory.
To identify Hymes’ remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome DNA analysis.
Hymes’ name is recorded on the Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Hymes will be buried in Thunderbolt, Georgia, on a date yet to be determined.
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces Tech. Sgt. Clarence E. Gibbs, 21, of Charlotte, North Carolina, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Gibbs' family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In late 1944, Gibbs was assigned to 368th Bombardment Squadron, 306th Bombardment Group, 1st Bombardment Division, 8th Air Force. On Dec. 29, Gibbs, a top turret gunner onboard a B-17G “Flying Fortress,” went missing in action when his plane was hit by heavy anti-aircraft fire while on a bombing mission to Bingen, Germany.
All nine crewmembers were able to bail out of the aircraft, and only one airman was found dead by German forces near the crash site. Five men were captured and processed into the German prisoner of war (POW) camp system, ultimately surviving the war.
Gibbs and two other crewmembers were unaccounted for, and there was no record of them being held as POWs.
In 1946, the American Graves Registration Command, the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, began investigating several crash sites from downed aircraft of the Bingen air raid. Local German citizens were interviewed, and several accounts were recorded seeing American troops landing by parachutes.
One airman was recovered by a local civilian who took him in and provided aid, but the airman was ultimately taken into custody by German military authorities and his fate following capture was not known. Investigators could not locate information concerning Gibbs and the third missing airman. Investigations continued for several years, but by April 1950, the AGRC exhausted all efforts to recover these missing men and recommended they be declared non-recoverable.
In 2013 DPAA researchers learned of documents discovered by two German researchers in a regional German state archive, documenting three airmen who had bailed out from their aircraft and been killed by SS troops near Kamp-Bornhofen.
Two DPAA investigation teams followed up on this lead by conducting local research in cemetery records in this area in 2015 and 2019. In May 2021, DPAA teams began excavation of a suspected burial site in the Kamp-Bornhofen Cemetery, where the three airmen were believed to be buried.
To identify Gibbs’ 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 and Y-chromosome DNA analysis and mitochondrial genome sequencing data.
Gibbs’ name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France, 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.
Gibbs will be buried in Clinton, South Carolina, on a date yet to be determined.
June 5
U.S. Army Cpl. Anthony Konze, 20, of Brooklyn, New York, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Konze’s family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In July 1950, Konze was a member of C Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Sept. 1 in the vicinity of Changyong in the Republic of Korea. There was no evidence that he was held as a prisoner of war.
A finding of death was issued for Konze on May 7, 1954.In 1954, the United Nations Command and the Chinese Communist Forces exchanged the remains of fallen service personnel in an effort named Operation GLORY.
Konze’s remains could not be identified by the Central Identification Unit Laboratory at Kokura, Japan, at the time, and were designated Unknown X-5046. In 1956, all of the unidentified Korean War remains, including X-5046 were transported and buried as Unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
To identify Konze’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis as well as chest radiograph comparison. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Konze’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monument Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Konze will be buried in Canton, Georgia, in July 2025.
Soldier
U.S. Army Sgt. Howard L. Hasselkus, 24, of Elmore, Ohio, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
Hasselkus’s family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In late 1941, Hasselkus was a member of the 192nd Tank Battalion 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.Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Hasselkus was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Hasselkus died Nov. 22, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 807.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Three of the sets of remains from Common Grave 807 were identified, while the remaining nine were declared unidentifiable.
The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial as Unknowns.
In 2018, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 807 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Hasselkus’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission.
Today, Hasselkus is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Hasselkus will be buried in his hometown in August 2025.
June
5
U.S. Army Pfc. Albert H. Faust, 17, from Pennsylvania killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Faust was a member of Battery B, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action Dec. 6, 1950, near the Jangjin (Chosin) Reservoir, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The U.S. Army did not receive any information to indicate that he was ever held as a Prisoner of War and on Dec. 31, 1953, issued a presumptive finding of death.
He was declared non-recoverable on Jan. 16, 1956.
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces Sgt. Thomas G. Deitman, 24, Delaware County, Pennsylvania killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In 1944, Deitman, a tail-gunner aboard a B-17G “Flying Fortress,” was assigned to 327th Bombardment Squadron, 92d Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force.
He was reportedly killed in action on Sept. 13 during a bombardment mission to Merseburg, Germany after his aircraft was shot down by enemy aircraft and anti-aircraft fire and crashed in the vicinity of Neustädt, Germany.
Eight of the nine crew members onboard were killed and buried by German forces in a cemetery in Neustaedt.
Deitman’s remains were not accounted for after the war.
Thomas George Deitman is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten.
Soldier
U.S. Army Pfc. Wilbert G. Linsenbardt, 27, Cole County, Missouri killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the winter of 1942, Linsenbardt was assigned to Company A, 128th Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division.
He was reportedly killed in action on Dec. 5, near Buna in Papua New Guinea after his unit encountered intense enemy fire.
His remains were not recovered after the war, and he was declared nonrecoverable in 1951.
June 2
U.S. Army Cpl. Delmer R. Grissom, 19, of Aransas, Texas, died as POW at Camp #5 Korean War, was accounted for.
Grissom's family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In November 1950, Grissom was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 8 in the vicinity of Parwon Myon, North Korea, after the Battle of the Ch’ongch’on River.
After the war, returning prisoners reported that Grissom was held at Camp 5 in Pyoktong, North Korea and died on April 30, 1951.
In the fall of 1953, during Operation Glory, approximately 4,219 sets of remains, including those from temporary cemeteries, POW camp cemeteries, and isolated burials throughout North Korea, were exchanged.
They were transported to the Central Identification Unit at Kokura, Japan, for examination but could not be positively identified. In late 1956, all unidentified remains, including remains recovered from Camp 5, designated X-14807, were buried as Unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In October 2019, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. On Oct. 7, 2019, DPAA personnel disinterred Unknown X-14807 as part of Phase Two of the Korean War Disinterment Plan and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Grissom’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.
Grissom will be buried in San Antonio, Texas, on a date yet to be determined.
Pilot
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Charles W. McCook, 23, of Georgetown, Texas, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
McCook’s family recently received their full briefing on is
identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be
shared.
In the summer of 1943, McCook was a member of 22nd Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), 10th Air Force during World War II. On Aug. 3, while serving as the pilot of a B-25C “Mitchell” on a low-altitude bombing raid in Meiktila, Burma, his aircraft crashed.
Of the six individuals aboard the aircraft, two survived and were captured by Japanese forces, while the remaining four, including McCook, were killed. His remains were not recovered after the war, and he was declared missing in action.
In 1947 the American Grave Registration Service recovered four sets of remains, later designated X-282A-D, from a common grave near the village of Kyunpobin, Burma. According to local witnesses, the remains came from an “American crash.” The remains could not be identified at the time and were interred as Unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
McCook’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in the Philippines, along with the others missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
USS California Sa
May 29
U.S. Navy Storekeeper 3rd Class Robert S. Garcia, 23, Duval County, Texas killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Garcia was assigned to the
battleship USS California,
which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by
Japanese aircraft. The USS California sustained
multiple torpedo and bomb hits, which caused it catch fire and slowly flood. The
attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of approximately 102 crew members,
including Garcia.
From December 1941 to April 1942, 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 disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties
from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification
Laboratory at Schofield Barracks.
In addition to the approximately 43 casualties from the USS California initially identified after the attack, the laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 39 men from the USS California at that time.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
May 29
United States Army Pfc. Charles N. Milam, 20, Washington County, Mississippi missing in action during World War II, was accounted for.
In January 1944, Milam was assigned to Company F,
2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.
From late January through late May 1944, the 3rd Infantry Division fought in the Battle of Anzio in Italy.
On January 31, Milam was reported missing during combat against German forces near the small hamlet of Ponte Rotto, close to the town of Cisterna di Latina (Cisterna). Members of his squad believed that he may have been killed in action by artillery at some point that day, but his body was not recovered.
Having no evidence that Milam had survived the conflict, the War Department issued a presumptive finding of death on April 19, 1945.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Charles N Milam is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuno, Italy
Soldier
U.S. Navy Capt. Thomas E. Scheurich, 34, Norfolk, Nebraska killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for.
On March 1, he was piloting an A-6A Intruder aircraft with one other crew member, conducting a night strike mission over northern Vietnam.
The last radio and radar contact with the aircraft was near the Gulf of Tonkin, over a series of islands known to have light anti-aircraft artillery.
An air search failed to locate the aircraft and both crewmembers were declared missing in action.
On April 28, 1978, the Navy reported Scheurich as Killed in Action.
He was later posthumously promoted to the rank of Captain.
Captain Scheurich is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Captain Thomas Edwin Scheurich is honored on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C.
Soldier
May 23
U.S. Army Pfc. Rodger E. Fields, 20, Perry County, Kentucky killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In December 1950, Fields was assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported killed in action on Dec. 1, during the Battle of Jangjin (Chosin) Reservoir.
The cold weather was accompanied by frozen ground, resulting in frostbite casualties, icy roads, and weapon malfunctions.
In the end over 17,000 UN forces were killed or wounded or missing in action, or died of wounds.
Rodger E Fields is memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
Rodger is remembered at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington.
May 23
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Junior J. Shelton, 24, Webster County, Kentucky killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In 1944, Shelton was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 115th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division.
He was reportedly killed in action on Oct. 4 after his company encountered German enemy forces near Hatterath, Germany.
His remains were not accounted for after the war.
Junior J Shelton is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands.
May 23
U.S. Army Technician Fifth Grade Daniel Wyatt, 39, from Louisiana was killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the summer of 1944, Wyatt was assigned to Company E, 364th Engineer General Service Regiment, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
On July 7, he was one of
eight service members killed in the Crisbecq Battery complex near Saint-Marcouf
in Normandy, France,
by an explosion that partially caved in the concrete roof of a captured enemy
bunker that they were clearing.
May 23
U.S. Army Pfc. William E. Kutnock, 20, Harrison County, West Virginia missing in action during World War II, was accounted for.
In 1943, Kutnock was assigned to Company D, 4th Ranger Battalion, "Darby's Rangers." He was killed on Sept. 19 during Operation AVALANCHE, the amphibious invasion of Italy, after his unit encountered enemy fire on an overnight reconnaissance mission on the Maiori-Pagani Road toward the village of Sala in the commune of Corbara.
After the firefight, his unit conducted a thorough inspection of the battlefield but could not locate his remains.
The War Department issued a finding of death for Kutnock on Dec. 1, 1944.
William E Kutnock is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuno, Italy
May 20
U.S. Army Air Forces Pvt. Herbert E. McLaughlin, 31, of Shawano, Wisconsin, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
During World War II, McLaughlin was assigned to Headquarters Squadron, 17th Air Group at Hickam Airfield on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. On. Dec. 7th, 1941, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese aircraft expanded to Hickam Field, targeting U.S. aircrafts, ships, barracks, supply buildings, and the base chapel.
The attack lasted four hours. McLaughlin was reportedly killed during this time.
In the days following the attack, Navy personnel recovered the remains of U.S. Army and U.S. Army Air Forces casualties, which were subsequently interred in the Schofield Barracks Cemetery on Dec. 9th.
In August 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel from World War II, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the Schofield Cemetery and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks.
The laboratory staff was unable to confirm the identifications of 12 men from the Hickam Field attack at that time. The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
On Jan. 5, 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including McLaughlin.
In June 2019, DPAA personnel exhumed the 12 Schofield Barracks Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
McLaughlin’s name is recorded in 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.
McLaughlin will be buried in Shawano, Wisconsin, on a date yet to be determined.
Airman
May 20
U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Donald W. Sheppick, 26, of Roscoe, Pennsylvania, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Sheppick’s family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In March 1944, Sheppick was assigned to the 320th Bombardment Squadron, 90th Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force and deployed in present day Papua New Guinea. On the morning of March 11, Sheppick, the navigator onboard a B-24D Liberator bomber called "Heaven Can Wait," departed Nadzab Strip #1, Papua New Guinea, as part of a bombing mission against enemy positions at Boram Airfield and Awar Point, Hansa Bay, located along the northern coast of New Guinea.
Observers from other aircraft in the formation reported seeing flames erupting from the bomb bay, spreading to the tail quickly. Heaven Can Wait was seen pitching up violently before banking left and crashing down into the water. It is believed anti-aircraft fire hit the plane, causing un-dropped ordnance to explode. Several aircraft circled the crash site in hopes of locating any possible survivors, but none could be seen.
Following the war, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS), the military unit responsible for investigating and recovering missing American personnel in the Pacific Theater, conducted exhaustive searches of battle areas and crash sites in New Guinea, concluding their search in late 1948. In March 1950, a board of AGRS officials concluded they were unable to locate any remains of Sheppick, and the other Heaven Can Wait crew members. They were designated as non-recoverable.
Between 2013 and 2017, the family of 2nd Lt. Thomas V. Kelly, Heaven Can Wait's bombardier, undertook a dedicated archival research effort to collect historical documents and eyewitness accounts of the loss of the Heaven Can Wait crew.
The family worked with Dr. Scott Althaus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to complete this effort and provided this documentation. In October 2017, Project Recover, a DPAA partner organization, located the wreckage of a B-24 aircraft in Hansa Bay while making sonar scans as part of a unilateral remote sensing survey effort.
In 2019, a DPAA underwater investigation team conducted several surveys of the wreckage, performing visual inspections and clearing the site of any unexploded ordnance.
From March 9 through April 13, 2023, an underwater recovery team excavated the crash site, where they recovered possible osseous materials and material evidence, to include life support equipment and identification tags. The recovered evidence was sent to the DPAA Laboratory for review and analysis.
Sheppick’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Sheppick will be buried in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, on a date yet to be determined.
Airman
May 20
U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Nicholas J. Governale, 22, Kings County, New York killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the summer of 1943, Governale was a member of 69th Bombardment Squadron, 42d Bombardment Group (Medium).
He was killed on July 10 when his North American B-25C-1 Mitchell medium bomber crashed on takeoff from Carney Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
His remains were not recovered after the war, and he was declared nonrecoverable on May 11, 1949
Nicholas J Governale is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
Army Cpl. Albert J. Estrada, 17, of Woodland, California, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Estrada's family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In late 1950, Estrada was a member of Battery B, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action Dec. 6, 1950, in the vicinity of Hagaru-ri near the Jangjin (Chosin) Reservoir, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The U.S. Army did not receive any information to indicate that he was ever held as a Prisoner of War and on Dec. 31, 1953, issued a presumptive finding of death.
He was declared non-recoverable on Jan. 16, 1956. On July 27, 2018, North Korea turned over 55 boxes, purported to contain the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War.
The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018, and were subsequently accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Estrada’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 analysis and single nucleotide polymorphism analysis.
Albert J Estrada is memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
Albert is remembered at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington.
Estrada will be buried in Woodland, California, in June 2025.
U.S. Army Sgt. James B. Brock, 20, of Phoenix, Arizona, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Brock's family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In December 1950, Brock was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Brock was reported missing in action after his unit was forced to retreat from Hagaru-ri, North Korea, after the Battle of Jangjin (Chosin) Reservoir.
The U.S. Army did not receive any information during or after the war to indicate Brock was ever held as a prisoner of war.
In the fall of 1953, during Operation Glory, North Korea returned remains reportedly recovered from Changsong, also known as Prisoner of War Camp #1, to the United Nations Command. However, Brock could not be identified as any of the repatriated remains. A presumptive finding of death was issued on March 10, 1954.
In late 1956 all unidentified remains, including one designated X-15881, were buried as Unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, in Honolulu, Hawaii, known as the Punchbowl.
In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. In June 2022, DPAA personnel disinterred Unknown X-15881 as part of Phase Four of the Korean War Disinterment Plan and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Brock’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.
Brock will be buried in a location and on a date yet to be determined.
Air
May 20
U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. John H. Danneker, 19, of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Danneker’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In June 1944, Danneker was assigned to the 565th Bombardment Squadron, 389th Bombardment Group, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, in the European Theater. On June 20, Danneker, the left waist gunner onboard a B-24J “Liberator” bomber, went missing in action when his plane crashed into the Baltic Sea off the coast of Denmark after colliding with another B-24 in the same formation. The pilot and co-pilot of Danneker’s aircraft were able to bail out and survived, but all evidence points to the rest of the crew being killed in the crash.
The U.S. War Department issued a Finding of Death for Danneker on June 21, 1945.In early 1948, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, investigated the crash, but were unable to find any of the missing crewmen. Over the next couple of years, the AGRC also assessed unidentified remains that washed ashore in the area where Danneker’s aircraft crashed but were not able to identify any of the crew.
Danneker was declared non-recoverable on May 12, 1950.
In 2019, Danish divers alerted the Royal Danish Navy to a WWII-era aircraft wreck in the general area where Danneker’s aircraft crashed. A .50 caliber machine gun with a damaged serial number that partially matched on the guns on Danneker’s aircraft was recovered.
In August 2021, after the Royal Danish Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal cleared the site of unexploded ordnance, DPAA partner University of Delaware, along with the Royal Danish Navy, returned to conduct an underwater survey. The survey found possible human remains as well as enough evidence to recommend the site for an archaeological excavation.
From Sept. 21 to Oct. 11, 2022, DPAA primary partner Trident Archäologie, along with Wessex Archaeology and volunteers from Project Recover, and with stakeholders from the Royal Danish Navy and the Langelands Museum, returned to the site to conduct excavation and recovery operations. They found extensive evidence, including remains, material evidence, and the ID tags of two of the crew members, all of which was turned over to the Danish authorities and then accessioned into the DPAA laboratory.
To identify Danneker’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA, Y-chromosome, and autosomal DNA analysis.
Danneker’s name is recorded on the Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Danneker will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery in August 2025.
Pilot
May 16
U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. George F. Wilson, Jr., 22, of Bountiful, Utah, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Wilson’s family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In July 1944, Wilson was assigned to the 601st Bombardment Squadron, 398th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, in the European Theater. On July 8, Wilson, the pilot of a B-17G “Flying Fortress” bomber, was killed when his aircraft crashed near Monchy-Cayeux, France, after being hit by antiaircraft fire.
Surviving crew members reported Wilson had been hit by flak and was still on board when the aircraft crashed.
Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater. They received information from several of Wilson’s crew members detailing the crash, but there is no evidence the crash site was ever visited. No recovered Unknowns were ever associated with Wilson, and he was declared non-recoverable in 1951.
In July 2018, a member of Wilson’s family provided DPAA with new information about a potential crash site for Wilson’s aircraft. One of Wilson’s family then traveled to Monchy-Cayeux and met three witnesses who remembered the crash.
In 2019, a DPAA investigation team visited Monchy-Cayeux and discovered a concentration of wreckage consistent with a B-17 at the site, which they then recommended for excavation.
To identify Wilson’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA, Y-chromosome DNA, and autosomal DNA analysis.
Wilson’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery, in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Wilson will be buried in Bountiful, Utah, in July 2025.
May 16
U.S. Army Pvt. Ben F.
Leslie’s family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In April 1942, Leslie
was assigned to Battery H, 200th Coast Artillery Regiment.
He was held as a prisoner of war by the Empire of Japan in the Philippines from
1942 to 1944 when the Japanese military moved POWs to Manila for transport to
Japan aboard the transport ship Oryoku
Maru.
Unaware the allied POWs were on board, a U.S. carrier-borne aircraft attacked the Oryoku Maru, which eventually sank in Subic Bay. The Japanese government reported that Leslie died aboard the Enoura Maru on January 9, 1945. He was declared non-recoverable on March 22, 1949.
Leslie’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at North Africa American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Tunis, Tunisia, 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.
Leslie will be buried in White Oaks, New Mexico, in July 2025.
May 16
U.S. Army Capt. Ralph L. Rowland, 43, of Santa Cruz, California, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Rowland’s family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In May 1942, Rowland was assigned to Signal Company, Aircraft Warning, Philippines Department on the Bataan Peninsula, in the Philippines. He was held as a prisoner of war by the Empire of Japan in the Philippines from 1942 to 1944 when the Japanese military moved POWs to Manila for transport to Japan aboard the transport ship Oryoku Maru. Unaware the allied POWs were on board, a U.S. carrier-borne aircraft attacked the Oryoku Maru, which eventually sank in Subic Bay.
Rowland was then transported to Takao, Formosa, known today as Taiwan, aboard the Enoura Maru. The Japanese reported that Rowland was killed on Jan. 9, 1945, when U.S. forces sank the Enoura Maru.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel. In May 1946, AGRC Search and Recovery Team #9 exhumed a mass grave on a beach at Takao, Formosa, recovering 311 bodies. Following unsuccessful attempts to identify the remains, they were declared unidentifiable and buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
To identify Rowland’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial, nuclear, and autosomal DNA analysis.
Rowland’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in the Philippines, 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.
Rowland will be buried in Santa Cruz, California, on a date yet to be determined.
USS California Sailor
May 14
U.S. Navy Ensign Joseph L. Richey, 21, Barnard, Missouri, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
He was commissioned on August 26, 1941, and trained at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. He became a naval aviator assigned to Observation Squadron (VO) 2 aboard the battleship USS California (BB-44) at Pearl Harbor.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Richey was assigned to the battleship USS California, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft.
The USS California sustained multiple torpedo and bomb hits, which caused it catch fire and slowly flood.
The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 103 crewmen, including Richey.
May 13
U.S. Army Pvt. Mack Homer, 20, Lowndes County, Georgia killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the summer of 1944, Homer was assigned to Company E, 364th Engineer General Service Regiment, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
On July 7, Homer was killed, along with seven other service members, near Saint-Marcouf in Normandy, France, after an explosion partially caved in the concrete roof of a captured enemy bunker that they were clearing.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Homer's case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
Mack Homer is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer, France.
May 13
U.S. Army Pfc. St. Clair M. Gibson, 30, New Haven County, Connecticut missing in action during World War II, was accounted for.
In September 1943, Gibson was assigned Company F, 2nd Battalion, 371st Infantry Regiment, 92d Infantry Division.
He was reported killed in action on November 18, 1944, during the fighting on Monte Cauala. PFC Gibson's remains were not recovered at the time of his loss, and he is still reported missing in action on Nov. 18, 1944, after a battle in the northern Apennine Mountains near Seravezza, Italy.
His remains were not recovered following the war.
St Clair M Gibson is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Florence American Cemetery, Florence, Italy.
U.S. Army Cpl. Edwin C. Martin, 18, from Ohio, who was killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In 1950, Martin was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on Aug. 31, in the vicinity of Yongsan, Republic of Korea (South Korea) after his unit encountered enemy combatants attempting to cross the Naktong River.
He was never reported as a prisoner of war and subsequent searches of the battlefield failed to recover his remains.
With no evidence of his continued survival, the Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953.
He was declared non-recoverable on Jan 16, 1956.
Corporal Martin is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, which was updated in 2022 to include the names of the fallen.
Soldier
May 9
U.S. Army Sgt. Thomas J. O’Brien, 23, of Tipperary, Ireland, who died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for.
O’Brien’s family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be sharedIn late 1950, O’Brien was a member of Headquarters Battery, 90th Field Artillery Battalion, Division Artillery, 25th Infantry Division.
He was reported killed in action by tank fire on Oct. 26, 1950, after his unit was attacked by Korean People’s Army (KPA) forces while moving through the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea).
In the late summer and fall of 1954, during Operation GLORY, North Korea returned remains reportedly recovered from various gravesites to the United Nations Command. One set of remains, designated Unknown X-16829, was thought to be that of O’Brien but a positive association could not be made at the time.
X-16829 and all other unidentified Unknowns were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In March and April 2018, DPAA personnel disinterred 13 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl that were reportedly returned from the United Nations Military Cemetery Pyongyang during Operation GLORY.
The remains were then sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.To identify O’Brien’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA and mitochondrial genome sequencing analysis.
O’Brien’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
O’Brien will be buried in Riverside, California, on a date to be determined
May 9
U.S. Army CWO Charles G. Benthien, 46, of St Louis County, Missouri killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Benthien's family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In April 1942, Benthien was assigned to the Headquarters, Philippine Department on the Bataan Peninsula, in the Philippines.
He was held as a prisoner of war by the Empire of Japan in the Philippines until 1944 when the Japanese military moved POWs to Manila for transport to Japan aboard the transport ship Oryoku Maru.
Unaware the allied POWs were on board, a U.S. carrier-borne aircraft attacked the Oryoku Maru, which eventually sank in Subic Bay.
Benthien was then transported to Takao, Formosa, known today as Taiwan, aboard the Enoura Maru. On Jan. 9, 1945, the Japanese reported that Benthien was killed when U.S. forces attacked and sank the Enoura Maru.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel. In May 1946, AGRC Search and Recovery Team #9 exhumed a mass grave on a beach at Takao, Formosa, recovering 311 bodies, including those designated as designated X-530 Schofield Mausoleum #2.
Following unsuccessful attempts to identify the remains, they were declared unidentifiable. They were buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), Honolulu.Between October 2022 and July 2023, DPAA disinterred Unknowns from the NMCP linked to the Enoura Maru, including X-530. The remains were accessioned into the DPAA Laboratory for further analysis.
Benthien’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines, 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.
Benthien will be buried in San Diego, California, in June 2025.
May 9
U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Jason K. Goldwater, 27, Kings County, New York killed during World War II, was accounted for.
He was killed on July 10 when his North American B-25C-1 Mitchell medium bomber crashed on takeoff from Carney Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
His remains were not recovered after the war, and he was declared nonrecoverable.
Jason K Goldwater is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
Soldier
May 9
U.S. Army Pfc. Edward J. Kramer, 23, from Michigan killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the winter of 1942, Kramer was assigned to Company H, 2nd Battalion, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division, and deployed in present day Papua New Guinea.
He was reportedly killed in action on Dec. 27 near Buna Village while fighting the Japanese.
Searches for PFC Kramer following the battle were unsuccessful, and he was not identified among the remains recovered from New Guinea following the war.
His remains were not recovered after the war.
Private First Class Kramer is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Soldier
May 9
U.S. Army Pfc. Nicholas Hartman, 20, Harris County, Texas killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In June 1944, Hartman was assigned to 500th Medical Collecting Company, 60th Medical Battalion.
On June 6, Hartman was aboard Landing Craft Infantry (Large) 92, along with roughly 200 other service members, enroute to land on Omaha Beach, in Normandy, France.
As LCI-92 steamed toward the shore, it struck an underwater mine which caused the craft to burst into flames.
The craft was also hit by enemy artillery fire, causing an explosion that ignited the ships fuel stores and instantly killed everyone in the troop compartment.
Due to the urgency of the situation, it was impossible for others to search for survivors.
Hartman’s remains were not accounted for after the war.
Private First Class Hartman is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France.
May 9
U.S. Army Air Forces Warrant Officer Junior Grade William J. McMichael, 36, from Pennsylvania, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In January 1945, McMichael was assigned to the Philippine Air Depot.
He was held as a prisoner of war by the Empire of Japan in the Philippines from 1942 to 1944 when the Japanese military moved POWs to Manila for transport to Japan aboard the transport ship Oryoku Maru.
Unaware the allied POWs were on board, a U.S. carrier-borne aircraft attacked the Oryoku Maru, which eventually sank in Subic Bay.
After a series of land and naval transfers, McMichael was transported to Takao, Formosa, aboard the Enoura Maru.
The Japanese government reported that McMichael died on January 9, 1945, when U.S. forces sank the Enoura Maru.
McMichael is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
U.S. Army Cpl. George F. Sepsey, 24, Sanilac County, Michigan killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1942, Sepsey was assigned to Company M, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division, and deployed in present day Papua New Guinea.
He was reportedly killed in action on Nov. 26, 1942, during a grueling fight against Japanese forces along the Sanananda Track.
His remains were not recovered after the war.
George F Sepsey is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
U.S. Army Air Forces Cpl. William I. Berrier, 22, from Ellis County, Texas who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1941, Berrier was a member of 21st Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Berrier was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.
They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Berrier died Oct. 24, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 710
Corporal Berrier is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Airman
U.S. Air Force Capt. Howard E. O’Dell, 30, Dutchess County, New York who was killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In the summer of 1950, O’Dell was a member of 36th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 8th Fighter-Bomber Group, U.S. Fifth Air Force.
He was reported missing in action on July 19, in the vicinity of Taejon, Republic of Korea (South Korea), after his aircraft crashed upon landing.
He was never reported as a prisoner of war and subsequent searches of the battlefield failed to recover his remains.
In January 1954, the Air Force determined that there was enough evidence to declare that O’Dell had died in combat.
He was declared non-recoverable on Jan 16, 1956
Howard is remembered at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington.
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Justice J. Buttala, 24, of Chicago, Illinois,
Buttala's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In the spring of 1945, Buttala served as an observer aboard a B-29 "Superfortress" bomber assigned to 28th Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group, 20th Air Force.
On April 24, during a combat mission to Japan, the aircraft was shot down over Tachikawa, on the western outskirts of Tokyo.
Buttala survived the crash but was held as a prisoner of war. He perished in the Tokyo Military Prison during a fire on May 26, 1945.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Service was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in the Pacific Theater. Although the AGRS recovered 65 sets of remains from the Tokyo Military Prison, they were unable to identify any as Buttala.
At the end of AGRS identification efforts, U.S. forces interred 39 Unknowns associated with the Tokyo Military Prison in Fort McKinley Cemetery, now the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Manila, Republic of the Philippines.
In March and April 2022, DPAA exhumed the 39 Unknowns associated with the Tokyo Prison Fire for comparison to associated casualties, including Buttala, and accessioned them into the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Buttala’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Cemetery of the Pacific, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Honolulu, along with the others missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Buttala will be buried in Alexandria, Virginia on a date yet to be determined.
U.S. Army 1st Sgt. David D. Crouse, 65, Guilford County, North Carolina who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1941, Crouse was a member of 808th Military Police Company, 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.
1Sgt Crouse was 65 at time of death. He had retired from military service prior to World War II and was recalled.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Crouse was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1.
More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Crouse died Nov. 22, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 807.
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces Pvt. Donald E. Bays, 21, of Hubbard Springs, Virginia, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Bays's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In 1941, Bays was assigned to the Tow Target Detachment at Hickam Airfield on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. On. Dec. 7th, Japanese aircraft attacked Oahu; in addition to the ships moored in Pearl Harbor, they bombed and strafed Hickam Field, and damaged or destroyed U.S. aircraft, hangars, barracks, supply buildings, and the base chapel.
The attack lasted four hours. Bays was reportedly killed during this time.In the days following the attack, Navy personnel recovered the remains of U.S. Army and U.S. Army Air Forces casualties, which were subsequently interred in the Schofield Barracks Cemetery.
In August 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel from World War II, members of the American Graves Registration Service disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the Schofield Cemetery and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks.
The laboratory staff was unable to confirm the identifications of 12 men from the Hickam Field attack at that time, including “Unknown Case 4,” later redesignated X-4. The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
On Dec. 27, 1948, a military board classified Bays as non-recoverable.
Bays’ name is recorded in 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.
Bays will be buried in Lee County, Virginia in May 2025
U.S. Army Sgt. George M. Barbiere, 23, of Hicksville, New York, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Barbiere's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In the winter of 1950, Barbiere was assigned to Service Company, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action Dec. 2, near Twigae, North Korea. Lacking evidence of continued survival, the U.S. Army issued a presumptive finding of death of Dec. 31, 1953.
In September and October 1954, Chinese Communist Forces returned the remains of Korean War losses to the United Nations Command during Operation Glory.
One set, which could not be positively identified at the time was designated as Unknown X-15759. In 1956, those losses at the Central Identification Unit-Kokura, Japan, which could not be identified, including Unknown X-15759, were transferred to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
Barbiere’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.
Barbiere will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date yet to be determined.
U.S. Army Pfc. Roland Lee Bowser, 20, of New
Kensington, Pennsylvania,
Bowser’s family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In November 1950, Bowser was assigned to M Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 2, after his battalion's fighting-withdrawal from Unsan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
After the war, returning prisoners reported that Bowser died in captivity at Camp 5 in Pyoktong, North Korea, in early June 1951.In 1954, during Operation Glory, the United Nations Command received a set of remains reportedly recovered from Camp 5 and later designated Unknown X-14343.
They were transported to the Central Identification Unit (CIU) at Kokura, Japan, for examination but could not be positively identified. In late 1956, all unidentified remains from the CIU, including X-14343, were buried as Unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
Bowser’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.
Bowser will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date yet to be determined.
U.S. Army Cpl. Shirley B. Andrews, Jr., 18, from Massachusetts killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In the fall of 1950, Andrews was assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on Sept. 7 near Hwasan-dong, Republic of Korea.
He was not reported as a prisoner of war and subsequent searches of the battle area failed to recover his remains.
With no evidence of his continued survival, the Army issued a presumptive finding of death as of Dec. 31, 1953.
He was declared non-recoverable on Jan. 16, 1956.
U.S. Army Sgt. Celestino Chavez, Jr., 19, Gallup, New Mexico killed in action during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Chavez was assigned to Battery D, 15th Anti-Aircraft Artillery, Automatic Weapons Battalion, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, when his convoy was ambushed by opposing forces in route to Hagaru-ri near the Jangjin (Chosin) Reservoir, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The U.S. Army did not receive any indication that he was ever held as a prisoner of war and with no evidence of his continued survival, issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953.
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces Sgt. Sidney Burke, 22, Lake County, Indiana killed during World War II, was accounted for on.
In the summer of 1943, Burke was a member of 22nd Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), 10th Air Force during World War II.
On Aug. 3, while serving as the Armor-Gunner of a B-25C “Mitchell” bomber on a low-altitude bombing raid in Meiktila, Burma, his aircraft crashed.
Of the six individuals aboard the aircraft, two survived and were captured by Japanese forces, while the remaining four, including Burke, were killed.
His remains were not recovered after the war, and he was declared missing in action.
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Henry J. Carlin, 27, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the summer of 1943, Carlin was a member of 22nd Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), 10th Air Force during World War II.
On Aug. 3, while serving as the navigator of a B-25C “Mitchell” bomber on a low-altitude bombing raid in Meiktila, Burma, his aircraft crashed.
Of the six individuals aboard the aircraft, two survived and were captured by Japanese forces, while the remaining four, including Carlin, were killed.
His remains were not recovered after the war, and he was declared missing in action
Pilot
U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Charles W. McCook, 23, Georgetown, Texas killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the summer of 1943, McCook was a member of 22nd Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), 10th Air Force during World War II.
On Aug. 3, while serving as the Pilot of a B-25C “Mitchell” bomber on a low-altitude bombing raid in Meiktila, Burma, his aircraft crashed.
Of the six individuals aboard the aircraft, two survived and were captured by Japanese forces, while the remaining four, including McCook, were killed.
His remains were not recovered after the war, and he was declared missing in action.
Charles Woodruff McCook is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
U.S. Navy Seaman 1st Class (S1c) Paul E. Newton, 20, Chicago Ill, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Newton 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 Newton.
U.S. Army Pfc. George Armand Curley Jr.,
18, of
Laconia, New Hampshire,
Curley's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In December 1950, Curley was assigned to Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. Curley was reported missing in action on Nov. 30, 1950, in the vicinity of Sonchu, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Based on information from returning POWs, it was determined that Curley died in captivity at Camp 5 near Pyoktong, DPRK in March 1951.
September and October 1954 during Operation GLORY, the United Nations Command and the Chinese Communist Forces exchanged the remains of fallen service personnel. After those remains were processed by the Central Identification Unit (CIU) Laboratory at Kokura, Japan, the CIU was unable to positively associate any loss with Curley.
In 1956, all unidentified remains, including one designated as Unknown X-14692, were transferred to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (the Punchbowl) in Honolulu, Hawaii and interred there as Unknowns.
In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. On Nov. 18, 2019, DPAA personnel disinterred Unknown X-14692 as part of Phase Two of the Korean War Disinterment Plan and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Curley’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.
Curley will be buried in Laconia, New Hampshire in June 2025.
U.S. Army Sgt. Orace J. Mestas, 22, of Trinidad, Colorado, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Mestas's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In April 1951, Mestas was assigned to I Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action near Chip’o-ri, North Korea, after his unit’s position was attacked on April 25.
The U.S. Army determined him to be nonrecoverable on Jan. 16, 1956.In April 1951, members from the 565th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company recovered remains about 8.5 miles southeast of Chipo-ri and designated one set as Unknown X-1381 Tanggok. In 1955 those remains were transferred to the Central Identification Unit (CIU) in Kokura, Japan for reprocessing.
After the remains were reexamined by the CIU, Unknown X-1381 could not be identified. The remains were subsequently buried as an unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In July 2018, DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns interred at the Punchbowl. In March 2019, DPAA personnel disinterred Unknown X-1381 as part of Phase One of the Korean War Disinterment Plan and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Mestas’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.
Mestas will be buried in Trinidad, Colorado, in June 2025.
U.S. Army Pvt. Willard D. Merrill, 21, of Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
Merrill's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In late 1941, Merrill was a member of the 2nd Observation Squadron 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.Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Merrill was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Merrill died Nov. 14, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 305.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila.
In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Three sets of remains from Common Grave 305 were declared unidentifiable. These unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In January 2019, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 305 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Merrill’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Today, Merrill is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Merrill will be buried in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, in June 2025.
U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Byron R. Michener, 23, Jackson County, Missouri killed during World War II was accounted for.
In the summer of 1943, Michener served as a bombardier with the 409th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 93rd Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force.
On Aug. 1, the B-24 Liberator aircraft Michener was on crashed after encountering enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation TIDAL WAVE, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries in Ploiesti, Romania.
They were hit by flak and critically damaged, however it was reported they released their bombs on target. Their aircraft was on fire, spun down, hitting a rooftop before smashing into the Ploesti women's jail.
His remains were not identified following the war
Byron Russell Michener is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Florence American Cemetery, Florence, Italy.
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Robert P. Aikman, 40,
In January 1945, Aikman was assigned to Battery D, 1st Battalion, 59th Coastal Artillery Corps.
He was held as a prisoner of war by the Empire of Japan in the Philippines from 1942 to 1944 when the Japanese military moved POWs to Manila for transport to Japan aboard the transport ship Oryoku Maru.
Unaware the allied POWs were on board, a U.S. carrier-borne aircraft attacked the Oryoku Maru, which eventually sank in Subic Bay.
After a series of land and naval transfers, Aikman was transported to Takao, Formosa, aboard the Enoura Maru.
The Japanese government reported that Aikman died on January 9, 1945, when U.S. forces sank the Enoura Maru.
He was declared non-recoverable on March 22, 1949
U.S. Army Master Sgt. George C. Manring, 21, Wales, Florida killed in action during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In September 1950, Manring was assigned to Battery B, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on Dec. 6, 1950, in the vicinity of Hagaru-ri near the Chosin Reservoir, Republic of Korea.
The U.S. Army did not receive any indication that he was ever held as a prisoner of war and with no evidence of his continued survival, issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953
Master Sergeant Manring is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC
U.S. Army Sgt. Ivor D. Thornton, 34, of Martinsville, Virginia, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On June 6, 1944, "D-Day," Sgt. Thornton landed on Omaha Beach with Company H, 2nd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regimental Combat Team, 29th Infantry Division. As part of the second wave of the invasion, Company H disembarked its landing craft around 7:00 a.m.
Fellow soldiers last observed Sgt. Thornton wading ashore, but he was not seen thereafter.
On June 7, 1944, the day after the invasion, Thornton’s unit unsuccessfully searched for him. Consequently, the War Department listed him as missing in action. On June 8, 1944, graves registration personnel recovered a set of remains from Omaha Beach that they were unable to identify. They interred these remains in U.S. Military Cemetery (USMC) Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, adjacent to Omaha Beach, and designated them X-159 St. Laurent (X-159).
Graves registration personnel attempted to identify X-159 in March 1945, but they could not associate the body with a specific casualty. In June 1947, analysts with the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) were also unable to identify X-159. On March 3, 1949, a board of AGRC officers recommended the remains be declared unidentifiable.
In April 2022, Thornton's family, along with the family of another missing Soldier, requested X-159 be disinterred and compared to Thornton and the other Soldier.
In September 2023, the Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission exhumed the remains of X-159 and transferred them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Thornton’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Thornton will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery on a date yet to be determined
U.S. Navy Fireman 1st Class Edward D. Bowden, 29, Craven County, North Carolina killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Bowden was assigned to the battleship USS California, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft.
The USS California sustained multiple torpedo and bomb hits, which caused it catch fire and slowly flood.
The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 103 crewmen, including Bowden
Edward Daniel Bowden is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii.
U.S. Army Pvt. Harland J. Hennessey, 24, of Boonville, New York, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
Hennessey's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.In late 1941, Hennessey was a member of the 803rd Engineer Battalion, Aviation, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Hennessey was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.
They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Hennessey died Nov. 1, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 704.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Two of the sets of remains from Common Grave 704 were identified, while the remaining eight were declared unidentifiable.
The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
Today, Hennessey is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Hennessey will be buried in Boonville, New York, in July 2025.
U.S. Army Pvt. Henry D. Bordner, 24, Silver Bow County, Montana who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1941, Bordner was a member of the 194th Tank Battalion in the Philippines, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Bordner was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.
They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp.
More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Bordner died Oct. 20, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 701
Henry D Bordner is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Leslie H. Solomon, 29, Shelby County Memphis, Tennessee killed in action during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Sergeant Solomon joined the Army at the age of 16 and served in Germany.
In December 1950, Solomon was assigned to Headquarters and Battery D, 15th Anti-Aircraft Artillery, Automatic Weapons Battalion, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2 when his convoy was ambushed by enemy forces while in route to the vicinity of Hagaru-ri near the Jangjin (Chosin) Reservoir, Republic of Korea.
The U.S. Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953, and on Jan. 6, 1956, he was declared non-recoverable
Sergeant First Class Solomon is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces Tech Sgt. Truman G. Causey, 33, Livingston Parish, Louisiana who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1941, Causey was a member of 17th Bombardment Squadron, 27th Bombardment Group, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Causey was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.
They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Causey died Nov. 15, 1942, and he was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 721
Truman G Causey is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
U.S. Army Pfc. Andrew E. Hathaway, 18, Winnebago County, Illinois killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Hathaway was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division.
He was reportedly killed on Nov. 28, after the Battle of the Ch’ongch’on River, Republic of Korea.
Returning POWs reported that Hathaway was held at Camp 5 in Pyoktong, North Korea, where he died on an unknown date
Andrew E Hathaway is memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
Andrew is remembered at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington.
U.S. Army Cpl. Delmont Johnston, 21, from Kennebec County, Maine who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1942, Johnston was a member of 16th Bombardment Squadron, 27th Bombardment Group (Light), 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Johnston was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.
They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1.
More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
Delmont Johnston is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
U.S. Army Sgt. Elwyn Dean Nordyke, 22, from
Late November 1950, Sgt. Nordyke was assigned to Medical Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on Nov. 28 in the vicinity of the Jangjin (Chosin) Reservoir, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, when his convoy was ambushed by opposing forces.
Sergeant Elwyn Dean Nordyke was held as a Prisoner of War after he was captured on 28 November 1950 during the Korean War.
He was unaccounted for after the war and is presumed to have died or been killed while in captivity.
It was later determined that Sgt. Nordyke was held at Camp 1 in Changsong, North Korea, where he died in captivity in the summer of 1951.
U.S. Army Cpl. Robert Lee Brewster, 19, Cottage Hills, Illinois killed during the Korean War, was accounted-for.
In July 1950, Cpl. Brewster was a member of L Company, 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on July 8 after a battle in the vicinity of Cheonan, South Korea.
He was not reported as a prisoner of war and subsequent searches of the battle area failed to recover his remains.
With no evidence of his continued survival, the U.S. Army issued a presumptive finding of death of Dec. 31, 1953
April 7
U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. John H. Newstrom, 20, from Minnesota killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the fall of 1944, Newstrom was a member of Company G, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division.
On Sept. 28, Newstrom was killed by sniper fire while attempting to clear a cave near northeastern Peleliu, Republic of Palau.
At the time, other Marines in his unit were unable to recover his remains and postwar recovery efforts were unsuccessful.
Newstrom was declared non-recoverable in 1949
John Henry Newstrom is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
March 28
U.S. Navy Mess Attendant 3rd Class (Matt3c) Neil D. Frye, 20, of Vass, North Carolina, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Frye's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Frye 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 Frye. During efforts to salvage the USS West Virginia, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crewmen, which were interred at Halawa Naval Cemetery on Oahu.
After the war, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) identified 42 individuals from the remains interred at Halawa. Those who could not be identified, including Frye, were interred as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
From June through October 2017, DPAA, in cooperation with cemetery officials, disinterred the 35 Unknowns reported to be associated with the USS West Virginia from the Punchbowl and transferred the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Frye’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological and dental analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Frye’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.
Frye will be buried in Spring Hills, North Carolina, in April 2025
Airman
March 28
U.S. Army Air Forces Cpl. Bruce H. Penny, 21,
from
In late 1941, Penny was a member of 31st Infantry 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Penny was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.
They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp.
More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Penny died on Nov. 22, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 807.
March 28
U.S. Army Cpl. James M. Walker, 46, Pawnee County, Oklahoma who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1941, Walker was a member of 31st Infantry 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.Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Walker was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.
They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Walker died Jan. 1, 1943, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 822
James M Walker is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
Marine
March 28
U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. John W. Ruark, 21, Rock Island County, Illinois who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1941, Ruark was a member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Ruark was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.
They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Ruark died on Nov. 19, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 717.
John Wesley Ruark is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
Airman
March 27
U.S. Army Air Forces Tech. Sgt. Clarence E. Gibbs, 21, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1944, Gibbs was assigned to 368th Bombardment Squadron, 306th Bombardment Group, 1st Bombardment Division, 8th Air Force.
On December 29, Gibbs, a top turret gunner onboard a B-17G “Flying Fortress” went missing in action when his plane was hit by heavy anti-aircraft fire while on a bombing mission to Bingen, Germany.
All crewmembers were able to bail out of the aircraft, and only one airman was found dead by German forces near the crash site.
Five men were captured and processed into the German prisoner of war (POW) camp system, ultimately surviving the war.
Gibbs and two other crewmembers were unaccounted for, and there was no record of them being held as POWs.
Clarence E Gibbs is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France.
March 26
U.S. Navy Reserve Ensign Eugene E. Mandeberg, 23, Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Ensign Mandeberg grew up in Detroit MI. His father owned a furniture store. Friends described Mandeberg as studious, prone to making humorous comments and a passion to write articles in his school newspaper about current social issues. At the University of Michigan, Mandeberg was hired to write for the Michigan Daily.
In the summer 1945, Mandeberg was a member of the Fighting Squadron 88, USS Yorktown. On August 15, while returning from a mission near Atsugi Airfield, Honshu, Japan, his formation was engaged with enemy fighter planes.
US Navy Hellcat pilots had been radioed that the war was over and they were returning to the Yorktown, dumping munitions as per protocol. However, apparently nobody told the Japanese pilots that the war was over.
Four of the six U.S. aircraft failed to return to the USS Yorktown and Navy officials reported Mandeberg as Missing in Action.
The family declined to accept the remains, because it was not a positive ID. And they did not want someone else's remains buried as their son.
Eugene Esmond Mandeberg is memorialized at Courts of the Missing, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii.
March 26
U.S. Navy Reserve S2c Jerome M. Mullaney, 18, Newark, New Jersey. killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the Summer of 1944, Mullaney was assigned to the destroyer USS Glennon, which participated in the invasion of France on June 6, commonly known as “D-Day."
Mullaney was killed two days after the invasion, on June 8, when USS Glennon hit an underwater mine off the coast of France.
The stern of the ship became lodged on the sea floor and after unsuccessful attempts to tow the vessel to safety, USS Glennon was finally sunk after being struck by a German artillery barrage on 10 June.
At that time 25 sailors, including Mullaney, were recorded as missing
U.S. Army 1st Lt. William H. Hott, 29, Cuyahoga County, Ohio killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Hott was a member of D Company, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action December 1, in the vicinity of Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
Witnesses later reported that he was killed in action a fighting withdrawal.
The U.S. Army issued a report of death on Feb. 28, 1951 and declared his remains non-recoverable on Jan. 16, 1956
William H Hott is memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
William is remembered at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington.
Airman
March 26
U.S. Army Air Forces Cpl. Glenn H. Hodak, 23, of Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, died as a POW during World War II, was accounted for.
Hodak's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In March 1945, Hodak was a member of the 93rd Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group, when the B-29 “Superfortress” he was a gunner aboard was shot down on a mission to Tokyo, Japan. Initially reported as missing in action, investigators later learned that Hodak was captured and perished in the Tokyo Prison Fire on May 26, 1945. His remains were not immediately recovered or identified after the war.
Following the close of hostilities, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel searched for and disinterred the remains of U.S. servicemen throughout the Pacific Theater.
Based on information from the Japanese government, AGRS personnel anticipated the recovery of 62 sets of remains from the Tokyo Military Prison in early 1946.
Over the following three years AGRS conducted several investigations into the Prison, identifying 25 of the 65 recovered service members, one being a repatriated Japanese unknown. After various attempts to identify the remaining 39 sets were unsuccessful, they were ultimately interred as an Unknowns in the Manilla American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM).
To identify Hodak’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
Like others who died in the fire, Glenn was buried at the prison in a mass grave, and his remains were not immediately recovered or identified after the war.
Glenn H Hodak is memorialized at Courts of the Missing, Court 7 Honolulu Memorial National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific Honolulu, Hawaii.
Hodak will be buried in Spring Creek, Pennsylvania, in May 2025
U.S. Army Master Sgt. George C. Manring, 21, Polk County, Florida killed in action during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In September 1950, Manring was assigned to Battery B, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on Dec. 6, 1950, in the vicinity of Hagaru-ri near the Chosin Reservoir, Republic of Korea.
The U.S. Army did not receive any indication that he was ever held as a prisoner of war and with no evidence of his continued survival, issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953.
George C Manring is memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
George is remembered at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington.
March 24
U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Charles Arnao, 30, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Died as a POW during World War II, was accounted for.
In May 1943, Arnao was assigned to Signal Company, Aircraft Warning, Philippines Department on the Bataan Peninsula, in the Philippines.
He was held as a prisoner of war by the Empire of Japan in the Philippines from 1943 to 1944 when the Japanese military moved POWs to Manila for transport to Japan aboard the transport ship Oryoku Maru.
Charles "Died While A POW" of the Japanese Army in the sinking of the Enoura Maru, along with 270 other POW's.
Unaware the allied POWs were on board, a U.S. carrier-borne aircraft attacked the Oryoku Maru, which eventually sank in Subic Bay.
Arnao was then transported to Takao, Formosa, known today as Taiwan, aboard the Enoura Maru.
The Japanese reported that Arnao was killed on Jan. 9, 1945, when U.S. forces sank the Enoura Maru
Charles Arnao is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
U.S. Army Cpl. Joshua Corruth, 20, Deerfield, FL killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In December 1950, Corruth was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, Eighth U.S. Army.
Corruth was reported missing in action on Oct. 8 near Kwang-Ju, Republic of Korea.
The Army did not receive any information to indicate Corruth was ever held as a prisoner of war and issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1952.
On Jan. 16, 1956, he was declared non-recoverable
He was listed as Missing in Action while fighting the enemy in South Korea on 8 October 1950.
He was presumed dead on 31 December 1953.
Joshua is remembered at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington.
March 21
Army Cpt. Charles G. Gibson Jr., 28, Alief, Texas killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Gibson was a member of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 48th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action Dec. 11, 1950, in the vicinity of Hagaru-ri near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
The U.S. Army did not receive any information to indicate that he was ever held as a Prisoner of War and on Dec. 31, 1953, issued a presumptive finding of death.
Airman
March 20
U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. John A. Pagliuso, 24, Wayne County, New York killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On 5 October 1942 he was on the crew of the B-25 Mitchell Bomber #41-29701 "Battalion' Biffy" when they were shot down over New Guinea.
They were last seen in a steep dive and were never seen again.
Two of the crew managed to bail out but were captured and executed by the Japanese. The other five were killed and missing in the crash.
They were officially declared dead on 12 December 1945
The aircraft did not return, and postwar search efforts failed to recover any remains.
John A Pagliuso is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing Manila American Cemetery Manila, Philippines.
March 20
U.S. Army Capt. Ralph L. Rowland, 43, from California killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In May 1942, Rowland was assigned to Signal Company, Aircraft Warning, Philippines Department on the Bataan Peninsula, in the Philippines.
He was held as a prisoner of war by the Empire of Japan in the Philippines from 1942 to 1944 when the Japanese military moved POWs to Manila for transport to Japan aboard the transport ship Oryoku Maru.
Unaware the allied POWs were on board, a U.S. carrier-borne aircraft attacked the Oryoku Maru, which eventually sank in Subic Bay.
Rowland was then transported to Takao, Formosa, known today as Taiwan, aboard the Enoura Maru.
The Japanese reported that Rowland was killed on Jan. 9, 1945, when U.S. forces sank the Enoura Maru.
Ralph L Rowland is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing Manila American Cemetery Manila, Philippines.
March 19
U.S. Army Pvt. Blanchard E. Pruitt, 19, from Sabine Parish, Louisiana who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1942, Pruitt was a member of the Medical Detachment, 31st Infantry 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Pruitt was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1.
More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Pruitt died on Jan. 1, 1943, and was buried in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Grave 822
Private Pruitt is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
March 17
U.S. Army Pvt Roman Cherubini, 22, of Bridgeton, New Jersey, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Cherubini’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
Cherubini was assigned to F Company, 2nd Battalion, 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), also known as “Merrill’s Marauders.” Cherubini joined the unit as part of "New Galahad" replacements sent to supplement the original group of 5307th troops ("Old Galahad") in May 1944.
After arriving at the recently captured airfield in Myitkyina, Burma, Cherubini’s battalion advanced south from the village of Mankrin on June 16 against heavily fortified Japanese positions north of Myitkyina.
Although the exact circumstances of his death were not recorded, the U.S. War Department declared Cherubini Killed in Action on June 16, 1944.The remains of servicemen killed during the battle were buried in at least eight different temporary cemeteries and numerous isolated burial locations. Eventually, all known burials were concentrated into the U.S. Military Cemetery at Myitkyina, including remains that could not be identified.
In January and February 1946, all of the remains at the U.S. Military Cemetery at Myitkyina were disinterred and transferred to the U.S. Military Cemetery at Kalaikunda, India. The exhumation of the U.S. Military Cemetery at Kalaikunda was conducted in September and October 1947, with unidentified remains transferred to the Central Identification Laboratory (CIL) on Oahu for further analysis.
Despite the efforts of CIL staff, one of these remains, designated X-65 Kalaikunda, could not be identified and was subsequently buried as a World War II Unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) in Honolulu on Mar. 11, 1949.
Cherubini’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Taguig City, Philippines, along with the others missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Cherubini will be buried on a date yet to be determined
March 17
U.S. Army Sgt. Norman H. Drewes, 24, of Hamler, Ohio, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Drewes's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In June 1944, Drewes was a member of Company D, 708th Amphibious Tank Battalion. He was killed June 15 during Operation Forager on the island of Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands. Marines ashore on the island were under constant assault from Japanese mortars, which caused heavy casualties and impeded American’s movements.
The exact cause of Drewes’s death is unknown, but it is believed his unit was providing armor support to the Marines’ initial landing on the beaches.
Drewes’s remains were not known to have been accounted for during or after the war. The War Department declared him non-recoverable in September 1949.
The American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) searched for and disinterred remains throughout the Pacific theater in an effort to identify fallen service members after the end of the war. Remains identified as Unknown X-58 were first reported as buried in the 4th Marine Division Cemetery on Saipan.
However, the AGRS was not able to identify X-58, and the remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines in 1950.
Drewes’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 World War II.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Drewes will be buried in Hamler, Ohio, in May 2025
March 17
U.S. Army Maj. James J. O’Donovan, 34, of Cohoes, New York, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
O'Donovan's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In late 1942, O’Donovan was a member of 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry 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.Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. O’Donovan was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, O’Donovan died on Oct. 18, 1942, and was buried in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Grave 649.Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1948, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them.
One set of remains was recovered from Grave 649 but could not be identified. They were declared unidentifiable on Feb. 27, 1952. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as an Unknown.
In 2019, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Grave 649 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, O’Donovan’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Today, O’Donovan is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
O’Donovan will be buried in San Diego, California on a date yet to be determined.
Airman
March 12
U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Russell O. Chitwood, 27, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the winter of 1943, Chitwood was assigned to 359th Bombardment Squadron, 303rd Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force.
On January 3, while on a bombing mission to Saint-Nazaire, France, his B-17F aircraft was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire.
The crew bailed out into the Bay of Biscay, France.
Of the 10 crewmembers, three were taken prisoner, one was witnessed to die in the water, and the remaining six were presumed dead.
Chitwood’s remains were not accounted for after the war.
Russell Owen Chitwood is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England.
March 12
Navy Fireman 3rd Class (F3c) Royle B. Luker, 17, from Little Rock, Arkansas killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Luker 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 Luker
Fireman Third Class Luker is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
March 12
U.S. Army Sgt. Ivor D. Thornton, 34, Henry County, Virginia killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the Summer of 1944, Thornton was assigned to Company H, 2nd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regimental Combat Team, 29th Infantry Division.
On June 6, during the storming of Normandy Beach, commonly known as “D-Day”, over 156,000 allied forces targeted five beaches along the coast of Normandy, France.
This operation is often remembered as one of the largest amphibious assaults in history.
Thornton was reportedly killed during the invasion of Omaha Beach. His remains were not accounted for following the war
Ivor D Thornton is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer, France.
March 11
U.S. Army 2nd Lt. William B. Bucey, 29, Summit County, Ohio who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In 1942, Bucey was a member of 121st Infantry Regiment, Philippine Army, which conducted guerrilla operations behind Japanese lines after the invasion of the island of Luzon in the Philippines.
Conventional fighting ended with the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942, but Bucey's unit continued to resist.
Bucey was eventually captured by the Japanese and sent to the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1.
More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Bucey died Oct. 31, 1944 and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 836
William B Bucey is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
March 11
U.S. Army CWO Charles G. Benthien, 46, St Louis County, Missouri killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In April 1942, Benthien was assigned to the Headquarters, Philippine Department on the Bataan Peninsula, in the Philippines.
He was held as a prisoner of war by the Empire of Japan in the Philippines until 1944 when the Japanese military moved POWs to Manila for transport to Japan aboard the transport ship Oryoku Maru.
Unaware the allied POWs were on board, a U.S. carrier-borne aircraft attacked the Oryoku Maru, which eventually sank in Subic Bay.
Benthien was then transported to Takao, Formosa, known today as Taiwan, aboard the Enoura Maru.
On Jan. 9, 1945, the Japanese reported that Benthien was killed when U.S. forces attacked and sank the Enoura Maru
Charles G Benthien is buried or memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines
U.S. Army Cpl. Lester William Bauer, 20, from Clinton County, Indiana, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In the summer of 1950, Cpl. Bauer was assigned to I Company, 3rd Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, 8th U.S. Army.
He was reported missing in action on July 27 near the Hadong Pass, northwest Jinju, Republic of Korea.
He was not reported as a prisoner of war and his remains were not recovered after the war.
With no evidence of his continued survival, the U.S. Army issued a presumptive finding of death of Dec. 31, 1953
Corporal Bauer is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC,
U.S. Army Cpl. Billie C. Driver, 18, of Dallas, Texas, killed in action during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Driver's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In September 1950, Driver was assigned to E Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Eighth U.S. Army Korea. He was killed in action when his unit engaged in combat actions with the North Korean People’s Army in the vicinity of Kumbwa-dong, Republic of Korea, on Sept. 5. Due to intense fighting in the area, his body could not be recovered at that time.
The exact circumstances of his death were unknown.
On Oct. 30, 1950, Unknown Remains X-96 Taegu #2 (X-96) was recovered near the village of Namwon-dong, along with nine other sets of remains. Two sets of remains were initially identified by American Graves Registration Service personnel, and later another six were identified.
The two remaining sets could not be identified, and they were subsequently buried as Korean War Unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.On April 15, 2019, DPAA personnel disinterred Unknown X-96 and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Driver’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.
Driver will be buried in Dallas, Texas on a date yet to be determined.
Soldier
March 6
U.S. Army Pvt. James L. Harrington, 21, of Cincinnati, Iowa, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Harrington's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared. In June 1944, Harrington was assigned to Company A, 149th Engineer Combat Battalion in the European Theater.
On June 6, Harrington was aboard Landing Craft Infantry (Large) 92, along with roughly 200 other servicemembers, enroute to land on Omaha Beach, in Normandy, France.
As LCI-92 steamed toward the shore, it struck an underwater mine which caused the craft to burst into flames. The craft was also hit by enemy artillery fire, causing an explosion that ignited the ships fuel stores and instantly killed everyone in the troop compartment. Due to the urgency of the situation, it was impossible for others to search for survivors. Harrington’s remains were not accounted for after the war.
Around June 10, members of the 500th Medical Collecting Company examined the wreckage of LCI-92 and noted the burnt remains of servicemen in the troop compartment, where Harrington and others were last seen. American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, removed small amounts of remains from LCI-92 and buried them in the United States Military Cemetery St. Laurent-sur-Mer.Beginning in 1946, AGRC analyzed the remains found in LCI-92, segregating them into four separate Unknowns (X-53, X-83, X-83B, and X-83C).
Despite their efforts, AGRC were unable to identify the Unknowns at the time and they were interred in Normandy American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Normandy, France.
In June and August 2021, the Department of Defense and ABMC officials exhumed the comingled remains of the four Unknowns and transferred them to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.
Harrington’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Harrington will be buried in Cincinnati, Iowa on a date yet to be determined.
U.S. Army Sgt. Rosslyn E. Gresens, 22, from Hill City, Minnesota killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In the summer of 1950, Gresens was a member of Company B, 3rd Engineer Combat Battalion, 24th Infantry Division. On August 11, Gresens was part of a patrol on the west side of the Naktong River.
After a fire fight with enemy soldiers, the patrol broke contact with and began moving east to the river, incurring heavy losses along the way.
After crossing the river, survivors reported that Gresens was last seen providing fire in a rice paddy, but did not rejoin the withdrawing soldiers.
With no evidence of his continued survival, the Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1950.
Tanker
U.S. Army Pvt. James G. Loterbaugh, 35, of Roseville, Ohio, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Loterbaugh’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared. In December 1944, Loterbaugh was assigned to Company C, 774th Tank Battalion, as a crewmember on an M4 “Sherman” tank. On Dec. 11, his platoon became separated from the rest of the company during a battle with German forces near Strass, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest.
The enemy surrounded Strass and by mid-day the entire platoon, including Loterbaugh’s tank, was reported Missing in Action. The Germans never reported Loterbaugh as a prisoner of war and Army personnel who searched the battlefield after the fighting found no lead regarding his fate. The War Department issued a presumptive finding of death in December 1945.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. In the fall of 1947, investigators found unidentified remains in a destroyed tank near Strass. Officials designated them X-1128 Margraten (X-1128). Comparison and analysis were made, but at the time X-1128 could not be identified as Loterbaugh.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Hürtgen area, a DPAA historian determined that X-1128, recovered from one of the burned-out tanks in Strass, possibly belonged to Loterbaugh.
The remains, which had been buried in Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, were disinterred in July 2022 and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Loterbaugh’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, along with the others still missing from World War II.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Loterbaugh will be buried in Dayton, Ohio on a date yet to be determined.
U.S. Army Air Forces Sgt. James H. Murray, 25, of Hollywood, California, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
Murray's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In late 1941, Murray was a member of the 93rd Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group, 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.Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Murray was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.
They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Murray died Nov. 22, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 816.Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila.
In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. One of the sets of remains from Common Grave 816 were identified, while the remaining three were declared unidentifiable.
The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.In 2019, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 816 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Murray’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Today, Murray is memorialized on the Walls of the
Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Murray will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date yet to be determined.
U.S. Army Cpl. Ernest H. Ulrich, 26, of China, Texas, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
Ulrich's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared. In late 1941, Ulrich was a member of Medical Department, 200th Coast Artillery Regiment in the Philippines during World War II, 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.Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Ulrich was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.
They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Ulrich died Nov. 22, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 807.Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them.
Three sets of remains from Common Grave 807 were identified, but the rest were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In late 2018, DPAA exhumed the remains of nine Unknowns associated with Common Grave 807 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Ulrich’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
Ernest H Ulrich is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing Manila American Cemetery Manila, Philippines.
Ulrich will be buried in Palo Alto, California, on a date to be determined
U.S. Army Pvt. Charles W. Smalley, 19, of Waterloo, Indiana, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Smalley's family recently received their full briefing on his identification' therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared. In the Summer of 1944, Smalley was assigned to Company L, 3rd Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division in the European Theater.
After the successful “D-Day” landings on the Normandy beaches, allied commanders implemented a plan for an invasion in southern France, code-named Operation DRAGOON.
On Aug. 25, Smalley’s unit’s objective was to repel German forces from a mountain between Marsanne and the village of La Coucourde. An eyewitness reported that Smalley was killed by machine gun fire during the first ten minutes of the attack. However, the War Department listed Smalley as missing in action as of Aug. 25, 1944.
In 1946, the American Graves Registration Command, the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, searched the Marsanne and La Coucourde area for Smalley and others still unaccounted for from the attack. Investigators spoke with local officials but did not uncover any leads regarding the disposition of Smalley’s remains. Smalley was declared non-recoverable on April 16, 1951.On Sept. 6, 1944, members of the 46th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company unearthed a set of unidentified remains from a secluded grave located on a wooded ridge north of Montélimar, France.
The remains were taken to a temporary U.S. Military Cemetery in Montélimar where they were labeled X-46. In November 1945, X-46 was relocated to the USMC Luynes near Marseille, France, and redesignated X-205. All efforts to identify the remains were unsuccessful.
Smalley’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Rhône American Cemetery, Draguignan, France, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Smalley will be buried in Chesterton, Indiana on a date yet to be determined
Sol
U.S. Army Pfc. Kenneth D. Burgess, 29, of Central City, Kentucky, missing in action during World War II, was accounted for.
Burgess's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared. In September 1943, Burgess was assigned to Company B, 4th Ranger Battalion, “Darby’s Rangers,” in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II.
He participated in Operation AVALANCHE, the amphibious invasion of Italy near Salerno, and engaged in fighting near the Chiunzi Pass on the Sorrento Peninsula. On Sept. 25, Burgess was missing in action following a patrol toward the village of Sala, Italy.
His body was not recovered, and German forces never reported him a prisoner of war. The War Department declared him non-recoverable on May 10, 1948.
Following the war, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS), Army Quartermaster Corps, was the organization tasked with recovering missing American personnel in the Mediterranean Theater. In 1947, AGRS investigators recovered remains from a cemetery in the village of San Nicola.
These remains were designated as X-152. The AGRS were unable to associate X-152 with nearby casualties. The remains were interred at U.S. Military Cemetery, Nettuno, which is now Sicily-Rome American Cemetery.
In 2019, while studying unresolved American losses in Operation AVALANCHE, a DPAA historian compiled unit records, company morning reports and grave registration records that indicated Burgess was likely lost in the vicinity of the X-152 recovery location. Members from the Department of Defense and the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) disinterred the remains in March 2022 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for identification.
Burgess’ name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, an ABMC site in Nettuno, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Burgess will be buried in Central City, Kentucky in May 2025.
USS West Virginia Sailor
Navy Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Arnold E. Lyon, 22, from Greeley, CO killed during World War II, was accounted for on.
Arnold Eugene "Bill" Lyon was born and raised in the area of Greeley, Colorado.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Lyon 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 Lyon.
Arnold Eugene Lyon is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Soldier
U.S. Army Pvt. Mack Kidd, 20, from West Virginia killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the summer of 1944, Kidd was assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional).
After arriving at the recently captured airfield in Myitkyina, Burma, Kidd’s battalion was advancing south from the villages of Mankrin and Radhapur against heavily fortified Japanese positions north of Myitkyina.
Kidd was reported to have been killed during the battle and was declared non-recoverable in August 1950
U.S. Army Cpl. Floyd A. Dunning, 32, killed from Virginia during World War II, was accounted for.
In April 1942, Dunning was assigned to the Medical Department on the Bataan Peninsula, in the Philippines.
He was held as a prisoner of war by the Empire of Japan in the Philippines from 1942 to 1944 when the Japanese military moved POWs to Manila for transport to Japan aboard the transport ship Oryoku Maru.
Unaware the allied POWs were on board, a U.S. carrier-borne aircraft attacked the Oryoku Maru, which eventually sank in Subic Bay. Dunning was then transported to Takao, Formosa, known today as Taiwan, aboard the Enoura Maru.
After U.S. forces sank the Enoura Maru in January 1945, the Japanese military reported that Dunning was placed aboard the transport ship Brazil Maru, bound for Moji, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. During the transport, Japanese authorities reported that Dunning died of “wounds received in action” on Jan. 15, 1945.
U.S. Army Pvt. Ben F. Leslie, 31, killed during World War II, from New Mexico was accounted for.
In April 1942, Leslie was assigned to Battery H, 200th Coast Artillery Regiment. He was held as a prisoner of war by the Empire of Japan in the Philippines from 1942 to 1944 when the Japanese military moved POWs to Manila for transport to Japan aboard the transport ship Oryoku Maru.
Unaware the allied POWs were on board, a U.S. carrier-borne aircraft attacked the Oryoku Maru, which eventually sank in Subic Bay.
The Japanese government reported that Leslie died aboard the Enoura Maru on January 9, 1945.
He was declared non-recoverable on March 22, 1949
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Robert T. McCollum, 22, of Cleveland, Ohio, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
McCollum’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In June 1944, McCollum was assigned to the 565th Bombardment Squadron, 389th Bombardment Group, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, in the European Theater. On June 20, McCollum, the bombardier onboard a B-24J “Liberator” bomber, went missing in action when his plane crashed into the Baltic Sea off the coast of Denmark after colliding with another B-24 in the same formation. The pilot and co-pilot of McCollum’s aircraft were able to bail out and survived, but all evidence points to the rest of the crew being killed in the crash. The U.S. War Department issued a Finding of Death for McCollum on June 21, 1945.
In early 1948, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, investigated the crash, but were unable to find any of the missing crewmen. Over the next couple of years, the AGRC also assessed unidentified remains that washed ashore in the area where McCollum’s aircraft crashed but were not able to identify any of the crew. McCollum was declared non-recoverable on May 12, 1950.In 2019, Danish divers alerted the Royal Danish Navy to a WWII-era aircraft wreck in the general area where McCollum’s aircraft crashed. A .50 caliber machine gun with a damaged serial number that partially matched on the guns on McCollum’s aircraft was recovered. In August 2021, after the Royal Danish Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal cleared the site of unexploded ordnance, DPAA partner University of Delaware, along with the Royal Danish Navy, returned to conduct an underwater survey. The survey found possible human remains as well as enough evidence to recommend the site for an archaeological excavation.
From Sept. 21 to Oct. 11, 2022, DPAA primary partner Trident Archäologie, along with Wessex Archaeology and volunteers from Project Recover, and with stakeholders from the Royal Danish Navy and the Langelands Museum, returned to the site to conduct excavation and recovery operations. They found extensive evidence, including remains, material evidence, and the ID tags of two of the crew members, all of which was turned over to the Danish authorities and then accessioned into the DPAA laboratory.
Trident Archäologie, Wessex Archaeology, the Royal Danish Navy, and the Langelands Museum again returned to the site from Sept. 4-23, 2023, and May 18 to June 9, 2024, to conduct further operations, during which they found further material evidence and possible remains. That evidence was also accessioned into the DPAA laboratory.
McCollum’s name is recorded on the Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
McCollum will be buried in San Jose, California, on a date yet to be determined
Pilot
U.S. Army Air Force 1st Lt. David P. Skjeie, 22, of Los Angeles, California, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In early 1944, Skjeie was assigned to the 703rd Bombardment Squadron, 445th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force in the European Theater. On Feb 24, Skjeie, the pilot onboard a B-24J “Liberator”, was killed in action when his plane was hit by heavy anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. One of the surviving crewmembers reported seeing the plane on fire and in a steep dive, before eventually exploding on the ground. While two crewmembers survived, the others, including Skjeie, were killed in the incident. German forces garrisoned in the area documented the crash site north of Leimbach Bahnhof, near Bad Salzungen, Germany.
After the crash, German troops recovered the remains of the ball turret gunner and buried them in a local cemetery. The other six crewmembers, including Skjeie, were unaccounted for following the war.
In March 1952, the American Graves Registration Command, the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, took custody of comingled unidentified remains recovered from Bad Salzungen Cemetery.
These remains, X-9093 Griesheim Mausoleum (X-9093), X-9094 Griesheim Mausoleum (X-9094), and X-9095 Griesheim Mausoleum (X-9095), were believed to be those belonging to 1st Lt. Skjeie’s downed aircraft. At the time, identification of these remains was not possible, and they were interred in the Ardennes America Cemetery, Belgium.
To identify Skjeie’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Skjeie’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Hombourg, Belgium, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Skjeie will be buried in Sylmar, California on a date yet to be determined
Pilot
U.S. Army Air Force 2nd Lt. Robert D. McKee, 27, of Portland, Oregon, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
McKee's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared. In spring 1944, McKee was assigned to the 732nd Bombardment Squadron, 453rd Bombardment Group, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, in the European Theater.
On April 8, McKee, the co-pilot onboard a B-24H “Liberator,” Little Joe, was killed in action when his plane was shot down by enemy fighter aircraft fire while on a bombing mission to Brunswick, Germany. Airmen aboard other aircraft flying in formation with Little Joe did not report seeing any crewmembers exiting the aircraft before it crashed in the vicinity of Salzwedel. The crash site could not be located by Allied forces during the war, and the remains of all ten crewmembers, including McKee, were unaccounted for following the war.
Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, began investigating the numerous bomber losses in the Salzwedel and Wistedt areas of Germany. German forces had maintained accurate documentation (Kampfflugzeug Unterlagen, or KU reports) of American aircraft shoot-downs, with several reports indicating B-24s crashing in the area. However, AGRC was unable to associate any KU reports with Little Joe and investigators were unable to locate any crash or burial sites associated with the loss.
In 2015, an independent research group, Missing Allied Air Crew Research Team (MAACRT), contacted DPAA historians with new information related to a possible crash site near Wistedt, Germany. Interviews with elderly local residents indicated there were two crash sites, but only one was recovered by American forces following the war. Investigators located the second crash site and were able to recover various pieces of wreckage. Possible remains were also located and transferred to the DPAA laboratory for analysis and identification. At the time, no matches could be made with any Unknowns and further investigations were scheduled.
McKee’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
McKee will be buried in Boulder City, Nevada, on a date to be determined.
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Walter Archie Ross Jr., 29, of St. Louis, Missouri, who died in captivity during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Ross's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared. In early 1951, Ross was a member of L Company, 3rd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on 14 February 1951, after his unit engaged the Chinese Communist Forces near Sang-nok, South Korea and the division's defensive positions were attacked and overrun.
Following the war, two repatriated U.S. POWs indicated that Ross was captured by the CCF, and while in Captivity died from dysentery in April 1951 at the Suan POW Camp Complex in North Korea. Ross remained unaccounted for and determined to be nonrecoverable in January 1956.
In
1994, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea government, unilaterally turned
over 14 boxes of remains believed to be those of U.S. service members.
Documentation accompanying those remains indicated that the remains in box 3
were exhumed from Suan County.
This information correlates with Ross' last reported location at the Suan POW Camp Complex.
To identify Ross’s remains, scientists from DPAA used DNA, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as chest radiograph and other circumstantial evidence.
Ross’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.
Ross will be buried in Missouri, on a date yet to be determined
Pilot
U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Herbert G. Tennyson, 24, of Wichita, Kansas, killed during World War II, was accounted for on.
Tennyson's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared. In March 1944, Tennyson was assigned to the 320th Bombardment Squadron, 90th Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force and deployed in present day Papua New Guinea. On the morning of March 11, Tennyson, the pilot onboard a B-24D “Liberator” Heaven Can Wait departed Nadzab Strip #1, Papua New Guinea, as part of a bombing mission against enemy positions at Boram Airfield, and Awar Point, Hansa Bay, located along the northern coast of New Guinea.
Observers from other aircraft in the formation reported seeing flames erupting from the bomb bay, spreading to the tail quickly. Heaven Can Wait was seen pitching up violently before banking left and crashing down into the water. It is believed anti-aircraft fire hit the plane, causing un-dropped ordnance to explode. Several aircraft circled the crash site in hopes of locating any possible survivors, but none could be seen.
Following the war, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS), the military unit responsible for investigating and recovering missing American personnel in the Pacific Theater, conducted exhaustive searches of battle areas and crash sites in New Guinea, concluding their search in late 1948. In March 1950, a board of AGRS officials concluded they were unable to locate any remains of Tennyson and the other Heaven Can Wait crew members. They were designated as non-recoverable.
Between 2013 and 2017, the family of 2nd Lt. Kelly, Heaven Can Wait bombardier, undertook a dedicated archival research effort to collect historical documents and eyewitness accounts of the loss of the Heaven Can Wait crew. The family worked with Dr. Scott Althaus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to complete this effort and provided this documentation. In October 2017, Project Recover, a DPAA partner organization, located the wreckage of a B-24 aircraft in Hansa Bay while making sonar scans as part of a unilateral remote sensing survey effort. In 2019, a DPAA underwater investigation team (UIT) conducted several surveys of the wreckage, performing visual inspections and clearing the site of any unexploded ordnance.
Tennyson’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Tennyson will be buried in Wichita, Kansas, on a date yet to be determined.
U.S. Army Pvt. James C. Loyd, 19, of Brilliant, Alabama, missing in action during World War II, was accounted for.
Loyd's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared. In January 1944, Loyd was assigned to the Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. On Jan. 31, Loyd was reported missing when his unit was engaged by German Forces near the town of Cisterna di Latina (Cisterna), Italy. He was last seen during a reconnaissance patrol north of the village of Conca.
His body was not recovered, and the Germans never reported him a prisoner of war. The War Department issued a finding of death on Apr. 19, 1945.Following the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), Army Quartermaster Corps, was the organization tasked with recovering missing American personnel in the European Theater. In 1945, AGRC investigators recovered a set of remains designated as X-834, near the small hamlet of Ponte Rotto thought to be associated with Loyd.
The investigators didn’t have enough identifying data to positively ID the remains and they were interred at U.S. Military Cemetery Nettuno, which is now Sicily-Rome American Cemetery. He was declared non-recoverable in 1948.While studying unresolved American losses in the Anzio battlefield, a DPAA historian determined that one set of unidentified remains designated X-834 recovered near Ponte Rotto possibly belonged to Pvt. Loyd.
The remains which had been buried at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuno, Italy, in 1948, were disinterred in September 2021 and sent to the DPAA laboratory for identification.
Loyd’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Nettuno, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Loyd will be buried in Elwood, Illinois, in May 2025.
U.S. Army Pfc. Willard H. Edwards, 39 of Wise, Virginia, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Edwards's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In the winter of 1950, Edwards was a member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported killed in action on Dec. 2 after his unit was attacked by enemy forces as they attempted to withdraw near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
In 1954, during Operation Glory, North Korea unilaterally turned over remains to the United States, including one set, designated Unknown X-15728 Operation Glory. The remains were reportedly recovered from prisoner of war camps, United Nations cemeteries and isolated burial sites. None of the remains could be identified as Edwards and he was declared non-recoverable in January 1956. The remains were subsequently buried as an Unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
In March 2021, DPAA disinterred X-15728, and after a decade of scientific advances and increased historical research, DPAA was able to positively associate X-15728 to Edwards.
Edwards’ 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.
Edwards will be buried in Mims, Florida, on a date yet to be determined.
Airman
U.S. Army Air Force Tech5 William E. Eby, 19, of Portland, Oregon, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
Eby's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared. In late 1941, Eby was a member of 409th Signal Company, Aviation, 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.Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Eby was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Eby died June 28, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 407.Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Sixteen of the 25 sets of remains from Common Grave 407 were identified, while the remaining nine were declared unidentifiable.
The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In November 2019, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 407 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Eby’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Today, Eby is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Eby will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date yet to be determined.
U.S. Navy Aviation Chief Metalsmith John W. Reimer, from California, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1941, Reimer was a member of Patrol Squadron 102, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Reimer was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Reimer died on Oct. 24, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 710.
John W Reimer Jr is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing Manila American Cemetery Manila, Philippines.
U.S. Army Pvt. Erwin H. Schopp, 30
U.S. Army Pvt. Erwin H. Schopp, 30, from Nebraska, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
Following the Allied surrender on the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, the Japanese began the forcible transfer of American and Filipino prisoners of war to various prison camps in central Luzon, at the northern end of the Philippines.
Schopp was a member of Headquarters Battery, 59th Coastal 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Schopp was among those reported captured when U.S. forces on Corregidor surrendered to the Japanese. He was subsequently held at the Cabanatuan POW camp.
More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Schopp died on Jan. 1, 1943, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 822.
Private Schopp is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
U.S. Army Master Sgt. Luther Grace, 34, of Lumber City, Georgia, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Grace's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared. In July 1950, Grace was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 30 in the vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
There was no evidence that he was held as a prisoner of war. The U.S. Army issued presumptive finding of death of 31 December 1953.In 1954, the United Nations Command and the Chinese Communist Forces exchanged the remains of fallen service personnel in an effort named Operation GLORY.
Grace’s remains could not be identified by the Central Identification Unit Laboratory at Kokura, Japan at the time, and were designated Unknown X-15760. In 1956, all of the unidentified Korean War remains, including Unknown X-15760 were transferred, as Unknowns, to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In July 2018, DPAA researchers and anthropologists proposed a plan to disinter and identify the 652 Korean War unknown burials from the Punchbowl. Unknown X-15760 was disinterred March 29, 2021, during phase three of the Korean War Disinterment Project and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory.
Grace’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monument Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Grace will be buried in Lumber City, Georgia, on a date to be determined
U.S. Army Sgt. Orace J. Mestas, 22, Las Animas County, Colorado killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In April 1951, Mestas was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action near Chip’o-ri, North Korea after his unit’s position was attacked on April 25.
Due to intense fighting in the area, his body could not be recovered. The U.S. Army determined him to be nonrecoverable on Jan. 16, 1956.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Mestas's case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
Sergeant Mestas is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Pilot
U.S. Army Air Force 1st Lt. Joe A. De Jarnette, 24, of Fort Thomas, Kentucky, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
De Jarnette's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In spring 1944, De Jarnette was assigned to the 732nd Bombardment Squadron, 453rd Bombardment Group, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, in the European Theater. On April 8, De Jarnette, the pilot onboard a B-24H “Liberator,” Little Joe, was killed in action when his plane was shot down by enemy fighter aircraft fire while on a bombing mission to Brunswick, Germany. Airmen aboard other aircraft flying in formation with Little Joe did not report seeing any crewmembers exiting the aircraft before it crashed in the vicinity of Salzwedel.
The crash site could not be located by Allied forces during the war, and the remains of all ten crewmembers, including De Jarnette, were unaccounted for following the war.
Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, began investigating the numerous bomber losses in the Salzwedel and Wistedt areas of Germany. German forces had maintained accurate documentation (Kampfflugzeug Unterlagen, or KU) of American aircraft shoot-downs, with several reports indicating B-24s crashing in the area. However, AGRC was unable to associate any KU reports with Little Joe and investigators were unable to locate any crash or burial sites associated with the loss.
In 2015, an independent research group, Missing Allied Air Crew Research Team (MAACRT), contacted DPAA historians with new information related to a possible crash site near Wistedt, Germany. Interviews with elderly local residents indicated there were two crash sites, but only one was recovered by American forces following the war. Investigators located the second crash site and were able to recover various pieces of wreckage. Possible osseous remains were also located and transferred to the DPAA laboratory for analysis and identification. At the time, no matches could be made with any Unknowns and further investigations were scheduled.
Between 2021 and 2023, DPAA investigators returned to the crash site and continued investigation, and then excavations and recoveries. By the end of November 2023, all evidence, including possible osseous remains and possible life support equipment, had been recovered and returned to the DPAA laboratory.
De Jarnette’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
De Jarnette will be buried in Erlanger, Kentucky, on a date to be determined
U.S.
Army Sgt. James B. Brock, 20, from
Phoenix,
Arizona
killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Sergeant James Byron Brock was a member of I Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. On December 12, 1950, he was reported missing in action after the roll call taken at Hamhung; specific details surrounding his loss are unknown.
He was not reported on any prisoner of war records, and he remains unaccounted-for.
Today, Sergeant Brock is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, which was updated in 2022 to include the names of the fallen.
Pilot
Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Gilbert A. Rauh, 28, of Thornwood, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for on.
Rauh's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared. In December 1943, Rauh was a member of the 436th Bombardment Squadron, 7th Bombardment Group during World War II.
On Dec. 1, he was serving as the pilot of a B-24J “Liberator” bomber while on a bombing mission from Panagarh, India, to the Insein Railroad Yard north of Rangoon, Burma. After reaching the designated target, Rauh’s plane was reportedly hit by anti-aircraft fire, causing the left wing to burst into flames. Witnesses from another aircraft noted seeing Rauh’s aircraft enter a steep dive while disappearing below the clouds.
It was noted that 3 enemy aircraft were also seen following the crippled plane into the clouds, and no further contact was made with the Liberator. The remains of the crew were not recovered or identified after the war, and they were all later declared Missing in Action.
In 1947, the American Grave Registration Service (AGRS) recovered the remains of what they believed to be eight individuals involved in a potential B-24 Liberator crash near Yodayadet, Burma.
According to local witnesses, there were no survivors from this aviation loss and Japanese forces had instructed local villagers to bury the remains in two large graves.
In early 2019, DPAA received a family disinterment request for Unknown X-505A-H based on past attempts to associate the remains with other unresolved losses from southern Burma. DPAA historians reviewing the associated files believed a more likely association for the remains was possible in X-505A-H. The Department of Defense approved the disinterment request, and in October 2020, DPAA personnel exhumed the remains from NMCP where they were accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Rauh’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in the Philippines, along with the others missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Rauh will be buried in Pleasantville, New York in May 2025.
U.S. Army Cpl. Frederick Carrino, 18, of Berkeley, Missouri, missing during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Carrino's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared. In December 1950, Carrino was assigned to B Battery, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division, in the Korean theater. He was reported missing in action (MIA) after his unit was forced to retreat from Hagaru-ri, North Korea, after the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.
The U.S. Army could not establish that Carrino was ever held as a prisoner of war.
In the fall of 1953, during Operation Glory, North Korea returned remains reportedly recovered from Changsong, also known as Prisoner of War Camp #1, to the United Nations Command. However, Carrino’s name did not appear on any of the transfer rosters and the Central Identification Unit in Kokura, Japan, did not associate him with any repatriated remains. A presumptive finding of death was issued on Dec. 31, 1953. In late 1956 all unidentified remains, including one designated X-15880, were buried as Unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, in Honolulu, Hawaii, known as the Punchbowl.
In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. In June 2020, DPAA personnel disinterred Unknown X-15880 as part of Phase Two of the Korean War Disinterment Plan and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Carrino’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.
Carrino will be buried in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, on a date yet to be determined.
U.S. Army Sgt. David Eugene Hardy, 20, of Cascade, Virginia, who died while a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Hardy's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In late 1950, Hardy was assigned to Headquarters Battery, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery – Automatic Weapons Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, Eighth U.S. Army. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950, after the 2nd Infantry Division's withdrawal from Kunu-ri to Sunchon, North Korea, on Nov. 30, following the Battle of Ch’ongch’on. In 1953, a POW from Sgt. Hardy’s unit was returned during Operation Big Switch, and reported that Hardy died on Feb. 28, 1951, while a prisoner at POW Camp #5, Pyoktong, North Korea.
In the late summer and fall of 1954, during Operation Glory, Chinese Communist Forces returned remains reportedly recovered from Pyoktong to the United Nations Command. None were associated with Hardy.
One set of remains returned from Camp #5 during Operation Glory, which could not be identified, were designated Unknown X-14527 and buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. On Dec. 9, 2019, DPAA personnel disinterred Unknown X-14527 as part of Phase Two of the Korean War Disinterment Plan and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Hardy’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Hardy will be buried in Eden, North Carolina, in March 2025
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Justice J. Buttala, 24, Chicago, Illinois killed during World War II, was accounted for on Jan. 14, 2025.
In the spring of 1945, Buttala served as an observer aboard a B-29 "Superfortress" bomber assigned to 28th Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group, 20th Air Force.
On April 24, during a combat mission to Japan, the aircraft was shot down over Tachikawa, on the western outskirts of Tokyo.
Buttala survived the crash but was held as a prisoner of war. He perished in the Tokyo Military Prison during a fire on May 26, 1945.
He perished in the Tokyo Military Prison during a fire on May 26, 1945.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Buttala's case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
Justice Joseph Buttala is memorialized at Courts of the Missing, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii.
U.S. Army Pvt. Charles W. Smalley, 19, from Chesterton, Indiana killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the Summer of 1944, Smalley was assigned to Company L, 3rd Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division in the European Theater. After the successful “D-Day” landings on the Normandy beaches, allied commanders implemented a plan for an invasion in southern France, code-named Operation DRAGOON.
On August 25, Smalley’s unit’s objective was to repel German forces from a mountain between Marsanne and the village of La Coucourde.
An eyewitness reported that Smalley was killed by machine gun fire during the first ten minutes of the attack. However, the War Department listed Smalley as missing in action as of Aug. 25, 1944.
Private Smalley is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at Rhône American Cemetery, Draguignan, France.
U.S. Army Pfc. Robert L. Bryant, 23, of Bloomington, Illinois, missing in action during World War II, was accounted for.
Bryant's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In September 1943, Bryant was assigned to Company B, 4th Ranger
Battalion, “Darby’s Rangers,” in the Mediterranean Theater in World War II. He
participated in Operation AVALANCHE, the amphibious invasion of Italy near
Salerno, and engaged in fighting near the Chiunzi Pass on the Sorrento
Peninsula.
On September 23, Bryant was reported missing in action following a four-man
patrol west of Pietre, Italy. His body was not recovered, and German forces
never reported him a prisoner of war. The War Department declared him
non-recoverable on July 19, 1949.
In
2019, while studying unresolved American losses in Operation AVALANCHE, a DPAA
historian compiled unit records, company morning reports and grave registration
records that indicated Bryant was likely lost in the vicinity of the X-152
recovery location.
Members from the Department of Defense and the American
Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC)
disinterred the remains in March 2022 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for
identification.
Bryant’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, an ABMC site in Nettuno, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Bryant will be buried in Richmond, Virginia in April 2025
U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Eugene J. Darrigan, 26, of Wappinger’s Falls, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Darrigan's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In March 1944, Darrigan was assigned to the 320th Bombardment Squadron, 90th Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force and deployed in present day Papua New Guinea. On the morning of March 11, Darrigan, the radio operator onboard a B-24D “Liberator” Heaven Can Wait departed Nadzab Strip #1, Papua New Guinea, as part of a bombing mission against enemy positions at Boram Airfield, and Awar Point, Hansa Bay, located along the northern coast of New Guinea. Observers from other aircraft in the formation reported seeing flames erupting from the bomb bay, spreading to the tail quickly. Heaven Can Wait was seen pitching up violently before banking left and crashing down into the water. It is believed anti-aircraft fire hit the plane, causing un-dropped ordnance to explode. Several aircraft circled the crash site in hopes of locating any possible survivors, but none could be seen.
Following the war, the American Graves Registration Service, the military unit responsible for investigating and recovering missing American personnel in the Pacific Theater, conducted exhaustive searches of battle areas and crash sites in New Guinea, concluding their search in late 1948. In March 1950, a board of AGRS officials concluded they were unable to locate any remains of Darrigan and the other Heaven Can Wait crew members. They were designated as non-recoverable.
Between 2013 and 2017, the family of 2nd Lt. Kelly, Heaven Can Wait bombardier, undertook a dedicated archival research effort to collect historical documents and eyewitness accounts of the loss of the Heaven Can Wait crew. The family worked with Dr. Scott Althaus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to complete this effort and provided this documentation. In October 2017, Project Recover, a DPAA partner organization, located the wreckage of a B-24 aircraft in Hansa Bay while making sonar scans as part of a unilateral remote sensing survey effort. In 2019, a DPAA underwater investigation team conducted several surveys of the wreckage, performing visual inspections and clearing the site of any unexploded ordnance.
Darrigan’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Darrigan will be buried in Calverton, New York on a date yet to be determined.
Pilot
U.S. Army Air Forces Capt. Arthur M. Lingo, 24, from Taft,California killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1944, Lingo was assigned to 362nd Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Group, 66th Fighter Wing, 8th Fighter Command. During a bomber escort mission to Sorau, Germany, the P-51 Mustang fighter he piloted was shot down by enemy aircraft and crashed near Miesterhorst, Germany.
The wingman reported that he had to pull out of the dive due to his windshield fogging, but that CPT Lingo continued after the plane. Captain Lingo was not seen again, despite his wingman’s efforts to locate him following the dive maneuver.
Lingo was reported missing in action on April 11, 1944, and his remains were not identified after the war.
The Army issued a presumptive finding of death for Lingo for Oct. 18, 1945.
Captain Lingo is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.
U.S. Army Sgt. DeLoren D. Dage, 23, from Los Angeles, California killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In the winter of 1950, Dage was a member of Able Company, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division.
Between November 27 and December 1, his company engaged with the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army on the Eastern side of the Chosen Reservoir in North Korea, sustaining heavy casualties, including Dage.
He was declared missing in action on Dec. 2, 1951.
Sergeant Dage is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, which was updated in 2022 to include the names of the fallen.
U.S. Army Pfc. Joseph R. Travers, 24, of Taunton, Massachusetts, who died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Traver’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In early 1951, Travers was a member of Dog Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on April 22, 1951, after his unit had engaged enemy forces near the village of Undam-Jang, Republic of Korea, on Nov. 30, following the Battle of Ch’ongch’on. In 1953, several POWs who returned during Operation Big Switch reported Travers had been a prisoner of war and died in December 1951 at Prisoner of War Camp #1.
In the late summer and fall of 1954, during Operation GLORY, North Korea returned remains reportedly recovered from Changsong, also known as Prisoner of War Camp #1, to the United Nations Command. None were associated with Travers.
One set of remains disinterred from Camp #1 returned during Operation Glory was designated Unknown X-14197 and buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. In August 2019, the DPAA disinterred Unknown X-14197 as part of Phase Two of the Korean War Disinterment Plan and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Travers’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as chest radiograph comparison. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Travers’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War.
A
rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Travers will be buried in Taunton, Massachusetts, on a date yet to be determined.
U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Felix J. Shostak, 24, of Oxnard, California, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Shostak's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In August of 1944, Shostak was assigned to the 860th Bombardment Squadron, 493rd Bombardment Group, in the European Theater of Operations. On Aug 18, Shostak was a crewmember onboard a B-24H “Liberator,” when it was struck by anti-aircraft fire after a bombing raid on a German position near Boussicourt, France. Only one airman survived, while the other eight crew members, including Shostak, were still on board. German records indicate the bomber crashed roughly two kilometers west of Boussicourt, where the remains of several individuals were recovered and buried.
Beginning in 1945, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), Army Quartermaster Corps, was the organization tasked with recovering missing American personnel in the European Theater. Following the war, the AGRC disinterred and identified six sets of remains recovered from the village cemetery at Pierrepont-sur-Avre, France. At the time they were unable to identify Shostak and one other crewmember.
In 2018, DPAA investigators excavated a site near Boussicourt which they believe correlated with Shostak’s crash site. While there, they were able to recover possible remains along with other materials believed to be associated with the B-24H. This new evidence, along with previously unidentified remains, were sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis and identification.
Shostak’s name is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at Ardennes American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Neupré, Belgium, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Shostak will be buried in Proctor, Vermont in June 2025.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Donald W. Downing, 33, of Columbus, Wisconsin, killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for.
Downing's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In September 1967, Downing was assigned to 557th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 12th Tactical Fighter Wing, 7th Air Force. On Sept. 5, he was piloting an F-4C Phantom II aircraft as the second in a flight of two aircraft conducting a nighttime armed reconnaissance mission over the then-Democratic Republic of Vietnam. While on a run to their target, the first aircraft witnessed a large, bright fireball in the air, and Downing’s aircraft did not respond to any radio calls. Search and rescue efforts began at daylight, but electronic and visual searches didn’t find anything. On April 28, 1978, the Air Force reported Capt. Downing as Killed in Action. He was later posthumously promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
After decades of investigation into the incident yielding no results, a recovery team with Joint Field Activity 24-3VN recovered life support equipment, possible material evidence, aircraft wreckage, unexploded ordnance and possible osseous material at a site in Quang Binh Province in May and June 2024. Evidence from the mission was accessioned into the DPAA laboratory in June 2024.
To identify Downing’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA and autosomal DNA analysis
Lieutenant Colonel Downing is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall 25E 113 in Washington, DC.
U.S. Army Air Forces Pvt. Donald E. Bays, 21, Hubbard Springs, Lee County, Kentucky killed during World War II, was accounted for.
During World War II, Bays was assigned to the Tow Target Detachment at Hickam Airfield on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. On. Dec. 7th, 1944, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese aircraft expanded to Hickam Field, targeting U.S. aircrafts and ships, barracks, supply buildings, and the base chapel.
The attack lasted four hours. Bays was reportedly killed during this time.
Donald Edgar Bays is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii.
U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Loring E. Lord, 28, of Sommerville, Massachusetts, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Lord’s family recently received their full briefing on his
identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be
shared.
In March 1945, Lord was a member of the 642nd Bombardment Squadron, 409th
Bombardment Group, 9th Bombardment Division, 9th Air Force. He was a gunner
aboard an A-26B “Invader”, when his aircraft was hit by heavy anti-aircraft fire
during a bombing mission to Duelmen, Germany. Airmen aboard other aircraft
flying in formation witnessed the A-26B lose altitude, crash and explode. There
was no indication that anyone escaped the crash, and the crew was reported
Missing In Action.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command was
tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in the
European Theater. During their investigations, AGRC members interviewed local
residents and officials for information about missing American servicemen. In
1949, they visited villages between Velen and Dulmen, including Groß Reken,
where a former police chief reported seeing an American plane go down after one
of its wings was shot off. Mr. Heinrich Mels, reported the German Wehrmacht
immediately secured the crash site, and buried several airmen in the local
cemetery.
Earlier in April 1945, those remains were exhumed when U.S. Army forces occupied
the town. Designated X-273 and X-274 Margraten, they were identified as
crewmembers aboard Lord’s aircraft. This prompted a renewed search of the crash
site outside Groß Reken, where investigators located several aircraft parts.
Unfortunately, no other remains were located.
In 2014, DPAA historians received information from a German researcher, Adolf
Hagedorn, about a possible crash site he believed could be associated with
Lord’s aircraft. A DPAA investigation team met with Hagedorn and reviewed his
extensive research, and the possible crash site. Later in 2018, after several
recovery missions, DPAA excavations located identification media for one of
Lord’s crewmembers, and possible osseous remains. These collected materials were
then sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis and identification.
Lord’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site
in Hombourg, Belgium, 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.
Lord will be buried in Everette, Massachusetts on a date to be determined.
U.S. Army Pfc. Arthur A. Clifton,
17, of Los
Lunas, New Mexico, killed during the
Korean War, was accounted for.
Clifton’s family recently received their full
briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his
identification can be shared.
In the winter of 1950, Clifton was a member of
Headquarters Battery, 48th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He
was reported missing in action on Dec. 11 after his unit was attacked by Chinese
Communist Forces as they attempted to withdraw near the Chosin Reservoir, North
Korea.
In 1954, during Operation Glory, North Korea
unilaterally turned over remains to the United States, including one set,
designated Unknown X-15690 Operation Glory.
Those remains were reportedly recovered from prisoner of war camps, United Nations cemeteries and isolated burial sites. None of the remains could be identified as Clifton and he was declared non-recoverable on Jan. 16, 1956.
The remains were subsequently buried as an
unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
Clifton’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.
Clifton will be buried in San Antonio, Texas, in
January 2025.
Marine
Marine Corps Sgt. Robert F. Van Heck, 25, of Chicago, IL, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Van Heck’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.In November 1943, Van Heck was a member of Company A, 2nd Amphibious Tractor Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island.
Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese forces were virtually annihilated. Van Heck died on the first day of battle, Nov. 20. A memorial marker for Van Heck was placed in Cemetery 11.In 1946, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company centralized all of the American remains found on Tarawa at Lone Palm Cemetery for later repatriation.
Almost half of the known casualties were never found. The remains that were recovered were sent to Hawaii for analysis. Those that could not be identified or associated with one of the missing were buried as Unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, including one set designated Tarawa Unknown X-265.In 2017, DPAA disinterred Tarawa Unknown X-265 from the Punchbowl as part of an effort to identify the Tarawa Unknowns buried there.
To identify Van Heck’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Van Heck’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.
Van Heck will be buried Jan. 7, 2025, in Hillside, Illinois.
U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Merrill E. Brewer, 26, Worcester County, Massachusetts killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the fall of 1943, Brewer served as the waist gunner aboard a B-24 Liberator bomber with 858th Bombardment Squadron, 492nd Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force. The unit was engaged in Operation CARPETBAGGER, a series of secret missions in which several specially designated bomb groups dropped supplies, arms, equipment, leaflets, U.S. Office of Strategic Services and French agents to resistance groups operating in northern France.
On Sept. 16, 1944, Brewer’s crew was scheduled to fly its final mission to drop supplies to resistance forces 40 miles east of the Moselle River. 115th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Gun Battalion, an American artillery unit stationed near Lebeuville, France, mistook Brewer’s B-24 for an enemy aircraft and opened fire upon it, killing six of the eight crew members onboard, including Brewer.
On the morning of Sept. 17, 1944, American soldiers recovered the remains discovered at the crash site, along with identification tags belonging to four of the crewmembers.
Of the eight crewmembers aboard, two successfully parachuted to safety, while four were resolved through remains found at the crash site.
Two were left unaccounted for, one of which was Brewer.
U.S. Army Tech. Sgt. Joseph R. Moore, 28, Henrico County, Virginia killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In December 1944, Moore was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division, in Europe. His regiment had recently captured Hürtgen, Germany, during the Hürtgen Forest offensive.
Beginning Dec. 1, Moore’s unit was part of the push east from the town. He was reported missing in action as of Dec. 11 while his unit occupied the woods between Brandenberg and Kleinhau, though there is no clear indication of what happened to him. The Germans never reported Moore as a German prisoner of war, and Army investigators found no evidence he survived the fighting around Brandenberg.
The War Department issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 12, 1945.
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 and recoveries in the Hürtgen Forest
between 1946 and 1950, but were unable to find and identify Moore.
He was declared Non-Recoverable on Dec. 12, 1951.
Joseph R Moore is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Henri-Chapelle, Belgium.
U.S. Army Air Force Pvt. 1st Class David C. Hansen, 25, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
Hansen’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In late 1941, Hansen was a member of Headquarters Squadron, 27th Bombardment Group, 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.Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Hansen was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Hansen died June 28, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 407.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Sixteen of the 25 sets of remains from Common Grave 407 were identified, while the remaining nine were declared unidentifiable.
The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In Nov. 2019, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 407 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Hansen’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Today, Hansen is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Hansen will be buried in Brookfield, Wisconsin, on a date to be determined.
U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. John H. Mann, 22, Stow, New York killed during World War II, was accounted for on.
During World War II, Mann was assigned to 22nd Material Squadron at Hickam Airfield on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. On. Dec. 7th, 1944, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese aircraft expanded to Hickam Field, targeting U.S. aircrafts and ships, barracks, supply buildings, and the base chapel.
The attack lasted four hours. Mann was reportedly killed during this time.
John Henry Mann is memorialized at Courts of the Missing, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii.
U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. George F. Bradbury, 22, Carroll County, Georgia killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the fall of 1943, Bradbury served as the navigator aboard a B-24 Liberator bomber with 858th Bombardment Squadron, 492nd Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force. The unit was engaged in Operation CARPETBAGGER, a series of secret missions in which several specially designated bomb groups dropped supplies, arms, equipment, leaflets, and U.S. Office of Strategic Services and French agents to resistance groups operating in northern France.
On Sept. 16, 1944, Bradbury’s crew was scheduled to fly its final mission to drop supplies to resistance forces 40 miles east of the Moselle River. 115th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Gun Battalion, an American artillery unit stationed near Lebeuville, France.
Mistook Bradbury’s B-24 for an enemy aircraft and opened fire upon it, killing six of the eight crew members onboard, including Bradbury.
George was declared "Missing In Action" when his B-24 was shot down by friendly fire over Charles, France while flying a "Carpetbagger" night mission to drop supplies to French resistance forces during the war.
George F Bradbury is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France.
U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Robert T. McCollum, 22, Cuyahoga County, Ohio killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In June 1944, McCollum was assigned to the 565th Bombardment Squadron, 389th Bombardment Group, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, in the European Theater.
On June 20, McCollum, the bombardier onboard a B-24J “Liberator” bomber, went missing in action when his plane crashed into the Baltic Sea off the coast of Denmark after colliding with another B-24 in the same formation.
The pilot and co-pilot of McCollum’s aircraft were able to bail out and survived, but all evidence points to the rest of the crew being killed in the crash.
The U.S. War Department issued a Finding of Death for McCollum on June 21, 1945.
Robert T McCollum is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England. This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location.
U.S. Army Air Force Tech4 Lloyd R. Bruntmyer, 22, of Des Moines, Iowa, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
Bruntmyer’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In late 1941, Bruntmyer was a member of 7th Materiel Squadron, 5th Air Base Group, 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.Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Bruntmyer was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Bruntmyer died Nov. 1, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 704.Following the war, American Graves Registration Service personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila.
In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Two of the sets of remains from Common Grave 704 were identified, while the remaining 8 were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial as Unknowns.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Bruntmyer’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission.
Today, Bruntmyer is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Bruntmyer will be buried in San Diego, California, in Nov. 2025.
Navy Mess Attendant 3rd Class (Matt3c) Neil D. Frye, 20, Vass, North Carolina, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Frye 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 Frye.
Mess Attendant Third Class Frye is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
U.S. Army Pfc. James C. Bowman, 20, of Jordan, West Virginia, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Bowman’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In the winter of 1950, Bowman was assigned to K Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 28 after his unit was attacked by Chinese People's Volunteer Army as the 31st Regimental Combat Team withdrew from Pungnyri Inlet of the Chosin Reservoir to Hagaru-ri, North Korea.
In September and October 1954, during Operation Glory, Chinese Communist Forces turned over remains to the United Nations Command, including one set, designated Unknown X-15647. These remains were reportedly recovered from the east side of the Chosin Reservoir, but could not be positivity identified as any unaccounted-for Soldier. Unknown X-15647 was subsequently buried as an Unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, also known as the Punchbowl.
In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. In March 2021, DPAA personnel disinterred Unknown X-1564 as part of Phase Three of the Korean War Disinterment Plan and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Bowman’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Bowman’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.
Bowman will be buried in Fairmont, West Virginia, on a date yet to be determined.
U.S. Army Air Force Staff Sgt. Hubert Yeary, 20, of Richmond, Virginia, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Yeary’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In spring 1944, Yeary was assigned to the 732nd Bombardment Squadron, 453rd Bombardment Group, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force in the European Theater. On April 8, Yeary, the ball turret gunner onboard a B-24H “Liberator” Little Joe, was killed in action when his plane was shot down by enemy fighter aircraft fire while on a bombing mission to Brunswick, Germany.
Airmen aboard other aircraft flying in formation with Little Joe did not report seeing any crewmembers exiting the aircraft before it crashed in the vicinity of Salzwedel. The crash site could not be located by Allied forces during the war, and the remains of all nine crewmembers, including Yeary, were unaccounted for following the war.
Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, began investigating the numerous bomber losses in the Salzwedel and Wistedt areas of Germany. German forces had maintained accurate documentation (Kampfflugzeug Unterlagen, or KU) of American aircraft shoot-downs, with several reports indicating B-24s crashing in the area.
However, AGRC was unable to associate any KU reports with Little Joe and investigators were unable to locate any crash or burial sites associated with the loss.
In 2015, an independent research group, Missing Allied Air Crew Research Team (MAACRT), contacted DPAA historians with new information related to a possible crash site near Wistedt, Germany. Interviews with elderly local residents indicated there were two crash sites, but only one was recovered by American forces following the war. Investigators located the second crash site and were able to recover various pieces of wreckage. Possible osseous remains were also located and transferred to the DPAA laboratory for analysis and identification. At the time, no matches could be made with any Unknowns and further investigations were scheduled.
Between 2021 and 2023, DPAA investigators returned to the crash site and continued excavations and recoveries. By the end of September 2023, all evidence, including possible osseous remains and possible life support equipment, had been recovered and returned to the DPAA laboratory.
Yeary’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Yeary will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on date to be determined.
U.S. Army Pvt. Leonard R. J. Jackson, 22, Fergus County, Montana who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
Jackson was a member of Battery L of the 60th Coast Artillery Corps (CAC), when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December 1941. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Jackson was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Jackson died Oct. 31, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 703
Leonard R J Jackson is buried at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. John H. Danneker, 19, Williamsport, Pennsylvania killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In June 1944, Danneker was assigned to the 565th Bombardment Squadron, 389th Bombardment Group, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, in the European Theater. On June 20, Danneker, the left waist gunner onboard a B-24J “Liberator” bomber, went missing in action when his plane crashed into the Baltic Sea off the coast of Denmark after colliding with another B-24 in the same formation.
The pilot and co-pilot of Danneker’s aircraft were able to bail out and survived, but all evidence points to the rest of the crew being killed in the crash. The U.S. War Department issued a Finding of Death for Danneker on June 21, 1945.
In early 1948, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, investigated the crash, but were unable to find any of the missing crewmen.
Over the next couple of years, the AGRC also assessed unidentified remains that washed ashore in the area where Danneker’s aircraft crashed, but were not able to identify any of the crew.
Danneker was declared non-recoverable on May 12, 1950.
Staff Sergeant John H. Danneker were accounted for in 2024. His name is permanently inscribed on the “Walls of the Missing” at the Cambridge American Cemetery.
U.S. Army Air Force Sgt. Homer C. Nyberg, 23, of Clay Center, Kansas, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Nyberg’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.In late 1944, Nyberg was assigned to the 368th Bombardment Squadron, 306th Bombardment Group, 1st Bombardment Division, 8th Air Force in the European Theater. On December 29, Nyberg, a ball turret gunner onboard a B-17G “Flying Fortress”, became missing in action when his plane was hit by heavy anti-aircraft fire while on a bombing mission to Bingen, Germany.
All crewmembers were able to bail out of the stricken aircraft, and only one airman was found dead by German forces near the crash site. Five men were captured and processed into the German prisoner of war (POW) camp system, ultimately surviving the war.
Nyberg and two other crewmembers were unaccounted for, and there was no record of them being held as POWs.
In 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, began investigating several crash sites from downed aircraft of the Bingen air raid. Local German citizens were interviewed, and several accounts were recorded seeing American troops landing by parachutes. One airman was recovered by a local civilian who took him in and provided aid, but the airman was ultimately taken into custody by German military authorities. Nyberg and the third missing airman were not accounted for. Investigations continued for several years, but by April 1950 AGRC exhausted all efforts to recover these missing men and issued a recommendation they be declared non-recoverable.
In 2013, DPAA researchers working in collaboration with local Germans recovered documents from the state archive at Koblenz, which appeared to contain information on the loss of three captured airmen. These documents referenced a War Crimes case (12-1254) which indicated Nyberg was captured and killed by German SS troops near the town of Kamp-Bornhofen, and buried in the local cemetery there. Neither Nyberg, nor his two missing crewmates were ever officially registered as POWs, which explains why American investigators were unable to ascertain their fate during or after the war.
Between May 2021 and August 2022, DPAA teams began excavation of a suspected burial site in the Kamp-Bornhofen Cemetery, where the three airmen are believed to be buried. Under the supervision and direction of two Scientific Recovery Experts, the team recovered possible osseous remains and associated materials. These items were transferred to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis and identification.
Nyberg’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Nyberg will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on a date to be determined.
Soldier
U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Arthur W. Crossland Jr, 19, of Columbia, South Carolina, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 21, 2024.
Crossland’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In March 1945, Crossland was assigned to Company L, 3rd Battalion, 242nd Infantry Regiment, 42nd Infantry Division in the European Theater during World War II. Shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve 1944, German forces launched a major offensive operation in the Vosges Mountains in Alsace-Lorraine, France, known as Operation NORDWIND.
The German attack surged through Allied defenses along the Franco-German border, and the ensuing battle enveloped two U.S. Corps along a 40-mile-wide front. In the following few weeks, Company L was assigned to move online near Althorn, France. Intense fighting ensued in the heavily wooded terrain filled with minefields, and mortars and machine gun fire halted Company L’s advance. Witnesses stated seeing Crossland trigger a mine roughly 200 yards in front of the main resistance line. He was killed instantly, but U.S. forces had to withdraw before they could recover his body.
Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, began looking for missing American personnel in the Althorn area. At the time, they were unable to recover any remains which could be identified as Crossland. By late 1950, the Office of the Quartermaster General confirmed Crossland’s status as non-recoverable.
DPAA historians have been conducting in-depth research into Soldiers missing from combat around Althorn, and believe that Unknown X-535, recovered from Althron and interred at Normandy American Cemetery, could be associated with Crossland. Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission workers exhumed X-535 in July 2022 and transferred the remains to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.
Crossland’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Epinal American Cemetery in Dinozé, France, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Crossland will be buried March 14, 2025, in his hometown.
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces Sgt. Edward S. Kovaleski, 25, of Southbridge, Massachusetts, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Kovaleski’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In spring 1945, Kovaleski was assigned to the 760th Bombardment Squadron, 460th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 15th Air Force, in the European and Mediterranean Theater of World War II. On April 26, Kovaleski, an engineer and ball turret gunner on board the B-24J Liberator Seldom Available, was killed when his plane crashed near Hüttenberg, Austria, while enroute to their target bombing location in northern Italy.
Witnesses from other planes and surviving crewmembers reported the Seldom Available experienced mechanical failure, forcing a spiraling descent and eventual crash. Prior to the explosion, the pilot gave the order to evacuate the aircraft at roughly 25,000 feet. Eight crewmembers survived the incident, but Kovaleski was not accounted for. There was no witness of any deployed parachute following the crash, and it was believed he was still in the plane when it crashed. Kovaleski’s remains were not recovered, and he was subsequently declared missing in action.
In 2017, DPAA researchers investigated a suspected crash site near Sankt Johann am Pressen, Karnten, Austria, after an independent researcher provided a lead which pointed to a possible crashed U.S. aircraft. Between 2021 and 2022, the crash site and a suspected nearby burial location were excavated by a DPAA partner organization.
Evidence recovered from the site, believed to be associated with Kovaleski, was then sent to the DPAA laboratory for examination and identification.
Kovaleski’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Firenze, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Kovaleski will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on a date to be determined.
U.S. Navy Seaman 2nd Class John C. Auld, 23, of Newcastle, England, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
DPAA was only recently made aware of Auld’s family receiving their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Auld was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Auld.
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 on Oahu.
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 dentifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Auld.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
Auld’s name is recorded in 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.
Auld will be buried on Dec. 6, 2024, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
December 4
U.S. Army Warrant Officer Albert R. Trudeau, 22, of Teaneck, New Jersey, killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for.
Trudeau’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In October 1971, Trudeau was assigned to the 68th Aviation Company, 52nd Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group. On Oct. 26, Trudeau was serving as the pilot of a CH-47B “Chinook” helicopter when it went down over water in bad weather while flying from Tuy Hoa to Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam. Remains of four of the 10 Soldiers on board were recovered during search and rescue operations following the crash, but Trudeau was not accounted for.
An unsuccessful recovery attempt was made in 1974 when divers from the Joint Casualty Resolution Center dove on what was believed to be the crash site. A number of investigation and recovery efforts took place between 1994 and 2021, with a June 2021 recovery mission finding possible osseous remains and material evidence, not linked to Trudeau.
From May 7 to July 9, 2024, a DPAA Underwater Recovery Team excavated an aircraft wreck site which correlated to Trudeau’s crash site. The team excavated roughly 336 square meters of underwater surface area, which resulted in the recovery of possible osseous remains, possible life support equipment, and various other identification media. All evidence was collected and turned over to the DPAA laboratory for analysis and identification.
Trudeau’s name is recorded on the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with others who are unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Trudeau will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on a date to be determined.
November 26,
U.S. Army Cpl. Waymon Slaten, 18, of Arab, Alabama, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Slaten’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In September 1950, Slaten was a member of B Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Sept. 1, 1950, after his unit engaged in combat actions with the enemy on Hill 209, west of Yongsan, South Korea. Due to intense fighting in the area, his body could not be recovered at that time.
The exact circumstances of his death were unknown, and the U.S. Army issued a presumptive finding of death of December 31, 1953.
On Oct. 22, 1950, American Graves Registration Service recovered Unknown Remains X-256 from the ground surface at the base of Hill 209, approximately 11 miles west of Yongsan, where Slaten was reported missing. However, those remains could not be identified as Slaten at the time, and they were subsequently buried as an unknown in the United Nations Military Cemetery, Tanggok, South Korea.
The remains were repatriated to the United States and interred in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In May 2021, during phase 3 of DPAA's Korean War Disinterment Project, Unknown X-256 was disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Slaten’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.
Slaten will be buried in his hometown on Jan. 13, 2025.
Airman
November 26
U.S. Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Sanford G. Roy, 31, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Roy’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In spring 1944, Roy was assigned to the 732nd Bombardment Squadron, 453rd Bombardment Group, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force in the European Theater. On April 8, Roy, a waist gunner onboard a B-24H “Liberator” Little Joe, was killed in action when his plane was shot down by enemy fighter aircraft fire while on a bombing mission to Brunswick, Germany. Airmen aboard other aircraft flying in formation with Little Joe did not report seeing any crewmembers exiting the aircraft before it crashed in the vicinity of Salzwedel.
The crash site could not be located by Allied forces during the war, and the remains of all nine crewmembers, including Roy, were unaccounted for following the war.
Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, began investigating the numerous bomber losses in the Salzwedel and Wistedt areas of Germany. German forces had maintained accurate documentation (Kampfflugzeug Unterlagen, or KU) of American aircraft shoot-downs, with several reports indicating B-24s crashing in the area. However, AGRC was unable to associate any KU reports with Little Joe and investigators were unable to locate any crash or burial sites associated with the loss.In 2015, an independent research group, Missing Allied Air Crew Research Team (MAACRT), contacted DPAA historians with new information related to a possible crash site near Wistedt, Germany.
Interviews with elderly local residents indicated there were two crash sites, but only one was recovered by American forces following the war. Investigators located the second crash site and were able to recover various pieces of wreckage. Possible osseous remains were also located and transferred to the DPAA laboratory for analysis and identification. At the time, no matches could be made with any Unknowns and further investigations were scheduled.
Between 2021 and 2023, DPAA investigators returned to the crash site and continued investigations, then excavations and recoveries. By the end of November 2023, all evidence, including possible osseous remains and possible life support equipment, had been recovered and returned to the DPAA laboratory.
Roy’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Roy will be buried in his hometown on the 81st anniversary of his loss, April 8, 2025.
November 25,
U.S. Army Cpl. Howard A. Troup, 29, from Schenley, Pennsylvania killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In the fall of 1950, Troup was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.
He went missing in action during a battle in the vicinity of Hill 409, near Am-sin, South Korea, when enemy forces attacked and overran his company’s defensive positions on Sept. 1.
A statement from a member of his unit said he was likely killed by a grenade during an all-out human-wave assault.
The Army issued a presumptive finding of death in December 1953.
Corporal Troup is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.
Pilot
November 22
U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. George F. Wilson, Jr., 22, from California, killed during World War II, was accounted for Nov. 21, 2024.
In July 1944, Wilson was assigned to the 601st Bombardment Squadron, 389th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, in the European Theater.
On July 8, Wilson, the pilot of a B-17G “Flying
Fortress” bomber, was killed when his aircraft crashed near Monchy-Cayeux,
France, after being hit by antiaircraft fire. Surviving crew members reported
Wilson had been hit by flak and was still on board when the aircraft crashed.
It is unknown whether he successfully bailed out of the aircraft
before it crashed.
Beginning in
1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) searched for and recovered
fallen American personnel in the European Theater.
They received information from several of Wilson’s crew members detailing the crash, but there is no evidence the crash site was ever visited.
No recovered Unknowns were ever associated with Wilson, and he was declared non-recoverable in 1951.
First Lieutenant Wilson is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France.
November 20
U.S. Army Air Force Technical Sgt. Lynn M. Farnham, 20, of Phoenix, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Farnham’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In early 1944, Farnham was assigned to the 346th Bombardment Squadron, 99th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 15th Air Force in the European Theater. On Feb. 25, Farnham, the flight engineer onboard a B-17G “Flying Fortress,” was killed in action when his plane was shot down by enemy fighter aircraft fire while on a bombing mission to Regensburg, Germany.
Eight of the ten crewmembers bailed out of the aircraft which crash outside of Langquaid, Germany. They reported seeing Farnham and another crewman dead near the co-pilots seat. Farnham’s body was not immediately recovered, and a report of death was finally issued on Aug. 10, 1945.
Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, began investigating the numerous bomber losses in the area around Langquaid, Germany.
An investigation team disinterred a set of unidentified remains, Unknown X-6271 St. Avold (X-6271), from a cemetery in the nearby village of Paring. At the time, investigators were unable to completely identify the recovered remains, which were transferred to St. Avold, France for identification, and the Lorraine American Cemetery for interment.
In 2013, a DPAA investigation team went to Langquaid, Germany, and found wreckage consistent with an aircraft at the site. Returning in March 2019, another DPAA team conducted a site survey and met with local residents, including the town priest. Historical church records obtained document the X-6271 remains were recovered from a bomber crash on Feb. 25, 1944, and buried in the Paring cemetery.
In June 2023, Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) personnel exhumed Unknown X-6271 from Lorraine American Cemetery, France. X-6271 was then transferred to the DPAA laboratory for analysis and identification.
Farnham’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuno, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Farnham will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on a date to be determined.
November 20,
U.S. Army Cpl. John B. Miller, 22, of Mullins, South Carolina, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Miller’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In November 1950, Miller was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, after his unit was attacked by enemy forces as they attempted to withdraw near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
In the fall of 1953, during Operation Glory, North Korea unilaterally turned over remains to the United States, including one set, designated Unknown X-15743. Those remains were reportedly recovered from prisoner of war camps, United Nations cemeteries and isolated burial sites.
None of the remains could be positivity identified as Miller. Those unidentified remains were subsequently buried as an Unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In April 2021, DPAA personnel disinterred Unknown X-15743 as part of the Korean War disinterment project and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Miller’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.
Miller will be buried in Florence, South Carolina, on Dec. 6, 2024.
November 20
U.S. Army Cpl. Paul E. Hoots, 25, from Galesburg, Illinois killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In July 1950, Hoots was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He went missing in action after his unit engaged in intensive combat actions in the vicinity of Ch’onan, South Korea, on July 7.
At the time, the circumstances for his loss were not immediately recorded, and there was never any evidence that he was a prisoner of war.
The Army issued a finding of Missing In Action on July 8, 1950.In 1952, the American Graves Registration Service Group (AGRSG), the unit tasked with finding and identifying those missing during the war, searched the area where Hoots went missing and was unable to locate remains that could be identified as him.
The Army issued a presumptive finding of death for Hoots on Dec. 31, 1953.
Corporal Hoots is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC,
November 18
U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. William Scott, 21, of Passaic, New Jersey, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
DPAA recently received notification of the Scott family’s full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details can be shared.
In the summer of 1943, Scott 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 Scott was serving as the navigator was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire and crashed during Operation TIDAL WAVE, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania.
His remains were not identified following the war. The remains that could not be identified were buried as Unknowns in the Hero Section of the Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan, Ploiesti, Prahova, Romania.
Following the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel, disinterred all American remains from the Bolovan Cemetery for identification. The AGRC was unable to identify more than 80 unknowns from Bolovan Cemetery, and those remains were permanently interred at Ardennes American Cemetery and Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, both in Belgium.
In 2017, DPAA began exhuming unknowns believed to be associated with unaccounted-for airmen from Operation TIDAL WAVE losses. These remains were sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for examination and identification.
Scott’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.
Scott will be buried in Wrightstown, New Jersey, on Dec. 9, 2024
Soldier
November 18
U.S. Army Private Jacob Gutterman, 24, of New York City, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
Gutterman’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In summer 1942, Gutterman was a member of the 803rd Engineer Battalion, Aviation, 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.Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Gutterman was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Gutterman died July 16, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 316.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Eleven of the sets of remains from Common Grave 316 were identified, while the remaining 17 were declared unidentifiable.
The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In April 2019, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 316 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Gutterman’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Today, Pvt. Gutterman is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Pvt. Gutterman will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on a date to be determined.
Soldier
November 18
U.S. Army Private James S. Mitchell, 25, of Chico, California, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
Mitchell’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In late 1941, Mitchell was a member of Company B, 31st Infantry 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.Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Mitchell was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Mitchell died Jan. 7, 1943, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 816.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. One set of remains from Common Grave 816 was identified, while the remaining three were declared unidentifiable.
The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In 2018, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 816 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Mitchell’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Today, Mitchell is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Mitchell’s funeral location and date have yet to be determined.
November 15
U.S. Army Air Force Staff Sgt. Yuen Hop, 20, of Sebastopol, California, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Hop’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In late 1944, Hop was assigned to the 368th Bombardment Squadron, 306th Bombardment Group, 1st Bombardment Division, 8th Air Force, in the European Theater. On December 29, Hop, a waist gunner onboard a B-17G “Flying Fortress” became missing in action when his plane was hit by heavy anti-aircraft fire while on a bombing mission to Bingen, Germany.
All crewmembers were able to bail out of the stricken aircraft, and only one airman was found dead by German forces near the crash site. Five men were captured and processed into the German prisoner of war (POW) camp system, ultimately surviving the war.
Hop and two other crewmembers were unaccounted for, and there was no record of them being held as POWs.
In 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, began investigating several crash sites from downed aircraft of the Bingen air raid. Local German citizens were interviewed, and several accounts were recorded seeing American troops landing by parachutes.
One airman was recovered by a local civilian who took him in and provided aid, but the airman was ultimately taken into custody by German military authorities. Hop and the third missing airman were not accounted for. Investigations continued for several years, but by April 1950 AGRC exhausted all efforts to recover these missing men and issued a recommendation they be declared non-recoverable.
In 2013, DPAA researchers working in collaboration with local Germans recovered documents from the state archive at Koblenz, which appeared to contain information on the loss of three captured airmen. These documents referenced a War Crimes case (12-1254) which indicated Hop was captured and killed by German SS troops near the town of Kamp-Bornhofen, and buried in the local cemetery there. Neither Hop, nor his two missing crewmates were ever officially registered as POWs, which explains why American investigators were unable to ascertain their fate during or after the war.
Between May 2021 and August 2022, DPAA teams began excavation of a suspected burial site in the Kamp-Bornhofen Cemetery, where the three airmen are believed to be buried. Under the supervision and direction of two Scientific Recovery Experts, the team recovered possible osseous remains and associated materials. These items were transferred to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis and identification.
Hop’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Hop’s funeral location and date have yet to be determined.
November 15
U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Gordon N. Larson, 22, of Seattle, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
Larson’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details can be shared.
In late 1942, Larson was a member of Battery B, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Larson was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Larson died Nov. 14, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 723.Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila.
In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Four of the sets of remains from Common Grave 723 were identified, while the remaining seven were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.In June 2018, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 723 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Larson’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Today, Sgt. Larson is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Larson’s funeral location and date have yet to be determined.
November 15
U.S. Army Pvt. Herber R. Worley, 21, of Bell, California, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
Worley’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details can be shared.
In late 1941, Worley was a member of 1st Battalion, 31st Infantry 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Worley was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1.
More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Worley died June 28, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 407.Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them.
Sixteen of the 25 sets of remains from Common Grave 407 were identified, while the remaining nine were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In Nov. 2019, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 407 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Worley’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Today, Worley is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Worley will be buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu on a date to be determined.
Airman
November 15
U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Thomas V. Kelly Jr., 21, of Livermore, California, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Kelly’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In March 1944, Kelly was assigned to the 320th Bombardment Squadron, 90th Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force, and deployed in present day Papua New Guinea. On the morning of March 11, Kelly, the bombardier onboard a B-24D “Liberator” Heaven Can Wait departed Nadzab Strip #1, Papua New Guinea, as part of a bombing mission against enemy positions at Boram Airfield, and Awar Point, Hansa Bay, located along the northern coast of New Guinea.
Observers from other aircraft in the formation reported seeing flames erupting from the bomb bay, spreading to the tail quickly. Heaven Can Wait was seen pitching up violently before banking left and crashing down into the water. It is believed anti-aircraft fire hit the plane, causing un-dropped ordnance to explode. Several aircraft circled the crash site in hopes of locating any possible survivors, but none could be seen.
Following the war, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS), the military unit responsible for investigating and recovering missing American personnel in the Pacific Theater, conducted exhaustive searches of battle areas and crash sites in New Guinea, concluding their search in late 1948. In March 1950, a board of AGRS officials concluded they were unable to locate any remains of Kelly and the other Heaven Can Wait crew members. They were designated as non-recoverable.
Between 2013 and 2017, the Kelly family undertook a dedicated archival research effort to collect historical documents and eyewitness accounts of the loss of the Heaven Can Wait crew. The family worked with Dr. Scott Althaus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to complete this effort and provided this documentation. In October 2017, Project Recover, a DPAA partner organization, located the wreckage of a B-24 aircraft in Hansa Bay while making sonar scans as part of a unilateral remote sensing survey effort.
In 2019, a DPAA underwater investigation team (UIT) conducted several surveys of the wreckage, performing visual inspections and clearing the site of any unexploded ordnance.
From March 9 through April 13, 2023, an underwater recovery team (RT-U) excavated the crash site, where they recovered possible osseous materials and various material evidence, to include life support equipment and identification tags. The recovered evidence was sent to the DPAA Laboratory for review and analysis.
Kelly’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Kelly will be buried on May 26, 2025, in his hometown.
November 15
U.S. Army Cpl. Walter L. Clark, 28, of Santa Rosa, California, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
Clark’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In late 1941, Clark was a member of 19th Quartermaster Truck Company, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Clark was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Clark died Nov. 1, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 704.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Two of the sets of remains from Common Grave 704 were identified, while the remaining 8 were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.In 2018, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 704 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Clark’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Today, Clark is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Clark will be buried in Dixon, California, on a date to be determined.
November 14
U.S. Army Air Force Staff Sgt. Ralph L. Mourer, 23, of Wichita, Kansas, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Mourer’s family only recently received their full briefing on his identification, which is why this release is going out now.
In spring 1944, Mourer was assigned to the 732nd Bombardment Squadron, 453rd Bombardment Group, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, in the European Theater. On April 8, Mourer, the radio operator onboard a B-24H “Liberator,” Little Joe, was killed in action when his plane was shot down by enemy fighter aircraft fire while on a bombing mission to Brunswick, Germany. Airmen aboard other aircraft flying in formation with Little Joe did not report seeing any crewmembers exiting the aircraft before it crashed in the vicinity of Salzwedel. The crash site could not be located by Allied forces during the war, and the remains of all ten crewmembers, including Mourer, were unaccounted for following the war.
Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, began investigating the numerous bomber losses in the Salzwedel and Wistedt areas of Germany. German forces had maintained accurate documentation (Kampfflugzeug Unterlagen, or KU reports) of American aircraft shoot-downs, with several reports indicating B-24s crashing in the area. However, AGRC was unable to associate any KU reports with Little Joe and investigators were unable to locate any crash or burial sites associated with the loss.
In 2015, an independent research group, Missing Allied Air Crew Research Team (MAACRT), contacted DPAA historians with new information related to a possible crash site near Wistedt, Germany. Interviews with elderly local residents indicated there were two crash sites, but only one was recovered by American forces following the war. Investigators located the second crash site and were able to recover various pieces of wreckage. Possible osseous remains were also located and transferred to the DPAA laboratory for analysis and identification. At the time, no matches could be made with any Unknowns and further investigations were scheduled.
Between 2021 and 2023, DPAA investigators returned to the crash site and continued investigations, and then excavations and recoveries. By the end of November 2023, all evidence, including possible osseous remains and possible life support equipment, had been recovered and returned to the DPAA laboratory.
Mourer’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Mourer will be buried in Adrian, Michigan, in the spring of 2025.
November 13
U.S. Army Air Force Sgt. James W. Swartz, 21, of Webberville, Michigan, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1942, Swartz was a member of 17th Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Swartz was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1.
More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Swartz died Sept. 23, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 434.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Four of the sets of remains from Common Grave 434 were identified, while the remaining seven were declared unidentifiable.
The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In April 2019, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 434 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Swartz’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
Today, Sgt. Swartz is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Swartz will be buried in Williamstown Township, Michigan, in April 2025.
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces Pvt. 1st Class Bernard J. Calvi, 23, of North Adams, Massachusetts, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1941, Calvi was a member of the 17th Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group, 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.Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Calvi was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Calvi died July 16, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 316.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Eleven of the sets of remains from Common Grave 316 were identified, while the remaining 17 were declared unidentifiable.
The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.In April 2019, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 316 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Calvi’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
Today, Calvi is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Calvi will be buried in his hometown on Dec. 9, 2024.
November 8
Army Master Sgt. Wallace Simmons Jr., 36, of Indianapolis, Indiana, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Simmons was a member of Headquarters Battery, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported killed in action on Dec. 6, 1950, after his unit was engaged with enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered. The exact circumstances of his loss are not historically available, and there was never a record he was held captive as a POW.
On July 27, 2018, North Korea turned over 55 boxes, purported to contain the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War. The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018, and were subsequently accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for identification.
Simmons’ name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Simmons will be buried in Indianapolis, Indiana, on a date to be determined.
Army Corporal William Colby, 19, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Colby was a member of Dog Company, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, after his unit was attacked by Chinese People’s Army forces as the 7th Infantry Division attempted to withdraw near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
Following the battle, Colby could not be recovered and he was reported Missing In Action. Absent evidence of this continued survival, the U.S. Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953.On July 27, 2018, North Korea turned over 55 boxes, purported to contain the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War.
The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018, and were subsequently accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Colby’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological and isotope analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Colby’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Colby will be buried in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on a date to be determined.
Army Corporal Howard Godwin Jr., 22, of Grafton, West Virginia, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In July 1950, Godwin was a member of A Company, 1st Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on July 20 while fighting North Korean forces in the vicinity of Taejon, South Korea. He was never found, nor were any remains recovered that could be identified as Godwin. He was declared non-recoverable in January 1956.On January 1, 1951, three sets of remains were recovered roughly three miles northwest of Taejon near where Cpl. Godwin’s unit was fighting.
Two of the three remains were identified at the time, but investigators could not make a scientific identification of the third. Those remains were designated Unknown X-351 Tanggok and were later transported with all of the unidentified Korean War remains and buried as Unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In July 2018, DPAA historians and anthropologists proposed a plan to disinter and identify the 652 Korean War unknown burials from the Punchbowl. X-351 was disinterred July 15, 2019, as part of Phase 1 of the Korean War Identification Project and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory.
Godwin’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monument Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Godwin will be buried in Grafton, West Virginia, on Nov. 15, 2024.
U.S. Army Cpl. Ernest H. Ulrich, from Jefferson County, Texas who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1941, Ulrich was a member of Medical Department, 200th Coast Artillery Regiment in the Philippines during World War II, 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.Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Ulrich was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.
They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp.
More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
Ernest H Ulrich is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing Manila American Cemetery Manila, Philippines.
U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Basil M. Cook, 31, of Hinton, West Virginia, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1944, Cook was assigned to Company H, 3rd Battalion, 32nd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division, as the driver of an M4 Sherman tank. His unit was engaged in battle with German forces near Hücheln, Germany, when his tank ran over a mine. The explosion is believed to have killed Cook instantaneously. His remains were not immediately recovered or identified after the fighting.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in Europe. They conducted an investigation in the Hücheln area in September 1948. Town locals were interviewed, but there were no reports of deceased American servicemembers in the area. All efforts to locate Cook proved unsuccessful at the time.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Hücheln area in 2020, a DPAA historian determined that one set of unidentified remains, designated X-1239 Margraten, recovered from a burned-out tank one mile northeast of in Hücheln in August 1945 possibly belonged to Cook. The remains, which had been buried in Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, were disinterred in July 2022 and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Cook’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.
Cook will be buried in Hinton, West Virginia, on a date to be determined.
U.S. Army Pvt. Jeremiah P. Mahoney, 19, of Chicago, Illinois, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
During World War II, Mahoney was assigned to Anti-Tank Company, 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division in the European Theater during World War II. Shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve 1944, German forces launched a major offensive, known as Operation NORDWIND, in the Vosges Mountains in Alsace-Lorraine, France.
The German attack surged through Allied defenses along the Franco-German border, and the ensuing battle enveloped two U.S. Corps along a 40-mile-wide front. In the following few weeks, Anti-Tank Company resupplied and reinforced the 157th Infantry Regiment near the village of Reipertswiller.
At some point on Jan. 17, Mahoney was killed, but due to the intensity of the fighting his unit could not recover his body as it was forced to withdraw from the area. With no record of German forces capturing Mahoney, and no remains recovered, the War Department issued a “Finding of Death” in January 1946.Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, began looking for missing American personnel in the Reipertswiller area.
In August 1947, graves registration personnel recovered a set of remains, which they designated X-6379 Neuville (X-6379), from the Reipertswiller Forest. Analysts assessed the remains, along with clothing and equipment recovered with the body, but they were unable to identify X-6379. In 1949, the AGRC interred the Unknown in U.S. Military Cemetery (USMC) Neuville, Neupré, Belgium (today, Ardennes American Cemetery).
DPAA historians have been conducting in-depth research into Soldiers missing from combat around Wildenguth and Reipertswiller, and believe that Unknown X-6379 could be associated with Mahoney. Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission workers exhumed X-6379 in August 2022 and transferred the remains to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.
Mahoney’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Epinal American Cemetery in Dinozé, France, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Mahoney will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date to be determined.
U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Gordon N. Larson, from Josephine County, Oregon who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1941, Larson was a member of Battery B, 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.
Private First Class Larson is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
U.S. Army Tech Sgt. Thomas O. Moss, 31, of Brim, Virginia, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 1944, Moss was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division. His battalion had captured the town of Kommerscheidt, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest. A series of heavy German counterattacks eventually forced his battalion to withdraw. Moss was reported killed in action on Nov. 7., while fighting enemy forces at Kommerscheidt. His remains could not be recovered after the attack.
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 Moss’s remains. He was declared non-recoverable in November 1951.While studying unresolved American losses in the Hürtgen area, a DPAA historian determined that one of three sets of unidentified remains, designated X-6566, X-6567 and X-6568, recovered from a mass grave at Kommerscheidt in April 1946, possibly belonged to Moss.
The remains, which had been buried in Ardennes American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium, in 1949, were disinterred in Aug. 2018 and sent to the DPAA laboratory for identification.
Moss’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Plombières, Belgium, 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.
Moss will be buried in Salisbury, North Carolina, on Nov. 22, 2024
Airman
U.S. Army Air Force Pvt. Bernard J. Curran, 20, of Lowell, Massachusetts, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1941, Curran was a member of 17th Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group, 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.Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Curran was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Curran died Nov. 14, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 723.Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila.
In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Four of the sets of remains from Common Grave 723 were identified, while the remaining seven were declared unidentifiable.
The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In June 2018, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 723 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Curran’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Today, Curran is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Curran will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date to be determined.
U.S. Army Cpl. Frederick Carrino, Berkeley, 18, Missouri missing during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In December 1950, Cpl. Carrino was assigned to B Battery, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division, in the Korean theater.
He was reported missing in action (MIA) after his unit was forced to retreat from Hagaru-ri, North Korea, after the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.
The U.S. Army could not establish that Cpl. Carrino was ever held as a prisoner of war. This is an initial release.
The complete accounting of Carrino's case will be published once the family received their full briefing.
He was presumed dead on December 31, 1953.
U.S. Army Cpl. John Brooks Miller, 22, Brunswick County, North Carolina killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In November 1950, Miller was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.
He was killed in action on or around November 30, 1950, as his unit withdrew from positions near Sinhung-ri, North Korea, during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.
He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, after his unit was attacked by Chinese People's Volunteer Army as they attempted to withdraw near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
He was buried near the area of his loss, but his remains were not returned to the U.S. immediately following the war.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
Corporal Kidd is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.
U.S. Army Air Forces Tech. Sgt. William W. Bradner, 29, from Nemaha County, Nebraska who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
Bradner was a member of the 28th Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December 1941.
He was captured following the American surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, and forced on the Bataan Death March. He was ultimately interned in the notorious Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province, where he died of dysentery on November 15, 1942. At its peak, Cabanatuan held approximately 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war that were captured during and after the Fall of Bataan. Conditions at the camp were poor, with food and water extremely limited, leading to widespread malnutrition and outbreaks of malaria and dysentery.
Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.
He became a POW of the Japanese Army in the "Fall Of The Philippines" in May, 1942.
William "Died While A POW" of the Japanese Army at an unstated POW Camp in the Philippines during the war.
U.S. Army Air Forces Corporal Melvin L. Huff, 19, of Iowa Falls, Iowa, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In January 1945, Huff was assigned to 360th Service Group, Combat Replacement Training Center, Far East Air Force, and deployed in present day Papua New Guinea. As part of an attempt to neutralize the Japanese threat near Wewak, Territory of New Guinea, Huff’s unit attacked enemy defensive positions on nearby Cape Wom.
Huff, an arial gunner, was reported as missing in action on Jan. 20, when friendly forces lost contact with the A-20G Havoc bomber he was aboard.
Following the war, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS), the military unit responsible for investigating and recovering missing American personnel in the Pacific Theater, conducted exhaustive searches of battle areas and crash sites in New Guinea, concluding their search in late 1948. In June 1949, a board of AGRS officials concluded they were unable to locate any remains of Huff and the other two crew members. They were designated as non-recoverable.
DPAA predecessor organizations began researching and recovering service members from Papua New Guinea in the early 1980s. In December 2011, an Australian Defence Force officer reported seeing an aircraft crash site in a swap near Cape Wom, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea. A local guide from the nearby Wom Village had discovered the site roughly six months prior and stated human remains had been seen in the crash.
Between July 2015 and May 2016, DPAA personnel interviewed locals, collected crash materials and various life support items, and collected possible osseous remains. In late 2022, a DPAA Underwater Recovery Team conducted operations at the site, and recovered possible human remains, material evidence, and other life support equipment. The remains were sent to the DPAA Laboratory for review and analysis.
To identify Huff’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence.
Huff’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Huff will be buried in Iowa Falls, Iowa, on a date to be determined
Seaman 1st Class (S1c) Aaron L. McMurtrey, 27, of Durant, Oklahoma, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, McMurtrey was assigned to the battleship USS California, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS California sustained multiple torpedo and bomb hits, which caused it catch fire and slowly flood.
The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 103 crewmen, including McMurtrey. From December 1941 to April 1942, 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. In addition to the 42 casualties from the USS California initially identified after the attack, the laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 39 men from the USS California at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified the remains of the unresolved crew members, including McMurtrey, as non-recoverable.In 2018, DPAA personnel exhumed the 25 USS California Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
McMurtrey’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.
McMurtrey will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date to be determined.
U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Clem D. McDuffie, 18, of Hamlet, North Carolina, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In the winter of 1950, McDuffie was a member of Item Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported killed in action on Nov. 30 after his unit was attacked by the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army as they attempted to withdraw near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. In 1954, during Operation Glory, North Korea unilaterally turned over remains to the United States, including one set, designated Unknown X-15670 Operation Glory.
The remains were reportedly recovered from prisoner of war camps, United Nations cemeteries and isolated burial sites. None of the remains could be identified as McDuffie and he was declared non-recoverable on Jan. 16, 1956.
The remains were subsequently buried as an unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
In March 2021, DPAA disinterred X-15670 as part of Phase 3 of the Korean War disinterment project. X-15670 was accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for analysis and identification.
McDuffie’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.
McDuffie will be buried in Hamlet, North Carolina, on Nov. 30, 2024.
U.S. Army Sgt. David E. Hardy, from Rockingham, North Carolina who died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Hardy was a member of Headquarters Battery, 82nd Anti-Aircract Artillery – Automatic Weapons Battalion, Division Artillery, 2nd Infantry Division, Eighth U.S. Army.
The Battle of Chosin Reservoir, also known as the Chosin Reservoir Campaign was a decisive battle in the Korean War. On 27 November, the Chinese Army surprised UN Forces at the Chosin Reservoir area. A brutal 17-day battle in freezing weather and rough terrain soon followed. In the period between 27 November and 13 December 1950, 30,000 United Nations troops were encircled and attacked by approximately 120,000 Chinese troops.
He was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950, after his unit attempted to withdraw from Kunu-ri, North Korea, on Nov. 30, following the Battle of Ch’ongch’on.
In 1953, a POW from Hardy’s unit was returned during Operation Big Switch, where he reported Hardy had been a prisoner of war and died on Feb. 28, 1951, at Prisoner of War Camp #5.
Sergeant Hardy is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, which was updated in 2022 to include the names of the fallen.
U.S. Army Private Joseph M. Cocco, 22, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, missing in action during World War II, was accounted for.
In September 1943, Cocco was assigned to the Company C, 83rd Chemical Mortar Battalion in the Mediterranean Theater in World War II. He landed in Italy on Sept. 9 as part of Operation AVALANCHE, the amphibious invasion of the Italian peninsula near Salerno. On Sept. 11, Cocco was reported killed in action in the vicinity of the Chiunzi Pass, north of Maiori, Italy. His body was not recovered, and the Germans never reported him a prisoner of war.
Following the war, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS), Army Quartermaster Corps, was the organization tasked with recovering missing American personnel in the Mediterranean Theater. In 1947, AGRS investigators located an isolated burial site on the north slope of Monte di Chiunzi, where they recovered a set of remains designated as X-146. Although X-146 was initially believed to be Cocco, following recovery, investigators didn’t have enough identifying data or circumstantial information about Cocco’s loss to positively ID the remains. X-146 was interred at U.S. Military Cemetery Nettuno, which is now Sicily-Rome American Cemetery.
In 2019, while studying unresolved American losses from Operation Avalanche, a DPAA historian compiled information from archival documents and secondary sources that placed Cocco’s death at a forward observation post on the north slope of Monte di Chiunzi, the same area where X-146 was recovered.
The remains which had been buried at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuno, Italy in 1948, were disinterred in March 2022 and sent to the DPAA laboratory for identification.
Cocco’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Nettuno, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Cocco will be buried in Yeadon, Pennsylvania, in mid-November 2024.
U.S. Army Sgt. Thomas J. O’Brien, 23, New York City, N.Y. who died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, O’Brien was a member of Headquarters Battery, 90th Field Artillery Battalion, Division Artillery, 25th Infantry Division.
He was reported killed in action by tank fire on Oct. 26, 1950, after his unit was attacked by Korean People’s Army (KPA) forces while moving through the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea).
Following the end of hostilities, there was no information to suggest O’Brien was being held as a prisoner of war, and there was no body recovered
U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Leon R. Karwacki, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1944, Karwacki was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 36th Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division.
In mid-September, his battalion advanced against enemy forces around Stolberg, Germany, between Aachen and the Hurtgen Forest.
He was killed on Sept. 17, during an attack near the Mausbach village.
Karwacki’s body could not be recovered due to the intensity of enemy fire
U.S. Army Sgt. Simon Garelick, Dallas county, Missouri who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
Sergeant Simon Garelick joined the U.S. Army from Missouri and was a member of Headquarters Company, Philippine Department, during World War II.
He was captured in Bataan following the American surrender on April 9, 1942 and died of dysentery on November 4, 1942 at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province.
In late 1941, Garelick was a member of Headquarters Company, Philippines Department in the Philippines during World War II, 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.
Simon Garelick is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
Merchant Marine
Merchant Marine Wiper Elvis N. Spotts, 18, of Kansas City, Missouri, killed during World War II, was accounted for on.
n February 1944, Spotts was a crew member of the SS Cape Isabel, part of a convoy of three ships including the USS Grayson and the SS Cape Fear. On Feb. 22, 1944, the ships were approximately 12 miles off the coast of Tarawa Atoll. The two Merchant Marine vessels were bringing supplies to Betio Island. Spotts was electrocuted during bilge maintenance. He was unable to be revived.
On Feb. 23, 1944, Spotts was buried with military honors in the U.S. Marine Cemetery on Betio Island.
In the aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in and after the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but Spotts’ remains were not identified and he was declared non-recoverable.
In 2017, members of History Flight, Inc., a non-profit organization, discovered a coffin buried in Cemetery #33 on Betio, which contained possible osseous remains. These Unknown remains were transferred to the DPAA laboratory for examination and identification.
Spotts’ 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.
Spotts will be buried in Armstrong, Missouri, on Nov. 9, 2024.
Pilot
U.S. Navy Reserve Lt. Cmdr. Larry R. Kilpatrick, 28, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, killed during Vietnam was accounted for.
In June 1972, Kilpatrick was a member of Attack Squadron One Hundred Five (VA-105), on board the USS Saratoga (CVA-60), flying an A-7A “Corsair II” aircraft in a flight of two on a night armed reconnaissance mission over northern Vietnam. Kilpatrick’s wingman lost radio contact with him outside of Ha Tinh City, after he announced he had sighted a target and was commencing an attack. After daybreak, search and rescue aircraft observed remnants of a parachute near Kilpatrick’s last known location, but could not identify it as Kilpatrick’s. The search and rescue team was unable to locate any aircraft wreckage.
On June 19, 1972, a Radio Hanoi broadcast claimed a shoot-down of four aircraft in the previous two days. According to the report, on June 18, an A-7 was shot down. Records indicated that Kilpatrick’s A-7A was the only aircraft of that kind lost during that period.
In 1996, a joint team excavated the crash site, recovering aircraft wreckage consistent with an A-7 aircraft, but no remains were located. In the following years, excavation of the crash site was expanded, with teams recovering possible osseous remains, as well as life support items. The remains were sent to the DPAA laboratory for processing and identification.
To identify Kilpatrick’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence recovered from the crash site.
Kilpatrick’s name is recorded on the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with others who are unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Kilpatrick will be buried in Gwinnett County, Georgia, on Nov. 15, 2024.
Soldier
Army First Lieutenant Herman J. Sundstad, 26, of Perley, Minnesota, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the summer of 1944, Sundstad was a member of the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), also known as Merrill’s Marauders. On June 5, Sundstad’s unit, referred to as “Task Force Galahad”, was engaged with Japanese forces in the Battle of Myitkyina, in Burma.
Historical records of Sundstad’s assigned unit were lost, but he was believed to be a member of 3rd Battalion. At the time of his loss, 3rd Battalion was engaging an overwhelming enemy force near the village of Namkwi. The exact circumstances of his death were not recorded, and his remains were not accounted for during or after the war.In the fall of 1944, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel recovered a set of unknown remains, designated X-75 Kalaikunda, in the vicinity of Myitkyina.
The remains were examined at U.S. Military Cemetery at Kalaikunda, India, but investigators were unable to scientifically identify them. X-75, and other Unknowns from Myitkyina, were transferred and interred in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In 2021, DPAA disinterred Unknown X-75 from the Punchbowl and transferred the remains to the DPAA laboratory for scientific analysis.
Sundstad’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in Manila, Philippines, along with the others missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Sundstad will be buried in Lafayette, California, on Nov. 11, 2024
Soldier
U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Kenneth D. Burgess, 29, from Muhlenberg county, Kentucky missing in action during World War II, was accounted for.
In September 1943, Burgess was assigned to Company B, 4th Ranger Battalion “Darby’s Rangers” in the Mediterranean Theater in World War II.
On Sept. 25, Burgess was reported killed in action in the vicinity of the Sala, Italy, during Operation Avalanche.
His body was not recovered, and the Germans never reported him a prisoner of war.
The War Department declared him non-recoverable on May 10, 1948.
Kenneth Dunbar Burgess is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuno, Italy.
Army Sgt. Clayton M. Pierce, 41, of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Pierce was a member of D Company, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported killed in action on Dec. 1, 1950, after his unit was engaged with enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered. The exact circumstances of his loss are not historically available, and there was never a record he was held captive as a POW.
On July 27, 2018 North Korea turned over 55 boxes, purported to contain the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War. The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018, and were subsequently accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Pierce’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological and isotope analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Pierce’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Pierce will be buried in Rossiter, Pennsylvania, in late October, 2024.
Soldier
U.S. Army Private James S. Mitchell, from Glenn County, California who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1941, Mitchell was a member of Company B, 31st Infantry 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.Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Mitchell was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.
They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
Private Mitchell is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Airman
October 4
U.S. Army Air Forces Sgt. James H. Murray, from California who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1941, Murray was a member of the 93rd Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group, 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.Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Murray was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.
They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1.
More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
Sergeant Murray is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
U.S. Army Pvt. Harland J. Hennessey, 24, from Boonville, New York who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In summer 1942, Hennessey was a member of the 803rd Engineer Battalion, Aviation, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Hennessey was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.
They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
Private Hennessey is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Tanker
U.S. Army Pvt. James G. Loterbaugh, 35, from Nelsonville, Ohio killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In December 1944, Loterbaugh was assigned to Company C, 774th Tank Battalion, as a crewmember on an M4 “Sherman” tank. His unit was engaged in battle with German forces near Strass, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest, when his tank was hit by heavy artillery and anti-tank fire.
Due to the speed and intensity of the fighting, the Company C commander was unable to maintain an accurate count of his troops.
By mid-day of Dec. 11, it is believed the entire platoon, including Loterbaugh’s tank, was Missing in Action.
The Germans never reported Loterbaugh as a prisoner of war.
The War Department issued a presumptive finding of death in December 1945
Private Loterbaugh is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Hombourg, Belgium.
U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Estle E. Corvin, from Virginia killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In January 1945, Corvin was assigned to Company K, 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division in the European Theater during World War II.
Shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve 1944, German forces launched a major offensive operation in the Vosges Mountains in Alsace-Lorraine, France, known as Operation NORDWIND.
The German attack surged through Allied defenses along the Franco-German border, and the ensuing battle enveloped two U.S. Corps along a 40-mile-wide front. In the following few weeks, Company K found itself assigned to resupply and reinforce Allied forces during the Battle of Reipertswiller.
At some point on Jan. 21, Corvin was killed, but due to the intensity of the fighting his body was unable to be recovered while Company K was forced to withdraw from the area.
With no record of German forces capturing Corvin, and no remains recovered, the War Department issued a “Finding of Death” in January 1946.
U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Willard H. Edwards, 20, Wise County, Virginia killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In the winter of 1950, Edwards was a member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on Dec. 5 after his unit was attacked by enemy forces as they attempted to withdraw near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
The Battle of Chosin Reservoir, also known as the Chosin Reservoir Campaign was a decisive battle in the Korean War. On 27 November, the Chinese Army surprised UN Forces at the Chosin Reservoir area. A brutal 17-day battle in freezing weather and rough terrain soon followed. In the period between 27 November and 13 December 1950, 30,000 United Nations troops were encircled and attacked by approximately 120,000 Chinese troops.
Willard H Edwards is memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial. This is an American Battle
Willard is remembered at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington.
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces Corporal Glenn H. Hodak, 23, from Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In May 1945, Hodak was a member of the 93rd Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group, when the B-29 “Superfortress” he was serving aboard was shot down on a mission to Tokyo, Japan.
Initially reported as missing in action, investigators later learned that Hodak was captured and perished in the Tokyo Prison Fire on May 26, 1945.
His remains were not immediately recovered or identified after the war.
Glenn H Hodak is memorialized at Courts of the Missing, Court 7 Honolulu Memorial National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific Honolulu, Hawaii.
U.S. Army Sgt. Jack Zarifian, 19, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In April 1945, Zarifian was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 253rd Infantry Regiment, 63rd Infantry Division. His unit was engaged in fierce fighting near the town of Buchhof, Germany, when he was reported killed in action after being struck by a Nebelwerfer rocket on Apr. 6. His body was unable to be recovered due to intense fighting against German forces holding the town.
Zarifian’s remains were not accounted for during or after the war, and he was not reported as being captured by German forces.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in Europe. Several recovery teams visited Buchhof and spoke with locals about missing troops. Villagers explained that several U.S. servicemembers had been buried in their cemetery or within the community, but that American units had later exhumed the dead and took their bodies back to American cemeteries. Zarifian was not among those recovered.
On October 18, 2023, DPAA officials in based in Germany received phone calls from police officers at Mosbach and Heilbronn with reports regarding possible American remains discovered near Buchhof.
Explosive ordnance disposal technicians had located what they believed to be human remains and World War II era U.S. equipment and clothing, while clearing a construction site for an underground electrical power line northwest of the village.
Excavation of the site revealed human remains, material evidence consistent with items utilized by U.S. personnel during World War II, and various personal items believed to belong to Zarifian. The evidence was transferred into the custody of the DPAA and accessioned into the laboratory for analysis.
To identify Zarifian’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological and dental analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR), and Autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Zarifian’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Lorraine American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in St. Avold, France, 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.
Zarifian will be buried in Providence, Rhode Island, on a date to be determined.
U.S. Army Private Rodger D. Andrews, 19, of Gravette, Arkansas, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In June 1944, Andrews was assigned to Company C, 37th Engineer Combat Battalion in the European Theater during World War II. On the morning of June 6, 1944, British, Canadian, and American armed forces came ashore on the beaches of Normandy, France, during Operation OVERLORD. On the beach code-named "Omaha," the immediate objectives of engineers like Andrews were to clear German defenses, obstacles, and mines, then establish exit roads off the beach for the invading ground troops and armored vehicles.
Company C’s efforts enabled the first troops to move off the beach and press the fight into fortified German positions further inland. At some point during the invasion, Andrews was killed but due to the chaos of battle and intensity of the fighting, it was unclear what happened to him. Even after Allied forces secured Omaha Beach, Andrews' remains were not identified.
Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, began looking for missing American personnel in the Normandy area. Among the Unknowns AGRC teams recovered from Omaha Beach was a set of remains, designated X-48 St. Laurent (X-48), that were found to be wearing a belt with the initials "R.D.A.," which potentially associated with Andrews. However, because items of clothing could have been traded amongst different servicemembers and due to physical similarities between X-48 and other missing servicemembers being too close for officials to make a definite association, the AGRC was unable to identify the remains.
X-48 was ultimately interred as an Unknown on Dec. 11, 1948, in the U.S. Military Cemetery St. Laurent, known today as Normandy American Cemetery.
In December 2014, DPAA received a request from the Andrews family to devote more time to locating their loved one. Historians reviewing other Omaha Beach losses reassessed the circumstances of Andrews’ death, noting the initials on the belt found with X-48 were a possible association. In addition, historians concluded other clothing items the Unknown was wearing could have been issued to a member of a unit like the 37th Engineer Combat Battalion.
After additional historical and scientific comparisons between the personnel data of missing servicemembers from Omaha Beach and the attributes of X-48, the Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission workers exhumed the Unknown in March 2019 and transferred the remains to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.
Andrews’ name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Andrews will be buried on a date to be later determined.
U.S. Army Sgt. Howard L. Hasselkus,
Elmore, 26, Ohio
who was captured and
died as a prisoner of war during World War II,
was accounted for.
In late 1941, Hasselkus was a member of the 192nd Tank Battalion, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW
camps. Hasselkus was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan
surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death
March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished
in this camp during the war.
It is known that Howard was admitted to the
camp’s hospital on Thursday, August 6, 1942, suffering from malaria, scurvy, and
pellagra.
According to U. S. Army records, Sgt.
Howard L. Hasselkus died on Sunday, November 22, 1942, at approximately 11 p.m.
at Cabanatuan Prison Camp from malaria and buried in Grave 807 in the camp with
other POWs who died that date.
The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial
in the Philippines is located in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, Metro Manila,
within the boundaries of the former Fort William McKinley.
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Eugene J. Darrigan, 26, Dutchess County, New York killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In March 1944, Darrigan was assigned to the 320th Bombardment Squadron, 90th Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force, and deployed in present day Papua New Guinea.
On the morning of March 11, Darrigan, the radio operator onboard a B-24D “Liberator” Heaven Can Wait departed Nadzab Strip #1, Papua New Guinea, as part of a bombing mission against enemy positions at Boram Airfield, and Awar Point, Hansa Bay, located along the northern coast of New Guinea.
Observers from other aircraft in the formation reported seeing flames erupting from the bomb bay, spreading to the tail quickly.
Heaven Can Wait was seen pitching up violently before banking left and crashing down into the water.
It is believed anti-aircraft fire hit the plane, causing un-dropped ordnance to explode. Several aircraft circled the crash site in hopes of locating any possible survivors, but none could be seen.
Eugene J Darrigan is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
Airman
U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Donald W. Sheppick, 26, Washington County, Pennsylvania killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In March 1944, Sheppick was assigned to the 320th Bombardment Squadron, 90th Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force, and deployed in present day Papua New Guinea.
On the morning of March 11, Sheppick, the navigator onboard a B-24D “Liberator” Heaven Can Wait departed Nadzab Strip #1, Papua New Guinea, as part of a bombing mission against enemy positions at Boram Airfield, and Awar Point, Hansa Bay, located along the northern coast of New Guinea.
Observers from other aircraft in the formation reported seeing flames erupting from the bomb bay, spreading to the tail quickly.
Heaven Can Wait was seen pitching up violently before banking left and crashing down into the water.
It is believed anti-aircraft fire hit the plane, causing un-dropped ordnance to explode. Several aircraft circled the crash site in hopes of locating any possible survivors, but none could be seen.
Second Lieutenant Sheppick is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Soldier
U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Ronald W. Forrester, 25, of Odessa, Texas, killed during Vietnam was accounted for.
In the winter of 1972, Forrester was assigned to Marine All-Weather Attack Squadron 533, Marine Attack Group 12, 1st Marine Air Wing. On Dec. 27, Forrester was piloting an A-6A Intruder, along with his co-pilot, during a nighttime combat mission over the northern part of the Democratic Republic of (North) Vietnam. After entering the target area, Forrester’s aircraft ceased radio communications and never returned to base. Search and rescue teams could not locate any trace of the aircraft or the crew in the Le Thuy District, Quang Binh Province. In September 1978, the Marine Corps changed Capt. Forrester’s initial Missing In Action status to Killed in Action.
After decades of investigation into the incident yielding no results, investigators discovered remains and material evidence which is believed to be associated with both missing aviators. This recovered evidence has been associated with Reference Number (REFNO) 1973 incident and corresponding crash site (VN-02653). To date REFNO 1973 is the only A-6 loss within 30 kilometers of the crash site, which the DPAA Indo-Pacific Directorate believes is a direct correlation to the missing Marines.
Forrester’s name is recorded on the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with others who are unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War.
A
rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Forrester will be buried on Oct. 7, 2024, in Arlington National Cemetery.
Sailor
U.S. Navy Pharmacist’s Mate Third Class (PhM3c) Gilmore V. Rix, Los Angeles, California killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In November 20 through 23, 1943, the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy conducted a large-scale amphibious assault on the Japanese-held atoll of Tarawa as part of Operation Galvanic, the Allied capture of the Gilbert Islands. Located 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii, Tarawa was a crucial stepping stone in the planned U.S. offensive across the central Pacific toward Japan.
The Japanese garrison on Tarawa’s main island of Betio was well-entrenched with hundreds of bunkers and gun positions behind formidable beach obstacles. The first wave of Marines approaching the shore encountered lower-than-expected tides, forcing them to leave their landing craft on the reef and wade the hundreds of yards to the beach under intense enemy fire.
The heaviest number of U.S. casualties were suffered during this phase of the landing. Eventually, rising tides allowed U.S. warships to maneuver closer to shore and support the troops with effective naval gunfire. More Marines landed on the second day, launching attacks inland from the beaches and seizing the Japanese airfield on the island. However, the enemy launched vicious counterattacks and two more days of intense fighting were needed to secure Betio.
The last enemy strongpoints were taken on the morning of November 23. The fighting on Betio cost the Marines nearly 3,000 casualties but enabled U.S. forces to press further across the Pacific and yielded valuable tactical lessons that reduced U.S. losses in future amphibious landings..
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.
Rix is believed to have been killed while his unit attempted to secure Red Beach 3 on Nov. 20, 1943. His remains were not identified after the war
Pharmacist's Mate Third Class Rix is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
U.S. Army Cpl. Eriverto Ortiz, 27, of Batesville, Texas,
killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In Sept. 1950, Ortiz was a member of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry
Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He went missing in action after his unit
engaged in defensive actions west of Masan, near the port city of Pusan, South
Korea, on Sept. 22. Due to intense fighting, his body could not be recovered at
that time, and there was never any evidence that he was a prisoner of war. With
no further information the Army declared Ortiz nonrecoverable in Jan. 1956.
In early 1951, the Army began recovering remains from the area and temporarily
interred them at the United Nations Military Cemetery (UNMC) Pusan. One set of
remains recovered during this period was designated Unknown X-32 Pusan,
recovered in the vicinity of Kun’gong-ni, South Korea, near where Ortiz went
missing. A tentative association was made between X-32 and Ortiz, but definitive
proof could not be found, and X-32 was determined to be unidentifiable.
The remains were sent to Hawaii where they were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
Ortiz’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.
Ortiz will be buried in Elgin, Illinois, on Oct. 28, 2024.
Soldier
U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Charles R. Reiser, 20, of Washburn, North Dakota, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In June 1944, Reiser was a member of Company D, 708th Amphibious Tank Battalion. He was killed June 15 during Operation Forager on the island of Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands. Marines ashore on the island were under constant assault from Japanese mortars, which caused heavy casualties and impeded American’s movements.
The exact cause of Reiser’s death is unknown, but it is believed his unit was providing armor support to the Marines’ initial landing on the beaches. Reiser’s remains were not known to have been accounted for during or after the war. The War Department declared him non-recoverable in June 1949.The American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) searched for and disinterred remains throughout the Pacific theater in an effort to identify fallen service members after the end of the war.
Remains identified as Unknown X-57 were first reported as buried in the 4th Marine Division Cemetery on Saipan. However, the AGRS was not able to identify X-57, and the remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines in 1950.After thorough research, DPAA historians concluded X-57 was possibly associated with Reiser.
Reiser’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 World War II.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Reiser will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date to be determined
U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. John E. Edwinson Jr., 23, Lowell, MA. killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In September 1942, Edwinson was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 7th
Marines, 1st Marine Division. On Sept. 24, he was killed during a firefight with
Japanese forces. His body could not be recovered at the time because of the
fighting.
A burial party was dispatched to the area of “Hill X” and “Hill Y” on Sept. 25 where they quickly buried the Marines who died during the fighting on Sept. 24, including Edwinson, in Grave DIn late 1944 and early 1945, some of these remains were found and buried elsewhere, but there is no record of Edwinson being among those.
American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) began searching Guadalcanal and nearby islands for missing service members in 1947.
"Eddie" was buried in the field, and his remains were declared non-recoverable after the war.
They made several searches through 1949, but were unable to find Edwinson. He was declared non-recoverable in Aug. 1950
Manila American Cemetery and Memorial Wildwood Cemetery, Wilmington, Massachusetts
September
19
U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class William A. Wheeler, Oakland County, Michigan killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In September 1950, Wheeler was a member of Company H, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.
He went missing in action after his unit engaged in combat actions with the enemy along the Naktong River in the vicinity of Yongsan, South Korea, on Sept. 1. Due to intense fighting in the area, his body could not be recovered at that time.
The exact circumstances of his death were unknown, but the U.S. Army determined him to be killed in action on Oct. 25, 1950.
William A Wheeler is buried or memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
September
19
U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Jack M. Cash, Kitsap County, Washington killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In September 1950, Cash was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing in action after his unit engaged in combat actions with the enemy along the Naktong River in the vicinity of Yongsan, South Korea, on Sept. 1. Due to intense fighting in the area, his body could not be recovered at that time.
The exact circumstances of his death were unknown, and the U.S. Army determined him to be nonrecoverable on Dec. 31, 1953.
Jack M Cash is buried or memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
U.S. Army Air Force 1st Lt. Wylie W. Leverett, 28, Freestone County, Texas killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1944, Leverett was assigned to the 708th Bombardment Squadron, 447th Bombardment Group, 4th Combat Bomb Wing, 3rd Air Division, 8th Air Force in the European Theater. On Dec. 30, Leverett, the pilot onboard a B-17G “Flying Fortress” Fuddy Duddy, was lost when his aircraft collided with another American aircraft while on a bombing mission to Mannheim, Germany.
Wylie W Leverett is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing Lorraine American Cemetery St. Avold, France.
Navy Chief Carpenter’s Mate Tedd M. Furr, 39, of Selma, Alabama, killed during World War II, was accounted for on.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Furr 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 Furr.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Furr.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
Furr’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.
Furr will be buried on April 2, 2025, in the Punchbowl.
Navy Fireman 1st Class Edward D. Johnson, 24, of Hurdsfield, North Dakota, killed during World War II, was accounted for on.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Johnson 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 Johnson.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Johnson.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
Johnson’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.
Johnson will be buried on Oct. 25, 2024, in the Punchbowl.
Soldier
U.S. Army Corporal Raymond N. DeCloss, 24, of Salinas, California, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1941, DeCloss was a member of Company C, 194th Tank Battalion, U.S. Army, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. DeCloss was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1.
More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.According to prison camp and other historical records, DeCloss died Nov. 15, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 721.Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them.
To identify DeCloss’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
Today, DeCloss is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
DeCloss will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date to be determined.
U.S. Army Tech. Sgt. Charles E. Young Jr., 32, of Los Angeles, California, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1941, Young was a member of the 429th Signal Maintenance Company (Aviation), U.S. Army, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Young was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.
They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death Young and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1.
More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.According to prison camp and other historical records, Young died July 16, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 316.Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them.
Eleven of the sets of remains from Common Grave 316 were identified, while the remaining 17 were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.In 2018, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 316 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Young’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.Although interred as an Unknown in MACM,
Young’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Today, Young is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Young will be buried in Riverside, California, on Oct. 28, 2024.
U.S. Army Pvt. Willard D. Merrill, 22, Brunswick, Maine who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1942, Merrill was a member of the 2nd Observation Squadron, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Merrill was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1.
He was ultimately interned in the notorious Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province, where he died of dysentery on August 28, 1942.
More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
Private Merrill is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
U.S. Army Air Force Tech5 William E. Eby, Deschutes County, Oregon who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In early 1942, Eby was a member of 409th Signal Company, Aviation, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
Eby was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1.
More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
William E Eby is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
Airman
U.S. Army Air Force Technical Sgt. Lynn M. Farnham, Oswego County, New York killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Eight of the ten crewmembers bailed out of the aircraft which crash outside of Langquaid, Germany. They reported seeing Farnham and another crewman dead near the co-pilots seat. Farnham’s body was not immediately recovered, and a report of death was finally issued on Aug. 10, 1945.
Lynn M Farnham is buried or memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France
September
12
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Walter A. Ross Jr., 30, Saint Louis, Missouri killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
Sergeant First Class Ross was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was taken Prisoner of War while fighting the enemy in South Korea on February 14, 1951 and died while a prisoner on April 15, 1951 in Pyongyang, North Korea. His remains were not recovered.
In early 1951, Ross was a member of Love Company, 3rd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action after his unit engaged in combat actions with the North Korean People’s Army near Sang-nok, South Korea, on Feb. 14, 1951. U.S. defensive positions were attacked and overrun, and Ross was not immediately accounted for.
Walter A Ross Jr is memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
Walter is remembered at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington.
September
10
Army Sgt. Charles E. Beaty, 26, of Lake City, Arkansas, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Beaty was a member of Item Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 3, after his unit was attacked by Chinese People’s Volunteer Army forces as they attempted to withdraw to the town of Hagaru-ri near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, Beaty’s remains could not be recovered and he was reported Missing In Action. The exact circumstances of his loss were unknown.
On July 27, 2018, following the summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un in June 2018, North Korea turned over 55 boxes, purported to contain the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War. The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018, and were subsequently accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for identification.
Beaty’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
Beaty will be buried in Lake City, Arkansas, on a date to be determined.
Airman
U.S. Army Air Force Staff Sgt. John A. Tarbert, 24, of Port Deposit, Maryland, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1944, Tarbert was assigned to the 703rd Bombardment Squadron, 445th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 8th Air Force in the European Theater. On Sept. 27, Tarbert, a waist gunner onboard the B-24J Liberator Mairzy Doats, was killed in action when his plane was hit by heavy anti-aircraft fire over Bassenheim, Germany. None of the six surviving crewmembers reported seeing Tarbert successfully bail out of the crashing plane, which landed in a local hill called Karmelenberg near the towns of Ochtendung and Bassenheim, Germany. After the war, there was no record of the missing crewmembers being taken as POWs by German forces. The three crewmembers, including Tarbert, remained unaccounted for following the war.
In February 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, recovered unidentified remains recovered from the Bassenheim Cemetery. These remains, X-2360 Margraten (X-2360), were reportedly removed from an aircraft crash by villagers after a crash in late Sept. 1944.
Later, in 1951, a team visited the crash site and recovered remains from the crater, designated X-9048 Liege (X-9048). At the time, an identification of X-2360 was made for the missing Mairzy Doats tail gunner. Identification of the other remains was not possible, and they were transferred to what is now the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial, Carthage, Tunisia.
DPAA historians determined a strong possible connection between X-9048 and Tarbert was possible. In Sept. 2022, Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission personnel, exhumed X-9048 from the North African American Cemetery and transferred them to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis and identification.
Also in
Sept. 2022, DPAA sent an investigation team, which included Army Geospatial
Center personnel, to investigate a crash site outside Bassenheim believed to be
that of Mairzy
Doats.
Remains recovered from the crash site were sent to the DPAA laboratory for
analysis and identification.
Tarbert’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Luxembourg American Cemetery, Luxembourg, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Tarbert will be buried in Schuylerville, New York, on Nov. 8, 2024
September
10
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Israel Ramos, 18, of Calverton, New York, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In August 1950, Ramos was a member of D Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing in action after his unit engaged in combat actions with the enemy along the Naktong River in the vicinity of Yongsan, South Korea, on Aug. 31. Due to intense fighting in the area, his body could not be recovered at that time. The exact circumstances of his death were unknown, and the U.S. Army determined him to be nonrecoverable on Jan. 16, 1956.
In December 1950, members from the 565th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company located and recovered six sets of remains from the east side of Hill 311, roughly one mile northwest of Chilhyeon-ri village. Of the six remains, two soldiers were identified, while the remaining designated X-326 thru X-329 were interred in the Miryang United Nations Memorial Cemetery. The remains were reexamined in 1955 and all but X-328 were identified. The remains were subsequently buried as an unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
In June 2021, DPAA personnel disinterred Unknown X-328 and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Ramos’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.
Ramos will be buried in Calverton, New York, on Oct. 11, 2024.
U.S. Army Pvt. Robert L. Skaar, 18, of La Crosse, Wisconsin, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In early 1945, Skaar was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 222nd Infantry Regiment, 42nd Infantry Division. On March 10, Skaar was killed in action while his unit was on patrol near Wildenguth, France. The Germans never reported Skaar as a prisoner of war, and his remains were not immediately recovered.
Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, searched the area around Wildenguth. None of the investigations uncovered any leads regarding the disposition of Skaar’s remains. Consequently, he was declared non-recoverable on March 12, 1951.
DPAA historians have been conducting on-going research into Soldiers missing from combat around Wildenguth. and found that X-5726 Neuville (X-5726), buried in Ardennes American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Neupré, Belgium, could be associated with Skaar. X-5726 was disinterred in August 2022 and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.
Skaar’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Epinal American Cemetery in Dinozé, France, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Skaar will be buried on October 1, 2024, in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
September 5
U.S. Army Private 1st Class Robert J. Wright Jr, 20, of Hollybrook, Virginia, who died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Wright was a member of G Company, 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, Eighth U.S. Army. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 30, 1950, after his unit attempted to withdraw from Kunu-ri, North Korea, on Nov. 30, following the Battle of Ch’ongch’on. In 1953, two POWs who returned during Operation Big Switch reported Wright had been a prisoner of war and died in March 1951 at Prisoner of War Camp #5.
In the late summer and fall of 1954, during Operation Glory, North Korea returned remains reportedly recovered from Pyoktong, also known as Prisoner of War Camp #5, to the United Nations Command. None were associated with Wright.
One set of remains disinterred from Camp #5 returned during Operation Glory was designated Unknown X-14717 and buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. In August 2019, the DPAA disinterred Unknown X-14717 as part of Phase Two of the Korean War Disinterment Plan and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Wright’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
Wright will be buried in Hollybrook, Virginia, on a date to be determined.
Airman
September 3
U.S. Army Air Forces Sergeant Henry H. Packard, 34, of Plymouth, New Hampshire, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In summer 1942, Packard was a member of the Chemical Warfare Service, U.S. Army, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Packard was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Packard died September 17, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 445.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them.
Four sets of remains from Common Grave 445 were identified, but
the remaining two were declared unidentifiable, including those of Sgt. Packard.
The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In early 2019, the remains associated with Common Grave 445 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Packard’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Packard will be buried in Plymouth, New Hampshire, on a date to be determined.
August 22
U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Arlie P. Barrett, 19, of Bluff City, Tennessee, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In August 1950, Barrett was a member of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He went missing in action after his unit engaged in combat actions with the North Korean People’s Army along the Naktong River west of Yongsan, South Korea, on Aug. 10, 1950. Due to intense fighting in the area, his body could not be recovered at that time. The exact circumstances of his death were unknown.
On Dec. 29, 1950, Unknown Remains X-334 Miryang (X-334) was recovered near the village of Chirhyon-ni, roughly eight miles from where Barrett was reported MIA. The remains could not be identified as Barrett at the time, and they were subsequently buried as an unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, known as the Punchbowl.
In June 2021, DPAA personnel disinterred Unknown X-334 and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Barrett’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.
Barrett will be buried in Mountain Home, Tennessee, on Sept. 27, 2024.
August 19
U.S. Army Pvt. Kwack K. Woo, 31, of Los Angeles, California, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In February 1945, Woo was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 318th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division. His regiment was engaged in fierce fighting near the town of Biesdorf, Germany, when he was reported killed in action by small arms fire on Feb. 9. His body was unable to be recovered due to intense fighting against heavily reinforced German forces on an elevated position. Despite various recovery attempts, Woo’s remains were not accounted for during or after the war.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in Europe. In 1951, remains were recovered from a wooded area southeast of Biesdorf. Remnants of military clothing, an American helmet and ammunition were found, but no identification tags or personal effects were located. The remains were designated X-8517 Neuville and interred at the U.S. Military Cemetery at Tunisia, known today as the North Africa American Cemetery.
In September 2022, Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) personnel exhumed X-8517 Neuville for forensic analysis and comparison with unresolved soldiers known to have been lost in the Biesdorf conflict area. The remains were sent to the DPAA laboratory for identification.
Woo’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Luxembourg
American Cemetery, an ABMC site in Hamm, Luxembourg, 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.
Woo will be buried in Agawam, Massachusetts, on Sept. 28, 2024.
U.S. Army Sgt. Kester B. Hardman, 22, of Smithville, West Virginia, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In Dec. 1950, Hardman was assigned to M Company, 3rd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action after his unit engaged in intensive combat actions in the vicinity of Sunchon, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Following the armistice in 1953, North Korean forces claimed Hardman died in the spring of 1951 while in captivity at POW Camp 5, on the Pyoktong Peninsula. His remains were not identified during or immediately after the war.
Following the war, in 1954, the opposing nations reached an agreement to exchange war dead, the execution of which was known as Operation GLORY. One set of Unknown remains, designated X-13467 OP GLORY, was reportedly recovered from the 1st Marine Division Cemetery at Yudam-ni, D.P.R.K. While most losses interred at Yudam-ni were primarily Marines, several other sets of remains were identified as POWs who had died at Camp 5. Investigators could not identify X-13467 at the time, and they were then sent to Hawaii where they were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In July 2018, DPAA personnel exhumed Unknown Remains X-13467 from the Punchbowl and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory, for analysis.
Hardman’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.
Hardman will be buried in Smithville, West Virginia, on a date to be determined.
August 15
U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Clossie D. Brown, 36, of Frankfort, Indiana, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
Brown was assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division in the European Theater during World War II. Shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve 1944, German forces launched a major offensive operation in the Vosges Mountains in Alsace-Lorraine, France, known as Operation NORDWIND. The German attack surged through Allied defenses along the Franco-German border, and the ensuing battle enveloped two U.S. Corps along a 40-mile-wide front. In the following few weeks, Company F found itself assigned to a 7-mile sector at Reipertswiller and Wildenguth, France. At some point on Jan 21, Brown was killed, but due to the intensity of the fighting his body was unable to be recovered. With no record of German forces capturing Brown, and no remains recovered, the War Department issued a “Finding of Death” in January 1946.
Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, began looking for missing American personnel in the Reipertswiller area. On June 15, 1947, a French demining unit in the Obermuhlthal forest, northeast of Reiperstwiller, discovered fragmentary human remains and Pfc. Brown’s identification tag. The recovered remains, designated X-5723 Neuville (X-5723), were analyzed, but at the time scientists were unable to make a positive identification. They were interred at the U.S. Military Cemetery at St. Avold, France, known today as Lorraine American Cemetery.
DPAA historians have been conducting in-depth research into Soldiers missing from combat around Wildenguth and Reipertswiller, and believe that the fragmentary remains comprising Unknown X-5723 could be associated with Brown. They also determined that additional remains, designated X-8046 St. Avold, could also represent portions of Brown. In June 2021 and Aug. 2022, Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission workers exhumed X-5723 and X-8046, and transferred the remains to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.
Brown’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Epinal American Cemetery
in Dinozé, France, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Brown will be buried in Frankfort, Indiana, on Sept. 24, 2024.
Airman
August 15
U.S. Army Air Forces Private Robert W. Cash, 20, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In summer 1942, Cash was a member of the 28th Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Cash was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Cash died July 16, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 316.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Eleven of the sets of remains from Common Grave 316 were identified, while the remaining 17 were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In April 2019, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 316 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Cash’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). Today, Pvt. Cash is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been
accounted for.
Cash will be buried in Pittsford, New York, on a date to be determined
Pilot
August 12
U.S. Navy Reserve Lieutenant Jay R. Manown Jr., 26, of Kingwood, West Virginia, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In the fall of 1944, Manown was an aviator assigned to Navy Torpedo Squadron 20 (VT-20), USS Enterprise. On Sept. 10, Manown and two other crew members aboard a TBM-1C Avenger (Bureau Number 17018), took off from the USS Enterprise on a mission to conduct air strikes against enemy targets in Malakal Naval District, Palau Islands. Witnesses from other aircraft in the formation saw Manown’s plane struck by enemy anti-aircraft fire and crash into water near Malakal. There were no indications that Manown or the other crewmembers exited the stricken aircraft prior to the crash, and all efforts to recover their remains were unsuccessful.
Following the war, the American Graves Registration Service, the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel, conducted exhaustive searches of battle areas and crash sites in Palau, concluding their search in the summer of 1947. Investigators could not find any evidence of Manown or his aircraft. He was declared non-recoverable July 16, 1949.
From 2003 to 2018, the BentProp Project (now known as Project Recover), with members from Scripps Institution of Oceanography and University of Delaware, and DPAA conducted multiple investigations resulting in the location of a site associated with the incident. Later, in May 2019, Ships of Exploration and Discovery Research (SHIPS), another DPAA partner organization, excavated the site and recovered possible osseous remains and other material evidence. In Sept. 2021, a subsequent excavation was completed by Project Recover and Legion Undersea Services (Legion), where additional remains and material evidence were recovered. Finally, in July 2023 Project Recover and Legion completed a third excavation at the site, collecting further osseous materials and material evidence. This evidence was all sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
In 2023 the DPAA laboratory scientifically identified the other two crewmen from Manown’s crash site, further supporting the belief that Manown’s remains were also recovered.
Manown’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in the Philippines, along with others still missing from WWII.
A
rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Manown will be buried on October 29, 2024, in Kingwood, West Virginia.
August 12
U.S. Army Air Force 2nd Lt. Francis E. Callahan, 22, of Staten Island, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In spring 1944, Callahan was assigned to the 732nd Bombardment Squadron, 453rd Bombardment Group, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force in the European Theater. On April 8, Callahan, the navigator onboard a B-24H “Liberator” Little Joe, was killed in action when his plane was shot down by enemy fighter aircraft fire while on a bombing mission to Brunswick, Germany. Airmen aboard other aircraft flying in formation with Little Joe did not report seeing any crewmembers exiting the aircraft before it crashed in the vicinity of Salzwedel. The crash site could not be located by Allied forces during the war, and the remains of all ten crewmembers, including Callahan, were unaccounted for following the war.
Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, began investigating the numerous bomber losses in the Salzwedel and Wistedt areas of Germany. German forces had maintained accurate documentation (Kampfflugzeug Unterlagen, or KU) of American aircraft shoot-downs, with several reports indicating B-24s crashing in the area. However, AGRC was unable to associate any KU reports with Little Joe and investigators were unable to locate any crash or burial sites associated with the loss.
In 2015, an independent research group, Missing Allied Air Crew Research Team (MAACRT), contacted DPAA historians with new information related to a possible crash site near Wistedt, Germany. Interviews with elderly local residents indicated there were two crash sites, but only one was recovered by American forces following the war. Investigators located the second crash site and were able to recover various pieces of wreckage. Possible osseous remains were also located and transferred to the DPAA laboratory for analysis and identification. At the time, no matches could be made with any Unknowns and further investigations were scheduled.
Callahan’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands, along with others still missing from WWII.
A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Callahan will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date to be determined.
August 9
U.S. Army Air Forces Private 1st Class Harry M. Seiff, 23, of Venice, California, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In summer 1942, Seiff was a member of the 20th Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group, U.S. Army Air Forces, 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Seiff was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Seiff died November 14, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 723.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Several sets of remains from Common Grave 723 were identified, but the remaining others were declared unidentifiable, including those of Pfc. Seiff. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In June 2018, the remains associated with Common Grave 723 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Seiff’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Seiff will be buried on a date and location to be determined.
August 9
U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Alvin R. Scarborough, 22, of Dossville, Mississippi, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
In late 1942, Scarborough was a member of 454th Ordnance Company (Aviation), 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.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.
They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
Scarborough was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Scarborough died July 28, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 215.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Five sets of remains from Common Grave 215 were identified, but the rest were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In early 2018, the remains associated with Common Grave 215 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Scarborough’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Scarborough will be buried in Carthage, Mississippi, on a date to be determined.
U.S. Army Master Sgt. David P. Sluder, 33, of Johnson City, Tennessee, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In July 1950, Sluder was a member of Battery B, 63rd Field Artillery Battalion, 24th Infantry Division during the Korean War. He went missing in action after his unit was attacked by enemy ground forces in the vicinity of Samgyo-ri along the Kum River, South Korea, on July 14. Due to the fighting, his body could not be recovered at that time, and there was never any evidence that he was a prisoner of war. The Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953.
After regaining control of Taejon in the fall of 1950, the Army began recovering remains from the area and temporarily interring them at the United Nations Military Cemetery (UNMC) Taejon. One set of remains recovered during this period was designated Unknown X-1422. A tentative association was made between X-1422 and Sluder, but definitive proof could not be found, and X-1422 was determined to be unidentifiable. The remains were sent to Hawaii where they were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. In Oct 2019, DPAA disinterred Unknown X-1422 as part of Phase Two of the Korean War Disinterment Project and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory, for analysis.
Sluder’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.
Sluder will be buried in Mountain Home, Tennessee, on Sept. 29, 2024.
Soldier
August 1
U.S. Army Technician Fifth Grade (Tech5) Harold D. Pittis, 21, of Freeport, Ohio, killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In February 1945, Pittis was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 318th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division. His regiment was engaged in fierce fighting near the town of Biesdorf, Germany, when he was reported killed in action by small arms fire on Feb. 8.
His body was unable to be recovered due to intense fighting against heavily reinforced German forces on an elevated position. Despite various recovery attempts, Pittis’s remains were not accounted for during or after the war.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in Europe. In 1951, remains were recovered from a wooded area southeast of Biesdorf.
Remnants of military clothing, an American helmet and ammunition were found, but no identification tags or personal effects were located. The remains were designated X-8517 Neuville and interred at the U.S. Military Cemetery at Tunisia, known today as the North Africa American Cemetery.
In September 2022, Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) personnel exhumed X-8517 Neuville for forensic analysis and comparison with unresolved soldiers known to have been lost in the Biesdorf area. The remains were sent to the DPAA laboratory for identification.
Pittis’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Luxembourg American Cemetery, an ABMC site in Hamm, Luxembourg, 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.
Pittis will be buried in Freeport, Ohio, on a date to be determined.
Ju
U.S. Army Cpl. Robert P. Raess, 21, of Dodgeville, Wisconsin, reported missing in action during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In late 1950, Raess was a member of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Sept. 1, 1950, near Changnyeong, South Korea. The Army officially declared Raess deceased on Dec. 31, 1953, and declared his remains non-recoverable Jan. 16, 1956.
In Jan. 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-1578 Tanggok, which had been recovered from the area where Raess was last seen. In 1956, the remains, including X-1578 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.
In July 2018, the Department of Defense (DoD) approved a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the NMPC across various phases. On April 19, 2021, the remains of X-1578 Tanggok were disinterred and sent to the DPAA Laboratory as part of Phase 3.
Raess’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.
Raess will be buried in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, on Sept. 7, 2024.
U.S. Army Air Force 1st Lt. Joe A. De Jarnette, 25, from Fort Thomas, Campbell County, Kentucky was killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In spring 1944, De Jarnette was assigned to the 732nd Bombardment Squadron, 453rd Bombardment Group, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force in the European Theater. On April 8, De Jarnette, the pilot onboard a B-24H “Liberator” Little Joe, was killed in action when his plane was shot down by enemy fighter aircraft fire while on a bombing mission to Brunswick, Germany.
Airmen aboard other aircraft flying in formation with Little Joe did not report seeing any crewmembers exiting the aircraft before it crashed in the vicinity of Salzwedel.
The crash site could not be located by Allied forces during the war, and the remains of all nine crewmembers, including De Jarnette, were unaccounted for following the war
Joe Allen De Jarnette is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands.
U.S. Army Air Force 2nd Lt. Robert D. McKee, 27, from Portland, Oregon killed during World War II, was accounted for.
In spring 1944, McKee was assigned to the 732nd Bombardment Squadron, 453rd Bombardment Group, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force in the European Theater.
On April 8,
McKee, the co-pilot onboard a B-24H “Liberator” Little
Joe,
was killed in action when his plane was shot down by enemy fighter aircraft fire
while on a bombing mission to Brunswick, Germany. Airmen aboard other aircraft
flying in formation with Little
Joe did
not report seeing any crewmembers exiting the aircraft before it crashed in the
vicinity of Salzwedel.
The crash site could not be located by Allied forces during the war, and the remains of all nine crewmembers, including McKee, were unaccounted for following the war.
Robert D McKee is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands.
Ju
U.S. Army Sgt. John P. Ryhter, 22, of Bedford, Ohio, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.
In Dec. 1950, Ryhter was a member of Battery A, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action after his unit engaged in intensive combat actions against the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army in the vicinity of Kunu-ri, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, during the Battle of Ch’ongch’on River. At the time the circumstances for Ryhter’s loss were not immediately known, and there was never any evidence that he was a prisoner of war.
The Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953.
Following the war, in 1954, the opposing nations reached an agreement to exchange war dead, the execution of which was known as Operation GLORY. One set of Unknown remains, designated X-14632 OP GLORY, was reportedly recovered from Camp 5 Prisoner of War Cemetery, Pyoktong, North Korea. Definitive proof could not be found between X-14632 and Ryhter, and the remains were determined to be unidentifiable. They were then sent to Hawaii where they were buried as an Unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, known as the Punchbowl.
In Sept. 2019, DPAA personnel exhumed Unknown X-14632 from the Punchbowl and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory, for analysis.
Ryhter’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.
Ryhter will be buried in Bedford, Ohio, on a date to be determined.
U.S. Army Technician Fifth Grade (Tech5) Harold D. Pittis,
22, from Freeport Township, Harrison, Ohio, killed during World War
II, was accounted for.
In February 1945, Pittis was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 318th
Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division.
His regiment was engaged in fierce fighting near the town of Biesdorf, Germany, when he was reported killed in action by small arms fire on Feb. 8. His body was unable to be recovered due to intense fighting against heavily reinforced German forces on an elevated position.
U.S. Army Harold D. Pittis was buried in Hamm, Luxembourg, in Luxembourg American Cemetery is located near the town of Hamm, three miles east of Luxembourg City center.
U.S. Army Air Forces Sgt. Jack H. Hohlfeld, 29, of Trempealeau, Wisconsin, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for.
Hohlfeld was a member of Headquarters Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December 1941. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Hohlfeld was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death Hohlfeld and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Hohlfeld died Dec. 26, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 811.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Three of the sets of remains from Common Grave 811 were identified, while the remaining 3 were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.